The Rise and Fall of my Notion Ink Adam
Today I’ll take a break from the world of programming to discuss my purchase, use, and immediate sale of the Notion Ink Adam – the latest pretender to the iPad throne. I’ve been waiting for this device since CES 2010 and, after a number of hiccups, it is finally here. If you’re looking for something with a few more curly braces, please come back tomorrow. Otherwise read on for my early opinions.
Introduction
Before I get started with the device I’m going to give my two cents on the company and the preorder process. If you don’t want to read this (or if you feel like starting a flame war which I really don’t want to get into) feel free to skip the next two sections. My goal isn’t to defame Notion Ink in any way. You wouldn’t marry someone without meeting the in-laws. The manufacturer is to the in-laws as the gadget is to the bride…if you stand under me…
The Company
Let me start by saying that I am impressed by what Notion Ink has achieved. For a small startup to achieve something of this magnitude is rare and impressive in equal doses, and I have to applaud anyone with the audacity to attempt to compete at this level. What I do not applaud is the arrogance the company has shown in ignoring its user-base. Time and again they have failed to release information, failed to answer questions, failed to provide updates regarding order timelines and shipping estimates and really, failed to be objective about their product. Only good news ever seems to make the cut, questions are answered arbitrarily (i.e. only questions with a happy answer are acknowledged) and the language used seems more indicative of a group of school kids at play than a large company. By all accounts the organization does not consider itself bound by the same rules as large multi-nationals, often spouting the argument that the Notion Ink Adam is not just a product – it is a dream coming to fruition - as if it transcends the needs of a regular device because of what it iconizes. Trying to get a straight answer to a legitimate question is a lesson in futility and, oddly, NI has built a small army of die-hard followers, seemingly without the benefit of critical reasoning (but with a healthy dose of naivety), who are willing to battle any genuine concern or criticism, towing the same bizarre party political line. I get particularly nervous when people refuse to hold their representatives accountable as is the case here. Squeaky bum time, so to speak…
The Ordering Process
Oh, the ordering process... I can say, without hesitation, that ordering the ADAM was the singular worst retail experience I have ever had. Period. I’m always wary of pre-sales treatment that I receive, because I know that once a company has my money, they will never have the same motivation to treat me well again. In short, pre-sale time is as good as it gets. If this is the best treatment I can hope for then I fear what is to come (for those who stay onboard). The ordering process was plagued by delays, expectations that were set but not met, a lack of any tangible information regarding the device (renders do not suffice), servers crashing, unstated charges ($50 shipping. Not unreasonable, but should have been made known), lack of any proactive communication and credit card issues (for many, not me). I, like many, stayed up all night waiting for the unveiling of the preorder page, then waiting for the email with my preorder link, then waiting for the preorder time to roll around, then waiting for hours after the preorder time rolled around while the preorder page still suggested I come back at the original (long since passed) preorder time, then waiting patiently, refreshing in the hope that Notion Ink’s server would come online (or at least allow me get to the page necessary) so that I could order a tablet which, in hindsight, I did not know enough about. All the frustration, and all of the negativity I felt towards NI could have been belayed with a simple email or blog post by the company, explaining the situation to their users. Unfortunately, Notion Ink does not work that way..
Why I bought the Device
So, rant over (for now). You’re probably wondering why I bought the damn thing. Well, I was having second thoughts about the Adam even before clicking the order button. Notion Ink had missed all of their pre-order deadlines, their site was going up and down like a yoyo and I still had seen nothing of the device outside of an early CES2010 demo and more recent screen renderings. The fact is, I had waited a year for this device. A year of reading blog posts and blog comments and most importantly a year of anticipating. I had seen demos of this device before the first iPad was released and had emotionally bought into the product way back then. Over a year later I could have chosen to wait for the next big thing – but chances were that was a few months away – and frankly I had come too far to turn back. So, accepting the risk, I handed over my credit card information. While I feared the worst, I accepted responsibility for the device’s flaws, because I am an early adopter and the cutting edge tends to be pretty sharp.
The Build Up
To their credit, when the device became available, NI shipped their first round via air and the turnaround time from China to the US was 3-4 business days (with a weekend lodged in the middle). Shortly afterwards, issues began to surface on forums regarding bricked devices due to an over-the-air update, buggy software due to the lack of the over-the-air-update (after it was pulled), screen issues, bleeding colors, etc. etc. This was the last thing I wanted to hear but, to be fair, I have no idea how many Adams were shipped in the first round and therefore no idea of the percentage of people actually had issues. To clarify, rumors of bricked devices were misleading – a bricked device is one beyond repair – Notion Ink provided a new ROM to affected users in very little time and, to my knowledge, they addressed any issues caused by the OTA update. Not only that, but their turnaround time was extremely quick – fixing the issue the same day it was encountered…I was definitely apprehensive based on early feedback from other customers, but did my best to remain unbiased in the interim.
