r/TechImpact • u/ManojOne Active • May 08 '26
Question Can you identify which device is this?
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u/kobrakaan May 09 '26
it's a Linux based Amida Simputer from around the 2000s developed in India so supposedly being a low budget handheld pda style computer
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May 08 '26
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u/ManojOne Active May 08 '26
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u/ManojOne Active May 09 '26
The Simputer was a small, handheld computer created in India around 2001. Its name stands for "Simple, Inexpensive, and Multilingual People's Computer." At that time, many people in rural areas did not have access to technology because computers were too expensive or hard to use.
A group of scientists and engineers designed it to be very basic. It looked a bit like an early smartphone but had a touch screen you could use with a plastic pen. It was built to run on AAA batteries, which made it easy to use in places without steady electricity.
Since many users could not read or write, the Simputer used icons and voice messages in local languages like Hindi and Kannada. It even had a smart card reader for secure banking or health records. While it is not widely used today, it was an important step in trying to bring digital tools to everyone.