We can safely say that the Apple iPad is received with mixed feelings by the IT-savvy community. The main problem is that the tablet is just not as revolutionary as many expected it would be. It keeps many of the limitations of the iPhone (no multitasking, tightly controlled app-store) and doesn't provide impressive new features which could keep the balance.
Let's compare this tablet to one of the more promising Tegra 2 tablets on the way to the market: the Notion Ink Adam. Admittedly, the Adam is not on the market yet, while the iPad is quite sure gets there soon. Nevertheless, we give the benefit of the doubt to Notion Ink (especially, considering how badly Nvidia wants to start the Tegra 2 device line). In my comparison, the Adam runs Ubuntu Linux with the Mobile Edition which has a touch oriented user interface. The first version of the Adam is expected to come with Android but since Nvidia officially supports Ubuntu on the Tegra 2, we can expect a fully working Ubuntu edition on the Adam soon enough. Moreover, for such powerful hardware as the Adam, even Android seems limited to me.
Screen technology and diplay features
Both the iPad and the Adam have ~10" LCD displays with capacitive touchscreen technology. However, the Adam features PixelQi technology which means lower power consumption, direct sunlight readability and higher contrast when switched to BW mode for reading. The Adam will have a hardware switch for easy mode-changing (BW/low-power colour/full colour) which will help lowering the power consuption (like a wifi or 3G radio shut-off switch). The iPad doesn't seem to have any hw switch, not even one for adjusting the brightness of the screen (meaning: unless there is an ultra-easy touch gesture for it, nobody will adjust the brigthness for ambient light conditions). The iPad specs page lists an ambient light sensor, so the OS may be able to automatically turn-down the backlight when not needed but this won't save you as much as the power saving modes of the PixelQi screen. All-in-all, the screen of the Adam seems to be more versatile and power efficient.
Processing power
The custom Apple A4 processor of the iPad runs at 1Ghz and is a single-core ARM Cortex A9 solution. The Tegra 2 of the Adam features 2 Cortex A9 cores running at 1 Ghz. Due to the exact same technology platform, I expect the Adam almost two times as powerful as the iPad and this should be very much noticable in the more important applications (e.g. web-browser). The iPad has the stock ARM Mali 50 graphics core, while the Tegra 2 includes a Geforce 9 level graphics core. Although, I am not very familiar with the capabilities of these cores, I expect the Nvidia core to be more powerful since this is where Nvidia has strong competency. Some say the Mali core is not even in the same league as the Tegra 2 graphics core but this remains to be seen. (Disclaimer: it is possible that current reports about the inclusion of the Mali are inaccurate and the iPad uses a PowerVR graphics core like the iPhone).
GUI/desktop enviroment
The iPad runs the GUI environment of the iPhone OS (an OS X derivative), while the Adam runs Ubuntu Mobile (at least in my comparison). The Adam may not support multitouch in the short term but already has support for gestures (e.g: a swipe for moving to the next image in the image browser). The iPad supports multitouch and a wide array of gestures. I expect the iPad GUI easier to use and more refined (at least for the time being, since Ubuntu Mobile is quite a young project).
The "desktop" is easy to use in both environment, very similar application startup and indicators. The Ubuntu OS will run several applications in parallel while you will be able to use only one app ata time on the iPad. (see about this later)
Web Browsing
The iPad doesn't run Flash but said to render normal webpages snappily in its custom Safari browser. Youtube is supported just like on the iPhone but no Flash games and no Java applets in webpages (see about interpreters later in the application section).
The Adam will run full editions of Firefox/Chrome/Opera and expected to have an optimized Flash version (Flash 10.1 coming soon) so it will be good for running web-pages with video streaming and Flash games. Java applets (rare nowadays) will work too.
Playing video / Listening to music
The iPad has no HDMI output (has a simple VGA output, max res: 1024x768) and is rated for decoding 720p videos. This is a far cry from the 3 simultanious 1080p streams of the Tegra 2 and built-in HDMI port of the Adam. The Tegra 2/ Adam offering is far more powerful and makes the Adam a viable HTPC if you want to play the movies from your tablet onto your HDTV screen.
