Cisco's Tablet Act Like a Desktop 120
holy_calamity writes "Cisco's Cius tablet, due next month, is bulkier than the iPad 2 and has a smaller screen but it also
brings tricks other tablets don't have. It can be connected to a keyboard, monitor and mouse to act like a desktop. Using an app to connect to a virtual desktop replicates a full PC experience, Cisco claims. The Cius also encrypts all data and is easily controlled by IT managers, who can control access to apps and other features."
the iPad can do that (Score:3, Informative)
The iPad will happily use a bluetooth or usb keyboard and can mirror its display via VGA or HDMI, and in a few months, it can mirror its display wirelessly via an appleTV.
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($29 adapter required)
($39 adapter required)
Sorry. Just adding those pesky "truth in advertising" asterisks...
Re:the iPad can do that (Score:4, Informative)
Yeah about that [cisco.com]: "Optional HD media station with USB peripherals, 10/100/1000 wired connectivity, and a handset option"
And from TFA: "A WiFi only version of the tablet will be available worldwide from July 31 at an estimated price of $750." I can't see anything on storage capacity.
Wifi-only iPad2 starts at $499 (16Gb) to a max of $699 (64Gb)
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It works great with a bluetooth keyboard, but I *do* wish Apple would support the bluetooth mouse profile. Touch doesn't translate well to Windows via RDP and reaching to touch the screen is a nuisance with an external keyboard running, although you can get a lot done with a Bluetooth keyboard.
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Keyboard and mouse are just part of the claim, the article mentions an app to connect to a virtual desktop. Does iPad have this, if so what is the name of the app, and how much is it? I really want my iPad and MacBook Pro to be somehow gracefully merged ...
iTeleport [iteleportmobile.com], VNC Viewer [realvnc.com],LogMeIn, Screens [edovia.com], Mocha [mochasoft.dk] and probably some others. Take your pick. I'm partial to iTeleport myself.
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AC wanted to know about solutions to connect his iPad & Macbook Pro and OSX has VNC baked in, so the above apps are the most relevant to his query (with the exception of LogMeIn all use VNC.)
Only with keyboard support? (Score:3)
It also has vnc and remote desktop apps to connect to othe devices.
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Take off your rose colored nostalgia glasses and try to install Windows 3.1 with trumpet windsock connected to the internet in a VM. Then try to use it a week for anything remotely useful. Have the suicide hotline number nearby when attempting this.
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better than what? your statement is missing something... something kinda critical for it to have meaning
"these new tablets". GP had the context you were looking for.
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I like my Nook Color with Cynagenmod. It costs $200-250 and has decent specs.
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Controlled by IT managers (Score:4, Insightful)
If IT locks out the app store, it won't be successful.
Like the iPad, it's too big to carry thoughtlessly like a phone. You have to have a reason to carry it. If Sally in accounting can't put Angry Birds on it, or the Kindle app, she won't want to carry it around. Those are the real reasons she carries her iPad everywhere, despite her claims of using it for calendar or email.
Good luck Cisco, but making it IT friendly is the opposite of making it user friendly.
Re:Controlled by IT managers (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think you quite understand the market Cisco is playing to with this. They aren't trying to compete with the ipad in the consumer space, they are presenting an option for business customers ( where angry birds would not be installed ). As much as i hate cisco, this device interests me. A highly controlled device would make me feel better about pushing out HIPAA and PCI applications, for example.
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Doctors don't need these fancy devices when doing rounds. They carry them just for showing off. The real data is stored on paper charts by the interns/residents.
FTFY.
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phone size = too small
laptop = too clumsy.
thats just one example of a tablet computer in its element. another is for students. i'd much rather have a device that doesnt take up screw all room in my back pack than a netbook. you need something with an ARM cpu that can suspend/resume instantly, weighs next to nothing, and is wide enough to be like
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I beg to differ. The tablet is the key to the paperless office that people have been talking about for years now. While it makes little sense for a stationary position where you're in the same cubicle for the majority of the day it is a convenient reference source that for technicians, great for presentations, and great for throwing into a briefcase for use with a remote desktop application instead of traveling with a laptop.
