Remember the Notion Ink Adam tablet? Well we wouldn�t blame you if you have no recollection of that fledgling late-2010 device, despite it packing in pretty bleeding-edge hardware at the time. It had a one-if-its-kind LCD plus e-Ink Pixel Qi display, a front-to-back rotatable camera and the latest Tegra 2 processor, not to forget its made-for-tablets Eden interface. Sadly, insane shipping issues and Google�s Honeycomb version, which soon thereafter brought a tablet-friendly user interface to Android tablets, meant that the Adam was pretty much DOA. Three years later, has Bangalore-based Notion Ink learnt from its mistakes and done enough to redeem itself with the Adam II? We dive right in and find out.
Out of the box
The Adam II is quite unlike other tablets you�ll see these days, most of which are rather iPad or generic-Galaxy Tab inspired. Notion Ink has clearly been inspired by the classic book design, giving the Adam II a large bezel on the left edge when you hold it up in portrait mode, indicating you�re meant to hold it this way for the majority of its operation. Strangely enough then, the speakers form part of that left bezel, as does the front facing camera, which means you�re bound to block something or the other when you�re holding the device in portrait orientation. Going with the book look has meant the Adam II is a tad boxy, and the hard edges don�t really help its cause during extended usage� one couldn�t help but feel a smaller form factor, possibly with an 8-inch screen, may have been a better choice in sheer ergonomic terms. That said, the build quality, the materials used and the clean lines far belie the price point, so if you do pick one up you�re getting premium stuff for the money.
Spinning it around
A quick glance around the device reveals a device packed to the gills with connectivity and expansion options. There�s a miniHDMI out for connecting to projectors and large screen TVs, a microSD for storage expansion and a full-sized SIM for 3G connectivity, plus 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 (with Low Energy support) under the hood. There�s even USB On-the-Go support for connecting memory sticks via the USB port. It�s along the side of the device � the spine of the tablet (using the book analogy) � that you come across a rather unique feature of the Adam II: the secondary display. A rather novel addition, these are two always-on black-and-white ticker tape type displays, akin to the LCD screens you�d see on digital thermometers or scientific calculators. These are meant to push quick at-a-glance information updates to the owner, such as a custom message (like owner information), the time, currently-running apps or new email notifications. It�s a nice little touch to differentiate the Adam from the hordes of me-too Android tablets, but in use the displays are a bit of a version 1 novelty � there�s no backlight and the text is too tiny to read from a distance.
Getting a mixed-bag feel to the Adam II so far? The rest of the device is much of the same. You get a capacious 6000 mAH battery that�s stocked up on juice and a clean, largely unmodified Android 4.2.2 experience, which hopefully should mean faster Android updates in the future. There�s the display, a 10.1 inch IPS LCD screen, which runs at a paltry 1280×800 pixel resolution � a bit of a letdown given how the Nexus 7 (and other tablets) have moved up to a full-HD screen earlier last year. It�s certainly something you cannot overlook in your daily use, even if you try. With the speakers, you get a reasonable stereo effect but the overall volume is just about average. The cameras are just about basic spec for this price point, and suffer from the same issue as most budget tablets � they perform well only in good outdoor lighting.
Much of the cuts that have been made to achieve the Adam II�s pricing would have been forgiven if the 1.5 GHz dual core Cortex A9 processor and the Mali 400 quad core graphics held up to the demands of everyday use, which it does but there�s a nagging tendency for the device to slow down to a standstill if you�re multitasking between various apps on the device. However, videos and games play well on the device, which means that better performance should theoretically be just a firmware fix away, should Notion Ink decide to do anything about it.
In the end, is the �Created with love by Notion Ink Design Labs in India� enough of a reason to pick the Adam II from amongst its �Assembled in China� brethren? There�s a lot Notion Ink has done right in its second coming, but not enough to earn an unqualified recommendation.
What we liked: Build quality, great connectivity/expansion options
What we didn�t: Lags in performance, average display
Killer Feature: That capacious batteryPrice: Rs 16,499 (WiFi only), Rs 18,999 (with 3G)Enjoy Guys! and don’t forget to post your comments. � MyTricksTime.com