Both have a 3.5 mm jack and speakers so hw-wise, listening to music should not be a problem. Ubuntu has powerful music player applications which are on par with iTunes of the iPhone/iPad.
Playing games
The Geforce graphics core of the Tegra 2 in the Adam will be quite sufficient to play 3D games. The performance of the Mali 50 is not widely known at this point but is not expected to be worse than the graphics core in the iPhone 3GS so it is likely able to run 3G games like the demo based on the Unreal engine. I expect the Tegra 2 graphics core of the Adam more powerful.
Camera / video chat / VOIP
The iPad doesn't have a built-in camera which is a glaring omission. The Adam will have a 3Mp built-in camera, which is more than enough for Skype videophoning. Moreover, the Tegra 2 supports real-time hardware encoding of 1080p streams to H264 so, properly written video-chat applications should work extremely well on the Adam. Ubuntu should run any Linux VOIP app compiled for ARM. I expect Skype and other open/closed source software work well on the Adam in the short-medium term.
Apple has recently lifted the restrictions on Skype and other VOIP apps in the iPhone app catalog so the iPad will have the voice part OK but you will need an external cam for video chats and currently there is no information on the video encoding capabilities of Apple's A4 SOC.
Battery runtime
The iPad is rated for 10hrs of use (wifi browsing). The Adam is specified to have 16 hours of wifi browsing. The Adam looks like the winner here but the iPad's 10-hour runtime is also quite good.
Ebook reading
The Adam's PixelQi screen supports this activity much better especially in sunlit places. Ubuntu runs FBReader (my favourite ebook reader software) and has viewers for every kind of complex-document formats (most of them will be displayed in Evince, in case of Ubuntu). The iPad has a new reader application which is too early to write about but expected to be an intuitive reader-app (if the track record of Apple is any indication).
Navigation
Both devices include GPS units, so navigation software should be available for both. Google Navigation will certainly run on the Adam, I just hope it doesn't get blocked from the iPad app-store.
Other applications, Multitasking
While the iPhone has a huge selection of applications in Apple's app-store, most of them will have to be tailored for the iPad for full potential. This will surely happen if the iPad becomes successful but it may happen slowly if the device proves to be less than a clear success. Application-wise, I expect the Apple iPad to be as closed as the iPhone, so you will be able to install only Apple-approved applications from the official app-store.
Ubuntu on the Adam can run any full-desktop or command line Linux/ARM software from the Ubuntu ARM repositories. This is a huge selection of software and includes powerful applications like OpenOffice, GIMP and others. These may not be optimized for the touchscreen interface but the Adam's backside trackpad can help using them in tablet mode and in docked mode you will be able to use a USB mouse and keyboard just like with a netbook. Moreover, Ubuntu is completely free of limitations so you will be able install whatever software you want.
The iPad currently has multitasking disabled so you can run only one application at a time. The Adam has the full multitasking of Linux. The Adam's dual-core hardware should run several applications efficiently in parallel. A good use-case for this: a Bittorrent download running on your Adam while reading an ebook (I do this quite often on my OLPC XO-1).
Apple doesn't allow applications running in interpreters so you will never run a Flash/Java/Python/.Net-Mono application on the iPad although the hardware is sufficient for them. The Adam's Ubuntu will run any of those applications without any restrictions. Flash 10.1 is expected to be optimized for ARM SOCs and Java 6 has an optimized version for the Cortex A9 processors so the Adam should run apps based on these technologies well. Desktop and Webstarted Java clients are quite common in the enterprise IT world so the Adam may get some love from there.
It is not yet known how much RAM the iPad or the Adam has, but based on the Tegra 2 development board, the Adam will have at least 1 Gb of RAM which is quite sufficient for running even several complex applications in parallel.
Storage
The Adam will have expandable storage by a microSD slot, while the iPad seems to have no storage expansion slot at all.