Tablets are not new but they are finding real places in business. Their niche is
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Uh... have you been in business? There are countless uses for tablets in business. Document access on the go, custom apps for whatever your business does. Not every document fits neatly on a phone (and not every business will let you have a smart phone that does what you want). Tablets don't solve every problem, but they let you have better access to documents than phones, and if you can plug it into a docking station and type stuff you can, when moving around have your office computer with you.
Whether
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Of course he has! But for him, the "computer" was situated next to the napkin, straw and salt dispensers - right opposite the fryer.
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Where were these clients until a couple months ago, when not a single iPad had a camera?
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Yes, but they're competing against the iPad. The iPad already has options for VPN, VNC, Citrix, encryption, external monitor displays, bluetooth keyboards, Exchange support, remote wipe, restricted settings, etc... Except for the fact that this article is obvious astroturf I'd wonder why the author thinks these things make Cisco's offerings so special.
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> Yes, but they're competing against the iPad.
No, not really. Apple gives minor lip service to business users but isn't really committed to them. Anyone that's not a total fanboy realizes that.
Think of all of those times where some fanboy responded to some complaint about how "this product isn't made for you". Shoes on the other foot now.
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Apple is smarter about the business market than the business players are. Owning the consumer market is a sure-fire way of making sure the CEO wants to be able to use that cool new iphone thing he's been reading about. It also means users will bring it in and start using it for work, much to the dismay of IT departments everywhere who prefer platforms designed for them (IT, not users). In this way we see Apple devices showing up on corporate networks all over the damn place and blackberry devices disappe
Sandbox it (Score:2)
they are presenting an option for business customers ( where angry birds would not be installed )
If they were clever they'd build in a 'personal sandbox' where the user could swap between corporate and personal personalities on the device. The corporate VPN would be safe from Angry Birds, and the users would clamor to get them.
Use the @gmail account for the personal side, the @corp.com account on the business side. Really, IT doesn't hate users, they just have a mandate to protect the business, and the te
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If Sally in accounting can't put Angry Birds on it, or the Kindle app, she won't want to carry it around. Those are the real reasons she carries her iPad everywhere, despite her claims of using it for calendar or email.
Thanks for the shameless iPad bash. Really. It's not like Stereotyping detracts from your argument or anything.
IT Doesn't Like Sally (Score:3)
If IT locks out the app store, it won't be successful.
Define "success"? Users won't like it or companies won't buy it? There's a difference, and the latter wins. It's the same reason companies don't buy office workers Alienware PCs.
If IT blocks internal programs, VPN and corporate websites from Sally's iPad, how's she going to have a choice. In the corporate environment, everyone takes the company phone. Most company phones suck, but the minutes and data are paid for. So, which tablet device are you going to use for streaming? The new one that nobody of
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Unless she's the CFO.
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The CEO and probably the CTO want to play angry birds on their iPad.
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Well it's not like they've anything better to do.
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>> IT frankly doesn't care what Sally likes better for Angry Birds, or Sally at all for that matter.
>
> Unless she's the CFO.
Anyone else will get FIRED.
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Yeah, like IT has that power.
"What's that? those nerds it IT won't let sally get what she needs? The sally I see every day? don't worry I'll take care of it."
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If IT locks out the app store, it won't be successful.
Define "success"? Users won't like it or companies won't buy it? There's a difference, and the latter wins. It's the same reason companies don't buy office workers Alienware PCs.
...
Until the fired boss from Sony or Groupon or the Social Security Administration replaces our boss, and tells us to unencrypt everything, because nobody would ever, EVER, leave an iPad or iPhone just laying in a bar. [gizmodo.com]
Sounds like you are railing on iOS, but do you realize that iOS has nearly ever feature you are touting in this not-yet-existent Cisco tablet? Even the example of leaving a phone in a bar is a stretch -- the thing was immediately wiped remotely.
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Actually being able to lock out app stores would be a big selling point.
Cisco generally goes for the corporate sector not the home user. Thus being able to strictly control what applications are on the devices isn't just a selling point, it is a requirement for many of their customers.
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Note everyone is so large that have a 190 mm by 243mm pocket in their jacket.
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Ad (Score:1)
Nothing to see here. Move along..
