Hasta La Gadget!

In the market for a $750 Android tablet with an IT-controlled closed ecosystem, Atom processor, and a requisite middle man to place your order? Then you probably work for a corporation. Cisco’s Cius Android tablet was designed with a Cisco infrastructure in mind, focusing heavily on security and integration with other products. Sure, you can watch HD video or play Angry Birds (if IT is willing to flip the switch on game downloads), but you’ll mostly be using the Cius to join WebEx presentations, TelePresence conferences, and access custom enterprise apps — this is not the tablet to give your kids, for someone just looking to browse the web, or really for anyone not working at a company that already depends heavily on Cisco services. Basically, if a Cius magically appears on your desk one day, you’ll know it’s right for you.

Today Cisco launched AppHQ, a custom app store created to give IT departments complete control over device app loading, allowing them to limit access only to enterprise apps, or the entire Android Market. We went hands-on with the tablet and AppHQ at the company’s offices in NYC, and were impressed with the tablet’s ability to integrate seamlessly with Cisco services. Even though Cius isn’t intended to be used for entertainment, it’s designed to be both your primary portable device and desktop workstation — so that ability to play HD video will definitely come in handy. You can access all of Cisco’s popular communications tools, making private calls as you walk, joining a video conference from the train over AT&T or Verizon LTE, and then slipping the device into its dock once you reach the office, which adds speakerphone functionality, three USB ports, video out, and even Ethernet connectivity. You can use Cius to access an offsite virtual Windows desktop, using a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to control your primary machine. The tablet has begun rolling out to some clients and will be available worldwide on July 31st. You’ll need to reach out to your Cisco sales rep to make a purchase, but jump past the break for a quick look in our hands-on video.

Continue reading Cisco Cius Android tablet hands-on (video)

Cisco Cius Android tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like the world wide web is seeing a few upgrades this week. Shortly after NC State announced a new methodology for routing fiber optic connections more quickly, in flies Alcatel-Lucent with a shiny new network processor to make things even faster. The FP3 that was announced this week promises a “fourfold increase in performance over the fastest IP network available,” supporting 400Gbps transmission speeds while cutting power consumption by up to 50 percent. The chip’s been demonstrated to the powers that be this week, and it’s reportedly designed to “address tomorrow’s demand for ultra-high performance public and private IP networks.” How so, you ask? A sole FP3 could handle 70,000 simultaneous HD video streams or 8.4 million simultaneous retail cloud sessions, and quite frankly, could make the 100 Gigabit Ethernet standards that were used to look like old hat. But hey — who’s kvetching about that?

Continue reading Alcatel-Lucent’s FP3 network processor routes at 400Gbps, handles 70,000 simultaneous HD streams

Alcatel-Lucent’s FP3 network processor routes at 400Gbps, handles 70,000 simultaneous HD streams originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Many Flip fans are already sporting black arm bands with little red spots in honor of the dying brand, and the New York Times reports there’s more bad news coming. Starting May 12th, all videos uploaded to FlipShare will expire 30 days after they’ve been posted. This applies to videos you’ve already uploaded as well — so you’ve got till June 11th to follow the lead of Google Video users and back up your collection of clips before they disappear into the digital ether. The FlipShare service will continue to live on for another two and a half years, if you don’t mind the one month limit, but clearly Cisco wants users to move on with their video-sharing lives. Check out the more coverage link for instructions on how to export your videos, and let’s have one more moment of silence for the tiny camcorder that could… at least until it couldn’t.

Cisco phasing out FlipShare: 30 days to save your videos originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 03:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com.

Cisco may be aiming for the business crowd, but if we hold to NCIS: Los Angeles‘ golden standard of real-world gadget application, the Cius tabletphone is going to revolutionize interrogation. “I ain’t telling you nothin‘ copper, not noth— oh, is that a Cisco Cius you have there?! Yeah okay, I did it.” Gee, isn’t technology just fabulous? Hit the break to see Nell and Eric execute the future of tablet-based criminal interrogation.

[Thanks, nmrules20]

Continue reading Screen Grabs: Cisco Cius plays bad cop on NCIS: Los Angeles (video)

Screen Grabs: Cisco Cius plays bad cop on NCIS: Los Angeles (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Last week’s Switched On discussed some of the challenges the Flip camcorder faced trying to grow in the marketplace, an effort abruptly scuttled by an indifferent Cisco. But while Kodak, Sony and others are now poised to fill the Flip void, no competitor exactly matched Flip’s combination of simplicity and sharing. With point and shoot cameras, camcorders, traditional MP3 players and standalone GPS units in decline, the jury remains out on how long portable electronics can fight the smartphone, but Flip’s success taught the industry some valuable lessons that may have relevance going forward.

Continue reading Switched On: A legacy from the Flip side

Switched On: A legacy from the Flip side originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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