Notion Ink Adam pre-orders, prices revealed

Notion Ink as hinted has outlined a pre-order program starting today. Existing commenters and the wider public will have the options of pre-ordering at 1:30PM and 7:30PM Eastern respectively. Company CEO Rohan Shravan hasn't said when it ships, but it may slip to early 2011 as it's still in FCC testing.

The Android 2.2 tablet will also be significantly less expensive than either the Galaxy Tab or the iPad, the company said. Although it uses NVIDIA's dual-core Tegra 2, the base Wi-Fi version of the 10-inch tablet will cost $375 without a contract. Versions with 3G for both AT&T (the 3G-850) and internationally (3G-900) will cost $425. Users who want a Pixel Qi 3qi screen, whose transflective panel can be seen outside, start at $499 for a Wi-Fi version and $550 for a 3G model. The price will be currency equivalent in every country.

The pre-orders also gave Shravan an opportunity to reveal many more details of the Eden interface and how it relates to Android 2.3 and 3.0. Many of the features that Google is promising in either already exist, he claimed. Much like the recent Android 3.0 demo this week, the multi-panel interface is already being used for certain apps, such as e-mail and file browsing. The browser, calculator, calendar, e-book app, music player and office hub occupy the full view. Some legacy apps and some companion tools, like weather, will run in a single panel.

An overlay will let users switch apps and will create a panel out of a traditional app when launched for the first time.

It's not clear if or when Android 2.3 or 3.0 will come, but Shravan added that Notion Ink is already using one of the latest OS kernels the Tegra 2 supports so far. A multi-touch keyboard, copy-and-paste text and SIP voice calls already exist in some form with Eden, the CEO explained.

The Adam is only likely to ship in modest numbers but has been considered one of the more important Android tablets since it should be one of the first with an OS custom-designed for tablet dimensions. Samsung has already made some modifications for the Galaxy Tab, but some built-in apps and virtually all third-party apps have no adaptation to the larger size. Android 3.0 will fix the issue more universally, but the current state has given Apple an early lead in tablets since it has both an entirely optimized UI and 35,000-plus available apps.

By Electronista Staff