Notion Ink partners with Texas Instruments
Press Release
Notion Ink partners with Texas Instruments
21 January 2012, Bangalore
Notion Ink has partnered with Texas Instruments (TI) Incorporated for its next generation Adam II Tablets. Adam II will be using OMAP44xx processor along with other TI components like Wi-Link 7.0 and Phoenix Audio Power Amplifiers. Adam II will also leverage the power optimizations achieved using mature combination of TI’s integrated power-management IC.
Designed specifically for best Power Performance and Multi-tasking Experience, Adam II will be based on Google’s IceCream Sandwich Operating System.
The OMAP44xx platform’s smart multicore architecture pairs its main CPUs with several differentiated features including programmable accelerators, hardware composition engines and a dedicated ISP. Imagination Technologies’ super-fast PowerVR SGX5xx GPU and enhanced memory architecture add still more functionality while an OMAP-specific distributed composition architecture enables advanced image and video layering for crisp, HD visuals. These elements and more are the force behind the OMAP44xx processor’s ability to enable fast and fluid multitasking while maintaining ultra-low power consumption.
Adam II will release the world’s first Modular Based Software Architecture which will further expand the scope of application development and use nearly every single hardware feature in a “user customizable” application. Drag and drop features will enable easy application modification and Open Source Module will further expand the use cases and tablet deployment. Node operations like in Blender, and “Application Authoring Tools” are primarily aimed at non-programmers for composing applications, games and use-case flows in a drag-and-drop fashion, utilizing visual editors and behavior-based logic system.
This System will help consumers, professionals and students become productive as they will be able to use the tablet as a logic analyzer, medical imaging device, signal acquisition and processing, 3D modeling and multi-media.
For more information about TI OMAP processors, visit www.ti.com and follow this blog for Adam II.
Rohan Shravan
Is there any other way in which NI’s is partnering with Amazon other than NI carrying kindle and shipping?
@HVENSKY, I Amsterdam
so appreciative of your comments that I was motivated to respond And pu in my 2 cents as every point you make are validated by my own experiences. Not being able to deal with my disillusionment I gifted my Adam PQI and would.up with a Transformer/HP touchpad combo that still leave me waiting for a reader tablet with a respectable battery life. I am hoping that one of the new Asus tablets might work but LCD screens. don’t work for me. I still feel that Rohan has created a network best suited to provide tne electripnic assistant that I long for. A1 was a gteat Intro but the hype and expectations were for a product not possible with the hardware/software constraints that in manyways still exist today. I just wish for a platform that can evolve; able to grow and incorporate the evolution of software created for it and not a rooted ferocity. An OS that is organically and not transmutated AKA Android.
I would like to Hv one tablet and i think this’ll be best for me….
somebody please tell me the specification of adam 2 and when it’ll be available….
I would like to say that despite many disappointments my Adam is working very well since the time of AC3. I have tried most of the roms created by tabletrom guys. The latest ics (deadcreme) works very well. Given that this only alpha the performance of Adam is very good. I am just hoping that Notion Ink will release the updated version with hw acceleration, camera etc soon.
Rohan has already mentioned that he will continue to support the adam1 users and hopefully he keeps his promise.
I have been reasonably happy with may adam and it is functional enough for me use it on a daily basis. I would like to wish all the best to Rohan and the team but I would like him to keep this channel of communication open because it is the only way for us to know what is happening.
@Nirmal +1
Rohan,
I would like to read more about your plans for adam 2, considering how much adam 1 has become part of my everyday work/study/recreation cycle, I can’t wait to see the innovations of the next generation. Please post more details, and soon!
Off topic, fascinating article on the legal battles over mobile technology:
“www.androidpolice.com/2012/01/25/editorial-android-may-be-winning-or-not-losing-battles-against-apple-in-court-but-dont-expect-an-end-to-the-lawsuits-any-time-soon/”
Peaceout adamfreaks
Hi Phillip!
Great article! Thanks for the reference!
While my experience with the Adam is somewhere in the middle ground, you seem to be one of the most satisfied Adam users, in contrast with other owners like adamfreko and several others. I disagree with adamfreko that he represents 90% of Adam purchasers, but it does appear from the many recent negative postings that those who are unsatisfied are more vocal than those of us who like our Adams.
My interest has gone up considerably with the Alpha release of ICS. Even though the camera still doesn’t work at all, and there are several other items still missing, I have found this to be a very useful tool once more.
One of the greatest improvements is that Bluetooth now works as expected and my Logitech keyboard now works flawlessly with my Alpha ICS Adam. Installing the Gapps update gives me access to the Google Apps market and almost everything I’ve downloaded works. (There is one major exception. Video related apps like Netflix appear to work until you actually try to watch a movie. Then all you get is a black screen as the play bar progresses across the bottom)
I have great expectations for the continued development of ICS for the Adam, and would appreciate hearing more from folks who are enjoying their Adam One (OOOh, a literary reference to Old TV ;-0 )
I would also encourage those folks who say they don’t use their Adam to download the CWM update, the Alpha ICS update and the Gapps update from the Tablet ROMs site. Rename the CWM zip file to update.zip and follow the simple instructions posted on Tablet ROMS below the links to those files. Once you have the Google market installed you will find a bunch of useful free apps for your Adam.
