There are two versions of the Cisco CIUS, pronounced “see-us”. The one that shipped first is the 7″ version, and is the one that I have been using and demonstrating to people. The 7″ tablet is running a Cisco Android version based on version 2.2 Froyo. There is rumor of a 10″ version available soon, but no confirmation.
The most engaging part of the demonstrations that we have been doing for customers is the High Definition video conferencing client using either the front or back cameras. The HD video operates at 720p with 30 fps, and is a high quality video conference. It is a very different video calling experience than one gets from Google Talk or Skype, which are lower resolution with a lower frame rate.
CIUS Specifications:
- Size: 5.5 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
- Weight: 1.2 lb
- Screen resolution: 1024 x 600 pixels
- Processor: Intel Atom Z615 at 1.6GHz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM and 32 GB Flash
- Connections: micro USB, micro SD, micro HDMI
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n with 3G and 4G in future, bluetooth 2.1
- Operating System: Android Froyo 2.2.2
- Camera: front and rear facing 1280 x 720, 5 megapixel
Docking station specifications:
- 3 USB ports
- Gigabit ethernet wired
- DisplayPort with cables for VGA, DVI, HDMI
- Can be powered by 802.3at, PoE class 4
Pros
- Enterprise tablet that is manageable with a controlled App store.
- Cisco IP Telephony endpoint with video and voice calls.
Even the video output ports on both the dock and tablet support both VGA and HDMI, one drawback is the low external resolution size, which is limited to 1024×640 pixels.
The CIUS docking station turns the Cisco CIUS into a full Cisco IP phone. The best way to use a Cisco IP phone is to connect it into a Cisco Communications Manager server. The Cisco Communications manager can be the company’s entire phone system, and it is currently the #1 shipping business phone system in the world, so there are many organizations that could take advantage of this capability. If an organization has a different phone system, it is still possible to stand up a small Cisco Communications manager installation for just the Cisco CIUS’s, and then integrate the Cisco phone system into the company’s existing IP or traditional phone system.
The HD video conferencing endpoint capabilities of the CIUS can be enabled by connecting it into the Cisco Communications Manager, but for full HD video conferencing capabilities it is best to have the Cisco Video Infrastructure in place. This provides for standards based video calls to other organizations over the internet, HD video conferences using a centralized conferencing codec, and bandwidth management for the calls.
The Cisco CIUS can be used as a full Virtual Desktop endpoint using either VMware View or Citrix HDX Receiver for Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop. The two virtual desktop applications have their pros and cons, and it is good that the Cisco CIUS supports both. At the 7″ form factor when not using the external monitor, the most useful is Citrix XenApp, which provides full screen application capability.
It is important to operate the Cisco CIUS over a good network. cisco unified communications, cisco unified communications
