It's a drab piece of plastic, with a black-and-white screen and a few buttons -- features that hardly warrant a second look. Nevertheless, Simputer -- a portable alternative to personal computers -- can empower masses with a host of applications, ranging from microfinancing to providing medical information
it's a drab piece of plastic, with a black-and-white screen and a few buttons -- features that hardly warrant a second look. Nevertheless, Simputer -- a portable alternative to personal computers -- can empower masses with a host of applications it has to offer, ranging from microfinancing to providing medical information.
Sadly, this is the unique selling proposition that developers of Simputer fail to cash in on. This 'talk of the town' has failed to deliver, for its developers are ignorant about market forces. The device was conceived as a tool to bridge the digital divide. Till date, this remains a distant dream, with the mini hand-held computer not even available for peer review, leave alone mass use.
Due to its long on-going development process, the Indian computer hardware industry has become the laughing stock of the world. Ironically, experts feel that it should be forcefully promoted because it is based on indigenous technology. "An India-based company can address area-specific problems," says Goa-based journalist Frederick Noronha.
Simputer is an acronym for Simple, Inexpensive, Mobile, People's Computer. It is being developed since 1999 by the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Sciences (iisc) and Encore Software Limited -- a commercial research organisation. iisc scientists formed Picopeta Simputer Private Limited to manufacture the Simputer. Till date its target group -- the masses -- is blissfully unaware about the Simputer's user-friendly, audio-visual and touchscreen interface. The prime components of the device are a SmartCard reader, a modem and a multi-lingual speech-to-text system. It runs on the Linux open source operating system, which can be tailored as per the needs of the users.
Its 'multiple user access' feature can change the face of our rural areas, its developers claim. Local community organisations such as the village panchayat can loan it to individuals or establishments for a specific period of time. The computer can be personalised to suit individual needs. This is what the SmartCard does. A user's profile can be stored on a SmartCard. With the insertion of the card, the Simputer generates user-specific data. Sounds simple...stop yearning for it. Be satisfied with handheld devices and palmtops that only fulfil 'lifestyle requirements'.
Due to its delayed launch, the community certainly has much to lose. The Simputer's on-going pilot project is evidence of this. The project, started in 2001 in Chattisgarh, entails the use of the Simputer to impart primary education. "Teachers are able to customise their teaching material. It has made the learning process more interactive," informs Manohar. Other applications of Simputer are retail banking, easy data collection and e-governance. Strangely, many software developers found the Simputer group uncommunicative when approached with proposals to make the device more user-friendly. "They lack public relation skills," says Arun Mehta, managing director of Indata, a New Delhi-based company.
Its applications sound compelling. So what is it that hinders this variety of the information technology (it) revolution? The answer is, simply, the lax attitude of its developers, an attitude that is quite typical of the scientific community in India. They say that 'high cost' discourages them for not mass-producing the product.
In its present stage of development, Simputer's cost is estimated to be Rs 15,000-20,000. "The level of penetration at this price will be very low. Similar handheld devices like Palmpilot cost as low as Rs 3,500," says Mehta. It also has to compete with pcs (personal computers). With a long history of development and consequent standardisation, pcs are extremely visible and are also considered most reliable.
Its developers allege that though the Union government has been taking credit for the development of the Simputer, it has shied away from giving any sops to the product in the form of tax exemptions. Taxes and excise duty account for more than 35 per cent of the total product price. But if the device is to be shared by a community with little economic capacity, this cost seems to be peanuts.
Moreover, even if its prices are reduced, the users have to be made aware about the existence of such a product and its 'seemingly endless' benefits -- a fact ignored by its developers when they come up with lame excuses. "To start the manufacturing process, a market should to be created. Demand is dependent on prices; and cost can only be brought down with large-scale manufacturing of the product. It is a vicious cycle," informs Swami Manohar of Picopeta.
People in developing countries may not be able to justify huge expenditures on a device that is helpful but is not essential. So the masses have to be made to realise that this product is just not helpful but essential for improving their economic conditions. If they don't get their act together fast, the Simputer would end up being nothing but a regrettable part of the electronic jargon. After all, the fast-moving it community waits for nothing.
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