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Low cost e-mail device for multilingual users unveiled

Shiv Kumar, in Bombay

An Indian company has unveiled a low-cost portable e-mail device that can handle text-based applications in several Indian languages.

The istation, as the device is called, can be plugged into any telephone jack and mail can be sent and retrieved from an e-mail account, said Narsimha Prabhu, chief technical officer of Bangalore-based Inabling Technologies Private Ltd, the manufacturer of the device.

The istation weighs just 770 grams, comes with a built-in keyboard and an LED display. Unlike a regular computer, istation has its own operating system though it is compatible with regular HTTP mail services like Hotmail, Yahoo! and the POP3 service provided by Internet service providers, says Prabhu.

The product touts a number of advantages to suit low-income users. The device, which can be plugged into a printer, can also be used by small and medium enterprises to access inventory levels and stock movements. It also runs on a battery backup, useful during long power failures.

For an additional monthly charge of Rs 100, users of istation can avail of five e-mail accounts. However, mail can only be sent and received through the company's server.

Subscribers can also avail of a number of services like weather reports, stock market information and astrological predictions.

Professionals like salesmen and journalists are being targeted for the product.

"Salespersons of companies will have to just plug in the istation and obtain data quickly," says Prabhu, who began his career with C-DOT, the pioneering information technology company founded by Sam Pitroda.

The pre-launch publicity for the product conducted a few months ago resulted in a few big clients for the company, says John Arvamuthan, the chief executive officer.

Inabling Technologies Ltd is also promoted by B V Jagadeesh, co-founder of Exodus Communications, a one-time hot property in Silicon Valley.

The Karnataka government has also backed the product by installing istations in telephone booths in 70 villages across the state.

"This will enable villagers to obtain information on land records, crop information etc. at a low cost," says Arvamuthan.

Indo-Asian News Service

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