Notion Ink Adam

Get, Slate, Go - I

This is a sort of second coming that ageing film-stars and out-of-work models would long for. The tablet was an all-but-dead product category, one that never really got off the ground sales-wise, despite the big push from Microsoft way back in 2002. But with the iPad, Apple's wiped the slate clean, opening up the flood gates for a slew of contenders that promise to revitalize an almost obsolete form factor, or to say, completely change the way we interact with our computers. Here's a small peek at what on the cards in 2010.

HP Slate :

Squint a little, and you could easily confuse the HP Slate with the Apple iPad. With a similar sleek profile and a large 8.9 inch capacitive display, it almost is. But it runs on the touch-enabled Windows 7 platform. Along with the netbook specs, it supports Flash and has got multi-tasking capabilities which the iPad lacks. It also packs in 2 built-in cameras (front and back) along with video recording. Looks like HP has all he iPad's bases covered, and then some more.

Notion Ink Adam :

Here's one from my country, India. Notion Ink, a small Indian start-up is talking big with the Adam. This Android based slate not only boasts of a sleek design, but also of the 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 chip that acts both as a chip and a graphics card, allowing you to playback videos at 1080p on the 10 onch display. The real genius is he Pixel Qi screen which can switch from backlit LCD mode for web browsing to a low-power electrophoretic reflective mode for power saving (16 hours) and becomes easier on the eyes.

Fusion Garage JooJoo :
This is from the Singapore-based Fusion garage. Other than iPad, JooJoo is the only other slate that is commercially available at the moment. With a 12 inch screen this Intel Atom/Nvidia ion powered tablet promises full Flash HD and a decent interface over the custom Linux platform. But it misses out in many things - No Apps, no multi-tasking, no e-books and a 5 hour battery life.

More models to come in the next post.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Notion Ink Adam

Posted by Sourav 8:49 PM

I have already mentioned about this product from the Indian company, Notion Ink, in my earlier post. but that was along with some other competitors, so this one is going to be a standalone post about the Adam.

After the fall of the biggies, it's upto this small Indian company to give some competition to the iPad. By "fall of the biggies", I am referring to HP and Microsoft who have called off their plans for the Slate and Courier respectively.

So start with the looks, the Adam has got a sleek look and design, one that will impress almost everyone. It's about 13 mm thick an is quite light weight at around 650 gm.
The powerhouse inside this tablet is something to watch out for, which maintains a good balance between speed and power. It's run by the Dual Core Cortex A-9 processor which gives a nice web experience, supports low power flash and enhances battery life. Further, the Nvidia Tegra 2 low power graphics card enables full flash acceleration, allowing to watch videos at 1080p resolution.

And did I mention enhanced battery life? Yup, the guys at Notion Ink claims that the Adam can play 140 hours of audio and 16 hours of HD video at one go. Now that is something to watch out for.

The display of this device needs a special mention. The 10.1 in Pixel Qi screen has transmissive, transflective and reflective display modes which can be used in regular times like while watching videos or web browsing. The non-Pixel Qi, low power display mode can be used while reading books. Its capacitive screen with multi-touch.

The Android interface has been nicely customized to suit the 10.1in screen of the Adam and has the multi tasking capability. The Adam also comes with a e-book client and supports all major e-book formats. A 3.2 MP swivel camera is mounted on the top. Connectivity options include WiFi and 3G.

But the best thing that will help the Adam to get some market share will be its price. It is believed that the Notion Ink guys will price it aggressively to attract many potential iPad customers. Off course you don't expect an awesome display like the iPad, or millions of apps to choose from the Apps Store, but if priced very aggressively as compared to the iPad, it will be a winner. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the launch date. The developers are still waiting to get a stable Flash for the Adam, then there would be a 2-months testing before it gets launched (source - Notion Ink Blog). So, we will have to wait for a longer time.

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yesman · 779 weeks ago

hello man do some research before u post things. the courier project is scrapped by microsoft. The pixel qi display supports the three modes not like you said("The non-Pixel Qi, low power display mode can be used while reading books. .") . agian pixel qi screen is not multitouch . notion ink is using a multitouch overlay for adam.

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titan_90 36p · 779 weeks ago

@yesman, "By "fall of the biggies", I am referring to HP and Microsoft who have called off their plans for the Slate and Courier respectively.",I hope this does mean that Mircosoft has scrapped the plan for the Courier  (please read the post before making such aggressive comments). And can you PLEASE quote the line where I have mentioned that the Pixel Qi is a multi-touch display ??????????????????
My recent post Notion Ink Adam

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dhemz · 778 weeks ago

came here to visit!

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deg · 778 weeks ago

any idea where the Adam will be sold once it's available? Amazon?

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titan_90 36p · 778 weeks ago

Hi @deg. Unfortunately, I do not know where it will be sold. It's right that Notion Ink don't have stores and outlets like the other big companies, but I am not sure about their plans.
My recent post SmartFaucet - Tap With A Touch Screen

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scumlabs · 707 weeks ago

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