So when you see the headline and pictures and think, wait, isn’t this a copy of an iPad, think again. The Cisco Cius is something the Apple iPad will never be. In addition, don’t forget apple did take the names iOS and iPhone from Cisco Systems.

The Cisco Cius is the latest from the networking giants Cisco, which is a 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 520 grams 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.

Some of the features includes an optional HD audio station equipped with a telephone handset speakerphone, HD DisplayPort and USB ports, 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 also 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 enables users to quickly reach their important contacts, an on-board accelerometer readily orients applications for viewing in portrait or landscape modes as the user rotates the device to their preferred viewing orientation. The 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. Battery life is expected to be around 8 hours.

If you’re in the business world and want to use this there, there’s no worry as this is integrated with Cisco business applications like Cisco Quad, Cisco Show and Share, Cisco WebEx Connect, Cisco WebEx Meeting Center, Cisco Presence, and interoperability with Cisco TelePresence. It is also supported by Cisco Unified Communications Manager and is easily integrated into existing Cisco customer environments. If you want some security, fear not because the Cius uses 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 will help expand Android developed applications for business by offering Cisco Collaboration Application Protocol Interfaces (API’s) to developers through a Software Developer’s Kit (SDK).

Also bear in mind, Cisco Cius is not really a consumer product. It’s for a niche market and unlike Apple have done with the iPad trying to be too much and being a bit disappointing at certain things, Cisco have targeted the use of the Cius correctly and done it right. It’s definitely something that can be used and you can expect to see this in the first quarter of 2011.

Check out more information here on Cisco’s Website.

Gresso has created a luxury back cover for the iPhone 4 that is made of 200 year old African Blackwood along with 18K gold detailing. The back cover aims to make your iPhone 4 look a little different although it isn’t clear if the wood used is a replacement or cover for the current glass used.

Two versions are being created. The first is for women and contains an Apple logo in 18K gold along with Swarovski crystals. This version costs $3500. The other version for men drops the crystals and just has the wood back with Apple logo and costs $3000.

The new iPhone 4 collection from Gresso will be available in December 2010.

Apple announced that it sold its three millionth iPad this week, just 80 days after its introduction in the US. iPad is a revolutionary and magical product that allows users to connect with their apps, content and the Internet in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.

“People are loving iPad as it becomes a part of their daily lives,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more people around the world, including those in nine more countries next month.”

Developers have created over 11000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics. iPad will run almost all of the more than 225000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone or iPod touch.

Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface. iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds, thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.

http://www.apple.com/

Apple today presented the new iPhone 4 featuring FaceTime, which makes the dream of video calling a reality, and Apple’s stunning new Retina display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, resulting in super crisp text, images and video. In addition, iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 processor, a 3-axis gyro and up to 40 percent longer talk time—in a beautiful all-new design of glass and stainless steel that is the thinnest smartphone in the world. iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 100 new features and 1500 new APIs for developers. iOS 4 features Multitasking, Folders, enhanced Mail, deeper Enterprise support and Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform.

iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. FaceTime video calling sets a new standard for mobile communication, and our new Retina display is the highest resolution display ever in a phone, with text looking like it does on a fine printed page. We have been dreaming about both of these breakthroughs for decades.

FaceTime is as mobile as your phone, so you can see your loved ones and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Using FaceTime is as easy as making a regular voice call, with no set-up required, and you can instantly switch to the rear camera to show others what you are seeing with just a tap.

Apple’s stunning 3.5 inch Retina display has 960 x 640 pixels—four times as many pixels as the iPhone 3GS and 78 percent of the pixels on an iPad™. The resulting 326 pixels per inch is so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when the phone is held at a normal distance, making text, images and video look sharper, smoother and more realistic than ever before on an electronic display.

iPhone 4 is the thinnest smartphone ever—9.3 millimeters—with an all-new design and build quality like no other mobile device. The front and back are made of aluminosilcate glass, chemically strengthened to be 30 times harder than plastic, more scratch resistant and more durable than ever. The front and back glass have an oil-resistant coating that helps keep it clean, and encircling iPhone 4 is a highly finished stainless steel band made of a custom alloy that is forged to be five times stronger than standard steel.

iPhone 4 features a new 5 megapixel autofocus camera with a 5x digital zoom, a backside illuminated sensor and built-in LED flash that allows you to take amazing pictures even in low light and dark environments. iPhone 4 lets you record and edit incredible HD video and the popular tap to focus feature now works while recording video. You can use the iPhone 4‘s LED flash for both still photography and video recording. The new iMovie app for iPhone lets you combine movie clips, add dynamic transitions and themes and include photos and music, and users can buy it for just $4.99 through the App Store right on their phone.

