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Photo set: The Viliv N5 with random objects

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 05:23 AM PDT


The Viliv N5 is a tiny full-feature Windows 7 PC. It’s really staggering to think that this pocketable device efficiently runs a desktop OS and there aren’t many compromises, either. Anyway, here’s a photo set of the tiny N5 against random things I found around my desk that properly show the N5’s small dimensions.


Apple Is Looking For Eight Experienced Antenna Engineers

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:52 AM PDT

Apple recently posted job openings for not one, not two but eight Antenna Engineers, according to its website. Some of those engineers would be working on the antenna system architecture of the iPhone and iPad, according to the job postings, in order to "optimize the radiation performance for wireless portable devices". Still according to the postings, candidates will be expected to "performance radiation performance measurements (SIC), create test plans, execute them, publish test reports, provide feedback to the other design engineers, and lead some of the manufacturing of antenna". You'd need 10+ years of experience and possess "strong problem solving skills and strong working knowledge of radiation performance" if you want the job.


Video: German humanoids win RoboCup Soccer 2010 finals in Singapore

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 04:20 AM PDT

RoboCup 2010, a six-day event in Singapore during which robot geeks from around the world let their robots play soccer against each other, ended last week with a German triumph. In the final game, the Darmstadt Dribblers from the Technische Universität in Darmstadt beat the FUmanoids, a team of robots developed at Freie Universität in Berlin 7:1.

The game was actually a rematch, as the FUmanoids played (and lost 1:11) against the Dribblers at last year’s RoboCup in Graz, Austria. The video embedded below shows the entire final of the tournament in Singapore in fast motion (9.24 min).

Head over to to BotSportTV if you’d like to see more videos of humanoids playing soccer against each other.

Via Plastic Pals


Daily Crunch: Barber Edition

Posted: 30 Jun 2010 12:00 AM PDT

The PS3 ain’t getting a price drop, and I’m okay with that

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 06:08 PM PDT


I’m not sure who was expecting a price drop in the PS3 — Sony were the ones leading the console revamp charge with the sexy, sales-driving PS3 Slim. I give Sony a lot of flak here on CG, but $300 is simply a great price for the system; if all my money wasn’t already earmarked for coal and candles for my work environment, I might even buy one. But the president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, felt like driving the point home in an IGN interview:

At the moment, we are trying to catch up our production. We have lots of great games coming out and innovations with Move and 3DTV, so we don’t believe this is the time for us to think about a price drop.

Hell yeah, I don’t blame you. The Slims (which they’re finally making money on) are flying off the shelves and Sony is about to start printing money with the move, if what we saw at E3 is any indication.


iMovie runs on the iPhone 3GS if you jailbreak it

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 05:30 PM PDT

So we know that IOS4 will be coming to older phones, but of course certain features like iMovie are planned for just the iPhone 4, and not previous models. Well, it turns out that you can run iMovie on older phones, they just have to be jailbroken. I’m not going to go into the technical details, you can get those from the video – so enjoy!

[via Lifehacker]


“For Those Who See” uses smoke rings to make a lo-fi 3D display

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 04:47 PM PDT


This is pretty cool, although I think calling it a “display” is stretching the definition a bit. It can display patterns and some basic shapes (I saw a heart in there somewhere) but somehow I get the feeling this isn’t the kind of technology you end up having in the living room. Still very, very cool to watch. A little creative lighting could even give it color.

More info about the installation at the UdK-Berlin site (it was created by one Daniel Shulz for Berlin’s DMY Design Festival). He ought to collaborate with Obscura Digital.

[via NotCot]


Hands-on with the U-Boat’s U-1001 diver’s watch

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 04:24 PM PDT

During a meeting I had with Italo Fontana, owner and designer of U-Boat Italy, he expressed his infatuation with professional instruments. The fact that watches are instruments used to measure time, explains why so many watch designers feel the same way. Bell & Ross and Giuliano Mazzuoli are obvious examples that come to mind. The U-Boat U-1001 is a watch that pays tribute to Mr. Fontana’s passion. It is built to withstand the rigorous demands of professional diving and it offers a bold, clear, technical design reminiscent of high tech instruments.


