New Delhi (PTI): Minister of Communications and IT A Raja on Thursday announced the launch of computing devices which can be used for basic computing, e-mailing and surfing the web, starting at an affordable price of Rs 5,000.

Chipset maker Intel on Thursday showed prototype of the low-cost internet devices -- nettops and netbooks -- that would be introduced in the country over the next several months.

The devices would be offered by domestic and multinational PC vendors and local system integrators.

Commending the industry for working on the affordable, internet-centric devices, Raja said this could provide an easy access to internet.

He added that the price range would attract the broad citizen base.

"The devices would run on Intel's new Atom processor which was launched earlier this year," Intel South Asia's Managing Director of Sales and Marketing group R Sivakumar told reporters here.

Netbooks are compact mobile devices that children, first-time internet users and people can use for basic computing applications, listening music, e-mailing and surfing internet. They can use these devices for playing games, social networking and voice over IP phone calls too.

Intel showcased various designs of nettops and netbooks today from multiple OERMs, including Acer, Asus, HCL, Lenovo, Intex, Novatium, Wipro Zenith as well as local integrators.

The demonstration of the new devices was part of the launch of a joint industry and government initiative, called 'Connected Indians', which aims to increase the penetration of internet connectivity in India, so that it reaches a billion Indians.