One point I will make. My Adam test machine locked up the other day and was completely foobar until I re-installed Alpha ICS and Gapps. I had to re-install all the apps I had previously downloaded. So, I encourage you to use the backup facility provided by the ClockWorkMod and backup your system and apps to the external SD card so you can recover from possible failures.
And remember: This is Alpha software running on first run hardware, so you expect this to be an adventure! (as opposed to a quiet stroll through the park)
Luck,
@dwarf4242
Hi!
Good response to adamfreko, I started to respond but didn’t think I could add anything helpful so I stopped, but I’m glad you commented.
In all of this its worth noting that I am still running the very first honeycomb that came out. I never did get around to AC3, which by most accounts is pretty good. I admit that occasionally my wife complains if her adam doesn’t switch off properly (no warning, just power down) but considering the early HC release I don’t find it surprising.
I’ve gotta say I am REALLY LOOKING FORWARD to the beta of ICS, but others, like you Dale, have found even the alpha to be ok.
Hi Rohan,
Its been over 6 months of complete disappointment with this purchase, probably if adam was an animal it would have been used to the cage (box) by now.. you get my drift. I am in the UK and believe if it was a local purchase here I might even have claimed mis-sold compensation.
90% of the adam owners are disappointed with the product and services, can you answer me as to what are we supposed to do with the product in hand before you start boasting about new product when your first product is not even in working order as promised. Keep your ideas of new products with you until you don’t fix the present situation in hand. this is utter disappointment for me.
GET THE ADAM-I WORKING FIRST BEFORE YOU LET YOUR BIG IDEAS OF ADAM-II OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT OUT. I AM ONE OF VERY CROSSED AND DISAPPOINTED ADAM OWNER.
NEW BUYERS PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM NEW STARTUPS UNTIL THERE IS A REVIEW OTHERWISE ITS JUST WASTE OF MONEY AND UNWANTED/UNFULFILLED HOPE, do not trust promises, PROMISES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN….
by the way tried to sell and would not even get 200 quids on ebay….. disappointing.
mod’s be sport and post this comment….
adamfreko: See my reply to Phillip. I strongly suggest you take about 2 hours this weekend and install the Alpha software from Tablet ROMs. I think you will find it a much more useful tablet that is was before.
Luck,
To build some positiveness here I think it will worth while to mention how I use my Adam on daily basis
– Day starts with checking personal emails (Gmail app) and corporate emails( via TouchDown app)
– Kindle is a savior on an hour and half commute to NYC
– Not much of use @ work but handy watching youtube @lunch
– Dropbox made syncing school study material and I dont carry laptop at all as almost everything readable using Acrobat Reader/Office/Aldiko…..
– Not a huge fan of games on tablets but its great to fly some birds on a descent screen
– Browsing experience is descent so far just that I am not so good at typing with thumbs but gets thing done when needed
I can brag about it all day but the bottom line is that I don’t feel need of a laptop now a days for routine housekeeping stuff.
Cheers,
N_S_D
@AC3
I was an early advocate for NI and was looking forward to my Adam more than any other electronic item in a long time. After waiting too long for it, I canceled my order and bought a Xoom. Boy am I glad I did. I really feel for all of you that stuck with NI. It seems like they have taken every opportunity to disappoint. I don’t anticipate this reply to make it through the filters since none of my previous posts have ever made it through. I think once the Adam II comes out, it needs to be sent to all reputable reviewing sites (engadget, cnet, etc) and only after a positive review should anyone take the plunge.
Adam 2 saga is going to be very interesting. Every Adam1 owner will not jump to the wagon this time. Early adapters bought Adam1 seeing the spreadsheet hardware imagining the possibilities that Adam could do. Also, it was one of the best hardware that time. This time, other Adam followers who did not buy Adam1 might not just simply buy because of the negative impressions from service, quality, software related issues. If Rohan doesn’t swing the magic wand with outstanding features on Adam 2, people might not just be conviced as it was last year. He taught customers a lesson to be cautious. I am very curious what he is going to show us with his Adam 2.
Waiting, waiting, waiting, and I will wait and see!
Good luck.
Ok just taking a break from all the negative for a sec.
I have two rooted, honeycomb pixelqi adams. They work pretty well and my wife and I use them every day for heaps of things – some days I don’t even bother booting up my laptop, and I’m looking forward to the beta of ICS, but anyways, I am wanting to tell you about “stickit” in the marketplace.
Stickit is a video player that lets you place a running video, resize it, and drag it anywhere on the screen while you’re doing other things. Its the first instance I’ve seen of the equivalent of functional windows on android, because everything else I’ve seen says “I’ll take your whole screen – thanks”.
Here’s something that you can use to watch videos, in many formats, in a floating resizable window, while you’re doing anything else. I’m just blown away.
