Avaya's "Non-Tablet"

14 Sep 2010

At a press conference in New York today, Avaya introduced an Android-based tablet-like device called the Desktop Video Communicator. Like Cisco's not-yet-released Cius, the core application appears to be video. However, why they would bother coming out with a jazzed-up desktop touch screen video phone costing $2,000 at this point in time is a bit of a mystery. I did like Blair Pleasant's assessment of the "Flare" name, but the first thought that came to my mind was something you shoot when you're in the lifeboat!

Blair covered the "experience" issues, so I'll focus on the device. First the specs (at least what specs we have based on a Fact Sheet that is virtually devoid of "facts"):

HD audio and video with an 11.6" (1366x768) multi-touch LCD screen and built-in 5MP camera (Note: The Cisco Cius has a 7" screen).
Android Operating System: Hopefully it's the newest Android 2.2, but they don't say. They don't mention stuff like "processor speed" or "memory capacity" either.
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) Communications: Since there's no mention of "802.11a", we can assume there's no 5 GHz radio. Unfortunately, 802.11n in 2.4 GHz is really a consumer configuration, and not something we plan to deploy in an enterprise. So this will be a video device operating on the lower-speed 802.11b/g interface.
A 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet interface: Okay, we can forget the Wi-Fi and use this.
Removable Li-polymer battery (3-hours minimum): Three hours! When you're down on the floor looking for that Ethernet jack you'd better be looking for a wall outlet too!
Bluetooth 2.0/2.1: Supports speakerphones, headsets, and smart phone integration for synchronization of contacts list.
Support for Standard USB Devices: Keyboard, mouse, external speakers, cellular modem, external storage, charger for cell phones, etc. can be attached to either the display or the base station.
Base Station: The Avaya Desktop Video Device is mobile and can be docked to a base station that has its own set of network connections, USB slots, sub-woofer speaker, etc.
Handset and Cradle: The handset and cradle support private conversations with wideband audio (7KHz) and a TDD acoustic coupler (Huh?).
Fold-out Desk Stand: The display can be placed upright or angled for typing on the virtual keyboard. (Sounds like "carpel tunnel syndrome")

To their credit, Avaya goes out of their way to distinguish the Desktop Video Communicator from a "tablet." Unfortunately, it has the same form factor as a tablet and uses one of the two premiere tablet operating systems, Android (Apple's iOS is the other). However with its decidedly communications-oriented focus, it looks more like a tricked-out desktop video phone, hence the name "Desktop Video Communicator." As they apparently put the wrong Wi-Fi interface in it, I guess they don't expect it to be moving around much anyway (and at $2,000, you'd better not drop it). Android provides a slick touch screen user interface that delivers what Avaya calls the "Flare multimedia productivity experience." Users can access an active on-screen directory and use a drag-and-drop interface to set up multiple audio or video calls and conferences in nifty "spotlights."

Taking Avaya at their word, we should not look at the Desktop Video Communicator as a mobile computing device, but rather as a special purpose semi-mobile appliance. I kind of got sucked into this given all the pre-release buzz about an "Avaya tablet." On closer inspection this seems to be the last desperate gasp of the high-priced desk set dinosaur.

I Wish It Was a Tablet

In the mobile space, we are clearly fired up about the idea of tablets. Since my first hands-on encounter with the iPAD, I'm absolutely convinced they are the next major mobile computing platform. By the same token, I have not seen anything I would call a top-notch enterprise tablet as yet.

The iPAD delivers an enthralling consumer experience, but Apple is not focusing on the enterprise--at least not any "enterprise" I've ever worked in. Having studied the mobile market for some years, I find that there are some key capabilities an enterprise tablet computer will need. First it will need to be truly "mobile" (i.e. light weight, high-speed wireless interface, good battery life, attractive design, etc.). For most of us, the tablet will be just one of several computing platforms so it must be fully synch-able with the desktop, the laptop and the smartphone. "Fully synch-able" means more than just contacts and calendar entries; I want the call logs to be synched because I won't likely remember if the last time I called that guy (or texted or emailed him) I used my tablet, my desktop, or my smartphone. The functionality should be transparently tied to the overall UC experience, including presence, transmodal communications, and the rest. Finally, and most importantly, an enterprise tablet must be designed to quickly and conveniently capture all of the information the user comes in contact with during the workday and allow them to organize it in a way that is most useful. The iPAD is a great device for consuming information, but typing on the iPAD's touch screen just doesn't do the trick.

Most of the current UC solutions can capture the "easy stuff" like texts and emails, and since they're already in computer readable form, we can index and retrieve them with equal ease. When business people go to meetings, they are "participants" not "spectators," they need to take notes (this does not apply to the twenty-somethings who appear in Apple commercials). Some people can type on a laptop (I'm not one of them) so free form text (converted by optical recognition) will be important. We also use a lot of graphics (e.g. "box and line" diagrams), and we'll need to capture that as well.

Increasingly, some of that information will be video, and the ability to incorporate that as well would be great. Imagine being able to capture a video clip as part of your meeting notes! I see people taking cell phone pictures of PowerPoints all the time, but the ability to truly integrate selected video snippets would be awesome.

Conclusion

While some may try to put a good face on this, what Avaya has managed to do is take the essential elements of a great mobile device and cut the legs off of it. The missing element in UC is mobility, not video, and I don't see an expensive high-end video desk phone improving Avaya's position in the evolving UC market. If anything, it harkens back to a world of expensive proprietary desktop devices that most of us are leaving in the dust.