Cisco launches its Cius tablet (pronounced ”SeeUs”) for business, a 7” touch-screen tablet computer running on Android operating system.

Yes, it’s definitely going to be compared to the iPad. But this Cisco product is all about business and Cius comes in two form factors: tablet and a desktop dock (a phone-like format).

CEO John Chambers showed Cius at the Cisco Live customer event, using a live videoconferencing transmission from researchers on a submarine in the Aegean Sea. The device works with cellular 3G and 4G networks, as well as with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. HD 720p video is supported.

Cisco officials say Cius will be generally available in the first quarter of 2011.

The tablet weighs 1.5 lbs. and has a detachable eight-hour battery. An Intel Atom 1.6-GHz processor powers the device.

Chambers also demonstrated a slightly smaller version of the Cius for use by students, so think “Education Market” and Cisco's ability to sell into school and university networks across the world.

And soon the Home Version? It remains unclear whether the Cisco tablet will eventually become a consumer product. "That hasn't been a point of focus," Chambers insists.

When asked about comparisons of Cius to the iPad, Chambers told Computerworld reporters, "Cius is all about collaboration and telepresence." He added, "It's a business tablet. I use the iPad and love it. I love anything that loves networks. We do a lot with Apple and they are a great customer and good partner. I think of Cius as a business tablet, so Cius and iPad are complementary products with different target markets."

And since when have the IT market Big Guys ever drawn their customer border lines so clearly?

Watch Cius ("SeeUs")

Or read about Cius in old-fashioned print