Readers may recollect the low cost net PC launched by Novatium last year. Bharti Airtel has now launched a low cost net PC on similar lines. The Airtel Net PC is being marketed in Airtel and Next stores for a cost of Rs7,999.

The device consists of a 15-inch LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse. Storage is based on Cloud servers. The device does not have any optical media and uses Airtel broadband to connect to the Internet. Presently the offer is open in NCR.

The device is powered by Microsoft and Nivio Companion. Windows XP has been customized by Nivio and connected to a backend Linux server. The Airtel Net PC comes with an online storage of 10GB. One hundred percent of security of data has been assured. The packages being offered are Home at Rs. 699 per month, Professional at Rs. 899 per month and Business at Rs. 1,199 per month.

Airtel plans to attract One million customers. Another advantage of the device is its low power consumption. Yet the moot point remains if users are willing to accept this kind of a device as a regular PC for their daily tasks. The major disadvantage is the lack of optical media that makes playing of games difficult. Hardware upgrades may not be available and the PC may become outdated very soon.