Qualcomm Kayak 3g computer-phone for India soon
Qualcomm’s PC-phone Kayak costing Rs 10,000 likely to be launched in India in 2010.
Photo: Qualcomm Kayak PC-phone
Qualcomm Incorporated, the manufacturer of mobile chips, based in San Diego, California, the United States, says it expects to launch its ‘Kayak’ – an alternative to the personal computer – in India and Nepal in the second half of 2010.
The Indian price of Kayak – the device that also lets users make calls – will be Rs 10,000 (about $210). And unlike the so-called ultra cheap Rs 500 PC which India had touted to our huge embarrassment a while back, this one is a real product.
According to Kanwalinder Singh, senior vice-president of Qualcomm Incorporated, the company is holding discussions with major telecom-service providers in India such as BSNL, Tata Teleservices, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications and MTS to bring Kayak to India.
The trial of Kayak, which offers high-speed broadband connectivity, is scheduled to begin in early 2010. The product will be launched on a commercial scale in the second half of 2010, Kanwalinder Singh said.
Qualcomm had announced in 2008 that it would launch Kayak, the 3G-enabled internet access platform, in India to provide both computing and connectivity.
The prototypes for Kayak, which look like regular desk-phones, have already been built.
The company, according to Kanwalinder Singh, believes that it can make a device that consists of display, mouse and keyboard for less than Rs 10,000 – which will make access to internet simple, affordable and run for 9-10 hours. In addition, Kayak lets users make calls.
It was Qualcomm that pioneered in India the code division multiple access (CDMA) technology. At present, over 100 million mobile-phone users in India make use of the CDMA technology.
‘Kayak’ is named after the boats used by American Indians. These boats are reputed for their speed and simplicity.
The product provides high-speed broadband connectivity on third-generation (3G) spectrum – that is, one can use Kayak to make phone calls as well as to download content off a high-speed internet connection.
The pilot use of Kayak will be done in 40 schools in India, in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Azim Premji Foundation.
Even though Kayak has been designed to cater to the “connectivity divide” in developing countries, there is increasing interest in the product even in the United States, according to Kanwalinder Singh.
The 3G spectrum, which Indian government is expected to auction later in 2009, lets mobile-phone operators offer high-speed internet access to content like, for example, video on mobile phones.
The competition in the market for cheap personal computers is on the rise in India. Intel, the leading chipmaker, has introduced Classmate PC, costing $400.
The government of India has announced the launch of a cheap PC alternative, priced at Rs 500, in order to provide educational solutions in about 18,000 colleges in the country. That led to huge disappointment all around when it was revealed that it was practically a storage device for course materials or so.