A water resistance rating of 1000 meters – 1001 meters to be true to the U-Boat spec sheet – is not easily acquired. It is easy to see why when considering that at a depth of 1000 meters, a watch is subject to an atmospheric pressure that is 100 times superior to that at sea level. This translates to about 150 pounds of force per square inch. In order to survive this tremendous pressure a timepiece needs a strong case, which in this instance is a 55mm tank carved out of titanium. The designers and engineers then have to take into consideration all the weak spots of the watch like the crystal, crowns, and all the other tiny fissures between parts. The next few paragraphs will look at each of these parts in detail.

The U-1001 cannot actually be classified as a professional diving watch due to its lack of certain diving-related markings, but all structural qualifications are met. One very important aspect of the U-1001/1 is its crystal. In order to withstand the incredible pressure pushing down on it, it must be made extraordinarily thick. It is constructed out of synthetic sapphire, which is is highly scratch resistant due to its hardness, and it is 5.5mm thick. Because it is flat it does not distort the dial’s features, so its thickness is not evident by looking at the watch straight on. Consider that at 1000 meters bellow sea-level the crystal alone is supporting the equivalent of about 400 lbs. Looking at it that way may give a whole new appreciation of how strong diving watches have to be. This strength indicates durability and quality on dry land.

Another technical feature that is fitted to almost every diving watch is an automatic pressure release valve. On the U-Boat U-1001/1 it is placed below the crown on the left side of the case. Apart from the coolness factor that it adds to the overall look of the watch, this small valve has a very specific function. While its name implies that there is helium gas within the watch, what it is referring to is the helium that is present in “breathing gas” mixtures used by professional divers for very deep dives. Helium and Nitrogen, being very small molecules are able to seep into the watch through the seals while the diver is acclimatizing in a chamber filled with the gas mixture. At the point when the watch returns to the surface said gases expand and may cause great damage to the watch. The crystal may become dislodged or shatter, and a weak case would be at risk of deformation. The helium valve therefore is appointed to evacuate the gas and relieve the internal pressure.

Now that we have shown the structural integrity of the U-1001, we can concentrate on what is more visible about the watch. As in many U-Boat watches the size of the case is quite remarkable. Its impressive 55mm diameter is complemented by an thickness of 18.2mm. When working at the Matt Baily watch boutique in Montreal Canada, I would always tell my clients that there is no such thing as a watch that is too big. When it comes to 55 millimeters, however, I received some incredulous stares. The truth is that this giant wrist-watch is comfortable on any size wrist, but a passion for oversized watches is certainly prerequisite.

The case is made of titanium. The lightness of the substance marries well with oversize watches. U-Boat’s U-1001 is deceptively light for this reason. The bezel distinguishes this model from the first generation Classico U-1001s. It is raised above the crystal as in the company’s Flighdeck models. The crown cover is found, as usual, on the left of the watch case and is neighboured by the helium escape valve. The crown cover is held to the case by a hinge like that on a Cartier Pascha if the Pascha were submitted to intense MMA training for several years. The actual crown that it protects is robust nonetheless. It is quite large, and is solid in all setting, winding, and rest positions. The engraving and finish of the case, including the black PVD coating are basic yet masterful showing off the manufacturing prowess of the U-Boat watch factory in Lucca, Italy. The U-1001 is a good representative of the Florentine tradition of watch case manufacturing.

As with the original version of the U-1001, U-Boat will offer three dial variations. A black “U-1001″ inscription is applied between twelve and three o’clock and hour markers display the different colors: beige, orange, or blue. This style of multilevel dial is sometimes referred to as the Sandwich dial. The colored plate lies underneath the black dial that has the hour markers stencilled out of it. Sandwich dials were introduced in the forties for Navy Commando watches. The stencilled out, recessed hour markers were filled with luminous powder for unparallelled visibility in the dark, whereas now the entire bottom plate is phosphorescent.

Finally, the strap completes the waterproof nature of the watch. An impermeable black rubber band is fitted with a decorative, titanium plate and a heavy duty folding deployante clasp. The clasp, which can be opened, or deployed, by way of two pushers, is also equipped with an easy to use mechanism for sizing. Unfastening the “tongue” and sliding the buckle up or down the strap adjusts the band’s length.

A Swiss automatic movement powers the U-Boat U-1001. While still a very important quality feature, it is dwarfed both literally and figuratively by the U-1001’s imposing case and features. It is provided by the infamous, Swiss manufacturer ETA. Based on the 2824-2 calibre, the mechanism is modified slightly to U-Boat specifications and the rotor is decorated with Côte de Genève finishing. This is not a very exotic or particularly interesting movement, but it is as robust and reliable as the rest of the U-1001.

