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By Rolf Versluis, January 1, 2012 9:25 pm

When first looking at the Cisco CIUS, it’s easy to be disappointed. Unlike the weightless Samsung Galaxy Tab, the CIUS is compact, thick, and bulky. But after getting connected to our back end systems and handling it for a week, I am very impressed.

The email, calendar, and contact applications are exceptional. I have mine hooked into our Exchange server, and everything works perfectly. Emails are simple to review, and the interface layout is superior. All the meetings on my calendar appear exactly like they do on my Outlook client, with no additional meetings, no deleted meetings, and no confusing design.

Contacts are great. There is a fast search feature and all my Google contacts are sitting right there alongside my Exchange contacts. What is really cool is that the contacts are incorporated into the phone application, which is where the Cisco CIUS really starts to differentiate itself from other Android gadgets.

The Cisco CIUS is a complete Cisco phone. I have mine hooked into a Plantronics bluetooth headset, and have been operating it from home. I just validated the integrated Cisco AnyConnect client to our VPN service, and it pulled its profile from the Cisco Communications Manager server. The voice quality is also great – Cisco must have programmed some kind of processing precedence on the phone application.

It is a full 720p HD video conferencing endpoint as well. Outside callers, EX90 users, and Movi client users can reach me by dialing either my internal extension, or my URI, which is just my telephone number at my domain. I have also tried video calls over a 4G Verizon mobile hotspot connection. When utilizing that, the video codec switches to the lesser bandwidth Standard Definition immediately. Even when the video pixellates faintly, the voice stream on the video call is clear without alteration.

The Jabber and Webex clients come installed on the Cisco CIUS. They pulled up my accounts without any problem. The Jabber client is great for Instant Messaging and Presence now, and since everyone at my workplace uses Webex Connect, it is enjoyable to have this alternate communications path. Both clients are pretty basic for now, and I am excited for the improvements that are coming that will integrate voice and video into them.

The VMware View virtual desktop client is unexpectedly good. I expected that it would be difficult to use on a 7″ tablet, but it’s as easy to use as the same client on the Samsung Galaxy Tab. I believe the touchscreen is more responsive or precise on the CIUS, but I was able to simply review several different applications for information that I desired.

I have not used any games on this tablet yet, merely because this tablet is relevant to business. The Cisco design team clearly put some time and energy into programming the business applications to work well. I know there is a bunch of security stuff and app store control as well, but that has no bearing on usability.

The revisions I would like to see are around charging and battery life. The battery life is short, but part of that is because the tablet seems to be running all the time! If I don’t manually push the power button it will gladly chug away and drain the battery after a few hours. I would also like to see some little LED illuminate when the tablet is being charged.

The Cisco CIUS tablet is a really nice device. Even though the specs are basic, those don’t tell the true story about this tablet. What really sets this device head and shoulders above any other tablet in the marketplace is the rock solid implementation of the Cisco phone and the Cisco TelePresence video. All those applications put together have made this my preferred choice for the device that I reach for in my bag when I want to take care of business.

Specifications and Cisco CIUS price available from Cisco Gold Partners.

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By Riccardo MacBain, August 3, 2011 11:56 am

One of Apple’s signature products, the iPad, has experienced unparalleled success. It is a combination of laptop and cellphone, without the eyestrain of using one and the weight of using the other. Using an iPad, you can check and send email, browse the web, and even read books like on an e-reader. But one of users’ favorite features on the iPad is that you can easily watch movies on it. The iPad screen list large enough that viewing can be comfortable. It is also thin and light enough to be easily portable. Here are few key points to remember to watch a movie on an iPad:

There are many movies available to download from the Apple iTunes Store. Unfortunately even if you already own a DVD copy of a movie, iTunes makes you purchase another copy just to use on your iPad, so you will basically have to buy the movie twice.

You can save money watching movies on the iPad by buying software that will let you convert a DVD to a format that the iPad can use. By doing this, you can avoid being ripped off since you already own a valid copy of the movie for personal use.

Watching movies on your iPad opens up many opportunities. The iPad is light and portable, so you can bring it anywhere. It is a great option for travel. You can watch movies while waiting for your plane or train, while sitting in your seat or during your layover (or if your flight is delayed). It is great for keeping restless kids quiet in the backseat so you can concentrate on driving.

Because the iPad can do so much more than show movies, its a great tool that you can use for other things, such as searching on the internet or using it as a GPS if you need to.

When getting ready to purchase DVD to iPad conversion software, make sure to look for features that will make the process as simple as possible. Poorly designed software will make you spend too much time figuring out how to convert DVDs, while user-friendly conversion software will be simpler to use.

A one-click conversion is a key feature that will let you quickly convert DVDs to iPad format. Another great great feature to look for is the option to convert to multiple digital formats. This feature can let you watch a DVD on other devices, like an iPod.

Need to convert DVDs to iPad format in one step? Learn how to get your movies and videos from your DVDs onto the iPad with this quick guide to the best dvd to iPad converter.

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By les scammell, July 30, 2009 11:49 pm

The HP TX2000 is unique in entertainment touch screen laptops in that it is the only touch screen laptop to have a digitizer display. It’s distinction from the previous TX1000 model is a handful of system updates and improved functionality in full tablet mode.

This laptop looks a lot like the past model but the body of the laptop is a little more consistent with the color and added arrows to show the swivel direction of the screen. Outside of those minor changes, the look remains sleek and attractive.

Some well designed features remain unchanged, which is a good thing. The speakers are built into the hinge so they rotate with the screen to point the speakers correctly at the user when watching media in tablet mode. Standard laptop speaker positions point the wrong direction when transformed into tablet mode.

Despite being a touch screen laptop, it will still work in standard laptop mode most of the time. For this reason the keyboard will still be used heavily and users can look forward to the same smooth tactile feedback keyboard. The only problem is the noise of the keys which will wear down with some use.

In connectivity, a/g/b WIFI is supported as expected with any laptop today but includes built in Bluetooth for any Bluetooth enabled device. Also included is a 5-in-1 card reader which is starting to become part of the HP Pavilion brand. The three USB 2.0 ports are placed nicely on both sides of the keyboard as well as S-video.

The screen is quite nice even for an HP which tends to have bright screens. It is 12.1 inches widescreen with a resolution of 1230×800 which is standard for the small display area. Clarity is moderate and angle viewing is horrendous. The ultra glossy screen is attractive but also very reflective in bring environments.

The TX2000 weighs in at just 4.26 pounds which sounds good for any laptop but that is more than most 12.1 inch laptops anywhere else. Most models will come with 2 gigabytes of RAM but a 4 gigabyte version is also available. For being an entertainment centric machine, the overall operating speed is only average and graphics is below average.

Noise is very well managed by the brilliant layout of the fan under the base of the laptop. This does well to minimize the noise generated by the fan when the laptop is in use. However, in tablet mode the computer tends to heat up and if it is being used on top of a lap it blows hot air directly onto the leg causing discomfort.

The dual node display and sufficiently enduring battery life make this laptop a deal considering the price to feature ratio. The biggest thing to look out for is the recognition software of the on screen digitizer being off accuracy. Kind of defeats the features of being a touch screen laptop.