The Screen – PixelQI
I think the PixelQI screen (couple with the tegra processor) are what drew me to this device. Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed by how it looked. I had realistic expectations – this was never going to look like a kindle – but the PixelQI mode definitely didn’t live up to expectations. For starters, it was impossible to read anything indoors – one needs a LOT of light for the text to be legible and, even when it is, the screen reminded me of a giant CASIO calculator. The contrast between text and background was not enough to make the text prominent and I ended up using it a handful of times and then giving up on it. My hope was that this would be useful indoors as a low-power alternative to full lcd mode. But, with the lights on in my apartments, I strained attempting to make out the text on the screen. Unfortunately, the tradeoff of PixelQI is that in LCD mode the screen is not as vibrant as a regular screen appearing a little washed out. In the end there was no benefit to outweigh this massive negative and I ended up disappointed…I’d like to see some other PixelQI examples because I’m not sure if this issue was caused by Notion Ink’s implementation or if my expectations were too high. Regardless, it is not the eBook reading experience I had longed for…
The Hardware – General
The Notion Ink seemed sturdy enough to me, but my wife (comparing it to an iPad) thought it looked and felt cheap – perhaps the difference being Notion Ink’s plastic construction. It felt similar in weight to the iPad and felt pretty good to hold. What I detested, and it is partially my fault for not reading the specs more closely and partially Notion Ink’s for showing misleading screen renders, is how long and skinny the screen was compare to that on the iPad. Holding the device vertically to read a book, the screen was very tall but very skinny in width and the reading experience felt quite bizarre and not something I would get used to. The sound, as other reviews have mentioned, was pretty good and pretty loud and didn’t have any complaints in that arena. I had intermittent issues watching videos on the device (and read similar complaints from other owners) where sometimes everything would be fine and other times (watching the exact same part of the exact same video) the sound would be delayed. This was particularly frustrating as it is something I’ve grown accustomed to just working and when things go wrong I get a little cranky. The swivel camera is a neat idea, but frankly was a little less sturdy than I would have expected. Frankly speaking I’d be just as happy with a front and rear facing camera – but I do not see any use cases where I will record lectures, etc. Finally, I hooked the device up to a 37” LCD TV in order to test HDMI out – and it failed miserably. Essentially, the video slowed down (like it was being played in slow motion) as if too much processing power was required to play the file. This was reproducible and, frankly, made the feature useless to me.
The Software
Ebook Reader
I was gutted to find out that the ADAM (currently) ships without ANY eBook reader. Clicking an ePub in sniffer indicates that there is no app associated with that file type and there definitely aren’t any applications installed that would prove otherwise. This is a BIG deal to me – reading eBooks will probably be my primary use of the device (which is why I bought the PixelQI version) but is not supported out of the box. To those who suggest using a third party android app: aldiko does not scale well to this form factor and the text looks horrible, making it next to impossible to read anything on there. Kobo looks a little better, but the android version is feature poor (unlike the beautiful iPad version). I haven’t yet found anything to rival iBooks which, to be honest, I never considered an amazing piece of software (it does its job well, but there are few bells and whistles). NI have mentioned content partnerships, and an eBook leaf definitely appears in multiple of their newer videos, but right now there is nothing….
Eden
Notion Ink’s custom Eden interface is one of the nicest aspects of the device – out of the box the interface was ridiculously buggy, to such an extent that I could no longer wait for Notion Ink to fix their over-the-air updates and instead opted to flash the firmware to get the latest and greatest version. Immediately the user interface became far more responsive with a lot fewer crashes and the interface felt a lot more like the widget goodness Android users have grown to love rather than the typical iPad application launcher screen. There were few applications available that had a leaf mode, but the ones that did (sniffer, mail, browser) were pretty nice and made information easily accessible. Oddly, I never cared about the custom UI, but this is one of the device’s nicest features…I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
Sniffer
A big annoyance I had with the iPad was the rigmarole necessary to transfer a few files to the device or move said files between applications – I understand the need for sandboxes and safeguards but I always felt way too controlled when using the iPad and that frustrated me…a lot. There are a bunch of file browsers available for Android and Notion Ink’s version, Sniffer, is extremely nice. The launcher itself is (I think) quite pretty and it was a lovely experience to be able to navigate to a folder and open an MP3 or open an ePub without having to do it through a specific application. I also loved Eden’s sniffer leaf where it was possible to browse to and open files straight from my main screen – to move, delete, etc. I just had to launch the main app from the leaf. While I don’t see it happening I’d love to see Notion Ink open sourcing or selling Sniffer to make it available (in an above board manner) on other Android tablets. They definitely have some talented developers and designers on board and I’d love to see what else they are capable of, without necessarily needing an Adam.