Takes over as a work desktop.. (Score:2)
I certainly look forward to running Eclipse on a tablet and taking work calls at all hours on a machine I can't administer. Thanks Cisco!
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who says youre th one making the decision?
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Well yes, of course! I'd love to hear more about your theories on quantum physics!
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Woosh, you missed the part where cisco doesnt care about his preferences, and nor do their target demographic.
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You wouldn't run Eclipse on this. You'd run your phone, internal IM, email, calendar, etc on this.
Your Eclipse/emacs/vim/whatever box would still sit under your desk.
You'd be able to pick your "phone" tablet/etc up and carry it around with you so that you can keep in touch when not at your desk.
Cisco (disclaimer: I work for Cisco but not with the group making the tablet) doesn't want this to become your development machine. They want to merge your current messaging platform with a tablet to add other benefi
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Read the full article (Score:1)
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And somehow it doesn't have the normal cisco price tag.
Care to bet on that? According to TFA:
"Cisco will sell it along with related services and infrastructure"
Who wants to bet that the management tools will cost more?
other tablets don't have hdmi out and usb devices? (Score:1)
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Other tablets have had them for a while now (Score:2)
I won't say for iPad because I've never tried such a thing with it, but with any Honeycomb tablet, you can connect mouse & keyboard (via Bluetooth for all of them, and via USB for those which have the ports, like Asus Transformer). Connecting an external monitor is, obviously, not new at all. And then there are plenty apps available for VNC and RDP for "full desktop experience".
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Anyone with half a brain who's into tablets knows this. Surprise! You've been subjected to a Slashvertisement for some new product which.. tada, brings nothing new to the playing field.
I mean the asus transformer makes the tablet into an expensive netbook with a keyboard and touchpad. Bluetooth keyboards and mice have been around forever. How many tablets do not have a mini-hdmi? All the big ones do.
heavy + bulky + expensive == better! (Score:5, Funny)
So it's a lot like an iPad, but heavier, bulkier, and with a smaller screen, for more money. And your IT manager can stop you from putting apps on it. Sounds like a winner!
Re:heavy + bulky + expensive == better! (Score:4, Insightful)
Inferior specs and capabilities never stopped any Apple product from being a runaway success, so I'd say it has a chance.
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Inferior specs and capabilities never stopped any Apple product from being a runaway success, so I'd say it has a chance.
Uh Apple desktops in the 90s
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But Apple products look nice and have rather good build quality. Have you taken a look at this thing ? It's built as a slot-in accessory to a desk phone and it shows.
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Stop me if you've heard this conversation before:
"Well MINE came with a 8MP thingy instead of a measly 2MP thingy. And furthermore it has a latch that you can remove so you can swap the CMOS battery whenever you want. And I paid $100 less for mine."
"Yeah, but every single app has jerky screen-tearing animation. And what's with all the useless crud that comes installed on that thing?"
"What useless crud? I rooted mine with SuperHalogenFrodoMod and installed all the good stuff and got rid of that crud."
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Yep, because it's *not* going to have all that time wasting crap on it your boss hates you using. That may come at a premium, but it's cheaper than lost productivity because you handed someone an iPad and they now spend all day playing games and watching movies rather than you know, doing what they're paid for.
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Ah yes, because it's impossible to lock down an iphone/ipad via exchange policy + webfiltering.
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That's great, except it's trivial to get around by going tom a coffee shop.
the iPAD is horrible for IT management.
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And your IT manager can stop you from putting apps on it. Sounds like a winner!
Indeed, that is a winner for your IT manager, who gets to decide which devices to buy for your company and which devices are allowed to access the company intranet.
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A lot like an iPad, but with complete enterprise integration.
Yes, have IT be able to implement controls on a device that's using your network IS a winner.
Cisco should focus (Score:1)
on routers and switches, the things it knows about, and stop wasting money on useless projects. No wonder the stock halved in a year...
Just like the iPad (Score:2)
The iPad also has a keyboard, encryption and remote IT/enterprise access controls and most Android tablets do as well. The thing is I don't want a tablet to be a computer - a tablet is simply not powerful enough since it is (or should be) optimized for battery operation. I don't want a computer acting as a tablet either since it's not optimized for battery operation or touchscreen controls.
