Unveiled in December of 2010, Notion Ink's original Adam was intended to be an innovative, disruptive Android tablet that could compete with the iPad. Its primary selling point - besides a relatively high-end (at the time) dual-core Tegra 250 processor and 1GB of RAM - was a UI overlay known as Eden, which promised to make underlying the Android 2.2 more tablet-friendly. Launched to much fanfare in January 2011, the Adam never quite caught on the way Notion Ink had hoped; shipping delays, software issues, and poor build quality led the company to sell fewer units than anticipated. Two years and several versions of Android later, Notion Ink's ready to give it another go with the Adam 2.
According to scans of a pamphlet provided by a tipster to AndroidOS.in, the Adam II promises to be a very interesting budget tablet. Featuring a 10.1-inch 1280x800 IPS display, the unit also includes a secondary, STN (Super-twisted nematic) screen on the left edge of tablet for displaying notifications and contextual information, similar in concept to Samsung's old Continuum smartphone. The tablet's internals are rather unremarkable by today's standards: an unspecified 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 6,000 mAh battery, and all the standard wireless accoutrements. In terms of output, the Adam's well-endowed, packing HDMI out, a MicroUSB port, and a microSD card slot.
Notion Ink's become known for building considerable hype around a product that fails to deliver. Though I have to admit the Adam II's edge display is pretty neat - Notion Ink said it was meant to mimic the look of a book spine - I'm certainly not holding my breath. In a world of Nexus and über-cheap tablets, Notion Ink's gimmicks might not have the widespread appeal they once did.
The Adam II will initially be available in India, though pricing and release date information hasn't yet been announced.