Notion Ink Adam (the one with a PixelQi display) gets final specs, price and date

[nonanon]

I'm looking forward to hearing more about the NI Adam. The low end model has a different screen, LCD only I think. The iPad has a big price range, too, based on features so a range of $327-$800 for the Adam isn't that wide.

For usability I'd give this a very high rating as you can read magazine, comics and PDF in full screen without scrolling. And you can also surf the net, listen to music while reading or surfing or watch a movie or tv show. I see a big market for this as many people now use their notebook as their primary PC instead of a full desktop PC. This can replace that for most people who only surf and read email with their PC, which is a few million people. It's much lighter than a notebook and it won't get as hot either which are important comfort factors. I don't see myself taking this with me except for long trips but for home use it could easily replace my notebook PC and it's cheaper than most 15" notebooks. It will probably replace my Witstech A81 and Sony Reader as well.

As for apps, if it offers good options for video and music playback, ereaders and has Mozilla, I'm fine with just those. I don't expect to be able to play complicated games without a keyboard. It does have a trackpad on the back, though, so gaming may be possible.

[dmaul1114]

Yeah, I'll be keeping a close eye on this and all the tablets that roll out this year and next for much the same reasons you list.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by leebase

The "reader niche" is already being serviced by Amazon, Sony, Barnes and Noble -- not to mention a slew of wannabe's and meetoo's.

There's no way the iPad is going to be a flop. There are already 70+ million devices that run the iPhone OS -- the platform is already proven as is the company, Apple.

I agree that Android isn't quite ready and Windows not particularly appropriate. Which kinda goes to my point that we are not at the "slap parts together" part of the process.

I think there is room for more than one company in any segment. Even with a runaway successful iPad -- that won't mean that nobody else can succeed with a tablet. I just think these never-did-anything startups are getting WAY more attention than the likelihood of their success warrants.

Lee

Bigger is not always better. I run a dedicated e-reader from hanlin. For an e-ink machine, it does the job better for me that any other machine on the market. Removable standard Nokia cellphone battery, choice of firmware (company or open source), solidly built. I don't use it for any secondary function.

If Ipad fails, it'll be because the form factor doesn't meet the preferences of the all-in-one market. Of course fail is a slippery word. What would be a roaring success for a small company , would be a abject failure for Apple, because if they don't sell millions of units of anything, it's a failure to them.

But then again, I use a Creative Designs audio player...

(I keep my travel gizmos in a mini messenger bag, which holds a netbook, an e-book reader, a music player, a SD video camera, a pack of sdhc chips, plus chargers for everything. Under 5 pound (2.5 kilos)...)

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

But then again, I use a Creative Designs audio player...

(I keep my travel gizmos in a mini messenger bag, which holds a netbook, an e-book reader, a music player, a SD video camera, a pack of sdhc chips, plus chargers for everything. Under 5 pound (2.5 kilos)...)

I have a couple creative mp3 players as well...

But I'm dying for a tablet. Both for work use for reading and marking up PDFs, word docs etc., reading of magazines, comics etc. that need a big color screen. And so I stop having to lug around printouts, and so when I travel I don't need all that crap in my bag. For me it would be:

-MP3 player
Laptop--15" as I find netbooks useless for my needs (watch lots of HD video) -Nintendo DS
-Kindle.
-Maybe my small sony cybershot camera--which wouldn't be replaced--but I'm not a big picture taker so it tends to stay at home, especially if I'm with my girlfriend and she just brings hers).

So I'm really anxious to see what tablets come out. The iPad is close to what I want, but I'd like a bit bigger screen, good stylus support for mark up, Flash support, multi-tasking support etc., so it's not quite there for me yet. Maybe generation 2!

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

I have a couple creative mp3 players as well...

But I'm dying for a tablet. Both for work use for reading and marking up PDFs, word docs etc., reading of magazines, comics etc. that need a big color screen. And so I stop having to lug around printouts, and so when I travel I don't need all that crap in my bag. For me it would be:

-MP3 player
Laptop--15" as I find netbooks useless for my needs (watch lots of HD video) -Nintendo DS
-Kindle.
-Maybe my small sony cybershot camera--which wouldn't be replaced--but I'm not a big picture taker so it tends to stay at home, especially if I'm with my girlfriend and she just brings hers).

