Indian HRD minister Kapil Sibal finally launched the $35 tablet Aakash today. It took government over 14 months to actually release a tablet, which actually got in the hands on few students. From the first prototype announcement way back in July, 2010 to October 5, i.e. today, the story of this tablet has been quite fascinating; much like a typical Bollywood movie story with a happy ending

It all started on July 23, 2010 when Kapil Sibal announced a $35 Android tablet, that was supposed to be made available to students right from primary schools to universities. The following prototype was showcased and Indian TV channels went all gaga over the tablet and it became one of biggest tech news of the day across the global media.

Aakash tablet weighs 350 grams and has 256 MB of RAM and 32 GB expandable memory slot and two USB ports. The tablet also has support for Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g connectivity and includes a microphone and stereo earphones. It comes with one year replacement warranty.

According to DataWind, The Premium version of Aakash Tablet inbuilt cellular modem (GSM/3G) and SIM card slot to access Internet, which will be absent in the $35 (Rs.1720) device, supplied to the Government of India will be available at retail stores across India at MRP of Rs. 2999 by the end of October 2011.

A keyboard portfolio case for the Aakash Tablet will also be made available during the premium version launch at an additional cost of Rs. 300.