Price
The cheapest version of the iPad is announced for $499 in the US. The Adam is expected to carry a sub-$400 pricetag ($320 is a current estimate).
Conclusion
The iPad hardware seems to be seriously lacking when compared to the Adam's Tegra 2 foundations, PixelQi screen, trackpad and other features.
Application-wise, the playground is more leveled but for Linux-savvy people the choice is a no-brainer. The iPad will certainly appeal to people who want devices which "just work" and accept the serious, artificial limitations imposed on their device.
Reference:
iPad specifications by Apple
Ubuntu Mobile Edition
Smart phones were dripping in high technology and features but the iPhone still wiped the floor with them. How hard is it to understand, it is the experience and the ecosystem! Period.
VálaszTörlésNobody wants a Linux pad except geeks.
What you fail to mention is that no one wants a crippled device that is little more than an e-book reader and is not capable of replacing either a smart phone or a netbook.
VálaszTörlésread this: http://www.strandreports.com/sw4031.asp
VálaszTörlésThe tablet PC is not a new concept, nor is the ereader (which is posible because eink simulates book pages, something Apple seems to be missing the point about). Multitasking is something taken for granted, copy and paste are in the building blocks of gui interfaces, still apple seems to forget those things in favor of DRM, which users dislike to no end.
VálaszTörlésWhy then are people all crazy about something as poorly named as iPad?
That's funny, a typical geek piece.
VálaszTörlésToo bad we live in the real world where the numbers tell the tale.
Fact is Apple entered the PMP business and crushed all comers with the iPod and funny enough everyone was deriding the original iPod at the time with the same prognostications of failure.
Apple entered the phone market and it was beyond wildly successful. It launched a slew of copycat devices, some just complete rips of the styling and OS functionality. Yes I am talking about WebOS and Android :)
So Apple releases a tablet and the same geeks scream about how Linux can do so much more, blah blah blah.
See a pattern here? Of course you don't because you are in self denial about Linux taking over the world.
The "Apple user experience" seems reminiscent of a game called "DDR", where the user gets points for most closely mirroring the steps of another. In this case, "well adapted" Apple users are those who can most closely follow the restrictions imposed by Steve Jobs' "footsteps" as entrenched in his Apple devices. They join the "Apple ecosystem" and become part of Steve Jobs' food chain, happily forever after.
VálaszTörlésThe rest of us Linux users (yes, the "few" users who presently use Linux, in, say, the millions of Android and Maemo phones sold, as well as netbooks and home computers), are less comfortable aping Steve Jobs' every whim, buy what we want, prefer to think for ourselves and make machines do our will. To each his/her own, I guess.
Despite being a piece of crap, the ipad will sell anyway by rabid fans who will buy anything with an Apple logo on that looks good, nevermind that it's crippled functionally.
VálaszTörlésAs for the ipod, i'd rather have a Sandisk Fuse anyday, atm I have a Sansa Sandisk Clip+ which has 4GB internally (can be had with 8GB internally) and has a microsd card slot for cards upto 16GB. Sound quality is great and it can play mp3, ogg and flac, and also wma. Plus it's a lot cheaper than an Ipod Shuffle
Microsoft doesn't really want to treat this market as a stepchild but they have no choice. Win 7 optimized for x86 and has no ARM port yet. There are no x86 systems which have the power consumption comparable to ARM SOCs. Windows 7 doesn't run on ARM and Windows CE/Mobile on a tablet is not very appealing.
VálaszTörlésThey need a lot of time and money to port Win7 to ARM and that is still not enough since the third-parti apps have to be migrated too.
OK,
VálaszTörlésAdam is not Linux, and it will not be.
It is Android and we are changing its User Interface cos we know, you cannot just scale 3.2 inch OS to 10inch display.
