IDF 2011 | Hands-On: Cisco Cius Business Phone and Fujitsu TH40/D & Toshiba WT310/C tablets
We got things started off with Cisco's Cius Business Android Phone, which is a regular phone that comes with an detachable 7-inch tablet that is easy to use without the "phone-dock". The device is peculiar thanks to the single-core 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z615 CPU (512MB cache according to the IDF stand) thats found on the inside, and it runs Google's Android operating system. Interestingly, Intel's "Ark" database has the Z615 running at 1.6GHz, but it was listed at 1.2GHz on the place card.
In our preliminary tests, the Android UI offered smooth playback and there was no noticeable lag. In addition, Cisco's proprietary marketplace offers certain business oriented applications, but Android's normal market can be accessed by an administrator if need be. Other features of the device include a USB port, a 720p webcam (30 FPS), and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n. Battery life is supposedly 8 hours per charge, and the tablet was running Android 2.2 (Froyo). While the exhibited device was only a prototype, the product should soon hit the market.
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Next up in our tour of products was Fujitsu's TH40/D convertible tablet, which is basically a 10.1" slate that can be converted into a netbook. On the inside, a 1.5GHz Z670 Atom processor does the hard work, and its based on the Oak Trail platform. The device was originally launched earlier this year, but is currently only available in Japanese markets for a price close to $999.
The device features a hinge mechanism that allows it to switch between form factors, but the concept has been used before and is similar to the ASUS Eee Pad Slider. However, the Fujitsu device does run Windows 7 rather than Android and the keyboard is fairly pleasant to use. In addition, an optical mouse trackpoint is found at the bottom near the "space" key, and navigation is complemented by the device's touchscreen.
Last but not least, we have the Toshiba WT310/C Oak Trail Tablet which features a 10.1" inch screen (16:9, 1366x768 pixels, non-IPS). Similar to the Fujitsu slate, the device is also powered by an Intel Atom Z670 CPU and runs Windows 7.
We recently criticized the lack of optimization and reaction time in our review of the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 tablet, and unfortunately the Toshiba slate seemed to suffer from the same issues. However, we are hoping that a change is brought upon by the advent of Windows 8, which was distributed yesterday at the BUILD conference in Anaheim along with a Samsung tablet.