Think of it as the iPad for the work place. The Cius, coming from Cisco will be released in 2011 and is a Android based tablet. It is similar to the iPad, and will target the business market. One of the biggest features for the Cius will be video conferencing. Wired tells us that the Cius will have a 720p camera on the front and a five mega pixel camera on the back. The tablet will be 7 inches and only 1.15 pounds so it can easily fit into any briefcase. It also comes with 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an eight hour battery.
Not much else is know about the device just yet. Pricing is expected to be announced soon though. While it does look like a neat little device I really don’t think it can compete with the iPad by any means. It won’t offer even half the entertainment the iPad does, which actually may be a good thing if it is meant for the business world. Either way, the iPad has way more appeal and can do a whole lot more.
That being said, the Cius can probably still do ok and depending on the price point, it may sell well.
Here are the official details on it:
- 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3G/4G data and Bluetooth 3.0 help employees stay connected on and off-campus
- HD video (720p) with Cisco TelePresence solution interoperability for lifelike video communication with the simplicity of a phone call
- Virtual desktop client enables highly secure access to cloud-based business applications
- Android operating system, with access Android marketplace applications
- Collaboration applications including Cisco Quad, Cisco Show and Share, WebEx, Presence, and IM
Tablet Highlights:
- 7” diagonal, high-resolution color screen with contact-based touch targets
- HD Soundstation supports Bluetooth and USB peripherals, 10/100/1000 wired connectivity and a handset option
- Detachable and serviceable 8-hour battery for a full day of work
- Highly secure remote connections with Cisco AnyConnect Security VPN Client
- HD audio with wideband support (tablet, HD Soundstation)