After some discussion with Rohan:
VálaszTörlésNotion Ink will not officially release a full Linux for it, like Ubuntu. This is expected since it was said that it comes with Android. The device will not be locked so you will be able to put Ubuntu in a dual boot config or replace the stock Android completely (although it is likely worth keeping it as a fallback option)
QUOTE: "Moreover, Ubuntu is completely free of limitations so you will be able install whatever software you want."
VálaszTörlésI am a linux user and advocate. But saying Ubuntu or any linux distro is "completely free of limitations " and you can "install whatever software" is bunk.
I LOVE linux, but I HATE the fact that I can't get my printers working properly, I cannot install Canon Easy Photo Print (SERIOUSLY GREAT SOFTWARE) because it is win/mac only.
The bulk of end-user software that is available is Windows-centric, with Mac support next. Cellphone apps ... Probably iphone has the most titles, and none of this is gonna work in linux.
Have you tried using WINE to install that software? Most people forget about it, but it seriously does handle a LOT of windows applications...even Teamviewer.
VálaszTörlésThe “completely free of limitations ” was meant that without limitations like the ones Apple/Microsoft artificially imposes. Like the Windows Starter Edition in which you cannot set the background. Naturally, Linux has its technical limitations.
VálaszTörlésThe “install whatever software” was meant that software which is not necessarily approved by the OS producer. You can install only Apple-approved software on your iPhone. I didn't mean that you can install Windows software on it and it will run (although a lot of Windows software can be run on Linux in Wine)
David does have a point. The masses generally cannot handle using more than one application at a time. This is why the iphone is so successful. I'm sure many of the same people who can afford the price-tag will also purchase the iPad; and why shouldn't they? If they purchased a linux-based device then they would simply bother the Linux community instead of Apple support. Every device has their issues, but frankly I would rather talk with a "geek" when something is misbehaving than with an Apply fan-boy fanatic.
VálaszTörlésDoesn't this run Android, at least that's what the previous stories I've read mentioned?
VálaszTörlésI LOVE linux, but I HATE the fact that I can’t get my printers working properly, I cannot install Canon Easy Photo Print (SERIOUSLY GREAT SOFTWARE) because it is win/mac only.
VálaszTörlésThink, think hard, about how you are going to print from your iPad. Think about it!
And ask yourself: is that really Linux fault or is it Canon's and printer makers? When the Linux driver project started ( http://www.linuxdriverproject.org/ ) printer makers have none but themselves to blame if they choose not to participate, they even offer to sign NDAs before starting the programming of the drivers.
VálaszTörlésI cannot see any mention of a USB port on the Adam- does it have at least 1? Think of the extra functionality one can achieve with a USB peripheral; backup, printing even.
VálaszTörlésThe killer feature for me for the Adam is the pixelQi screen. If you can really read ebooks on it very well it will beat the iPad and Kindle by a mile
VálaszTörlésI've heard that the Notion Ink Adam will, in fact, have USB:
VálaszTörléshttp://www.smartbook-reviews.com/notion-ink-adam-smartbook-tablet/
http://www.thesearethedroids.com/2010/01/08/notion-ink-adam-tablet-impressing-at-ces/
Pulling the iPod card out every time someone attacks an Apple product's credibility is stupid in the extreme.
VálaszTörlésWhat made the iPod awesome is actually something most of the people who bought it don't even KNOW ABOUT--the extremely high-end Wolfson DAC crammed in that little guy. The same sort of DAC chip that's present in midrange audiophile CD players.
I sure as hell didn't buy an iPod (which I sold, I now use a 2-year-old Sony DAP) for the "experience" or the "ecosystem." I bought it because, at the time, it had better sound quality than everything else in existence.
I wasn't really thinking of running Windows 7 on ARM processors. More I was thinking why Microsoft didn't do more with Windows CE/Mobile. They had a huge head start and had they kept developing this platform more, I think it could have been much more appealing for a tablet. The comparison is to iPhone OS and Android and maybe Chrome. In that head-to-head, CE could be enough.
VálaszTörlésThe bottom-line, though, is that I am on-board with your comparisons. I think the Notion Ink Adam is going to be excellent and I don't want Apple's limitations. I am ready to put it Notion Ink to work in schools if they can get it going quickly.
