Simputer, with its complex acronym, Simple, Inexpensive, Multi-lingual coMPUTER, promises to bring outside knowledge to villages in the third world. With more power than a Palm device, the Simputer is touted as a low-cost alternative to the PC, according to Simputer Trust, a non-profit organization comprising of academics and technologists from Encore Software and the Indian Institute of Science, both based in Bangalore, India.

Designed without a keyboard, the device features speech-to-text technology, which provides voice feedback in the user’s local-language, and simple user interfaces based on sight, touch and sound. This ensures that illiteracy is no longer a barrier to handling a computer, trust officials said.

Even at $200US, or 9,000 rupees in India, the multi-lingual device is far beyond the means of the "common man" in rural India. Simputer Trust is looking to government agencies and local communities, such as the village school or village shop, to make the devices available through rental or lending programs.

To facilitate such a sharing program, a smartcard reader was specifically designed for use with the device. The smartcard stores the personal information of each user who rents or borrows the device. The only cost to the user is the price of a smartcard and usage time.

Applications for the Simputer are diverse from micro banking to large data collection to agricultural information, all of which can be made possible at an affordable price, trust officials said.

The Simputer will be available in the second quarter of this year.

• CPU 32-bit Strong ARM SA-1100 RISC CPU running at 200 MHz
• 24 MB of flash memory
• 32 MB of DRAM
• Display 320 x 240 Monochrome LCD Display Panel
• Speaker and MIC Jacks Smartcard Connector
• USB Connection
• Linux operating system
• IML browser
• Internet access
• Dhvani Text-to-Speech Software
• MP3 Player