Italo Fontana is a passionate designer. He captures what he loves in his creations and backs it up with quality and luxury. Luckily for him many watch lovers share the same esthetic predilections.

Marco is a specialist of U-Boat watches. at Matt Baily.


Cute, cheap iPhone 4 mod: use modeling clay on the corners

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 04:21 PM PDT


Don’t feel like spending the $30 on a nice case for your new iPhone — or maybe just want to be different? A little of this Sugru modeling clay may be the solution. Just make a few little nubbins, let it dry overnight, and boom.

Continue reading…


Today at the Steam Summer Sale: GTA IV for $5, every X-COM game for $4

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 04:00 PM PDT


Just an FYI to all the gamers out there. Some good deals over at Steam today; one of my favorite games of all time, X-COM, is available with all its sequels (including the sadly misunderstood Enforcer) for only $3.74. That’s a huge deal. Grand Theft Auto IV is also available right now (sans expansions) for only $5, which is the lowest I’ve seen it. Now, get thee to the Steamery!


Pro Tip: Use a 1st gen iPhone dock with the iPhone 4

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 03:00 PM PDT


This is interesting. It seems that the dock that came with the original iPhone works great with the iPhone 4. In fact, it might work better than the new model molded specifically for the iPhone 4.

Dvice found that the new dock is a bit too snug for their taste and the old dock not only supports the phone just fine, but makes one-handed grabs possible. So either go dig out your original dock or sort through ebay listings for the original 1st dock.


Kinect specs posted: 640×480 at 30FPS, two players maximum

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 02:34 PM PDT


UK e-tailer Play.com has posted the full public specs of the Kinect motion gaming accessory for the Xbox 360. There’s not a whole lot revealed, but it is stated very plainly that only two active players can be tracked at any given moment. So much for party games — not that you’d all be able to cram into its 57-degree field of view, anyway.

Another spec noted is that the cameras are at two resolutions (320×240 and 640×480 in high color) and send a datastream with a 30FPS refresh rate. That means that your movements will always be a couple frames behind (33ms at minimum), especially if you’re playing a game with a high refresh rate. And the rather low resolution means that more subtle movements like finger motions or slight changes in foot position are likely never to be implemented. Usually low pixel resolution allows for better temporal resolution (i.e. faster refresh) but they seem to have neither here, unless there’s some kind of frame-alternating scheme at work.

My, my… I confess myself disappointed. While the novelty of playing games without a controller is undeniable, the technical limitations mean that Microsoft’s hopes that Kinect drawing the hardcore are likely to remain unrealized. The Forza demo I played already convinced me of this: while it was fun, it was essentially slightly laggy steering of a car that is driving itself. This from a highly skilled team responsible for a highly successful “hardcore” racing franchise.

Of course they may still surprise us, and I sincerely hope they do. But the tech seems to be against them.

Here’s the full spec list:

Sensor
Colour and depth-sensing lenses
Voice microphone array
Tilt motor for sensor adjustment
Fully compatible with existing Xbox 360 consoles
Field of View
Horizontal field of view: 57 degrees
Vertical field of view: 43 degrees
Physical tilt range: ± 27 degrees
Depth sensor range: 1.2m – 3.5m
Data Streams
320×240 16-bit depth @ 30 frames/sec
640×480 32-bit colour@ 30 frames/sec
16-bit audio @ 16 kHz
Skeletal Tracking System
Tracks up to 6 people, including 2 active players
Tracks 20 joints per active player
Ability to map active players to Live Avatars
Audio System
Live party chat and in-game voice chat (requires Xbox Live Gold Membership)
Echo cancellation system enhances voice input
Speech recognition in multiple


Palm pays developers to create applications

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Palm certainly has been working on getting their app store populated. They kicked off a promotion back in February, which is ending soon, and has resulted in over 400 developers splitting up their share of a million dollars. Palm is also trying to increase interest in their applications by offering a 50% discount on the majority of their catalog, starting immediately. The good news for developers is that they will still be paid the full amount, despite the discount given to customers by Palm.

In fact, Palm is working on pulling in even more developers. Palm is also working on encouraging application developers to submit new applications. Previously, there was a $50 fee charged for every application submitted. Palm is changing that policy, and no longer charging that application fee. They are even going so far as to refund the fee previously paid by developers. Definitely a far cry from certain other companies treat their application developers.

