Adam tips and tricks (updated on 02th of july 2011)

I know , people don't have their Adam yet by now. But soon people will get it and then a new world will open to them. They will discover so much possibilities, tricks. Feel free to share them here. People will be very thankfull.


1) FAQ Basic Operations of the Adam
COPY OF ORIGINAL POST FROM Albert Wertz 
(NI HACKS) + UPDATE from )o¨(
(published with his permission: donate information atb the bottom of the post)

How do I turn the adam off/on?
The Power button is the slider button on the right side of the tablet near the speaker. If you slide and hold this button towards the bottom of the tablet for 3 seconds, it will turn ON the tablet when in the OFF state. This same action will prompt you with the shutdown menu when the tablet is in the ON state.


How do I set the tablet into the standby state?
Flick the power button down, do not hold it, when in the on state and the adam will enter standby. If a keyboard is connected, you can also use the "end" button to toggle this.


How to come out of standby?
While in standby, flick the power button just like entering standby and your adam should awaken. Other functions that can pull you out of standby are the menu button and the back button (right side of adam and on left bezel, there are two back buttons. try the right side one). Some people have been experience software and hardware standby glitches. To trouble shoot this, if you are experiencing difficulty coming out of standby, visit that thread here:--> Is my Adam defective? or Do this before Root and Mod.


How do I perform a Hard Reset?
If you ever get stuck in a boot loop, or have a frozen screen, you cant just take out the battery of the tablet like you would a phone. To recover from this state, you perform a Hard Reset. Hold the power button for 10 seconds or longer and the adam tablet will turn off without any options to toggle. Much like pulling the power cable out of the back of your PC. Do not use this way to reset unless you experience some sort of lockup. This method of rebooting will cause all temporary data loss. On your next bootup, no app data will be recovered from previous boot.



Turn Volume up/Down?
The volume toggle buttons are located on the left side of the adam, closest to the left speaker. These buttons do different things depending on what screen you are on. Also, note that the volume menu can be accessed in the settings menu. When on the home screen, the volume up and down toggle the ringer volume. This controls the volume of applications that are allowed to notify you of updates when on the home screen. Examples are your email, text message and VIOP call notifications. When you are in a game, playing a movie, or listening to music, the volume buttons toggle the "Media" volume. These two volume settings are separate from each other and both can be manually toggled in the settings menu. The volume buttons also play key roles in gaining access to the shell menu when used in combo with the power button while the adam is turned off. They are also used as the up and down selectors while in the recovery shell. More on this later.



Function of the Back button?
There are two back buttons and both have the same Icon, an arrow pulling a U-turn... Genius! This button in a general sense will take you to the last screen visited. This could be the last webpage, app, or anything visited. When pressed more than once, it will keep taking you back until you reached the last time you visited the home screen. Use this feature with the understanding that there is no forward button and you run the risk of possibly losing data entered in forward screens when you revisit these in the future.


Function of the Menu button?
This button is the next button on top of the back button of the bezel. When pressed in any app or on the home screen this button will engage what ever designated menu screen there might be. on the desktop it give you the option to access the help document, and in applications it lets you enter any setting menus the application might have. I need to verify this, but I think a long hold of this button may toggle the adam's settings menu.


Function of the Home button?
The home button is the next button on the bezel, above the menu button. a short press on this will automatically take you to the home screen and a long press of this button will toggle the OpenGL 3D accelerated panel of open leaves when running the eden launcher. That is why the icon for the home burron looks like an image of this OpenGL 3D panel view. Also, 3D is just a computer term applied to video graphics accelerated beyond regular 2D graphic. It is not a reference to the new 3D technology used in movies.


Function of the Search button?
A single press of the search button will prompt you for a search option and a long hold of the search button will toggle the PixQi backlight if you have a PixQi model


Recovery modes
The recovery modes can be entered from the OFF state of the adam tablet. There are two modes and both are entered using combination volume and power buttons while the adam is turned off. The volume keys are used to navigate once in the shell and the power button is used to make a selection.