iPhone 4 is the best mobile device ever for games and entertainment, with access to tens of thousands of games and entertainment apps on the revolutionary App Store. Every iPhone 4 has a built-in 3-axis gyro that when combined with the accelerometer provides 6-axis motion sensing such as up and down, side to side, forward and backward and pitch and roll, making it perfect for gaming. Developers can access the gyro using the new CoreMotion API to make games and other apps that go well beyond what other mobile devices offer.

iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. With over 100 new features, it includes Multitasking, Folders, enhanced Mail, deeper Enterprise support and Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform. With Multitasking, users can now instantly switch between any of their apps while preserving battery life. With Folders, users can easily organize their apps into collections by simply dragging one app on top of another. A folder is automatically created and named based on the category of apps selected. Users can change the name of any folder at any time. In addition, users can now customize their lock and home screens with an array of supplied wallpapers or with any of the photos on their phone.

The new iBooks app will be available for iPhone 4 as a free download from the App Store and includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile product. The iBooks app will sync your current place in a book, along with any bookmarks, highlights and notes you have created, between copies of the same book on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. iBooks users can also now read and store PDFs right in iBooks. There are now over 60,000 books available in the iBookstore, and users have downloaded over five million books in the first two months.

More than five billion apps have been downloaded from the revolutionary App Store and more than 225,000 apps are available to consumers in 90 countries. Almost 100 million iPhone and iPod touch users around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

iPhone 4 delivers an amazing seven hours of talk time on 3G networks, up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and up to six hours on 3G, and up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback. iPhone 4 is powered by Apple’s new A4 processor that provides exceptional processor and graphic performance along with long battery life. iPhone 4 features a second microphone and advanced software to suppress unwanted background noise for improved call quality when in loud places. iPhone 4 also offers 802.11n Wi-Fi networking and adds quad-band HSUPA to provide 7.2Mbps downlink and 5.8Mbps uplink capability.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4 comes in either black or white and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail and online stores, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. iPhone 4 will be available in the US, France, Germany, Japan and the UK on June 24 and customers can pre-order their iPhone 4 beginning Tuesday, June 15 from the Apple Online Store or reserve an iPhone 4 to pick up at an Apple Retail Store. iMovie for iPhone will be available on the App Store for just $4.99 (US).

Also on June 24, a new iPhone 3GS 8GB model will be available for just $99 (US). iOS 4 software will be available on June 21 as a free software update via iTunes 9.2 or later for iPhone and iPod touch customers.

iPhone 4 will roll out worldwide to 88 countries by the end of September. iPhone 4 will be available by the end of July in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

http://www.apple.com/

Mercedes-Benz has constructed an all-new “iPad Lounge” in their state-of-the-art museum that is based in Stuttgart, Germany.

It shows you technical information about scores of historical Mercedes models which went on display for the special “Super Sports Car Exhibition” exhibits. Visitors have been able to test out the tablet device using this app since the end of April, enabling them to experience the exhibition interactively.

If you’re not planning to visit the Stuttgart museum soon, you will be able to access the Sports Cars app in the iTunes store in the near future. As of now, fans can take a look at the new iPhone Apps that Mercedes-Benz has available on iTunes.

These apps are the Mercedes-Benz Quartett, Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow and the SLS AMG. These apps are available to all users for free.

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Japanese electronics giant Sharp unveiled Friday a liquid crystal display (LCD) touchscreen that shows 3D images without requiring special glasses, as the race to market such products intensifies.

Although Sharp has not given specific plans, there is speculation that it will equip video game giant Nintendo’s upcoming DS console due out next spring, which will feature games in 3D. Both companies have commercial ties.

A user can see three-dimensional images at a distance of 30 centimetres (12 inches) from the Sharp screen without having to wear special glasses that are currently required when watching 3D movies.

Sharp’s 3D screen overcomes the need for special glasses by using parallax to display different images to each eye to give the illusion of three dimensions while retaining image clarity.

Sharp has been working on 3D product development since 2002 but earlier efforts suffered from poor picture resolution and brightness, explained Sharp’s LCD business manager Yoshisuke Hasegawa.

Since then Sharp said it has improved image quality to the extent where it is ready to launch a series of new 3D screens, and plans to start production in Japan by September.

While touchscreens will not be part of the initial phase of production, potential applications include mobile phones, digital cameras, digital photo frames and games consoles, the company said.

“We have customers in various sectors that have shown interest,” said Hasegawa, who declined to give names but said interested parties included phone makers. Sharp, which tops Japan’s cellphone market, eventually plans to offer portable phones, computers and other electronics products equipped with the 3D screens.

