Simputer makers in talks for massive orders

Friday, 02 May 2003, 19:30 IST
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The Simputer, India's most innovative technological product in recent times, is poised for mass use in the country and abroad with one of the license holders set to sign a 100,000-units deal with an Indian company.

BANGALORE: Encore Software, one of the two license holders for the Simputer launched two years ago, is also in talks with two firms from Japan and one from Singapore for the supply of a similar number of the cost-effective handheld devices that promises to bridge the digital divide. "The memorandum of understanding would be signed in the next two weeks with the Indian software company that does work for others," Vinay Deshpande, CEO, Encore Software, told IANS. "And the chairman of a Japanese company with whom we are in talks has sent his approval of the current product," he added, though declining to name any of the companies with which Encore is holding talks. This the first time since the Simputer was launched in 2001 that either of the license holders, Encore and PicoPeta Simputers, has been in talks for the supply of 100,000 units. Most of the orders have been in the 500-1,000 range, primarily for testing purposes or use in government initiatives like e-learning, electricity bill collections or micro-credit in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. The delay in the Simputer reaching the tech showroom prompted several people in industry and academia to raise questions about the product that has been hailed as the most innovative the world has seen in the past decade. "It's finally positive, though I would celebrate when we deliver all the units. But, yes, there have been delays because we worked on the useful feedback that we received on the initial model that had been sent out for testing," Deshpande said. The target of June 2002 could not be met because finding the right packing for the Simputer took time and money. But Deshpande insisted that in the fast changing technology scene, the Simputer "is still in a class of its own". "I can say this very confidently. The Simputer is designed for mobile computing applications whereas all other handheld devices are developed for personal productivity," he added. "The perceptions are not correct. It is not a retail product. Unless the dedicated applications are ready, it cannot be obviously used. Now we are prepared to customise it for the customers with whom we are in serious talks," Deshpande said. The customised products, however, would be costlier than the ordinary ones that are priced around 13,700. The price is more than the original 9,000 because of duties and taxes. Encore is already working on suggestions from some foreign customers to bring out a wireless variety of the Simputer. From June, it would start testing it for use as a cell phone as well. There is keen interest in the Simputer from Malaysia, the Middle East, African countries and Japan. The Malaysian state of Selangor has already issued a government order for use of Simputers in all e-governance initiatives. The Simputer was designed and developed by four scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) -- Vijay Chandru, Vinay, K. Hariharan and Swamy Manohar, all now with PicoPeta Simputers -- and three from Encore.
Source: IANS