Volume + and Power
This combination will enter you into the android recovery shell. This shell is designed to allow you to patch, rom, calibrate the touch screen, clear cache files and restore factory defaults. Do not mess with any of this unless you know what you are doing. To get out of this menu, toggle to the reboot option and use the power button to select it. After every update.zip installed it is always proper to clear the cache and restore factory defaults. If you do not do this, you may run into compatibility issues and improperly functioning software from leftover crap running from previous installations. This will uninstall all installed applications and you will have to reinstall them.


Volume - and Power
This is the Brick Recovery option built into the adam. This is one of the best things about the adam tablet. This combo will allow you to enter a miniUSB active state and allow you to connect your adam to a PC and recover it using a PC running Linux or windows. Without this option, MANY of us would have already lost our adam tablets. You will not be able to toggle any menu's here, but you will be able to use the recovery files to install and recover your tablet to the STOCK ADAM STATE. This is something that you should consider doing before filming any defect in your device and something that should ALWAYS be done BEFORE shipping your defective product in for a replacement. Submitting a product that has been rooted for a warranty repair, will result in a loss of warranty. You will be stuck with the defective product. Here is a link for instructions.


Internal microphone location and use
This mic-in is located on the bottom front of the adam table. Make sure that you are not covering it up when using VOIP or recording videos



External microphone input and Audio Out
On the bottom right side of the adam tablet is the audio in and audio out ports. Both are standard for uses with Headphones and mics


Speaker function
The speakers are another one of the best features of the adam tablet. They are able to get very loud without much loss of quality. The direction and functionality bring you better true stereo sound than almost any other device.


LED Lights
Located on the bottom right side of the device.

Red-battery indicator light. supposed to blink red when less than 15% battery, blink blue when charging and purple when fully charged (many people have said this does not work right)

Yellow- lets you know when the adam tablet is actually working and accessing information (CPU indicator LED)

Blue- This is your charge light. If this light is not lit and the power cord is plugged in, the adam may not be charging. Toggle the power button to make sure you are not in a glitchy sleep mode.

Purple- supposed to show purple as indication of full charge


Sounds from the device on boot-up
There should be no sounds from the adam tablet if the speakers are not being used. Any sounds from the tablet are abnormal as there is no spinning hard drive in it. Something is wrong. Contact support.
[UPDATE : It happens that in the unlockscreen the sound gets stuck on an irritating "clicksound". Clicking the back-button will stop this]


Camera- layers
When the adam tablet is first shipped, it comes with several protective layers on the camera lens. If you are not sure how many layers are on there, contact support. Some have said 1-2 layers of this protective film. You may use a fingernail to softly peal at these layers to pull them off. Do not use any sharp objects metal, plastic, or glass. You may scratch the lens. If you are unsure, contact support. Leaving these protective films on the camera may be causing fuzzy unfocused pictures and video recordings.


Screen protector- with and without [UPDATE: ADAM comes with it installed now]
This has been a subject of debate. Some people love it, some dont. We recommend that you try using your adam tablet without the screen protector for a couple of days. Then clean your screen and follow the following tutorial made by Rohan on how to apply the protector:

If you dont like the loss in quality of image, keep it... otherwise, many of us took them back off.


How should I clean the adam tablet?
This has also been the subject of much debate. NI has their own guidelines for cleaning the screen. You can use expensive made for products from fine retail establishments, but a very lightly damp soft cloth will work just fine. make sure that you use the liquid to dampen the cloth and not the tablet's screen. dampen the cloth with light water, alcohol or cleaning product. Do not put too much, if it come off the towel, you put too much. You want the towel to wipe off residue, not leave it behind.


What types of stylus can be used?



PC connections- USB, HDMI


The adam tablet uses the mini usb to connect to your PC. This is not included in the box and you probably already have one from a camera, PS3, PSP, etc. Try looking around before heading to the store to buy one. Please see the following video on how to mount the internal drive to your PC when connecting:



How do I set the time?
This must be done as the first thing when you get your adam tablet. If this is not done, many of your apps will not function correctly.



How do I setup the Wifi?



How do I get rid of status bar?
Tap the battery icon in top left. Watch video if need be.