Palm is also starting a new contest this July, with another million dollars to be shared amongst developers, this time focusing on applications using C/C++ which was excluded from the last competition.


Hands-on: a-JAYS Three earphones

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 01:34 PM PDT


Fresh off the boat from Sweden are a-JAYS’ new pair of affordable ear buds — the a-JAYS Three. The set is priced at $60, which is somewhat of a tough price point as it’s just above the cheap, impulse-buy mark and high-end ‘phones traditionally start north of $100. But we’re not here to discuse market pricing schemes. Nope, we’re here to find out how these headphones sound and feel because that’s what really matters.

Pros

  • Comfy
  • Look great
  • Clever storage case

Cons

  • Kind of tinny sound
  • Not much of a high or low end

Sound

These aren’t high-end ‘phones but the sound quality is fine. They won’t blow you away with their highs or lows, but I’ll stop short of calling them flat. They can reproduce enough bass and treble to get the job done.

The a-JAYS Three do just fine with easy listening, alternative and pedestrian music. Don’t load-up hip-hop or hard rock with these, though. They just don’t have enough power to reproduce deep, clear sound at high volumes.

Overall though, they out clear and pleasant audio for the price.

Comfort

Earphone comfort is just about as important as audio clarity. The last thing you want is pricey earphones that hurt your ears. The a-JAYS fit me just fine and they ship with five different-sized tips. It helps that the earbuds are really light and feel like they’re comfortably resting in my ears.

Extras

I like the storage case. It’s just a simple rotating container, but it’s strong, simple, and convenient. The only downside to the simple case is there isn’t a proper place to store the line splitter and airplane adapter that came with the ‘phones. I guess you could throw them in there with the earphones, but chances are they will eventually fall out as they’re not secured-down. Oh well.

Conclusion

The a-JAYS Three are nice earphones. I’m not sure I would buy them as they don’t do that well with my type of music, but that might not be the case for you. I can tell you that I’m sold on the a-JAYS styling and comfort, though. These are among some of the most comfy earphones I’ve ever used.


First shots of Optimus Popularis keyboard emerge

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:44 AM PDT


We heard tell of the Optimus Popularis in May, but it had a completely different look. The new one, with its dedicated display bar and lack of number pad, is in my humble opinion a vastly superior design. The LED (not OLED) keys are, after all, totally customizable, and this saves a ton of money — that’s 20 less displays they have to put on the keyboard. And they can pass the savings on to the customers! Or not. It’s still going to cost nearly a grand.

Less than $1000 and shipping at the end of the year is the goal this time around. We saw delays and missed price points before, however, so I’d take those estimates with a grain of salt.

On the other hand, according to the Optimus Project blog, they’re pumped about being able to make the keyboard flatter, the keys rounder, and the displays higher-resolution (now 64×64px). I know I’ll never get to hold one except for a brief moment at CES this coming January, but I can still dream.

[via Technabob and The Awesomer]


Hulu Plus coming to Samsung TVs

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:20 AM PDT


Maybe we should do a post all about what brands and devices Hulu Plus is not going to come to. It’d be shorter. Samsung, for its part, just announced that it too will be getting the premium TV service, on most 2010 Blu-ray players and TVs over 40″. You can download the app today if you’ve got the hardware, but it’ll just be sample content for now. You can request an invite to the preview period via the app.


Hulu Launches Premium Subscription Service ‘Hulu Plus’, Coming To iPhone, iPad & PS3

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT

The rumors were true. Today, Hulu is announcing a limited launch of Hulu Plus, an ad-supported, premium subscription service that will run $9.99 per month and includes HD access to full season runs of shows from Fox, ABC, and NBC. Better yet, Hulu Plus will work across a multitude of platforms, including PCs, the iPad, iPhone, some Samsung Blu-ray players, and soon, the PlayStation 3. The service is currently only available to select Hulu members who have been invited — you can request an invite here. Even if you don't have an invite, you'll still be able to download a Hulu Plus application on the iPad, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 (it isn't up on the App Store yet — we'll update when it is). The application will feature a limited number of episodes, but you'll be able to get a feel what the service will be like. Hulu says that the service wil launch broadly in the coming months.


