Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab Iris, an affordable tablet for the fast-growing electronic market of India. As the name suggests, the tablet features iris recognition technology and is fully equipped with biometric capabilities, to aid eGovernance by providing paperless modes for various services such as taxation, healthcare, passports and education, in the country.
This Galaxy Tab Iris is designed to help in various biometric-based services and programs initiated by the government to help Indian citizens. One such program is Aadhar authentication, which is a biometric identification program operated by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). The device is also Aadhar compliant and STQC-certified. The tablet also supports fourteen local languages, which minimizes language and literacy barriers. The full specifications of the device are as follows:
- Display: 7.0” WSVGA(1024×600)
- Processor: 1.2 Ghz Quad Core
- Bearer: 2G : GSM900, DCS1800 | 3G : B1(2100), B8(900)
- Operating System: Android 5.0 Lollipop
- Camera: Rear, 5 MP, Autofocus
- Iris: Iris Camera & Subsystem
- RAM: 1.5GB (LPDDR3)
- Storage: 8GB (up to 200 GB microSD)
- Dimensions: 193.4 x 116.4 x 9.7mm
- Weight: 327g
- Battery: 3,600 mAh
- Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz, BT4.1, USB2.0 with Host
Currently, there are a limited number of apps which utilize the iris sensor, however, Samsung has left it up to third parties to create more apps for the device, with related SDKs and APIs available for everyone. Dr. Aloknath De, Corporate Vice President & CTO, Samsung India R&D, states that:
Along with the device, we are providing an Identity SDK for application developers to build financial inclusion, payments and authentication solutions. This will encourage our start-up ecosystem to rapidly build relevant apps and services.
While a release date for the Samsung Galaxy Tab Iris hasn"t been revealed as of yet, the device will be priced at INR 13,499 (~$200).
Source and images: Samsung