Cisco takes on tablet market with Cius

Cisco Cius

Cisco is leaping into the market of the moment with the launch of its own tablet device.

The Cius runs on the Android operating system and with a seven-inch screen, lightweight design just 0.52kg and five megapixel rear facing camera, it is hoping to compete with the likes of Dell's Streak and Apple's iPad.

Unlike its competitors however, it definitely has a focus on the enterprise.

A front facing 720p camera, high resolution screen, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and 3G support are all built in an attempt to turn the Cius into a mobile teleconferencing tool. The company has also promised 4G connectivity for the not so distant future.

There is an optional docking station with high definition audio, a telephone handset and speaker phone capabilities, pushing the teleconference angle even further.

There are also HD DisplayPort and USB ports for sharing business documents.

Cisco claimed the device runs for up to eight hours on a single charge. A launch date is expected for early 2011.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.