Hi All,
I'll add my two cents as I own two Notion Ink Adams (NIA), one in LCD and one in Pixel Qi. I also have the HTC Google Nexus One which makes for good comparison to vanilla Android, which I love.
First the NIA negatives:
Software:
The initial Eden sucked. So many bugs I stopped using the tablet to wait for a ROM. Once I did EdenX the tablet changed alot for the better, market access, apps weren't crashing, etc. I still do not understand why NI didn't release a hardware-powerful tablet with stock Android which Google is working to ensure works so well. They really shot themselves in the foot with this and may bankrupt the company if no one buy them anymore. I feel they did not practice the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid, and over-engineered the software.
I will say that now the Mail'd app works well, 180 degree change since the last NIA update.
Dolphin browser is now standard and works well.
I've side-loaded Market.apk and this is working successfully to install whatever I want.
Gallery (pics & Video) has some hiccups.
Navigation of different apps is somewhat cumbersome to me. With my N1, I have 5 home screens divided into basic subjects, utllities, internet, multimedia, etc. Within each page I have folders where I keep all my apps and this works well for me. At the most, a swipe-tap-tap and I can open any app on my phone. The Adam is not this way. Open up the horizontal loader and swipe and swipe and swipe while keeping your eyes peeled for the right icon, or type in the search box which is slow to do, or open the all apps page which is finicky to get to. Not smooth for any option.
Keyboard is a pain in the ass. Always entering the wrong digit, or entering multiple digits of the one I press, either way a backspace. No vibration mode working which I find the key to typing fast in my N1. The keyboard should just work better and also be translucent or with a clear background so you feel like not as much screen real estate is being taken up.
Hardware:
Weight: Heavy. At least compared to the iPad which is setting the bar now. I could see added weight over the iPad for the increased specs but the NIA is about 3-4 iPads comparing size and weight.
Camara: While a great idea, feels not very durable and I am careful with it. One accidental knock & I could see the whole assembly shattering.
Screen: It's just not as responsive compared to my N1, and it should be. Continual hangups, wrong command understood, misc. annoyances that individually don't mean alot but cumulatively are annoying.
The Positives:
-I don't have a iPad. Sad but I'm just not into Apples OS restrictions.
-Basically, the NIA is a well working tablet that is doing what I want, and I have the ability to tweak if I want to add/change something.
Multimedia play is good, speakers loud.
-Full functionality of PDF documents, highlighting, commenting, note-taking, etc. This was most important to me and my main interest in eReaders and tablets.
-I'm happy to support an Indian company taking a risk and putting a basically good product out. If they are able to hang in there I feel the product will only get better, the fan base more loyal, and the customization very creative.
Cheers,
Phil
