Notion Ink Adam to get Honeycomb
The Notion Ink Adam is one of the underdog Android tablets- it’s cheap ($375->), has good specs (including a dual core CPU and 1GB RAM) and the more expensive version even has a special Pixel QI display that is readable in direct sunlight. It’s from a small company though which means that not everything is working right. First off you can’t just go out (or online) and buy it as it’s a whole process of pre-ordering an already released device and waiting for them to assemble it. It has also been having software issues, like a GPS that doesn’t show the right location, keyboard issues etc. It uses a special custom Android skin called Eden which also means that upgrading isn’t as easy as slapping on a new stock Android version.
I think the whole experience of the Adam is pretty well summarized by the company just writing a blog post called “and where the hell are we?”. Doesn’t exactly scream big corporation, does it? Steve Jobs didn’t go on stage yesterday to announce the iPad 2 saying “so where the hell are we?”. Anyways, the blog post did mention Honeycomb coming to the Adam, as well as a larger staff. Hopefully this means they can get a grip on the situation. As I said this requires them to port Eden too, so it’s not just a simple upgrade. It’s a necessary one though if they want to be taken seriously. I’d love a $375 tablet with those kind of specs, but not if it’s like…eh…the Xoom (at least the Adam only lacks software, not hardware).