Simputer source code to be made public

Encore Software, the creators of Encore Simputer, has decided to open the source code of all applications and tools that they have developed for their Simputer.

The company is also targeting a quantum jump in sales from the current 4,000 units to 50,000 over the next 12 months.

Encore has further decided to make public the complete hardware designs for the device. This decision is expected to enable developers across the world to create numerous cutting-edge applications for the Encore Simputer, in order to make it the most function-rich handheld device in the market.

Encore expects to create a commercially viable business ecosystem around its Simputer and custom applications written for it.

According to Vinay Deshpande, founder, chairman and CEO, Encore Software, "The Encore Simputer is a cost-effective, versatile mobile computing solution that supports multiple applications.

We expect that opening our source code will lead to the development of numerous innovative applications that will play an important role in matters such as e-governance, micro banking enterprise solutions among others."

Encore is expecting a large-scale deployment of the Simputer, in line with the growing number of applications based on the Linux operating system.

"Recent examples of the applications that have been developed with the Simputer at its heart include tracking solutions and a portable diagnostic kit. We are beginning to see the emergence of critical mass,"' Deshpande added.

According to him, export orders are expected to constitute about 15 per cent of the sales. Encore is also in discussions with a large European company for the deployment of "tens of thousands of units" of the handheld device.

On the company's decision to make public the hardware design of simputer, Deshpande said, "We were obliged only to open the source code for the kernel, but we have decided to include all the drivers and utilities. Our intention is to see the creation of a viable business ecosystem around the Simputer and the development of innovative applications in areas such as e-governance and micro-banking."

Deshpande said that Encore would not venture into the retail market for the moment in view of the large infrastructure requirements.

Some of the other mobile computing products that Encore has pioneered include a low-cost programmable handheld device called the Chhota and the SATHI a product for the Indian Army.

These products have been deployed in diverse uses from serving in the Indian Army to sales force automation, ticketing, utility billing and even health surveys.