Away from all the glitz and glamour, Notion Ink unveiled the Adam II tablet at a function organized for National Technology Awards 2013 in New Delhi. The tablet, which is being funded by Technology Development Board (Department of Science & Technology), will be released to the public at a price of just INR 12,000 (see update)sometime in the coming weeks. The exact release date of the tablet is unclear at the moment, but it is likely to reach market next month.
We have got exclusive details about this tablet (thanks to an anonymous tipster), which reveal everything about Adam II from the Bangalore start-up Notion Ink.
As we had heard recently, Notion Ink Adam II features two screens, one is the normal IPS display (1280x800p) that is seen in most of the tablets; the other screen is located on spine of the device (like a spine in a magazine or book). This secondary STN (Super-twisted nematic display) display shows the notifications or contextual data related to what is being displayed on the main screen. While it certainly looks like a novel idea, it will increase the thickness of the tablet.
As per the specs sheet shared by the company, the tablet also comes with 1.5GHz Cortex A9 dual-core processor, 2-megapixel HD rear and front cameras and 1GB of RAM. Adam II also packs 6,000 mAh battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI out, MicroUSB port with OTG and microSD card slot.
On the operating system front, the tablet runs on Android 4.2.2, which is the latest Android version right now (but not for long).
According to Notion Ink, Adam II also comes with Google Play support, two front speakers and SIM card slot for 3G.
Here is an excerpt from the National Technology Awards press release shared by Press Information Bureau, which mentions the Adam II announcement at the event.
The fourth item launched is a modular Tablet PC designed, developed and manufactured by two young IITians- Sh. Rohan Pandey and Sh. Rohit Rathi. Their Tablet PC is differentiated from other similar product in the market as it integrates ZigBee along with WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G. Its design is inspired from the look of a book and it has 2 displays, one in front like a Magazine and another on the spine to show secondary information. This advanced version is intended to be marketed at a price of Rs. 12,000/- per unit in the Indian market.
With all these specifications, the INR 12K price-tag certainly looks enticing, but given the performance of original Adam tablet, we are slightly sceptical and would like to see the real-life performance of the tablet before making any opinions.
Update: Notion Ink is now saying that the INR 12,000 price-tag mentioned in the PIB press note is incorrect.
The display on the spine is a ridiculous gimmick which will never be used, and will likely not even make the final cut – much like the promised FM radio and the planned rear touchpad (among other features and apps) in the first Adam. Looks like similar specs to the first Adam, except the camera, which is substantially lower quality. I enjoy my Adam (now that I have a non-Notion Ink ROM on it), but after the first fiasco, the only people who will buy one of these are people who have never heard of Notion Ink before.
I imagine their plan to use Texas Instruments chips fell through when TI discovered that Notion Ink was advertising that they had “partnered” with them. I’d bet good money that TI had no knowledge of this “partnership” whatsoever.
If this thing actually comes out on release day with all of the promised specs and at the promised price, and people can actually get one without excuses from Rohan why they are not being shipped (the blame was on everyone but Notion Ink last time), I will eat my shorts.
I was a big fan of notion ink. But I don’t really understand the point of the second display in a tab. Does any one see any real use cases?
Would like to see some of these specs like hdmi out standard on all tablets. At least until wireless standards get set. Beef up the RAM and finally get a powerful enough processor to retire the laptop. I’m ready!
thank you AOS.in
10″ 1200×800 seems low. But 3G for 12k is very good. Not sure how useful would the secondary screen be.
But would still buy one for that price!