How do I setup Mail?
Taken from NI manual*
A new account can be set-up from the panel view if no other account exists. A New account
overlay will also show up when the full screen app is opened for the first time, when no account is
set-up or when the link 'Add New Account' is tapped on in the Accounts Panel.
Default Set-up: The 'set-up new account' feature will prompt the user for the email address
and password of the account to sync with. Upon authentication, Mail’d prompts the user for an
Account Name to be used on the accounts panel and the Full Name to be shown on any outgoing
mail.
Manual Set-up: This is advised for advanced users or needs to be set-up with some technical details at hand. For further details, please contact your email service provider. For Manual Setup to be active, you must type in your email id first in the email field
See manual for more functionality info
[UPDATE: in MAIL D syncing now happens clicking the option "get e-mails" otherwise you willnot get your last mails]

How do I sync the calendar?
From the NI manual*
To set-up a syncable calendar, the account has to be added manually under ‘Accounts &
Sync Settings‘. Tap on ‘Add Account‘ and select ‘Corporate‘ (Any email account can be added including free email service providers like Gmail and Yahoo)and enter the email address and password.
Submitting the details is followed by Server Settings, where details of the Domain\Username,
Password and Server are pre-populated. If the email is hosted by a free email service provider like
Gmail or Yahoo, do not make any changes to the ‘Domain\Username’ field. If the domain is not
from a free email service provider, input the domain address. For the ‘Sever‘ field please enter the
email server or contact your email service provider or the IT Technician for the server address. On
the next screen choose what items are to be synced from the account. To finish the set-up, enter
the name of the account. The syncable calendars are displayed in yellow on the calendar.



How do I get the keyboard to appear or change what keyboard I am using
Single click in an editable field causes the keyboard to automatically appear. If this is the first time it is in use, you may have to hold your finger on an editable field for 3 second to get the input menu to appear. in this menu you will select your default keyboard. If you every want to change keyboards, perform the same 3 second long hold procedure to open the menu and select another keyboard


How do I access Google Market? [UPDATE: ortry other ways to get your apps: see article on homepage about Amazonmarket]
Google market does not come on the adam tablet until honeycomb is installed. To acces the market now android phone market) without honeycomb, you must install the NIH root and patch located here-->: NIH root and patch. This will grant you root and market access. This way allows you to keep eden and install market. This is the SAFEST way to access google phone app market. The apps that will be shown will only be the ones that are safest for your device. accessing apps through other means like applanet or freewarelovers.com can result in the wrong app installed for your device and this can cause permanent damage to your tablet and null your warranty.
***Warning*** installing Root on your device will null your warranty if NI finds out. That being said, MANY customers have said that their adam tablets become more stable after rooting and stop forceclosing as much. You assume all risk when rooting.


How do I install apps without Market access?[UPDATE: ortry other ways to get your apps: see article on homepage about Amazonmarket]
Notion Ink recommend you install apps from freewarelovers.com while you are waiting for eden to be launched. This is very dangerous and can null your warranty if your adam is damaged by 3rd party software.


What is the difference between a brick and a soft brick?
Brick means unrecoverable glitch from downloading bad or incompatible software that permanently harms your device and this term should be used for that state only. It has a negative connotation in the tech market. A "soft Brick" looks the same but you are able to recover from it via factory resets, unbrick patches, etc. The reason I clarify this is because the media had a field day when the first order people thought they permanently bricked their devices after trying a failed OTA update. It is important to distinguish the definitions because of the possible negative impact on NI.


To root or not to root?
Here is a great thread about this debate.
Quick Intro to Rooting (for those new to Rooting)


To rom or not to rom? warranty loss?
Here is a great thread about this also:
So you finally got your Adam, Now What?


How do I get to the app drawer?
When using eden, tap at the top of the first leaf, near the clock. This may require a double tap. difference between single and double taps. if you are already working in this first leaf it will only require a single tap. If you have been working in another leaf, a double tap will be required. One to select the leaf and another to engage the command to access the app drawer. Access the app ribbon from the left middle red icon when in leaf view for eden
[ UPDATE: This now changed!!!! Kepp tapping with long hold the RIBBON to get to the appdrawer. You will get to a onescreen appdrawer where you will be able to scroll inside the drawerrectangle.]


