The first Linux-based tablet is born

Researchers from the University of Córdoba (UCO), Spain, have created a device addressed to those older people or dependents with technology phobia, that they need better services and that, incidentally, help them eliminate digital divide.

Cordovan researchers design the iFreeTablet

The device is called «iFreeTablet», an alternative product to the iPad from the Apple company and the only one in the world that works on a free platform thanks to the operating system based on GNU / Linux 'Siesta' -Integrated System of e-Services and Technologies of Support for-.

Starting this month, the iFreeTablet can be purchased through the official website. However, before the new system, which is part of a non-profit project, went on sale in the conventional market, it has been tested in commissioned institutions after obtaining approval from the Junta de Andalucía. Today, the system has the SIMPLIT seal that the design is easy to use by everyone.

Its price is 398 euros plus VAT. Those who need technical help to overcome their day-to-day life can request a subsidy from the Board to acquire this product since it is included within the eligible ones in the catalog.

The Computer Science professor at the UCO who has piloted the project, Carlos de Castro, explains to ELMUNDO.es that the operating system is not only used for tablets but also for other types of devices such as interactive television over the internet or mobile smartphones.

Home automation system

One of the most striking applications of the iFreeTablet is that it integrates a home automation system that allows its user to interact with household electrical appliances. The person who has one of these devices can turn off any light in his home from outside or lower the power of the bulb; You can raise a blind or contact your medical center where you can send the recorded data of blood pressure or an electrocardiogram.

"All free applications can be run on the iFreeTablet whereas this cannot be done on any other system," explains Professor De Castro. This clarifies that the device has internet applications that allow from watching videos or collecting photographs to those that are activated by voice or head movements, a function that is useful for those who have a mobility problem.

Suitable for the blind

The interface of this device is based on a series of menus where the buttons are grouped by categories and colors, thus facilitating their use, especially by those who have visibility problems.

Likewise, the iFreeTablet incorporates an intelligent agent that guides the user, when moving, about the places they can visit thanks to GPS connectivity. The device has speech synthesis to be able to speak and speech recognition to ask questions.

The objective is, says the professor at the UCO, in the future to reduce the cost of the iFreeTablet. “We are already preparing surprises so that in the next evolution we can offer it at lower prices because the idea is to bring the device to third world countries to bridge the digital divide. And for that we have to lower our prices even more », he says.

Source: El Mundo