The way rumour mill was getting hyped up about iPad, I though it surely was going to turn the world on its head, like it was going to be star-trek type device. Instead, iPad only managed turn apple on its head.
VálaszTörlésWell. Apple is the best known to develop gadgets of its own kind, Apple's 'ipad' has turned out 2 b the singularly most disappointing piece of technlgy frm apple in the past decade.
VálaszTörlésLook at the real ipad here :: http://i.gizmodo.com/5458510/wait-no-this-is-the-real-ipad
when comparing all the specfs; NOTIONINK's ADAM is far far better product "Made in India"
Just thought you should no that voip restrictions have been lifted in iphone os 3.2. So you might want to update your article so you don't mislead people. =]
VálaszTörlés[...] Apple’s iPad vs Notion Ink’s Adam tablet with Ubuntu: battle of two worlds The “desktop” is easy to use in both environment, very similar application startup and [...]
VálaszTörlésAre you sure this doesn't JUST run android? All other sources I have said that it is solely and Android device, but I would love more then anything to see Ubuntu on this device because of the limitations of the Android operating system.
VálaszTörlési like it.
VálaszTörlésadam, the indian smart pad is promised with a price tag of just $300, for the basic version, well that too with 3g and wifi for which apple asks for $150 more. i think apple ipad is bullshit with no multitasking, the biggest flop of the new decade. adam will come with ubuntu and chrome os.
VálaszTörlésget more by rthe co-creator rohan shravan at http://www.notionink.com
VálaszTörlésThanks for the info!
VálaszTörlésHave been wondering about this.
Dualboot between ubuntu and android?!
The Adam just sounds better and better. Can't wait to get my hands on it!
[...] The main problem is that the tablet is just not as revolutionary as many expected it would be. More here Let’s compare this tablet to one of the more promising Tegra 2 tablets on the way to the market: [...]
VálaszTörlésThank you for this update on the notionink adam and I just cannot wait to pick one up ASAP.
VálaszTörlésAre there any news on when the device will be available?
Why hasn't this article been corrected to state that this upcoming device runs Android OS, not Ubuntu... The article would read totally different without all of the (incorrect) references to ubuntu...
VálaszTörlésPlease, read the first part of the article more carefully.
VálaszTörlésHey nice blog you are making =)
VálaszTörlésI think i gonny follow you now!
Visit mine if u like Ipad =)
Chapeau! I could not say it in other words :P
VálaszTörlésI am a faithful Apple user. I own a powermac, two macbook pros, an Apple TV, an iPhone, and a Time Capsule. People can hate on them all day long, it doesn't change the fact that they have now re-shaped two of the central ways people interact with media and eachother, and they are poised to do it again, regardless of the seemingly lackluster unveiling of the iPad.
VálaszTörlésThey make amazing products, that work well doing what they are designed to do. And the stuff they make ain't cheap, and you can't claim that fanboyism is the only thing that drives their sales. Cause hype only goes so far to sell someone on something. It's the overall Apple experience that breeds customer loyalty.
But this time around, I am all about the Adam! Customer loyalty be damned!
I think Apple royally F'd up by not putting a PixelQi screen in the iPad. Not to mention the litany of other things they've intentionally left out.
My only concern for Adam is this:
If it's going to succeed in grabbing mind-share, they're going to need some seriously vigorous and effective marketing to even snag a sliver of the spotlight from the iPad.
Which in this formally faithful Apple user's opinion, it certainly deserves.
They're trying to say it makes the article misleading, but they should just save their breath. The whole article is pretty much built on assumptions and wants"might be's" from a Linux junkie. I'm sure a similar article by an Apple fanboy would be just as reliable.
VálaszTörlésI actually liked the look of the Apple iPad, until I learned that it does not have external memory, did not have a webcam capability, and does not have the simply bad arse screen that the Adam is supposed to have. Also, the forms website I use requires Java, and I'd like to be able to update that on the go.
