Notion Ink Adam UI Detailed: OpenGL, Magazine-Inspired & Mysterious New Sensor

Notion Ink has been teasing us with an ongoing series on the design decisions behind their much-anticipated Adam tablet, and in their latest article they're touching on the UI.  Based on the OpenGL engine, the Notion Ink Adam UI will be "heavily accelerated" and use various 3D effects; however, the company also says that it won't be "glossy and web 2.0-ish," instead being better suited to the nature of the Pixel Qi display.

That screen accommodation is described as "contrasting" which would imply that Notion Ink have picked iconography that will show up well when the Pixel Qi display is used outdoors in its transflective mode.  As we've seen with Pixel Qi's own demonstrations, in that mode the 3qi panel is certainly visible (especially with text, though color is also possible) but graphics intended for regular LCD panels can look sketchy and underwhelming.

"The UI is totally unique and calls for a very small but crucial change in the Application Architecture to use the UI to the fullest of the extent. [The] UI is largely inspired from real world metaphors like magazines, wire-frames, newsletters. Even the color you will find will remind you of paper" Rohan Shravan, Notion Ink

Of course, it also supports multitouch, and Notion Ink are teasing again about their "very new concept of multi-tasking" which is said to be very different from simply holding down the menu button on Android phones to flick between running apps.

Meanwhile, in an article for Mobile Developer Magazine [subscription required] the company reveals there's an unannounced sensor in the Adam that seemingly works in tandem with its rotating camera; its nature is unconfirmed, but the camera itself should allow "taking live video notes (writing on videos) to advanced touch focus technologies."  The image above, incidentally, is a render by Artur Grzegowski using one of the original Enigma UI design sketches.

Notion Ink Adam prototype demo:

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