Notion Ink’s Adam: The first Android tablet with Pixel Qi display
August 27, 2010 | Android Tablet Reviews
Notion Ink is an Indian start up company company based in Bangalore that designs computing products. On December 18th in 2009 the company first announced a prototype of their Android powered tablet “Adam”.
Adam is the first Android OS powered tablet accompanied by Pixel Qi display, and it was suppose to launch in the 3rd quarter of 2010. However, since the device was not submitted to US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it might not be released until at the end of 2010, if everything goes well. The device will be available in select countries only and the home country Indian launch will be delayed by a couple of weeks after it’s made available in the US. Adam will be available in different variants ranging from $399-498. The additional advanced options like 3G add to the cost and the Pixel Qi display model is also more expensive than those without.
The Notion Ink Adam is one of the many Android Tablets that will be launched in 2010 with 1Ghz nVidia Tegra 2 Dual-Core Arm Cortex-A9 Mpcore Processor. The device is capable of handling either 16 GB or 32 GB of maximum storage capacity, thanks to its MicroSD card slot which is common in many mobile devices, except, of course, Apple’s iPad. The screen is a 10.1 inch 1024×600 Pixel Qi transflective LCD display with Multi-touch Touchscreen layer, with both a full color mode and a low-powered reflective e-paper mode that can be readable in sunlight. Adam is also integrated with NVidia Graphics processing unit (Tegra 2) for 3D rendering performance and full Flash acceleration with only consuming ultra low power.
Adam is a bit bulky weighing between 1.3-1.4 pounds (600-650 g) and it measures 158 × 239 × 14 mm, making it a little on the large side. In terms of connectivity, the Adam has a lot on office, including one HDMI port, 1 mini USB port, 2 USB 2.0 ports and a headphone jack. Additionally, it’s equipped with a built-in 185 degree swivel camera with up to 3.2 MP that is capable of capturing both photographs and video, built-in microphone and stereo speakers. The device also features WLAN with 802.11 b/g/n capability, GPS, 3G (HSPA/GSM), Bluetooth 2.1 for Wireless/Network communication, onscreen keyboard, RF proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, Touchpad and back side trackpad for better user interface. A 3-cell rechargeable battery that can be recharged by DC connector – 24WHr powers the device with and approximate 16 hrs of HD video playback and 140 hrs of Audio.
Better than iPad?
The tremendous success seen by Apple’s iPad over the past year has officially made it the yardstick by which every new tablet is measured. So, how does Notion Ink’s Adam stack up? In terms of specs alone, it looks very very promising, as the HDMI port, USB port, camera, microSD card and video recording capabilities, not to mention the Pixel Qi display, easily defeat the iPad’s specs on paper. It’s also priced low enough to make it a valid iPad alternative. The Notion Adam will be running the latest Android 2.2 Froyo edition as well, so that should take care of any OS concerns. Still, until we actually see a working model, it’s all just speculation and we’re not sure whether the device will run as seamlessly as the iPad. At any rate, we definitely have our eyes open for this promising Android tablet.
Adam to miss gift wrapping opportunity
It’s about nine months, since the announcement of this Android powered multi-media power house from Notion Ink’s stable and the release date has been put off yet again. The Adam table was due for the market by the end of this year, however, it has not been submitted for FCC approval yet. However, the whole Notion Ink development team members are working hard for the progress of implementing the Genesis app, which is integrated with Content Store, Application Store, Book Indexer, Media Player and more with the option to choose from millions of ebook titles, meanwhile the management team started working on pricing the content aggressively against the iTunes store, after the announcement of LongBox digital’s collaboration on 8th of October.
Notion Ink also provided an opportunity to enjoy a look at LongBox digital user interface via a shot video and posted a few images of the device with different combination of vibrant colors. With all the updates on Notion Ink’s official blog, it’s seems that the work is on fast-track and can expect the tablet’s release with in the last day of this year, else in the first month of 2011. In spite of the delays, the company is working towards providing an ultimate product, making it a worthwhile of waiting. On the other hand, the device is going to miss the chance of wrapping itself in a gift box as a Thanks Giving Day or Christmas present.
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