Remember this post? D’you think $100 per computing device, aiming to change education, is a noble aspiration? Well, then you’re really going to love this. The tech-sphere has been awash with commentary, and all manner of skepticism lately, and it’s about this device:

At the price-point target of $35, the Indian government plans to have one million of the devices in Indian colleges and universities by 2011, says Indian Human Resource Development minister, Kapil Sibal. And, in an attempt to win over the (understandably) skeptical Western tech-press, they’ve been showing the device on TV, frequently. The effort has “the potential to lower the prices of tablets globally,” TechRadar claims. Of course, Microsoft and Google are both salivating at the prospect, and maneuvering to have their respective OS software powering the device, but given the price point, I can’t see where even Microsoft could find space for a license fee. Android, anyone?

Even finding costs for the spare parts required to build this thing, beggars belief. Seriously? S-u-b-s-i-d-y. That’s the only way this is going to fly. “it’s just an exercise in awkward PR and bloody-mindedness that absolutely won’t change global tablet pricing.”. Agreed.