Transformer (Score:3)
My Asus Transformer (Android) does basically the same thing. It has a keyboard/trackpad attachment, and I use the wireless network to connect to my Windows PC. I can do pretty much anything except gaming. (Video is a bit slow on framerate, too.) And of course, all the normal Android stuff is available, too.
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Notably, this thing runs Android. Its another Android tablet, but by someone who cares about solid communications and security infrastructure.
I'm sure it will be a solid contender.
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Actually, sounds like a good idea (Score:4, Interesting)
1. Apple makes devices for the consumer market. They have never had good support for the enterprise, where an IT department needs to have the ability to lock down any and all devices on their network.
2. Cisco, however, has very strong ties to the enterprise market. This will give them a definite advantage in both marketing and knowing what features potential (corporate IT) clients will require.
3. Apple has proven that there is a (consumer) market sector for these types of devices. There is a chance that market will fall over to the corporate sector.
The fact is that some of the very features which would make this unattractive to the consumer market are requirements for the corporate/enterprise sector. Such as the ability to lock down the app-store, and place other restrictions and controls on the device's usage. The corporate sector is long accustomed to paying more for less, so the price isn't as big an issue as many here are making it.
At this point, I guess we will just have to see if a tablet is of any real use in the enterprise.
My suspicion is that, right now, that answer is mostly "no". Time will tell.
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Executive toy #666 (Score:3)
Got to see of these very recently. The execs at my company are always wanting the latest and greatest and we are a Cisco shop with a slew of 79XX IP phones.
We finally went with the Cisco/Tandberg TelePresence EX desktop units. 24 inch monitor that replaces the desktop monitor, integrated video conferencing, and a cool little "mini-me" control pad/handset peripheral.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/ps7060/ps11303/ps11308/ps11327/images/data_sheet_c78-627494-1.jpg [cisco.com]
Hardly portable, and no computing power, but every one of the big office folks has an iPad2 with WebEx, Facetime, etc. on it, so they're happy.
We got Citrix to work very well for application needs that don't run native on iOS, have centralized management of the iDevices in house, so the Cisco tablet made no sense whatsoever.
Still, I imagine some shops will slurp some Cisco Kool-Aid and snap these puppies up. RTFA, Cisco IS hedging their bets with iOS and Android apps for collaboration.
So it's an EeePad Transformer, but with more fail (Score:1)
Like others have mentioned, the Eee Pad Transformer does the same stuff, but will cost less, is not as bulky, is faster, and has better video and connectivity.
Not sure why anyone would use the Cisco when tablets like the Transformer are flooding the Market and Windows 8 will be able to leverage them to provide the same functionality at a fraction of the cost. (and I frakking HATE Microsoft...so for me to say that...well I feel a bit dirty)
I currently use mine to do damn near everything a my work PC can do.
Like a Desktop? (Score:1)
enterprisey (Score:1)
- make it great for the system administrator
- put outdated heavily modified software on it that likely will not be updated with a newer version
- put in the option to limit it severely, which the administrator likes, but the end user will hate
- make it extra bulky with a small screen
- make it more expensive
- add a particularly ugly docking station
So, make something less convenient to use for more money, and it'll sell
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ah, they have made the tablet fit for the enterprise and followed a simple recipe:
- make it great for the system administrator
- put outdated heavily modified software on it that likely will not be updated with a newer version
- put in the option to limit it severely, which the administrator likes, but the end user will hate
- make it extra bulky with a small screen
- make it more expensive
- add a particularly ugly docking station
So, make something less convenient to use for more money, and it'll sell very well in the enterprise world.
So you're advocating that devices used in the enterprise should not have any user restrictions whatsoever? Users should be able to install any apps and expect it to work with the existing hardware software. Is that right?
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I'm not saying i have a solution for the problem. I just wonder how long before it will be unacceptable that you can do so much more with your own equipment at home faster, easier and at a lower cost than you can do at work.
It could just be more flexible and more user friendly. Make something you can just install your own software on, but lock down the enterprise part, so only authorized programs can access data or network services that should be locked down. I think that may already be possible with the ip
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This isn't new (Score:1)