Indian ‘Simputer’ to bridge digital divide

Published Monday 29th March 2004 12:27 GMT
In a nation where only nine in 1,000 people own a computer, a long-awaited device has finally been launched to bring the poor into the information age.

The so-called Simputer, a device which has been discussed and hyped for three years, was finally launched last week in India with a price tag of slightly less than INR10,000 (€187). The Simputer is a bare-bones handheld computer that is designed to allow poorer Indians to access the Web, email and other basic computer functions