Pak military builds $200 Android tablet - PACPAD 1

Meet PACPAD 1, the Pakistan military's maiden attempt at an Android tablet, all for roughly $200. The PACPAD, or the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex PAD is the brainchild of the Pakistan Air Force, which is based out of Kamra, in northern Pakistan, where engineers assemble the tablet, when they're not working on any defense project, that is; in an attempt to "Strengthen National Economy Through Commercialization." PACPAD 1 is a product, which according to the report combines "Pakistani engineering and Chinese hardware." In this venture, the officials of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex have gained their expertise from a company, called Innavtek in a Hong Kong-registered partnership. 

The PACPAD 1 tablet

The PACPAD 1 isn't the first of the military's commercial ventures; at the moment, in the market they have the PAC eBook 1, which is an ebook reader and a PAC nBook 1 laptop, in addition to their $200 tablet. The makers, according to a report in Yahoo! news have produced only a few hundreds of this product, so far, but, a fresh batch is scheduled to be doled out in the coming three months. 

Here's a look at the specifications of the PACPAD 1 tablet:

• Display: 7-inch, Capactive display
• OS: Android 2.3
• Processor: ARM11@1GHz
• Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g
• Audio: supports MP3, WMA, AAC, 3GP, WAV
• Video: supports AVI, MKV, WMV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, FLV
• Internet: Browser - Opera, UCWeb, SkyFire, Dolphin
• Battery: 10 hrs music, +5 hrs of video, +4 hrs of HDMI output
• Weight: 385g

Sure, the makers are receiving a volley of mixed reactions from the masses. While some believe that the military should rather be doing what they do best - protecting the air space and borders of the country, there are others who feel that these ventures of the military will only strengthen the nation's economy. Interestingly, technology isn't the only space, Pakistan's air force has delved into. Reportedly, the military's business portfolio in its entireity reads - massive land holdings, flour and sugar mills, hotels, travel agents, and a brand of breakfast cereal, too!

You can visit the PAC's official website, at http://www.cpmc.pk to know more.