EAFT Tech Launches Marathon

EAFT Technologies, which was funded by two angel investors and is set to get another round of funding from a VC, has launched a 700-gm tablet ‘Magictile-Marathon' . The tablet is priced at Rs 29,990 and is among the two lowest priced tablets in India.

EAFT Technologies,With these features, we expect to compete with market leaders like Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy, a Bangalore-based product engineering firm, has come up with what it claims to be India’s first full-fledged tablet PC dubbed Marathon, if they forgot the Notion Ink. The Google Android 2.2 Froyo-powered Marathon is a 10.1-inch tablet with NVIDIA Tegra2 1GHz processor and 512 RAM under the hood. The device is designed to meet the requirements of both consumer and enterprise users.

said Mr Giri Prathivadi, CTO, EAFT Technologies, at a press conference here. The 10.1” tablet PC – targeted at young corporate professionals – runs on Android 2.2 Operating System, powered by Nvidia Tegra Processor.

All Marathon-users have access to over 70,000 Android-based applications, and EAFT has partnered with Giga Store for this. It has also partnered with Hungama for the entertainment content, and Vikas Publications and Cyber School for the educational content for the tablet PC.

Marathon shows off all essential components of a typical tablet such as a capacitive multitouch LCD display, 16GB memory storage, HDMI output, 802.11 b/g wireless connectivity, 1080p HD video support, MicroSD slot and 1.3 megapixel camera. EAFT Technologies boasts of its tablet as India’s ‘finest homegrown tablet’.

“The market size is about 65 million tablet PCs and even if we get less than 1 per cent of the market share, we will to sell about half a million tablets in the next 18 months,” Mr Jaishiv Saxena, Director, EAFT Technologies, said. The company also plans to launch four other variants of the product over the next few months.

A NVIDIA Tegra2 1GHz CPU is capable to grant better performance for Marathon tablet. Multitasking, web browsing and gaming may work smoother on the tablet, thanks to the advanced processor and 512 RAM. With its HDMI output capability, you can stream video contents into wider platforms like TVs for greater viewing experience.

The company has been funded by Bangalore-based angel investors for the product, and is expecting a VC funding from a Bangalore-based company in about six months, the company's president, Mr Jitendhar. G.S. said, adding that it will come out with an IPO in three years.

To test the product, the company had placed about 25 Marathon tablets in BMTC buses across, and “over a million people have touched, and used the tablet, and this has helped us improvise on the product,” said Mr Saxena.

The 10.1-inch LCD display of Marathon highlights a resolution of 1024×600 pixels. This feature could likely make Marathon outperform globally leading tablets such as Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab in Indian markets. EAFT Marathon bundles a dock connector that sports 3 USB ports and 1 HDMI port. It can recharge the tablet, which is priced at INR 29,900 (approx $ 669).