Microsoft & HP launch tablet targeted at higher education for Rs 29,999; device comes embedded with Pearson educational content

Microsoft has partnered with HP to launch a tablet targeted at technical and management students in India. Christened HP Omni 10, the tablet runs on the Windows 8.1 operating system and comes embedded with syllabus compliant educational material from Pearson to ensure effective learning with homework, tutorial and assessment support, along with e-books.

The Microsoft offerings include a preloaded set of 10 e-books on developer tools, access to various Microsoft developer tools and servers through the DreamSpark student site, single sign-on student mail IDs as well as a 50 GB mail box and 25 GB OneDrivePro. The bundle also includes a Microsoft Certification MTA voucher for students to walk in to any Certi-Port authorised center and take the Microsoft Certification Exam.

"The launch of these customised tablets is a part of our continuous efforts to make education more inclusive through technology. We believe that this devices and services approach toward the Indian education sector will make learning more interactive and immersive," said Arun Rajamani, head, public sector and education, Microsoft India.

The tablet offers Pearson's e-learning content including theory papers of first semester engineering and MBA courses. Pearson self-learning course module will provide multimedia content for first semester engineering students and student guides/notes, flash cards, and video case studies for first semester MBA students. The interactive content enables teachers to simplify concepts and helps students understand and retain the concepts better. These tablets will be available for sale to institutions that are keen on upgrading their students to the latest offering.

Available for all technical and management institutes in the country, the bundle is being offered currently at an EMI plan of Rs 2,990 per month for 12 months (taxes additional). The offer is valid till June 15, 2014. The company is also providing a carry cover for the HP Omni 10 tablet in the offer.

Specifications

Like the name already states, the tablet has a 10.1 inch HD display (1920x1200 pixels resolution) and runs on the Windows 8.1 operating system. It is powered by a 1.4GHz Intel Atom Z3770 quad-core processor (up to 2.4GHz in turbo mode) and has 2GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 32GB, which can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.

On the camera front, the tablet offers an 8MP rear camera with LED Flash that can also record high definition videos (720p), and a 2MP front facing camera for video calling. Apart from the regular connectivity options like Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi, it also has a micro USB port, microSD card slot, as well as a HDMI display port.

The dimensions of the device are 167.6mm x 116.8 x 10.1mm and its weight is 635 gm. The company has provided a 31 Wh battery in the device that it claims will provide up to 8.5 hours of battery life. While the device has been priced at Rs 29,999, it is available for as low as Rs 27,490 on Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart.com.

This is Microsoft's second such initiative, the first one being Acer Iconia W4-820 that was targeted at school students (K6-12 level). For the same, the company had partnered with Acer, MBD Group and Tata Teleservices. Launched in February this year, the device is available for Rs 24,999.