For the past few years, Cisco has been actively involved in the field of consumer electronics, trying to move away from that networking-giant image it heralded for so many years. So, the fact that they've also launched an Internet tablet (albeit a business-oriented one) in 2010 (more or less officially known as the “year of the tablet”) should really come as no surprise.

The new device from Cisco is called the Cius and is described as a lightweight (1.15lbs - 0.52kg) portable business computing tablet offered with an optional HD audio station equipped with a telephone handset speakerphone, HD DisplayPort and USB ports.

The Cisco Cius tablet features a front-mounted 720p HD camera which refreshes at up to 30 frames per second, a seven inch, high-resolution widescreen super VGA touch-target display for real-time and streamed video, and single-button TelePresence interoperability that can be utilized either when the tablet is docked, or being used remotely via Wi-Fi.

The tablet also comes equipped with a 5-megapixel rear facing camera that can transmit streaming VGA quality video and capture still images, and dual noise-cancelling microphones for audio conferencing. Furthermore, the Cisco Cius supports 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi for enterprise campus mobility and 3G cellular services when off-campus.

Additionally, an on-board accelerometer readily orients applications for viewing in portrait or landscape modes as the user rotates the device to their preferred viewing orientation.

Based on the Android operating system, Cisco Cius is an open platform for communication and collaboration whose form factor and applications are designed to more securely connect employees on-the-go with the right people in real-time, and to provide those workers with the ability to access and share the content they need from any place on the network.

Customer trials of Cisco Cius will begin in the third quarter of calendar year 2010, with general availability in the first quarter of calendar year 2011. Sadly, not even a hint of pricing-related info has been provided thus far.  




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