The Indian markets have been swooped by low cost tablets like Aakash, Micromax Funbook, BSNL Tpads, HCL ME or iBall Slide etc. These low cost tablets compete with each other at a level where prices are as low as possible and features are practical. This also leads to quiet confusion as to which tablet to pick. Well, here’s a head-to-head of two of the more popular tablets currently in the market; namely the Aakash tablet and BSNL Penta tablets or Tpads.
Aakash is also commercially known as Ubislate 7 and manufactured by DataWind. Aakash tablets are priced at Rs. 2999. BSNL Tpads on the other hand come in three variations with prices starting as low as Rs. 3250up to Rs 13000. These tablets are made with a joint venture between Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Pantel Technologies Pvt Ltd, a Noida based company. The lowest version of the BSNL Tpads, named Tpad IS701R, is aimed at students as viewed as a direct competition to the Aakash tablet. The other two, namely WS704c and WS802c tablets are priced at Rs. 10999 and Rs. 13000 respectively, and are mainly for the professional users.
There are some similarities and some differences in the tablets of both these companies:
| Aakash or UbiSlate7 | BSNL IS701R | BSNL WS704c | BSNL WS802c | |
| Screen | 7 inch Resistive 800×600 resolution | 7 inch Resistive 800×600 resolution | 7 inch Resistive 800×600 resolution | 8 inch capacitive800x600 resolution |
| Processor | 700 MHz | 1 GHz | 1 GHz | 1.2 GHz |
| RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Storage | 2 GB, expandable via Memory card | 2 GB, expandable via Memory card | 4 GB, expandable via Memory card | 4 GB, expandable via Memory card |
| Operating System | Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread | Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread | Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread | Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread |
| SIM Support | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No | VGA front, 2MP rear | VGA front, 2MP rear |
| 3G Capable | Yes, via USB dongle | Yes, via USB dongle | Yes, via USB dongle | Yes, via USB dongle |
| USB and WIFI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos | Full HD | Full HD | Full HD | Full HD |
| Data Plan Offer | 2GB per month @ Rs. 98 | 5GB for 60 days | 5GB for 60 days | 5GB for 60 days |
| Price | INR 2999 | INR 3250 | INR 10999 | INR 13000 |
As you can see from the table above, not much is the difference between the Aakash and the BSNL IS701R in terms of features; just that the later has a slightly higher processor but lacks the SIM card functionality of Aakash, and you pay Rs. 250 more if you opt for the BSNL Tpad. So one side you get a higher processor by paying Rs. 250 more but at the same time you miss out on the SIM functionality, which ultimately boils down to what you need in your tablet computer.
The other two BSNL tablets, the WS 704c and the WS 802c are way above the Aakash in terms of processor speeds, screen and RAM but also expensive in terms of pricing. If you want more performance and are willing to shell out Rs. 7500 to Rs 10000 more for the same, than you may opt for the other two.
However one thing to notice and bear in mind in all these 4 tablets is that all are running Gingerbread version of Android, while there are others in the market at similar price points which offer Android’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich operating system with similar features. It would be worth checking them out as well before making a final buying decision.