The Avaya "Tablet:" Doing All the Wrong Things WellThe Avaya "Tablet:" Doing All the Wrong Things Well

Avaya has taken a mobile platform (i.e. an Android-based tablet) and turned it into an expensive limited-purpose desktop device.

Following Cisco's lead, Avaya has come up with their own non-tablet, the Avaya Desktop Video Communicator. Note I said following "Cisco's" lead rather than "Apple's". Had they followed Apple and delivered an enterprise-oriented tablet that extended the UC experience to mobile users, they really could have jumped out front of the pack. As it is, we now have an Android-based device incorporating designer name components ("Harmon Kardon Speakers"?) that costs a whopping $2000! A Wi-Fi equipped Apple iPad (which doesn't have video yet but most certainly will in its next iteration) goes for $499 to $699.

To be clear, I'm 100% behind the idea of tablets- they are destined to be the next major mobile computing platform. To their credit, Avaya goes out of their way to point out this is not a "tablet", but rather a “mobile video device” with a cool touch screen interface. Unfortunately as Zeus points out, "it's a tablet", albeit one with a rather questionable use case. The Android operating system may mean that we can put some software on this thing that makes it a more functional business tool, but it’s hard to tell because the Fact Sheet (which is notoriously light on "facts") doesn’t even mention how much memory it has. By the way, that Android software will also run on tablets that don't mind calling themselves "tablets" and sell for way less than half the price.

Given its focus on communications over computing, the Avaya "tablet" is a unique assemblage more akin to a jazzed up IP handset than what most of us think of when it comes to a tablet. Android appears to be used primarily to provide a slick touch screen user interface that allows users to access a directory and drag-and-drop contact cards to set up audio or video calls and conferences. In a nod toward mobility, it does support a Wi-Fi interface, but judging by that Fact Sheet, it is 802.11b/g/n so we can assume there is no 5 GHz radio. As the use of 802.11n in the 2.4 GHz band is essentially limited to home networks, we're looking at an enterprise video device that runs on 802.11b/g. Fortunately they have included a wired Ethernet interface as well.

So we now have the first tablet device that's designed to be stationary! I can use it at my desk (where I already have a video-capable PC) or I can take it to a conference room that will very likely have a built-in video system that is more appropriate for room settings. Everyone seems to be stuck on the use case as both Eric and Zeus both came up with the same three applications (high-end retail, patient care, and executive collaboration tool)--they even listed them in the same order!

Rather than a real mobile computing device, I'm looking at Avaya's "tablet" in the same frame as the Kindle eBook reader, a single purpose semi-mobile appliance. In the age of smartphones and PCs a single-purpose device is a hard sell, so in their new ads Kindle is battling with Apple over the ability of their screen to be readable outdoors. I don't see Kindle winning that argument in the long run.

What Avaya Should Have Been Looking At
I have not seen anything I would call a top-notch enterprise tablet as yet. While I love the iPad as an enthralling consumer device, Apple has not found the enterprise target either (not that they care, mind you). I just wish someone would start looking at how we should build a tablet for enterprise users. The key capabilities will be truly mobile (i.e. high-speed wireless interface, good battery life, attractive design, etc.), synchable with the desktop, tied into the overall UC experience, and most importantly, designed for capturing the information we come in contact with during the work day. Like the Kindle, the iPad is a great device for consuming information, but typing on the iPad's touch screen is about as functional as typing on an iPhone.

When business people go to a meeting, they need to capture information, both text and graphics (e.g. "box and line" diagrams). We’re not "spectators", we take notes! The ability to retrieve and capture information is a core capability we need in a business tablet. Some of that information may be video in nature, and the ability to incorporate that would be great. Imagine being able to capture a video clip from the product expert as part of your meeting notes! I see people using their cell phone cameras to take pictures of PowerPoints all the time, but the ability to truly integrate selected video would be awesome.

Conclusion
Harry McKracken in Time Magazine (of all places) did a piece recently titled "Where Are the Rivals to Apple's iPad?". He did give Cisco’s Cius a rather back-handed compliment calling it "intriguing" (is that like "she's got a nice personality"?), but his basic premise was that "iPad killers [are] more like wannabes that aren't the least bit magical or revolutionary"; in short, the imitators are decidedly pedestrian. Following Cisco’s ongoing infatuation with all things video, Avaya appears to have invested heavily in a device whose sole purpose is to wow non-buyers at trade shows.

Mobility is the missing element in UC, not video. Avaya has taken a mobile platform (i.e. an Android-based tablet) and turned it into an expensive limited-purpose desktop device. Companies like Apple who are driving the amazing wave of creativity we are seeing in the mobile space are successful because they push the envelope, deliver an electrifying experience, and demonstrate imagination in envisioning how their products will fit into people’s lives. Not happening here.