Hasegawa declined to say whether Sharp would supply displays for Nintendo’s new 3D device, tentatively called the Nintendo 3DS. The Japanese console giant announced a plan last week to release the device by the end of March 2011. Sharp predicts that next-generation cellphones will all be equipped with 3D screens, but said their success would be dependent on the ability to function without the need for special glasses.

Luxury hotel chain InterContinental is to trial Apple iPad devices  for its concierge staff from next week. InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, which owns 166 high-end properties, will roll out the devices to trial hotels in four cities as part of a global program.

A spokesman for the brand confirmed if the trial was successful, the chain will consider rolling the scheme out globally. Using the devices, hotel staff will be able to provide high-resolution satellite maps, close-up street views and short video clips of local attractions to guests.

Concierges at four of InterContinental’s most prestigious locations — the InterContinental New York Barclay, InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, InterContinental London Park Lane and the InterContinental Hong Kong – will be equipped with the devices.

The chain says that the iPad is perfect for common concierge tasks such as providing directions, giving restaurant advice and making reservations for guests, although the scheme has been designed to avoid any change to the positive aspects of traditional concierge services.

“We wanted to make sure the iPads didn’t replace the human touch that comes from our Concierge teams, but enhanced their jobs and made it easier for them to deliver better, more enriching and meaningful service,” says the spokesman.

The results of the trial are likely to prove exciting for other hotel operators, which are constantly looking for new ways to improve the guest experience.

For InterContinental, feedback received from guests and staff will determine whether apps could be developed to provide an enhanced concierge service for guests, with the chain describing the possibilities as “endless.” While InterContinental is the first chain to roll out an iPad trial, other brands have also spotted the value in equipping front line staff with handheld devices.

Hyatt brand Andaz, for example, uses “hosts” equipped with hand-held computers to check-in guests without the need for a reception desk.

The title is actually misleading, because what was witnessed yesterday evening at the Apple Fifth Avenue store was the opposite of calm. With iPad hype in the air and the spring weather kicking in, the midtown suits and the tourists are streaming down into the glass cube like it’s a Christmas Eve rush.

Still, compared to what is expected on Saturday morning for the iPad WiFi’s actual release, this scene is manageable. Not to mention that the bulk of the tourists usually stay no longer than it takes them to ride the glass elevator up and down and snap a few photos.

At street level on the sidewalk, the crowd control stanchions had already arrived, as had a few broadcasting vans, probably getting in their stock shots of the Apple store and crowds before crunch time. Be sure to keep your eyes on the Twisted Lifestyle as we’ll be bringing you some photos and a story after the release.

The Apple iPad will be available in all 221 US Apple retail stores and most Best Buy stores from tomorrow Saturday, April 3, beginning at 9 am. Starting at just $499, iPad lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds, thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook, and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.

iPad connects users with their apps and content in a far more intimate and fun way than ever before, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. We can’t wait for users to get their hands and fingers on it this weekend.

Apple retail stores will offer a free Personal Setup service to every customer who buys an iPad at the store, helping them customize their new iPad by setting up their email, loading their favorite apps from the App Store, and more. Also beginning Saturday morning, all US Apple retail stores will host special iPad workshops to help customers learn more about this magical new product.

iPad will be available in Wi-Fi models on April 3 in the US for a suggested retail price of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, most Best Buy stores, select Apple Authorized Resellers and campus bookstores. The iBooks app for iPad including Apple’s iBookstore will be available as a free download from the App Store in the US on April 3.

Officially announced one year ago, the Ulysse Nardin Chairman will be launched with Android on board – not with Windows Mobile, as initially planned.

It will be the world’s first luxurysmartphone to run Google’s OS. Manufactured by Swiss watch maker Ulysse Nardin in collaboration with SCI Innovations, the Ulysse Nardin Chairman has five color versions.

It also integrates a Ulysse Nardin Rotor kinetic power system that can generate additional electrical power for the battery (which can provide up to 8 hours of talk time, or up to 30 days of stand-by time). Some features include a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display, fingerprint recognition, 3G, a Facebook app preloaded, 8-megapixel camera, HD video playback, 32GB internal memory, and an ARM-based Freescale i.MX processor.

You can pre-order the phone now. Prices start at $12,800 and go up $49,500.

Imagine a cellphone crafted with the same horological insidiousness of churning gears, analogue dials and mechanical parts as a Swiss watch.

That’s the idea behind the Celsius X-VI-II’s mechanical cellphone. The phone is made with 547 mechanical parts, and it features a tourbillon in its hinge.

The unique combination uses a patented Remontage Papillon mechanism that mimics butterfly movement, and is activated when the wings are unfolded.

The phone will operate solely through human energy and is touted as an entirely mechanical cellphone.

This luxurious watch-phone will be priced at approx. €200,000 and will make its debut at the upcoming Basel World watch fair in Switzerland.