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Motorola tablet targets enterprises

Tessa Reed
By Tessa Reed, Journalist
Johannesburg, 07 Dec 2011

Motorola Solutions has unveiled the ET1 tablet, which it says is the first tablet designed for the enterprise.

According to the company, the ET1 combines the familiarity of consumer products with durability. It adds that the ET1 is intended for demanding day-long use. The ET1 comes with swappable batteries, and multi-slot charging stations are also available, says Motorola Solutions.

The ET1 runs on Android. Optional extras include a bar code reader, magnetic strip reader and hand strap. The ET1 comes with WiFi connectivity. Motorola Solutions says 3G will be introduced to the line at a later stage.

The tablet is password-protected, and can be shared and instantly provisioned for multiple users according to their level of access rights. Based on login information, managers can control and monitor the use of applications.

Max Stone, distribution and partners manager for the enterprise business at Motorola, says the ET1 is the first tablet designed for business and enterprise usage.

Corporate adoption

According to Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, the ET1 is likely to be bought by corporate IT departments.

However, he points out that the tablet will need buy-in at both CEO and IT levels. Goldstuck explains that this is because the tablet market suffers from the “CEO halo effect”, where devices are imposed on the organisation as a result of the CEO being impressed by them.

Goldstuck argues that the success of the ET1 will depend on price and marketing. However, if it is more expensive than an iPad, it is unlikely to compete with the iPad, he notes.

According to Stone, the ET1 will retail at about $1 535.

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