Syber News

It's no iPad, and it's not aimed at consumers, but it is the first Android tablet for Cisco. The company announced the new Cisco Cius during its annual customer conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The Cisco Cius will only weigh about 1.15 pounds, and has a smaller screen than an iPad, only 7 inches. The device is definitely aimed at the Enterprise. It will be loaded with s suite of Cisco software products, including Cisco Quad, Show and Share, WebEx, Presence and Cisco TelePresence; it also supports Unified Communications Manager.

The Cius has wi-fi and 3G capability, along with Bluetooth and Micro-USB support. The battery is detachable, though Cisco says the Cius will run for eight hours “under normal usage.”

Customer trials begin in the third quarter, but the device won't ship until early 2011. That's probably poor timing in terms of grabbing attention, as based on Apple's annual cycles for product refreshes the iPad might be seeing an update then.

Still, while the iPad is more consumer-focused, the Cius is definitely aimed at the Enterprise. With integration with Cisco products, it has a real chance for corporate adoption.

Here are the specs of the Cisco Cius:

• 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
• 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)