VálaszTörlésI love the multi-touch capability of the iPad, but that's a 4 to 1 loss, and the cons far outweigh the pros.
Personally, I wasn't concerned with multi-tasking on my tablet. I also wasn't too upset with the iPhone apps store -- friends of mine have iPhones and iPod Touches and I'm not at all displeased with the selections that they had downloaded. Plus, it has the Barnes and Noble eReader, which lets me loan eBooks to my mom's Nook. I only hope they come out with an Android version of that, otherwise I'll have to read borrowed books from the B&N website.
I was wondering, though. Does anybody know if the Adam will have a replaceable battery?
Can't wait for the Adam!
Dear, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to reply to you a second time. That was meant to be a separate comment.
VálaszTörlésit has 3 USB ports
VálaszTörlés[...] be modifying this excel sheet as I get more information in the future. Click here if you want to read a good comparison between the [...]
VálaszTörlésAll the nationalistic feelings apart, I would still prefer to buy an ipad because it has a stable base in terms of apps, hardware, and support.
VálaszTörlésAdam is a new-born baby now. It needs to undergo rigorous tests and optimisation to reach the sturdy and stable configuration which will be ready for shipping outside. People should not make the developers hassled and make the brilliant endeavour by these people look like a China-made toy.
People all around the world are talking. This is exciting but it increases the risk factor for the device to perform. If the product is not upto the mark Notion Ink would be doomed. So, all I want to say is to give it some more time to be tested before releasing the final build.
I am not discouraging such a brilliant idea but we all should take responsibility to make the best of this device which will surely change the future of Indian Industries and perhaps, the whole world's too
I don't want to buy a full-tech-spec tablet, if NOT well designed. And I'm not talking of gorgeouness or shiny carcase. I'm talking of gesture control, touch recognizion, apps interaction, usability, user-design all in all. AND you cannot achieve that without a long-term development, and a lot of user-interaction data. So, the superior tech specs made adam not better at USE than the apple product itself.
VálaszTörlésTry a bunch of multitouch-enabled-tablets and pick the better fits your intuiton and runs more smoothly: it will be the apple one.
Onoper, inside your description lies one of Ipad's weakneses: Apps Interaction. All information so far points that when you switch tasks, the new active task restarts, so without real multitasking, there's no possible real apps interaction.
VálaszTörlés#gedece. True. As far as we know, no multitasking in the ipad (as in iphone,ipad). Blogging or browsing without a chat/twitter/other than itunes player in the background sounds like a real breakdealer. As it was stated, a better background apps could be possible implemented in the next OS release. But no excuses, it isn't right now.
VálaszTörlés[...] in India, the suggested price is $325 which is an estimate. Please look at this wonderful blog post which tries to give a bit more [...]
VálaszTörlésnice and very informative writeup keep it up.
VálaszTörlés[...] some have supposedly better screens, like the Notion Ink Adam tablet. From the info available from Sola’s blog on the Notion Ink tablet, from the Wikipedia-info on the iPad and AI Touchbook and from the website [...]
VálaszTörlésvery informative..thanks a lot.
VálaszTörlésjames smith
javajobs.net
Great comparison !
VálaszTörlésI prefer an ubuntu device with no limitation because Apple people are so control freaks
very informative writeup keep it up
VálaszTörlésApple really rocks when its comes to gadgets. They are top on every gadget techs. Thanks for the info..
VálaszTörlésI agree, appe always make very good products.
VálaszTörlésOh, almost forgot to mention multi-touch support for both Android and Linux.
VálaszTörlésI think this book is useful for everyone: http://www.wowebook.co.cc/apple/the-ipad-pocket-guide/
VálaszTörlésI still don't understand why people want to carry around a big phone. If you want an e-reader get a kindle. If you want to browse the web get a netbook, at least you can type with a real keyboard with that. Plus an netbook costs 200 less than an ipad. free Kindle e-books
VálaszTörlés