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From the Motorola Moto G to the Tesco Hudl, 2013 has been the year of cheap gadgets. But they’re all beaten by the UbiSlate 7Ci, a tablet that costs £29.99 — just don’t forget the delivery charge.
With UK delivery taking the price to £39.95, the 7-inch UbiSlate is still a fraction of the cost of even the bargain-tastic £199 Google Nexus 7.
Don’t expect the same performance as a pricier pad though. Sporting a low-resolution 800×480 screen, it runs a 1GHz processor with just 512MB of RAM, alongside 4GB of storage and a microSD card slot. The software is a modified version of Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, but it gets apps from GetJar rather than official Android app store Google Play.
Still, if those specs aren’t enough, you can fork out £70 for a UbiSlate 7C+ with 3G.
British company Datawind managed to pare down the cost of the 7Ci to £30 by building the tablet from low-cost processors, and by making the LCD touchscreen itself. It’s sold with razor-thin profit margin, bolstered by advertising.
Originally launched in 2011 and upgraded in 2012, the tablet was designed for use in schools in poorer areas of India, where it’s called the Aakash. Interestingly enough, Datawind has beaten Samsung and Apple to become the biggest supplier of tablets in India.
Is a £30 tablet the future of education, or are cheap gadgets a false economy? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
