After having been developed in Montreal, the gadget is now being sold in the country.

The world’s cheapest tablet has now been created by DataWind, a company that was formerly based in Montreal, Canada, and that is now the third largest seller of these gadgets in India.

Under CTO Raja Tuli, the least expensive of the devices was developed and is now available in Canada.

One of the secrets behind the world’s cheapest tablet is in the special touchscreen, which is made of a sheet of glass with a photoresist coating. The devices are currently so inexpensive, that twenty of them could be purchased for the same price as a single premium iPad.

At the moment, the world’s cheapest tablet is going for the highly affordable price of $37.99.

Although the specs may not come anywhere near matching the iPad, for that price, many people who would otherwise not be purchasing that type of mobile gadget will be willing to pick one up either for some basic functions around the house or even for a gift to a child.

The device has a 7 inch screen and runs on a low 512 megabytes of RAM, with storage of 4GB. The machine, itself, has been named the Ubislate 7 Ci. An upgrade of the device is available for twice the price, to provide cellular connectivity. That version is called the Ubislate 7C+.

The special inexpensive touchscreens for the DataWind devices are currently manufactured in Montreal, Canada, the country where the company was founded. Since moving to India, the company has managed to become the top tablet seller, in part because of the low price tags that it can attach to its products. Moreover, it is also preferred because the devices are compatible with the antiquated cellular network in India. Hundreds of thousands of these machines have been supplied to school children in India, by way of a partnership that it has forged with the Ministry of Education in the country.

What has yet to be seen is whether or not these world’s cheapest tablets will find themselves as welcome in Canada as they are in India. It is likely that people will choose to purchase them for more basic functions, for kids or seniors, as an alternative to the top models for those who cannot afford them, or to be able to bring one along on trips that come with a risk of breaking or losing the device.

New report highlights the growth of mobile commerce since 2012

A new report from 41st Parameter, a global fraud prevention firm, shows that mobile commerce is experienced significant growth since 2012. The firm notes that more consumers are becoming attracted to mobile shopping due to its convenience. Shopping from a mobile device requires no waiting in lines and most online retailers do not suffer from any significant shortcomings when it comes to inventory. Moreover, mobile shopping is considered more convenient during the holiday season due to the chaotic nature of traditional shopping during this time of year.

35% increase in mobile shopping since beginning of 2013

According to the report, mobile commerce has grown by 35% since the beginning of the year, with e-commerce of all kinds growing by 15% over the same period. Approximately 8% of mobile sales were made through a smartphone, with 13% coming from tablet devices. The report notes that consumers appear to favor tablets over smartphones when it comes to mobile shopping by a significant margin.

Tablets are taking over mobile shopping

Tablets may be favored over smartphones because they offer a more enjoyable shopping experience. The larger screens are easier for consumers to manipulate, making navigating mobile retail sites more convenient. Tablets tend to offer a shopping experience that is quite similar to that provided by PCs and laptops, which may create some sense of familiarity for those that participate in e-commerce on a regular basis.

Consumers likely to replace their PCs with tablets

A similar report from Adroit Digital shows that 55% of consumers are likely to replace their PCs with tablets when it comes to mobile commerce. The benefit of tablets is that they can be used in-store, whereas a PC is a stationary device. Tablets can, therefore, easily be used by consumers to compare products and find deals being offered in a physical store or by a retailer located nearby.