[UPDATE: HOW TO GET TO THE EXTRA ADAM ORGANIZING MENU BEHIND THE PANELS?]
Keep pressing the Launcherbutton: You will access a whole new world where you can Kill your apps and have view on the different processes running on your tablet]

How do I use Panels?
Not all apps are able to function in leaf modes. These apps work in leaf mode right now and many are being added soon: Mail'd, Calendar, Facebook(NI version), Sniffer, Canvas, Browser, Calculator
Other apps, when selected, will just give you the option to launch in full screen mode.
[UPDATE: this changed and works easier now: 
- opening panels by tapping the homescreen
- entering fullscreenmode tapping the windowlike icon on the panel
- panels are not elastic anymore.]


How do I update the adam tablet?
While accessing a WiFi or 3G network, go to setting menu and select update adam near the bottom. We recommend using WiFi and not 3G because this may download a large file of about 100MB


Where do I Manage the brightness manually?
under the setting menu, select display, turn off auto brightness and you can toggle the brightness slider.



What accessories are commonly purchased for the adam?
Back stands, Keyboards, Mice, USB drives, MicroSDHC, Screen protectors, Cases, carrying bags, cleaning cloths, Etc. If you are having trouble with and memory drives, make sure they are recently formatted to FAT32. Currently only FAT32 is read by the adam. Other codecs have not been programmed for but will come soon. Currently only one USB drive can be accessed at a time, but you can use a drive with a mouse or a mouse with a keyboard at once.

[UPDATE: keep in mind that:

- mouse works but can't do everything

- keyboard must be QWERTY]

What external drives/ thumb drives work with the adam?
From the Ni manual*
Adam supports three storage options out of the box. The first one is the internal
memory of 8GB, while 2GB is reserved for application installation; the remaining 6GB is free to be
used. This memory cannot be removed. The second one is the micro SD card memory. The memory slot is located on the bottom rim of the device beside the SIM card slot. The maximum memory
of the card should be no more than 128GB. The third one is the USB Drive; two USB slots are available on either side of the device. At one time, Sniffer can only recognize the first USB Drive, when
two drives are simultaneously inserted. Only Drives with FAT32 file system are supported
***This information from the manual is not completely true, many of us have gotten over 128GB drives to work, see attached comments


What microSDHC cards work with the adam?
Many people have tested different classes and 4gb to 32gb, all have worked. Some people have had trouble with SD cards smaller than 4gb. Over 32 has been too expensive and most have not tried.
[UPDATE: Class 4 works allready more then fine!]

How to setup the Simcards and get them working with your carrier?
Altough the SIM card automatically registers to the network - there is not an automated set up of the APN.
To do that it is necessary to make the set up manually from the settings screen.
Settings->Wireless & Networks->Mobile Networks->Access Point Names -> MENU BUTTON (3rd one down on Adam)-> New APN
You will need to get the parameters from the Operator.
thanks to GreenI for this


How and when to file a warranty claim?
If you have issues, are unsatisfied with your product or want to file a warranty claim, contact NI ASAP.


How do I contact support at NI?
support@notionink.com or through their forum


Which flash file works best with the browser?
This file can be found here: --> Flash.apk
[UPDATE: should be automattically installed by now]


How do I get my adam to NEVER go into sleep mode while the cable is plugged in?
Settings->Applications->Development->Stay awake (tick box)
Make sure you dont do this too long. You dont want to ruin the screen. As long as you are using it or the screen is changing, you should be fine. Just dont leave the same image for a long period of time.


How do I play video's of different formats on the adam? which are compatible?
check this thread for the best explanation.


If this section does not fullfill all of your needs. Please check our review section where many of our members have created extensive video reviews and walk throughs:
Notion Ink Adam - Reviews & Videos

_________________
Help me contribute to the community by helping me pay back my medical school loans. Donate
My FAQ Links: Before Purchase : Basics : Warranty : Hacks
Copyright: 2011 Albert Wertz

2) Use of the panelswitcher: 
(from Greg from Notioninkfan)

[UPDATE: panels only available after longpress ribbon now: Ther you have the option to show the panelswitcher]