In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte, co-founder of MIT’s Media Lab and proponent of the non-profit association, One Laptop Per Child, introduced a prototype of a laptop costing just $100 for students in the developing world. Believing the cost was still too steep, India sought to invent an even less expensive technology-based aid for its students.

The result is a $35 tablet computer. India’s Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal proudly brandished it to the press on July 22nd. Dubbed the ‘Sakshat’ laptop, the touch-screen device boasts a PDF reader, word processing functions, wireless Internet configuration, and even an in-built webcam for video conferencing. While there has been no confirmation of its specifications, reports suggest that the computer will carry 2GB of memory and a power consumption of just two watts.

An add-on that allows the computer to work on solar power is also available at extra cost. This innovation would be particularly beneficial to students living in remote areas with scarce energy resources.

Production of the cheap touch-screen tablet is set to pick up by 2011. Sibal even hopes to cut the cost down to $10 eventually. If the government is able to find the right manufacturer, the computer would become the latest in India’s growing contributions to the “world’s cheapest” innovative technologies, which includes a $16 water purifier and a compact Nano car costing just a little over $2,000.

With the launch of the Sakshat comes a feasible means to increase the quality of education, as well as the efficiency of technological development, in developing countries. Computers are fast becoming a staple for everyday life. Not only would an affordable tablet computer be able to help students learn textbook material, but it would be able to do so using a medium that has become an almost universal means of communication, and a requirement for any desk job.