Stats show the ‘good’ Nike T90 Ascente is nearly identical to the World Cup’s ‘bad’ Adidas Jabulani: So what gives?

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Credit to Pocket-lint, a fine site, for comparing the Adidas Jabulani, the ball that’s used in the World Cup, and the Nike T90 Ascente, the ball that’s used in the English, Spanish, and Italian leagues. The ides was to see if you could find out, once and for all, if there’s something inherent in the design of the Jabulani that makes it fly all over the place. Conclusion? Maybe, but the balls are so damn near identical that in no way can you say, "Well, Adidas screwed the pooch here." Remember: Fifa is ultimately in charge of the ball, so if there’s anyone to blame (or praise) it’s those bozos.

The Adidas Jabulani, which Fifa has already said it will investigate after the World Cup finishes (at which point nobody will care anymore), is new to most of the players in the tournament. It’s been in use in the German league since December, so any player who plies his trade in Germany will have gotten used to the ball one way or the other, whether the ball is flawed or flawless.

(That in and of itself doesn’t seem fair, by the way. Fifa should have kept the World Cup ball off-limits till the national teams met up for their first day of training.)

Looking at the raw stats of the balls, both of them are basically the same. Circumference, water absorption, weight, etc. are all within ticks of each other. After all, they both have to abide by Fifa regulations.

The big difference, nearest I can tell, is that the Nike ball seems to have been designed, um, more "organically." The Adidas ball was designed and engineered with robot feet kicking at precise, computer-controlled angles. The Nike ball relied much less upon the cold, unfeeling exactness of science and had more human-assisted development.

That’s not to say that the Jabulani is a science experiment gone wrong, but that the Nike ball had actual players involved from A to Z.

But again, to blame Adidas (or praise Nike) wouldn’t be the proper course of action. The buck stops with Fifa: creating ball standards and specifications, and with allowing players in the German Bundesliga a six-month head start to get used to the ball.

Breaking news: Fifa is incompetent.

But I ask you this: does Carlos Tévez have any problem with the Jabulani? Doesn’t look like it!

Note that Fifa is taking these videos off YouTube, so if the video’s dead, blame Blatter.


Pitrec: Handheld to digitize business cards

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT

It’s 2010, and we’re still exchanging printed business cards. There are quite a few solutions to digitize the cards, but most existing scanners, for example, aren’t practical enough. This is where Pitrec [JP], a new handheld for digitizing business cards made by Japanese stationery maker King Jim, comes in.

Granted, the Pitrec isn’t cheap ($310 isn’t really a bargain for a single purpose device), but it looks quite useful. All that users need to do is to put the card into a slot that’s running along the side of the device and press the shutter button to take a quick snap. The data is then stored on microSD (16GB are enough for about 10,000 cards).

King Jim says OCR makes sure the Pitrec detects details such as name and title of the contact, company name, phone number etc. All contacts can be listed up in a specific order, starred, tagged, and viewed on the Pitrec’s 3.5-inch TFT screen (400×240 resolution).

The 185g Pitrec goes on sale in Japan on August 6 (no word from King Jim yet regarding an international release).


Cisco announces the 7-inch Cius Android Tablet

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 10:43 AM PDT

Cisco is in the business of sending bits from one place to the next. Therefore, anything that will allow them to play to their strengths, namely data access, is important. That’s why they bought Flip and that’s why they just announced this odd business tablet.

It’s basically an HD tablet running Android with full video conferencing and email and media access. Obviously there’s no price and they’ll be shipping in 2011, if they ever ship.

This is definitely not a consumer-facing product. It will be part of their Communications package that they sell to business users. My thinking is this won’t ship at all, but that’s just a hunch. Perhaps they’ll farm out the manufacture to an OEM for mass production, but don’t expect it in your local Best Buy.

