The Notion Ink Adam, probably one of the best, if not the best, Android tablet to ever pop up on our radar is being delayed yet again. This time around, it’s because of investors instead of hardware or software issues.
The Android OS-powered Adam was expected to hit in November, and the company remains optimistic about that launch window, but we are a bit skeptical at this point. It seems that Notion Ink is having some issues holding on to investors and the cash that comes with them. The company claims that they’ll launch the Adam before the end of 2010, but it seems that the Adam may suffer another delay that will move that ship date even farther back.
In an official statement from Notion Ink CEO Rohan Shravan,
“We will have the device before the year ends. It will be introduced at a major event after which you can order it online. It has to be placed strategically, as this is our maiden effort. Whatever has happened cannot be changed, but with the support we are getting from all, we might just become a part of the history. Also on the pricing, all the 3 devices will be lower than even the basic model of iPad.”
While that sounds promising, we’re not holding our breath right now. Still, what’s more surprising is the projected pricing on the units. Initially, it was rumored that the higher-end Adam, which comes with an awesome Pixel Qi display that can go from a full color mode to a black and white e-book reader mode, and has a 100+ hours battery life with its backlight off, would cost you as much as $800. That speculated price tag was high, but wasn’t too outlandish, given that the tablet is supposed to be powered by the high-end NVIDIA dual-core Tegra2 processor. Today, we’re hearing that all three variants of the Adam will be cheaper than the basic model of the iPad ($499)? That sounds like music to our ears.
Because of the delays, I’m really hoping to see the Adam to ship with at least Android 2.2 Froyo, if not Gingerbread. But according to the Notion Ink blog, you should take the possibility of the tablet shipping with Gingerbread with, “a pinch of salt.” Getting the software working on all different variants of the Adam would likely delay the tablet further, and I think most people will be happy with Froyo, seeing as how there aren’t too many Android phones that have Android 2.2 at this point. And, we aren’t even exactly sure what to expect from Gingerbread, although we have a good guess.
I’d really like to see a smaller version of the Adam, but I’ll settle for anything from Notion Ink at this point.
If you’ve yet to see the Adam in action, check out the video below.
[Via: Engadget]
