The first generation iPad was the sole tablet and had the market to itself in 2010. But just as Apple has had to face increasing competition in the smartphone market, it may also lose ground in tablets as well. Many new tablets are equally capable and could eventually trounce Apple. Among them one is Notion Ink Adam.

Here is a comparison between Apple iPad 2 and Notion Ink Adam:

Operating system:
The Adam tablet was supposed to feature the Android 2.2 version known as Eden but presently the tablet features the customized version of Android 2.2 (aka Froyo). Froyo includes many of the features of Android 2.3 (or Gingerbread). The tablet will get the support of Android Market as soon as it is upgraded to Honeycomb 3.0. Until then it has to depend on its own marketplace known as Genesis. The Apple iPad 2 features the new iOS 4.3 .

Apps may be a problem for the Notion Ink as even though the comapny announced a $1 million prize for developers, it was cancelled as a result of budget issues. The iPad, on the other hand, already has a fully functioning App Store.

Battery:
The battery featured in Adam is a three-cell 24.6Wh removable battery that boasts 16 hours of use while the iPad 2 has a 25Wh battery which gives 10 hours.

Processor:
The 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex - A9, Nvidia Tegra 250 processor found in the Adam tablet is much more powerful than the Apple iPad 2’s 1 GHz dual-core Apple A5.

Memory storage:
Notion Ink’s tablet has LP-DDR2/DDR2 667MHz 1GB memory and 1GB SLC along with 8GB internal storage, but more variants may be coming at some point. Also the tablet features a microSD slot.

Apple's iPad 2 has 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB internal storage and a 512 MB RAM support.

Display:
The Adam tablet has a 10.1-inch 1024 × 600 pixels TFT Pixel-Qi display or Normal 10.1-in 1024 × 600 LCD display as against iPad 2's 9.7-inch 1024x768 (XGA) LED-backlit IPS TFT display.

Input features:
The input features found in iPad 2 are multi-touch touch screen, headset controls, proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis gyroscope, microphone, magnetometer and accelerometer. And Adam has a multi-touch touchscreen, headset controls, accelerometer and ambient light sensor.

Camera:
The 3.2-megapixel Swivel camera featured in Notion ink can turn up to 185° and can face the user at -5° during video chat and with a 90° turn can capture a live lecture and take photographs at 180° angle. Also the camera has video capture capability at 720p. Apple iPad 2 has a smaller 0.7-megapixel 960 x 720 camera and a VGA camera capable of recording 720p.

Connectivity:
The Notion tablet has connectivity features like Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+A2DP, USB 2.0 and HDMI whereas iPad 2 on the other hand has Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and USB 2.0.

Size:
The Adam tablet has dimensions of 191 x 269 x14 mm and weighs between 600 to 750 g depending on the model whereas the iPad 2 weighs between 600 to 610 g and features dimensions of 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm.

Price:
The Adam tablet ranges from $375.33 to $549.99 depending on the model while iPad 2 ranges from $499 to $829 depending on the model.

Although Adam tablet has gone on sale, displays suffered from glare issues and the touchscreen sometimes failed to respond. And according to a blog post the company has been building on its own support team, supporting Notion Ink and its second shipment of tablet PCs. Reports have emerged that the Noption Ink is also running into delays from Underwriters Laboratories

Also the blog reported “Books, which I just touched upon on the last blog, are coming from our partner in the form of store and app. Their content is good, and app ready for 2.2 and 2.3 OS. But then we are soon moving to Honeycomb, and these apps need some face-lifts. Eden Apps has been ported on Honeycomb. Notion Ink is also setting up a local Sales and Services Centers in U.S., Germany and India for better and faster support. The US one will get working first. Notion Ink has expanded in one more area: Games!”

Apple's iPad 2 will be released on March 11 and is expected to sell well. Moreover, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes that the iPad which exchanged hands with 15 million customers, will sell better than the original. And the iPad 2 fans will not have to wait in queue as it will be retailed through 10,000 retail points, which include 236 Apple stores working in conjunction with iPad 2 sales outlets at AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target.

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