802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3G/4G data and Bluetooth 3.0 help employees stay connected on and off-campus
HD video (720p) with Cisco TelePresence solution interoperability for lifelike video communication with the simplicity of a phone call
Virtual desktop client enables highly secure access to cloud-based business applications
Android operating system, with access Android marketplace applications
Collaboration applications including Cisco Quad, Cisco Show and Share, WebEx, Presence, and IM
Tablet Highlights:
7" diagonal, high-resolution color screen with contact-based touch targets delivers an elegant, intuitive experience
HD Soundstation supports Bluetooth and USB peripherals, 10/100/1000 wired connectivity and a handset option
Detachable and serviceable 8-hour battery for a full day of work
Highly secure remote connections with Cisco AnyConnect Security VPN Client
HD audio with wideband support (tablet, HD Soundstation)

Cisco Simplifies Mobile Collaboration With First-of-Its-Kind HD Video-Capable Business Tablet
New Android-Based Computing Device Uses Cisco Collaboration Architecture and Virtual Desktop Integration to Deliver Mobile Computing, Collaboration and Communication Services

LAS VEGAS, NV, Jun 29, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Cisco (CSCO 21.56, -0.86, -3.83%) today unveiled Cisco Cius, a first-of-its-kind mobile collaboration business tablet that delivers virtual desktop integration with anywhere, anytime access to the full range of Cisco collaboration and communication applications, including HD video.

Cisco Cius is an ultra-portable device weighing just 1.15lbs (0.52kg) that extends the productivity benefits of Cisco collaboration applications to a highly secure mobile platform. In addition to full telepresence interoperability, Cisco Cius offers HD video streaming and real-time video, multi-party conferencing, email, messaging, browsing, and the ability to produce, edit and share content stored locally or centrally in the cloud.

Based on the Android operating system, Cisco Cius is an open platform for communication and collaboration whose form factor and applications are designed to more securely connect employees on-the-go with the right people in real-time, and to provide those workers with the ability to access and share the content they need from any place on the network.

Cisco Cius offers IT professionals new options when it comes to equipping mobile workers with computing devices. Through virtual desktop integration, Cisco Cius offers flexible computing options with cloud-based services, providing dramatically lower capital costs and cost-per-user for desktop maintenance.

Businesses can also tap into the growing Android developer community that is building business-class productivity applications with appropriate IT controls. The combination of applications and flexible computing options provides a compelling alternative to today’s PC-on-every-desktop paradigm.

ANNOUNCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Product Features

– The Cisco Cius is a lightweight portable business computing tablet
offered with an optional HD audio station equipped with a telephone
handset speakerphone, HD DisplayPort and USB ports.

– The Cisco Cius tablet features a front-mounted 720p HD camera which
refreshes at up to 30 frames per second; a seven inch, high-resolution
widescreen super VGA touch-target display for real-time and streamed
video, and single-button TelePresence interoperability that can be
utilized either when the tablet is docked, or being used remotely via
Wi-Fi.

– The tablet has a 5-megapixel rear facing camera that can transmit
streaming VGA quality video and capture still images, and dual
noise-cancelling microphones for audio conferencing.

– Cisco Cius features an eloquent contacts-driven user experience,
designed to enable users to quickly reach their important contacts.

– An on-board accelerometer readily orients applications for viewing in
portrait or landscape modes as users rotate the device to their
preferred viewing orientation.

– Cisco Cius supports 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi for enterprise campus
mobility and 3G cellular services when off-campus. 4G services will be
available at a later date. Bluetooth and Micro-USB means users can
work untethered and share data with a PC.

– A detachable and serviceable battery offers eight hours of life under
normal usage.

Integration with Business Applications

– Cisco Cius provides support for the comprehensive suite of Cisco
collaboration applications including Cisco Quad, Cisco Show and Share,
Cisco WebEx Connect, Cisco WebEx Meeting Center, Cisco Presence, and
interoperability with Cisco TelePresence.

– Cisco Cius is supported by Cisco Unified Communications Manager and is
easily integrated into existing Cisco customer environments.

– Cisco Cius helps ensure a more secure mobile collaboration experience
by leveraging Cisco AnyConnect VPN Security, part of the Cisco
Borderless Networks architecture.

– Virtual desktop integration provides IT organizations with the ability
to host software applications securely in the data center and to
utilize the Cisco network to deliver those applications ‘as-a-service’
anytime, anywhere. Cisco Cius thereby supports data center
consolidation and reduced software licensing costs.

– Cisco Cius offers businesses the ability to take advantage of the
ever-expanding ecosystem of cost-effective, third-party applications,
supported by the Android operating system, while controlling user
access policy.

– Cisco will help expand Android developed applications for business by
offering Cisco Collaboration Application Protocol Interfaces (APIs) to
developers through a Software Developer’s Kit (SDK).

Availability

– Customer trials of Cisco Cius will begin in the third quarter of
calendar year 2010, with general availability in the first quarter of
calendar year 2011.


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