Cisco shows off Cius business tablet

Cisco unveiled its Cius business tablet in Las Vegas this week

Cisco has unveiled an Android-powered tablet designed for videoconferencing and mobile productivity.

The device was the main product announcement at the Cisco Live conference in Las Vegas, where the firm also revealed the winners of its $250,000 I-Prize competition.

The Cius business tablet, set for launch next year, is a 7in tablet running on Google's Android platform that featues a combination of web-based tools and bundled Cisco applications such as WebEx.

Partly geared towards videoconferencing, the tablet will feature a 720p camera and a version of Cisco's Telepresence video software.

The Cius will support 802.11n Wi-Fi connections as well as 3G wireless broadband and, eventually, 4G services. Additionally, the device will come with a desktop docking station that includes Ethernet connectivity and support for both USB and Bluetooth peripherals.

Along with the introduction of the Cius, Cisco chief executive John Chambers announced the winners of the company's $250,000 I-Prize contest. The competition invited groups from around the world to propose new business ideas and projects for the company.

"My goal is to challenge us a little bit, to get everyone outside," Chambers said of the contest.

The 2010 prize went to 'Rhinnovation', a group of university students from Guadalajara, Mexico.

The group proposed an online profile platform called 'Life Account', which would use a combination of smart devices and online metrics to collect user data and form profiles based on both online and real-world activity.