62 days with Notion Ink Cain 2 in 1. Review on Notion Ink Cain Signature Laptop

What I liked?

1. Good Hardware a.     Excellent Wi-Fi Receiver: Catches signal in my first floor room from the Wi-Fi router in the ground floor across thick cement walls in between. My laptop’s(Dell Inspiron 1520) Wi-Fi shows only Poor to Fair signal strength. I Dropped the idea of buying a Wi-Fi repeater b.     Good quality screen for Rs. 19K c.     Good sound volume d.     Good number of connectivity ports e.     Good keyboard/pad f.     Good mouse g.     Good touch response h.     Good design an fit-finish i.     Light weight

   
   




2. Windows 8.1 Software is decent. Since I bought Cain 2in1 for replacing my laptop, I end up using desktop mode maximum. Hope. W10 will be more polished and well integrated

   
   




3. Telephone and Email support is responsive

   
   




4. Attractive packing. Liked the Mentos in it

   
   




5. Timely delivery by SnapDeal

   
   

What I didn’t like?

1. Non compatibility of Cain 2in1 with many HDDs(I have a 500 GB WD Passport). This is due to power management issues of Windows 8.1. The work around of connecting it through OTG+ a powered USB HUB(I use an Amkette) is cumbersome.(NI, get this thing sorted out soon)

   
   




2. Bubbles in the screen guard from day 1.(NI, what to do? Should I ask for a replacement for this small grouse)

   
   




3. Boot time of under 5 seconds is only for few days. Once the tablet is used for few days, Windows(as usual) becomes FAT and takes a convenient 15-20 seconds

   
   




4. Huawei internet connectivity software is retro age. Need a slick looking one

   
   




5. Cannot use File History to backup microSD card data. I tried creating a new library for microSD card in Library for backup through File History, but of no use.(NI, this is a problem as all my data on microSD can be gone in seconds without any backup. Ask your software guys to create a work around and use this as an USP)

   
   




6. The spec sheet(Cain_Brochure_26Aug.pdf downloaded on 10 Jan 2015) mentions 32GB as microSD card capacity, whereas SnapDeal mentions 64GB. It took me few days to sort out this confusion.(64 GB microSD XC Class 10 works fine with Cain 2in1). Getting these basics wrong is not good

   
   




7. Individually buying Huawei data stick, USB Hub, micro SD card, compatible external HDD is a pain. Try to also give a bundled product+ accessories option.

   
   




8. Starting Cain2in1 for the first time, the power button was pressed down for a long time. The quick startup guide should mention this.

   
   




9. No indication for CAPS Lock.

   
   

Improvements for the next Cain2in1

1. 128 GB / 256 GB internal SSD

   
   




2. 12 inch Screen size with thinner bezels

   
   




3. Backlit keyboard

   
   




4. Need active stylus input

   
   




5. Bigger battery

   
   




6. List of approved standard accessories(Make and Model)

   
   




7. Charger a.     Should have LED Light Indicator b.     Better looking design of the charger(After working hard on tablet and mouse, NI forgot to focus on the charger. The current one looks absolutely traffic signal shopped). c.     MicroUSB charging instead of proprietary charging port d.     Thicker charger pins so that it does not loose fit in plug points(something like Xperia smartphone chargers).

   
   




8. Magnetic Cover Clips/ Velcro Straps: I currently use binder clips to clip the magnetic flaps(when the cover is folded to make a stand) to stop the flaps from opening up accidently a.     Or else, make a completely different kickstand with variable angle

   
   




9. More upfront LED charging indicator on the tablet. Current one is too recessed. It makes you stretch your neck every time

   
   




10. Ask Huawei/ the vendor to make a slick internet connecting software. The current one reminds of bygone heavy laptop era. It does not gel well with the modern aesthetics of minimalistic tablet looks. NI, it’s better you write it yourself. Give your software fellows some work;)

    
    




11. Micro SD slots: a.     Give internal slot(no chance of card popping out accidently). If required, give one more slot externally.

    
    

i. If you cannot give a higher internal SSD, develop an NI application which formats micro SD card in NTFS and makes it behave as a virtual hard drive for the tablet(there are many tweaks online for the geek mined).

1. With all the above improvement, keep the price point around Rs. 28, 000

Note

1. From my experience, battery backup with data card/ Wi-Fi on is 4-5 hours, not more than that.

   
   




2. I spent

   
   

a. Rs. 19, 490 for Cain 2in1

b. Rs. 2990 for Huawei 3G stick

c. Rs. 1700 for Amkette powered USB hub

d. Rs. 2200 for 64 GB micro SD XC Class 10 card

Considering the above expenditure, Rs 26, 380 is the cost of substituting Cain 2in1 for a laptop

Substitute for a Laptop

Overall, this product is a good one keeping in mind its aesthetics, hardware, fit-finish and price point. If points related to external HDD compatibility, internal SSD increase and some customized application(as pointed out earlier), it will be a good substitute. Till then, Cain 2in1 is a little clumsy substitute.