The Simputer's latest avatar - SATHI
The Acorn reports that the Simputer has made it as Situational Awareness and Tactical Handheld Information (SATHI), a hand-held computer for the Indian Army, and it is currently undergoing final user trials. According to Sify.com, the latest avatar of the Simputer, while retaining its overall dependence on open-source and indigenous sources, has a first in the world to its credit.
The world's first integrated battle computer, SATHI works on the open source Linux platform; customised Geographical Information System (GIS); internal radio modem; encrypted software and has powerful batteries and capabilities to send text messages.
The Indian Army's choice of the Simputer makes sense even if we disregard the open-source and India angles - the Simputer is a much more powerful device than any commercial PDA, with features approaching a normal full fledged PC. Could this be just the boost the Simputer needs to finally make it a commercial success?