I read about this in a review from android police and bought it. only costs $2. Brilliant.
peaceout adamfreaks
Sounds pretty cool indeed, thanks Phillip! I think I’m gonna try this one.
Cheers
nice one Phillip. Thanks for the tip.
Hi everyone,
Buying an Adam was alway a bet. Expectations and the resulting disappointments perhaps stemmed in part from the fact that it cost nearly as much as some of the other well-known brands. But do remember that when it was announced, it was among the few that boasted of hardware that seems commonplace today. Even today not many tablets give you full HDMI out, two USB ports and one mini-USB.
The frustrations experienced by people can be attributed to the following:
1. Long and unpredictable time taken for delivery. This caused much anguish and left people in no mood for compromise once the finally got the tablet. In NI’s defence, this is a startup company launching its first product. So people needed to keep ‘pre-order’ highlighted in their minds or wait around for others to test the water. The psychological impact on the market can however not be denied.
2. No Market/Gapps/Genesis. Sideloading apps works but hardly. Those not in the US did not have Amazon either. So they were pretty much left to find apps from internet sites and that was not fun. The promise of Genesis never materialised and being left without any source for apps was very limiting. Now people did have the option to get rooted ROMs like EdenX and Beast that had Market but there was some uncertainty about warranty etc. Most importantly, the average user would never be comfortable with things like flashing, de-bricking and using custom ROMS. S/he just wants things to work. So the appeal of the tablet then becomes restricted to those who can work with go-betweens and delight at “making things work.” The argument that Google Market was for phones does not hold good any longer and arrangements should have been made to incorporate it into Eden.
3. Eden. Eden worked, and the second version worked better. It did everything but did not exploit Adam’s hardware fully. But we would have to agree that other brands such as Samsung and Motorola similarly have limitations to usability. After a while all you have is a device lying around that can do a, b and c. If you want d, e and f you still have to get into customisation and the vendor is not going to help you there. Once again, the wonderful guys at TR gave us EdenX, Beast, Cromnia and now ICS (Cromnia being my favourite) but NI should have worked further (through the website and this blog) to formalise the relationship (going bravely where others wouldn’t go) and offer information about these ROMS to lay users in a clear and user-friendly way. Here again, power users knew what to do but average users were left grappling.
4. Pixel Qi. It works and those who invested in it can make innovative uses of it to save battery and work under strong light/ out in the sun. However, possible scenarios need to be explained on the website or through a detailed user manual. Otherwise people are left hunting for clues on blogs, websites etc. In the absence of a voice telling you all that it could do, all you were left with was the feeling that it was not as good as Amazon Kindle.
Summary: Adam with EdenX/Beast/Cromnia gives you 99% (taking 1% off for being error-free) functional tablet that can do a great many things. I can give a great presentation using a HP HDMI to VGA adapter, I can hook the Adam on to my external monitor and do my work. I can use an average mouse and keyboard with my Adam. I can take decent pictures and video using Adam. I can watch flash videos and surf virtually anything on the internet and much more. However, all this needs apps, workarounds and knowhow that needs to be made available in a crisp and accessible form to common folks. (I am returning to this market of the average user as that is where you get to sell in bulk). Adam is pathbreaking in many ways but most people simply don’t know how to get there. If the market NI is aiming at is power users or geeks, little needs to change, but if you want to create a buzz the kind Apple has you need to work on packaging, presentation and support. There were great inventors who made things that could do things people couldn’t imagine. But it was precisely because people couldn’t imagine by themselves that you needed someone to tell them about what they could do.
Rohan,
I hope you take notice of all the comments here (the majority strongly negative) and do something concrete for the early adopters. Without our support you would not be in this position of developing the next generation adam tablet.
I, like countless others am very disappointed in the adam. I took the risk buying it and if it had the capabilities you promised then it would have been a fair decision. Having not delivered on many aspects i would like to see a complete exchange, new for pathetic old tablet.
The screen is terrible quality (LCD) and not being fully functional after such a long time is disgraceful. I know Indian software guys are good and the best move overseas but surely there are competent programmers left in Bangalore who can come up with software updates to restore or actually provide the functionality this tablet should have had out the box.
Please don’t cry yourself to sleep with all the negative feedback. I’m glad you are partnering with a larger company that can help to take you to the next level but you really need to step up and actually deliver. We have heard enough of your ideas and dreams (these only exist in your head and we are not seeing any of it).
+1, Srinath!
The first Adam was very bad. The PQi-screen is the worst screen I’ve seen since the first LCD-screens… A tablet is a screen with a computer behind. The most important thing in a tablet is the screen, and it has to be top-notch!
I will not buy the second Adam, because I feel cheated by Notion Ink.
hi rohan
i felt cheated when i saw the galaxy tab and the apple ipad.
didn’t you know that your product was inferior to these before releasing it to the market.
the design sucks. and the quality of the material used is bad.
pl improve the design and make a lighter tablet to grab the market.
pl take this criticism as constructive as i want you ppl to kick the best out of business.