We have had the opportunity to play around with India’s first 3G-enabled tablet, the OlivePad from Olive Telecom, and while we are not exactly sure that it will drive us away from the iPad, it is by far the best stand-alone tablet product in the country. Yes, we do not know its final price yet, but if you are looking for reasons to invest in it, here are six factors that we think could help make up your mind. Continue reading »
Olive Telecom has unveiled India’s first 3G tablet. Called the OlivePad, it comes packed with some very impressive specifications. Its screen is a tad smaller than the iPad’s but on the flip side, it comes with high-speed wireless broadband (Tata), USB connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, two cameras (one at the back and one for video calling), and what we like most of all, the Android 2.1 operating system. The price, we believe, will be less than Rs 25,000 and the tablet itself will be seen in Indian markets in August. An iPad killer? We know not, but the specs are certainly very impressive.
The iPad might not have arrived on Indian shores yet, but you can be sure of one thing - come Thursday, India will see its first 3G-enabled tablet device. Olive Telecom are the folks launching it - if we remember right, they were the first ones off the mark with the first 3G-enabled laptop in the country too. The launch is scheduled to happen in Delhi around noon on Thursday.
Of course, there are a host of questions that spring to mind at the announcement - what operating system will the tablet run on (Android, Windows, proprietary), what will be the connectivity costs (3G connectivity ain’t cheap from what we have seen), what will be the functions available on the tablet (will it be able to take photographs) and most importantly, what will be the price tag that it carries? Given Olive’s reputation for solid, value-for-money devices, we are hoping in our heart of hearts for an Android tablet that costs less than Rs 20,000, but we will know only on Thursday. Watch this space until then.
