Cheapest Internet Tablet Displayed

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal revealed that his ministry initially contacted various private sector companies for the development of the tablet. Almost all of them gave a lukewarm response to the proposal following which they contacted institutes for the research and development.


 

The specs look quite decent for something that is priced at Rs. 1,500. How about 2GB of RAM, Wi-Fi connectivity and a USB port? The tablet has been developed by the government in collaboration with premier scientific institutes like the IITs, IISc and VIT, Vellore.



The latest in this caravan is the new computing device launched by the India's Ministry of Human Resource Development. Priced at just Rs.1,500 ($35), this one is way cheaper than the $75 OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) option. This Rs.1,500 device has the form factor of a tablet and supposedly has a 7-inch touchscreen display. It is capable of browsing the web and comes with a keyboard as well.





 

Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade Prices Slashed

Microsoft India has lowered the price of Xbox 360 Arcade gaming console for the Indian audience. The Xbox 360 Arcade console price was introduced for Rs. 16,990 last year in June. Now, the price of Xbox 360 Arcade has been dropped to Rs. 14,676. Apparently, this price cut doesn't apply to special bundles.






Xbox 360 Arcade is a bare bones version of the gaming console that comes with Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, standard AV cable, an Xbox LIVE Arcade Compilation Disc that includes 5 Arcade games and 256MB Memory Unit. We aren't sure as of now whether 512MB internal memory unit loaded Arcade SKUs are available in India.





Do note that Kinect for Xbox 360, the controller free gaming device, would be usable with this Arcade model via a special adapter cable. But that will be taken care of when Kinect is announced for India.





The price cut on Xbox 360 Arcade is effective immediately so if you have been planning to buy one, now is a good time.

Microsoft Shows Its Limited Edition Halo Reach Bundle

At the ongoing Comic Con 2010 San Diego, Microsoft has revealed limited edition Halo: Reach Xbox 360 bundle. This exclusive bundle will have the new Xbox 360 game console with 250GB HDD with Halo series themed casing. Of course, it is due to arrive with Microsoft's upcoming Halo series game - Halo: Reach that is set to release on September 14. This bundle will be a limited edition priced at $399 (Rs. 18,800 approx.) and would be offered only till stocks last.




Halo: Reach is a prequel to previous released Halo installments and will feature Noble Team, a heroic Spartan Soldiers squad, who lands on Planet Reach to save it. This new Limited Edition Xbox 360 Halo: Reach bundle has been designed by Halo series developers Bungie. This limited edition bundle will have new Xbox 360 game console with 250GB HDD, built-in Wi-Fi and support for Kinect, the controller free gaming device. The console's angular chassis carries artwork inspired from Halo series.

The Xbox 360 Halo: Reach bundle also packs two Xbox 360 Wireless controllers with artwork inspired by the Halo: Reach game. Apart from that, the bundle will also have a Halo: Reach themed headset, standard edition copy of Halo: Reach game, Limited Edition Elite Armor set token, and an episode of Halo: Legends.



Microsoft also announced that it will make the Halo: Reach Limited Edition Wireless Controller and Limited Edition Wireless Headset available. Both these accessories will have exclusive Halo artwork designed by Bungie and will come in distinctive Silver color. The Limited Edition Wireless Controller would be made available for $60 (Rs. 2,800 approx.) along with Covenant Banshee Avatar token for Xbox LIVE. While the Limited Edition Wireless Headset would be available for $50 (Rs. 2,350 approx.). Both accessories would be made available by late August.

 

Along with that, Microsoft also announced an all-in-one bundle that includes new Xbox 360 4GB Arcade game console with Kinect device and Kinect Adventures. This bundle is priced at $300 (Rs. 14,000 approx.) and will start shipping from August 3. It seems this is the same bundle that we reported about last week.

Microsoft New Xbox 360 Slim Announced at E3

One day prior to the E3 Expo 2010, Microsoft announced the updated version of the Xbox 360 console. Simply called the Xbox 360 250GB, the new console features a number of changes, including smaller design, larger internal hard drive and Wi-Fi 802.11n support, among others.



For the new design, Microsoft has gone for a more angular look compared to the curvy design of the previous model. The new Xbox 360 250GB features a glossy all black design, which reminds us of the first generation PlayStation 3. It is now significantly smaller than the older version. Other aspects of the design are the presence of touch sensitive buttons instead of the mechanical buttons for the power and disc eject functions. Microsoft has also gone for a single larger fan design instead of the two smaller fans for lower noise during gameplay. Those who witnessed the console first hand noted that the new model is significantly quieter than the older one. For those who don't know, the older Xbox 360 was criticized for its higher noise levels during operation.

The new Xbox 360 250GB features a lot more connectivity options than before. You get five USB 2.0 ports, two of which are up front under the sliding panel and three are on the back. There is an AUX port for connecting accessories such as the Xbox 360 Kinect. An HDMI port is standard and so are the optical audio out and the proprietary AV connector found on the older consoles. And finally there is Wi-Fi 802.11n (the PlayStation 3 has 802.11b/g) built right in.

True to its name, the new Xbox 360 250GB comes with a 250GB HDD inside it. It is incompatible with the older hard drive though and it seems you cannot just use any laptop hard drive as you can on the PlayStation 3. You also cannot use older memory cards of the Xbox 360 with the new console. To transfer data from the old console to the new one, you can use a 16GB flash drive or the hard drive transfer cable (sold separately for $20).




The new Xbox 360 250GB has already gone on sale in U.S. and is available for $299. The older Xbox 360 is also on sale for $199 but may get an update. We hope the new console arrives in India soon.