Suphalaam smartbox: Classrooms just got smarter!

Technology is all pervasive. It is only a matter of time it has reached the education sector. In many ways it already has. US schools have started distributing iPads and there is an argument that every kid in America should have an iPad. Education is education be it America or India. Education in India has several different flavors. From local schools to international schools and from test prep schools to engineering colleges and IIT’s, the scope for technology in class rooms is just way too big.

Suphalaam is a company which is trying to help students and schools to better prepare for the course work and the exams. Suphalaam has developed a low-cost smartbox which is equipped with all the course material and several quizzes. Suphalaam’s smartbox is a 3.5 inch touch screen device which is WiFi enabled. It is pre-loaded with multimedia content. Schools can assign homework automatically which is then transferred to the student’s devices.

The smart box is also pre-loaded with study material from IIT-JEE, AIEEE and CET. The smart box is available in 3 variants which cost Rs. 3000 – Rs. 5000. This is the amount spent by a parent who is sending his kid to upper KG. Which means quite affordable. This device might not necessarily replace books but it can be seen as a handy device with great merits.

Watch the product in action :

The device is being used by 1500 students across 30 private institutions and the company is planning to sell 60,000 more devices by 2013. There are few other products in the pipeline :

• A device with video playing capability
• 7-inch device, probably a tablet
• Device which can be used for spoken english and literacy programs which costs just Rs. 1500.

What do you think of Suphalaam? What do you think of market for niche devices?

Source : MC