Before you get to the image of surfing the Internet on your next bus ride using Binatone, then I have to stop you there. The only way Binatone Home Surf can connect to the Internet is through W-Fi. It doesn’t have 3G and doesn’t have Flash support. How could it not have 3G? Well Binatone didn’t think India would complete the 3G auctions.
Now that we got the important details out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff. Home Surf costs Rs. 8995. That is correct and no digit is missing there. There are four tablets (Dell Streak, Infibeam Phi and Olivepad) launched in India so far and Home Surf is the cheapest of all.
There is more to Home Surf than the pretty price. Like all other tablets launched in India, Home Surf runs Android operating system, which means one doesn’t have to worry about the apps. The touch screen is a 8-inch resistive LCD screen, which is a little odd because the screen sizes are usually, well odd. A 7-inch, 9-inch and a 5-inch is what we have seen so far.
Home Surf has 128 mb RAM, ARM11 667 MHz processor and 2GB internal storage. The storage is on the lower side because basic phones are coming with better storage.
Specifications :
- Built-in Stereo Speakers and microphone.
- Li-Ion Rechargeable battery which can support up to 4 Hrs video playback on full charge
- One miniUSB port.
Home Surf got the basic stuff and could easily be called as a barebones tablet PC. Which immediately diverts the attention to the $35 tablet PC. How possible is that? A topic for another post.
I am not sure why this gadget did not get the press it deserved. Not for the product but for the price at which the product is launched. Is it because the $35 tablet PC from the Indian government mopped up all the hype? Binatone Home Surf might not be as cheap as the $35 tablet, but come on, it is Rs. 8995. What more can we ask for? Many mobile phones cost more than that.
This is one device I don’t mind spending money on. Binatone can go with a inexpensive but capable Android running smartphone in the sub-20k range. That would beat the iPad and iPhone combination. Wouldn’t it?
4 Responses to “Binatone Home Surf : Poor man’s iPad?”
October 14, 2010
7-inch it is — Right sizing the tablet![...] which are part of this analysis : Notion Ink Adam, Olive Telecom Olivepad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Binatone HomeSurf, Cherrypad , AT &T Tablet, Cisco Tablet, Apple iPad, ZTE Light ,Infibeam Phi , RIM Playbook [...]
October 22, 2010
Zeitgest : Binatone Home Surf vs Infibeam Phi vs Accord @Pad[...] The most expensive of them all is the 5-inch Dell Streak costing Rs. 35000. The cheapest of all is Binatone Home Surf costing Rs. 8995. Accord @Pad is pretty close to Binatone’s Home Surf. There are two other [...]
November 21, 2010
Accord @Pad : 7-Inch Android tablet for Rs. 9999[...] only real comparable device for @Pad is Binatone Home Surf. For a cost of Rs. 9999, @Pad is a steal. A perfect fit for browsing, watching movies and [...]
March 22, 2011
Tablets in India. The story so far… - The Gadget Fan[...] Dubbed as poor man’s iPad, Home Surf has 128 mb RAM, ARM11 667 MHz processor and 2GB internal storage and an 8-inch resistive screen. Built-in Stereo Speakers and microphone, Li-Ion Rechargeable battery which can support up to 4 Hrs video playback on full charge and one miniUSB port. Cost : Rs. 8995. More [...]