Browser
The default browser shows promise but, even with the latest and greatest firmware, was quite buggy. For instance, typing an address into the address bar and hitting enter didn’t do anything at all, and I was constantly forced to close the application and/or do a google search rather than being able to move between sites. This was frustrating enough that I side-loaded Dolphin HD after about 4 uses and never went back. Sadly the browser looked really nice and the tab interface was pretty cool, but it just wasn’t ready for general use…
Mail’d
I love K9, an open source Android mail client. Mail’d is built on top of K9 and supports most if not all (I only connected a gmail account during my time with the device) of the features of K9 while adding some style and fitting the Adam form factor. It is also really good looking – sharing the same style as sniffer – and, complete with its trimmed down leaf mode version, was an enjoyable and functional mail client. Notion Ink
What Is Missing
The android market for one thing. Sure, you can side-load many apps, but the inability to actually buy and download apps from Google felt like a pretty big void. Genesis, Notion Ink’s app store, is set to go live at an undetermined date but I wonder if enough developers will be willing to program for a specific device to enable it to gain traction.
The End
In the end I decided to sell my Notion Ink Adam. After spending so much time researching, discussing and anticipating it was sad to do so – but I knew if I waited until general release I would be unable to find a buyer. There were simply too many issues - physical, software and company related – to ignore and I knew I’d spend the lifetime of the product apologizing for the device. I’m saddened to think what could of happened had Notion Ink not had so many investor problems and this device was launched before the iPad last year. In this case time-to-market is everything and I fear the worst for Notion Ink. They seemingly do not have the necessary infrastructure to treat their customers the way (we high maintenance and technically competent) customers deserve and demand to be treated and I fear their loyal fan base will quickly dwindle if their communication strategy does not soon change for the better. The Notion Ink Adam feels like an unfinished product and, while I hope to see another version competing with the iPad (and other tablets in the future), I fear for the future of the Adam and Notion Ink as a whole. I recently sold my Adam and haven’t really looked back – since I received the Adam there have been no real updates on the Notion Ink site, and had I not upgraded the firmware manually, I’d still be using their bug-riddled V1 software…I wish all those who did (or will) buy an Adam all the best and hope that Notion Ink’s promise of innovation is realized in the future. I, for one, am going to pick up a Xoom when it is released later this month!
Comments
The biggest selling point of the Adam, the promised Pixel Qi screen. is not good at all. The contrast is two low.
Notion Ink did brake about all their promises to their customers.
Nobody knows how many products were actually shipped.
Definitely, it was less than 10000 - NI send just 10000 original pre ordering email invitations.
For so small quantity of the devices, the ration of issues is very high.
The reality of the this product is even more grim: the Notion Ink blog is filtering out any negative responses.
I have been watching Adam from a far. I was impressed with some of the concepts they were pitching. The removal battery, which no one has attempted yet. The PQ screen is a great idea.
Now that I have seen NI in action, this is a company to stay away from until they get a business team in the leadership. They basically don't know the first thing about customer service, marketing or managing a business. With all the problems, one after another, it's like watching the keystone cops or three stooges movie.
I don't think they'll survive. Too many big boys coming out very soon with high quality, well manufactured tablets, with Honeycomb on them. If NI had concentrated on getting the Adam to market without all the Eden crap, they may have been able to release earlier last year, and given themselves a bigger lead. Then build up a good hardware base, and attract developers.
Some bullet points...
*Eden is buggy UI (Fixable), works like crap. Limiting the Adam.
*No market place due to Eden.
*No Genesis store
*No EAP program, so no apps.
*Devs are going to be creating honeycomb, not Eden.
They made way too many promises, over sold, and under delivered. That is not how you start a business. They should have used the KISS method. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID! Build a quality product and they will come.
I hope NI succeeds. I always go for the underdog. But no one including "Their biggest fan", should turn a blind eye to the problems, and white wash over everything. That is the worst thing you could do. We don't live on Sesame Street, and every day can't be a sunshiny day!
One more thing....
