Karbonn unveils 3G Android tablet 'Agnee'

New Delhi: Domestic handset maker Karbonn said it will launch a 3G tablet PC named 'Karbonn Agnee' in the country by Diwali this year in the sub-Rs 10,000 category. The tablet, to be based on the Qualcomm's Reference Design (QRD), will play an important role as the company eyes sales of half a million tablet PCs by the end of March, 2013.

"The 3G tablet has been designed and developed in India by Innominds to provide a comprehensive and collaborative platform for students and faculties. Karbonn Agnee is the first 3G tablet based on QRD, which will surely take a step forward in making engaged mobility solutions a reality for the Indian consumers," Pradeep Jain, Managing Director, Karbonn Mobiles told PTI at Innovation Qualcomm India 2012.

The aim is to usher in a revolution in the tablet market with 3G technology for advanced communication and data usage, he added. Karbonn, which claims to have a 8 per cent share in the smart devices (smartphones and tablet PCs) market in India, is targetting to increase it to 15 per cent by fiscal-end.

"Right now, we are doing about 70,000 tablet PCs a month, which we expect to take to half a million by March. Also, in the smart devices category, we should have a share of 15 per cent by the same time," Jain said.

The company has four tablet PCs in its portfolio priced between Rs 5,790 to Rs 7,990. "Qualcomm is committed to making 3G an affordable offering and continues to play the role of technology enabler and innovator, in concert with our ecosystem suppliers, to ensure that the benefits of 3G touch the lives of those throughout India," Avneesh Agrawal, SVP and President, Qualcomm India & South Asia said.

The Karbonn AGNEE, powered by QTI’s 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, has a 7 inch screen, HDMI, 3G HSPA, Android ICS OS, and a 4000 mAh Li-Polymer battery. It will be available in 3 versions.

While one of these will be available around Diwali in the sub-Rs 10,000 range, the other two will be made available in December. The pricing of the two devices will be announced later.