News Corp unveils education tablet

News Corp. took the wraps off its new tablet computer for the school market Wednesday, saying the device would use "digital innovation to transform teaching and learning." Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate showed the Amplify device at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, after having announced plans in July. Amplify is a 10-inch (25-centimeter) screen tablet using the Android operating system, designed for primary and secondary school markets. News Corp. has a partnership with AT&T to provide wireless connectivity for the devices. School districts will be able to buy a Wi-Fi device for $299 with a two-year subscription at $99 per year. A tablet with mobile connectivity will be sold at $349 with a two-year subscription at $179 per year. It will be available for US markets for the school year starting in September. "This is more than just a tablet. It's a complete learning solution organized around the school day," said Stephen Smyth, president of Amplify's Access division. "We believe it's both more affordable and more impactful than just about any other product in the education technology market." Amplify is also working on school curricula and other materials and other products for the classroom. "It is our aim to amplify the power of digital innovation to transform teaching and learning and to help schools deliver fundamentally better experiences and results," said Joel Klein, chief executive of Amplify. "We want to transform the way teachers teach and students learn." News Corp is moving ahead on a plan to create separate companies for the huge entertainment division and the struggling publishing business, which includes the education unit.