October 12, 2011 9:06 AM EDT
Bangladeshi officials have announced that they have developed one of the cheapest laptop computers on the market.
Priced as low as 10,000 taka (about $130), the Doel laptop was unveiled at a ceremony in the capital city of Dhaka on Tuesday by the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
(Bangladesh’s neighbor India recently released a tablet priced as low as $35).
Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (TSS), the state-controlled telecommunications firm, will produce four models of the laptop, with the most basic version – which runs on the Android operating system -- costing $130.
BBC reported that the laptop will initially be distributed to government employees, but eventually will be available to millions of ordinary Bangladeshis, including students.
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"This is a big step towards building a digital Bangladesh,” TSS managing director Mohammad Ismail told BBC. “When villages get laptops at a cheaper price they will be connected to the internet and that will bring lots of benefits."
He added that Bangladesh is manufacturing about one-tenth of the components of the laptop, with the remainder of materials imported.
"But within six months we will be able to produce 60 percent of the components," he added.
According to PC World, citing data from ITProPortal, the Doel's "primary model" features an 800MHz VIA 8650 processor, 512MB RAM, 16GB flash memory, Wi-Fi, and a 10.1-inch (1024x600) LCD screen, webcam, SD card reader, and two USB ports.
The Dhaka government has launched a program called Digital Bangladesh under which it wants the entire country digitally hooked up by 2021.
"Every part of the country will be brought under e-governance, while the telecommunication system is being modernized to cut the digital divide," Sheikh Hasina said during the ceremony.
Still, according to reports, critics are skeptical that the laptops will be of much help since Bangladesh has poor Internet connectivity
The name "doel" comes from the national bird of Bangladesh, a small black-and-white creature that remains close to the Earth and gives off a pleasant whistling sound. It's known as a magpie robin in the West.
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