So I'm really anxious to see what tablets come out. The iPad is close to what I want, but I'd like a bit bigger screen, good stylus support for mark up, Flash support, multi-tasking support etc., so it's not quite there for me yet. Maybe generation 2!

Different person, different needs. the problem with any all-in-one machine is they end up being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. If what they do best, and every machine does something best, is your top priority, then it'll be a success for you. The question is are there enough people with your needs to make a mass market. Personally I don't think so for the Ipad, but that doesn't make me right. Only the future will tell...

That was why Jobs said the nasty things about e-readers. He didn't figure there was a market for 10's of millions of e-readers a year. Whether there's a market for 10's of millions of big video players that don't play the major video suppliers (flash) I don't know...

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Different person, different needs. the problem with any all-in-one machine is they end up being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. If what they do best, and every machine does something best, is your top priority, then it'll be a success for you.

The question is are there enough people with your needs to make a mass market. Personally I don't think so for the Ipad, but that doesn't make me right. Only the future will tell...

Definitely to the first, everyone has their own needs.

To the jack of all trade bits, I don't need something like that to excel at all things. I'd mainly use it for reading and marking up A4 pdfs, Word docs, taking notes, reading magazines etc.--so I want it to excel at that.

The other stuff it just needs to do good enough that I can use it for those features when I travel, or want to surf the net on my couch without using the laptop etc. I'm not going to ditch my MP3 player, laptop, DS etc. Adding those features is just the icing on the cake in what would mainly be a big screen, color e-reading and markup tool for me.

Aside from that, I've never cared about having the best anything. My priorities have always been price and then performance. I never by the best camera, best laptop, best mp3 player, best TV etc. I buy something in the middle of the pack that has decent performance and a price tag I can live with. Others are more focused on getting the best device they can afford for everything. To each their own their.

Two the third, I have no idea the size of the market. And as I've said before, I couldn't care less if the tablet I find that fits my needs sells 500,000 units, 1 million units or 100 million units. I care about finding something that fits my needs, and that enough people buy them that they stay around even if it's not a mainstream success.

I think personally there Market is pretty sizable. Many of my fellow professor's are clamoring for a device like this for reading and marking up research, student papers etc. It would be great for students who can read text books in normal page sizes, highlight with a stylus etc. Outside academia it's useful for any business that wants to go paperless etc.

Time will tell on that part though.

[guyanonymous]

I'm thinking that the Adam (along with a small blue-tooth keyboard and mouse) might replace my laptop for 99% of my uses (taking movies/music places/showing using my lcd for movie nights/typing/display use while teaching along with LCD - I don't play game on my laptop) and supplement my ebookwise device very nicely. I love the ebookwise for novels - but it's useless for PDF's (even converting to 1/2 page images) and anything with images (IMHO). The Adam is a bit large, I suspect for one-handed reading.

Both of them? yay!? I hope.

[slayda]

A lot of people seem to want to mention the $327 price and all the "Gee whiz" things on the Adam like the Pixel Qi screen. I would think the Qi screen is more in line with the $800 price which puts it out of reach for me. I don't think I would want it with just an LCD screen.

[guyanonymous]

The Qi, apparently doesn't add much to the cost as it flowed easily into the LCD design process. I'd guess that the 3G and capacity (e..g, 16/32/64GB) will be the price modifiers, not the screen.

[slayda]

Originally Posted by guyanonymous

The Qi, apparently doesn't add much to the cost as it flowed easily into the LCD design process. I'd guess that the 3G and capacity (e..g, 16/32/64GB) will be the price modifiers, not the screen.

Hope you're right.

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by slayda

Hope you're right.

He's right so long as the screens are in mass production. There's limited additional costs in the process, but to achieve the same prices as other LCDs (which are in mass production), there's got to be enough demand to justify that kind of capital investment.

Whether Pixel Qi has managed to reach enough corporate customers yet to deliver screens priced comparably with run of the mill LCDs or not, I don't know.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

He's right so long as the screens are in mass production. There's limited additional costs in the process, but to achieve the same prices as other LCDs (which are in mass production), there's got to be enough demand to justify that kind of capital investment.

Whether Pixel Qi has managed to reach enough corporate customers yet to deliver screens priced comparably with run of the mill LCDs or not, I don't know.

Yep. Plus there's R&D to recoup. Beyond that, there is always the question of what the market will bear. Even if the actual production cost is almost the same, if they believe people will pay more they will charge more regardless.