Will the Cius challenge the iPad's potential in health care or beyond?

Computerworld - Last week, Cisco Systems announced its Cius tablet. Weighing 1.15 lbs. with a 7-in. SVGA screen and powered by an Intel Atom processor and Google's Android OS version 2.2, the Cius is designed as part of a range of products for the enterprise that offer integrated solutions for every part of the network, including switches, cloud storage and collaboration tools.

The Cius is expected to ship early next year, and although no pricing is available, Cisco plans to keep the price below $1,000.

The Cius has a lot going for it, particularly in the enterprise space. With millions of iPad sales within a few months, Apple is generally considered a consumer company, and many CIOs are hesitant to use Apple products because the company offers no enterprise road map, whereas other vendors do (though it does offer enterprise services). Therefore, a competing tablet with similar capabilities from a trusted vendor is going to be attractive to CIOs.

That said, the iPad has some advantages. One is a jump on the competition. The iPad will have been out for nearly a year when the Cius ships. It also has a large installed base and end-user adoption (for home and/or work) and high visibility and familiarity.

Also, Apple's App Store includes a broad set of business-related apps. There are now multiple office suites along with business intelligence, CRM and project management products (as well as industry-specific apps). Google's Android Market will carry Cius applications created using a software development kit from Cisco.

Health care: The first battleground

One of the earliest industries to test and embrace the iPad has been health care. Health care in the U.S. was poised to embrace tablets as the industry started to move toward electronic medical records and needed a light, portable solution.

Conversations with a range of providers and facilities (including hospitals and private medical groups) reveal that health professionals (doctors, nurses, and other providers) overwhelmingly agree that the form factor is convenient to carry and introduces less of a barrier when seeing patients than carrying a laptop (or a laptop cart in many hospitals) into exam/hospital rooms. This is important for keeping the doctor engaged with the patient and able to read his or her body language.

Tablets also make it easier to illustrate conditions and potential treatment options, such as displaying fractures in an X-ray, showing the progress of healing, or providing details of the surgery and recovery process.

Is the Cius better than the iPad?

The truth is that for most hospitals and practices, there's really little difference between the Cius and the iPad (or a PC). Complying with HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and other privacy regulations is difficult if patient data is stored on any mobile or unsecure piece of equipment. As a result, the vast majority of facilities rely on thin clients and access to secure terminal services (typically Citrix ) for all patient information.