Apple specifically made the iPad with that ratio(4:3), versus 16:9 because of the viewing in portrait mode. It doesn't feel comfortable when viewing. Too skinny. I'm not an Apple, but they damn sure know how to design a product.
I've been reading all about up and coming tablets like everybody else. I don't care how many iPads sell or how many Adams sell. But I do care about gossip getting out of hand. While your article isn't dishonest, I can't see it holding any real water and feels to me more of a half-baked flame war legend than anything.
For starters, how many of your software qualms are likely to be addressed by the time the Adam is sitting on retail shelves? You pre-ordered a debut model from a startup and they delivered you a working machine with the advertised specs on an open platform. Do your screen issues cause a severe enough compromise with battery life to require daily charging? If you look at the screen in the dark with the brightness all the way up, does the screen seem clearly legible but not "glowing". Because if that's what you're describing I wouldn't mind too much - it could mean Notion is less likely to inadvertently lead to eye strain. It would be preferable to have a brightness setting that really juices it, just in case, but I could certainly live without it as long as the device can work everywhere an iPad can and can not.
Also, folks, Notion is 16:10. It's the golden rectangle which means it can display a wider variety of resolutions in many cases with a bit less chopping. Personally I'd prefer bars on old TV shows to having them on movies and new TV shows. And from what I've seen neither tablet has excellent landscape typing - the iPad's being cramped and visually awkward, Notion's appearing helpful but limited.
Yes 16:9 makes for a funny looking tablet. 16:10 is more adaptable. I suppose since the iPad is "16:12" then Notion should have abandoned the golden rectangle and gone with 16:10.5 I've got a feeling there's no right answer here, but the iPad might lose severe cred if there's a device on the market that can ALSO easily handle ebefefsefooks, pdfs, hd movies, and web sites of all shapes and sizes, but outdoors and for a more reasonable price, unlike the XOOM.
So to the scariest gripe, the screen. I admit I still won't believe it till I've seen it. However I've read and seen a number of examples that show it's an adaptive system that saves you battery right out of the box - pretty damn baller for a startup if you ask me. It can go where no tablet has gone before - not as boldly as a kindle, but a kindle would have just as much trouble playing Spongebob reruns on the beach as an iPad would.
I really feel it's come to splitting hairs here, as a Kindle resembles a nice, crisp, xeroxed page and a PQ screen is more like a trusty yellow legal pad. Both have their advantages. Sadly, in this analogy, the closest thing to the iPad is a smudged up family photo.
Also, testing indoors with your lights on is more likely to require backlighting because the ambient light is low but sources aren't nearly as uniform as sunlight - creating more risk for a variety of glares and dilating your pupils to make glare unlikely. The point is that too much sun hitting the screen won't make the device practically unreadable, like the iPad. How does it look playing a movie in full daylight? How does it look playing a movie at dusk with the backlight on maximum? I hate to say you're not holding it right, but if you're talking about just working out of the box, that's what most reviewers seem to be claiming. Yes, it's a comprimise on battery life compared to the kindle. But the iPad isn't winning by leaps and bounds just by having a big, flat, hot, heavy battery and offering no day-game against the Kindle yet costing 5 times as much.
Remember, you are already running a heck of a lot meatier hardware under a tablet screen than a kindle - if 40-70% brightness will make the device clearly legible in a dim room and a 20-40% brightness in a brightly lit room, then I'm a happy camper either way. So, at very least, an Adam has the perk of being road trip-proof, and may stand to save a few drops of battery life here and there for commuters and students. But honestly, it's a freaking ebook that moves, good lord. I feel more and more like we're looking at the first Prius here (hybridizing LCD and eink) and calling it an Insight.
Overall, I'm wholly impressed by Apple and Notion for picking up the slack in general, and have to give bonus points to Apple for getting something out there quickly and efficiently. But Notion ranks as a fair contender in my eyes, for doing it cheap, open and as robust or more-so than their competition where possible.
Got the link for the second pre-order about 3-4 days ago, got halfway through the process and then decided against ordering. My big fear at that point was that local customer service (in Texas) is not available, and that is a headache given all that we have read about the pre-order product. To me (and me alone, before I get flamed) this proved too much to overcome, and I opted to wait.
There is a plethora of devices coming up in the next 3-4 months, so waiting might be a really good choice. Early adoption can take a back-seat for once.
It's gone from bad to worse and the arrogance and immaturity "shines through"
Interest has dwindled considerably, and you have to be a die-hard die-hard to stand beside them now, and yeah there are a few. NI will make 'millions' by selling it to maybe a 100 gullible people.