First of the most exciting products from CES 2010 last month was Idea Ink’s Adam tablet, the Android-based slate using the latest-gen NVIDIA Tegra chipset and Pixel Qi’s innovative low-power display. The company had brought along a prototype they could exclusively display us, and now they’ve sent over renders of what’s most likely to be the final Adam design complete with some mockups of a SlashGear digital magazine. And, since Apple’s long-awaited entrant to the tablet arena -the iPad- has because made its debut, we also asked Notion Ink just how Adam holds up towards the new competition.
The short answer is “very nicely indeed”. Particularly of note may be the battery existence; Idea Ink CEO Rohan Shravan highlighted Apple’s “Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music” [emphasis ours] estimates for the iPad, and pointed out that, thanks to Tegra’s frugality, the similar Apple hardware with the NVIDIA chip could run for 2-3x longer than the iPad manages. That is prior to you factor in the Adam’s Pixel Qi display, which stretches out the longevity even more, and of program Tegra is capable of outputting 1080p HD video whereas the iPad maxes out at 576p/480p via its optional component cable.
Interestingly – and hitherto unannounced – Notion Ink are apparently contemplating two versions of Adam for release, 1 of which could measure 12.9mm thick and the other 11.6mm; in contrast, the iPad is 13.4mm. The organization wouldn’t say what the distinction between the two units may be, but considering much of the bulk from the tablet is from the Pixel Qi panel we’re wondering if they’re also searching at a slimmer LCD version. That could potentially be cheaper again, despite providing much better battery existence than the iPad. Of course, that’s just our speculation right now, and Idea Ink themselves are only considering the two models.
Shravan also tells us that Idea Ink’s digital content partnerships are progressing swiftly, and that the Adam will launch with digital magazines, ebooks and comics from some significant collaborators. No names we can share right now, but there’ll be more info at Mobile World Congress 2010 next week. There, they’ll also be demonstrating the Adam operating Flash, once again something the iPad can’t manage.
Finally, the organization has told us that it are going to be running an Apps Competition, similar to Google’s Android Developer Challenge, to encourage software program designed for that Adam tablet. Details of the Idea Ink competition haven’t been finalized as yet, but we’re informed the prize fund will come in at more than $1m. We’ll be talking to them much more about it in Barcelona next week.