Linux-based handheld hits the Indian market
A pair of Indian companies are touting a home-grown handheld, eyeing both the local market and a wider audience. The Amida Simputer, originally developed as a "poor man's computer," is now being pitched as a device that can handle a wide range of business and personal-computing requirements. The Linux-powered handheld combines the functions of an organiser and an MP3 player and has handwriting recognition capabilities.
The device was developed by PicoPeta Simputers, a Bangalore-based industry academic group, and is being manufactured by Bharat Electronics, an Indian government-owned company. Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, an outspoken supporter of open-source software, formally launched the product via teleconference from New Delhi last week, saying it could play a role in providing government services to citizens.
The Amida Simputer is designed to enable scribbling and e-mailing of notes regardless of language, which is a key factor in the multilingual Indian market. It also has an on-screen keyboard for two Indian languages -- Hindi and Kannada -- with more languages to be added soon, the companies said.
But the ambitions of the device's makers do not stop at the country's borders. "We have taken the first steps of an Indian product company building a global brand," V. Vinay, chairman of PicoPeta, said in a statement.
