Notion Ink Adam torn down by FCC

By Shane McGlaun
on 28 Jan, 2011

Like a bunch of you, we were excited at the prospect of the Adam tablet from Notion Ink. The thing looks really cool and has nice features. We were bummed that it kept getting delayed along the way to market though. Those delays finally disappeared not too long ago and the tablet landed in the hands of buyers all over the place.

The Adam tablet cleared the FCC this month and then quickly shipped out. What we didn’t see when it cleared the FCC were the pics that generally surface along with the approval. The FCC has now posted up those pics of the Adam and Engadget says that the tablet is surprisingly ugly on the inside.

Apparently, some of the parts inside the tablet are soldered by hand and the connections aren’t the best looking as you can see in the pics. I say if it works, I don’t care what it looks like on the inside. Engadget reckons that the haphazard nature of the construction of the tablet may signal issues with build quality. Check out a couple of the pics and see what you think.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SYCS5SPHR6B4QT4Z2OFPCWUO5U Tomas

No surprise whatsoever, since they are a start up. We have already seen that Notion Ink hasn’t got good distribution channels, but to find that they haven’t established appropriate manufacturing and production lines is a tad dissapointing. I am sure this will come as another unprecedented issue for Rohan and his team, but to be honest, the hopes are up and expectations sky high, and all these small downsides to Adam might prove to be the ultimate deal-breakers.

All the best,

Thomas Girulis
Gordon

That’s one UGLY POS
Snarfy

It makes for a snappy headline, but the FCC doesn’t tear anything down. They don’t even have the device.

These are photos that are submitted by the manufacturer to illustrate the locations of the radio parts (among other things) along with the lab test results and application for certification. This is all a matter of public record, and the FCC makes the database available online.

Sigh. It gets frustrating when one’s news alerts for Android tablets yields one tech site or blog that posts a tidbit of information along with about 40% conjecture and 40% fiction, which is then followed by a flurry of additional tech sites all regurgitating the same misinformation.

I’m not a fanboy and am leaning towards the Motorola or maybe even Toshiba tablets, but it’s not fair to criticize NI over these photos submitted to the FCC, which may very well be a prototype without the spit and polish of the final production models.

If a tech site/blog wants to really add value as a source of information, get your hands on a production unit, conduct a teardown, and get out your camera. Then the commentary is fair game.
- Mark
  
  You said it!!! One thing I’ve learnt from this Notion Ink saga is the poor standard of tech reporting in the blogosphere!