Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (TSS), Bangladesh, where analogue phone sets were manufactured long before the digital dominance, will now be the hub for assembling Doel netbooks and laptops.
Named after the national bird, Doel is the first ever laptop brand to be assembled in Bangladesh, which is believed to revolutionise the high tech industry of the country. With the aim to bridge the communication gap between our people and ICT, by providing laptops at an affordable rate, this initiative provides scopes to build capacity, train local manpower and strengthen the country’s ICT expertise.
Doel netbooks and laptops come in four different models: Primary, Basic, Standard and Advanced. The first three models are netbooks, and the Advanced model is a laptop. While the primary model is designed for simpler applications like e-booking or playing games, the advance model comes with all kinds of modern apps, at an attractively low price.
There are also variations in design and the netbooks and laptops come in four different coloursred wine, silver and the usual black and white. Starting from Taka 10,000 (less than $150)-27,000, the prices of the different models are well within the reach of the average and low income population of the country.
Compared to the laptops and netbooks available in the market within this price range, Doel netbooks and laptops come with a better configuration of components that are imported from Malaysia and China.
Financed by the Government of Bangladesh, these netbooks and laptops are being assembled at the state-owned telecommunications manufacturing unit, TSS. Gonona Technologies Limited, a local IT company has been providing IT solutions and consultancy services, designed the product and is assisting the set up of the manufacturing line at TSS in co-operation with TFT, a Malaysian based company.
On asking Nazmul Chowdhury, managing director and CEO of Gonona, why should someone buy a Doel netbook/laptop, when there is a variety of choices in the market, he shares, “Not only are Doel netbooks and laptops cheap, but they are sophisticated too. Besides, every netbook or laptop comes with a warranty of one year. And since it is assembled here, quality control of the laptops can be monitored closely and efficiently.”
The unique feature of Doel netbooks and laptops is the operating system (OS). The OS is designed in both Bangla and English. “Since computer literacy in the rural areas is low due to incompetency in English, we decided to design the OS in Bangla to help people in the rural areas learn easily. However, it can always be changed to English, when needed,” adds Nazmul.
Be it for educational purposes, business or simply because it’s a fashion statement, everyone wants to own a stylish netbook or laptop. And many a times this longing is conquered by the price tags. But with the launching of Doel netbooks and laptops in Bangladesh, this scenario will soon be history!
-With The Daily Star input
