EduTone Persona Tablets

Many analysts have predicted that 2011 will be “The Year of the Tablet”, with an estimated volume of 50 million units shipping, up from 15 million in 2010. When it comes to the K-20 education market, however, most commercially supported tablets on the market today are consumer-centric devices that lack the specific functionality, security, privacy and centralized controls required by school administrators. These limitations, coupled with the high price points of some of these devices and along with severely reduced school budgets, have left K-12 administrators wondering whether a tablet implementation in their school districts by Fall 2011 makes any business sense. School administrators, wonder no more!

EduTone’s Approach

EduTone has been offering school-centric solutions for over 10 years, spanning the areas of application, system and device integration, IP networks and wireless infrastructure.  Winner of three 2011 CODiE Awards, including “Best K-12 Solution”, the EduTone Xchange™ (ETX) Web 3.0 Platform-as-a-Service technology enables on-demand, one-to-one secure services delivery in K-20 Education Enterprises. ETX incorporates Single-Sign-On (SSO), automated role/policy-based provisioning, and identity management across any school’s applications and content.  It seamlessly integrates with a school’s existing data management system and security infrastructure.

EduTone believes that mobile access devices, such as PC Tablets, could empower schools to offer personalized learning. Such devices must not only be affordable but also be manageable, versatile, secure, and integratable with the school’s existing infrastructure.  That’s why The ET Persona Tablets powered by the ETX-Mobile Edition platform, featuring role-based provisioning and Single Sign-On capabilities, empower schools to customize services delivery to each unique end-user’s personal mobile device.

What makes the ET Persona a school-centric tablet is the inclusion of the ETX Platform which allows seamless integration with a school’s existing learning management system, Student Information System, LDAP, etc.  Further, the ETX-Mobile Edition features a Web 2.0 Community and an On-Demand Marketplace, and offers a freemium monthly subscription-based “My EduTone Bundle”, a suite of innovative education-specific third-party applications and online digital content.

Over the last 6 months, EduTone has evaluated a number of tablets and has selected Android™ OS based tablets for its ET Persona product line, as Android-based tablets provide more flexibility in customizing the device to meet the requirements of a school-centric environment, and manufacturing costs of such devices are more competitive than other OS platforms.

Important note:  EduTone’s ETX platform is an open and portable software platform and it is both device and Operating System agnostic.  The ETX-Mobile Edition runs on most mobile access devices including the Apple iPad, HP TouchPad, Microsoft Windows 7 based tablets , upcoming windows 8 devices, any laptop or net-book, and many other mobile access devices with pre-installed browsers. Obviously, the ETX-Mobile Edition will also run on most Android-based device, not just the ET Persona. The ETX-Mobile Edition will be offered as a standalone platform available through other hardware manufacturers under an OEM License, and to other end-user organizations who could license it directly from EduTone to embrace a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategy with their students.

Benefits of the ET Persona Tablets

The EduTone School-centric Persona tablets offer significant benefits for school administrators, teachers and students. Specifically:  

• A variety of affordable pricing plans starting at $179 for volume purchases 
• Three different models: 7 inch, 8 inch and 10 inch screen sizes 
• Easy integration with the existing school infrastructure 
• Includes EduTone’s ETX Mobile Edition Platform for provisioning and SSO
• Includes a Web 2.0 community and marketplace for collaboration and commerce
• Pre-installed security, privacy and filtering software
•  Includes subscription to multiple education-specific applications and content 
• Portable solution that can be migrated used with any Android-based device 
• School-branded e-Commerce Portal and co-branded Leather Keyboards/Covers 
•  Includes online training and support (bundled with subscription pricing model)

EduTone Tablet Early Access Program (EAP)

EduTone is pleased to invite schools, end-user organizations, and distribution partners to participate in the upcoming ET Persona Early Access Program! (EAP)

This program offers customers and partners an opportunity to evaluate the new ET Persona tablets and the ETX-Mobile Edition platform prior to making any large volume or long term commitment to this EduTone solution. By participating in this program, customers and partners will have access to early access version of the ETX Platform, 2 evaluation Tablets of different specifications, online training materials, and a live support person to help you get up and running fast.

The Early Access Program will:

• Provide customers with the opportunity to purchase one of the following two ET Persona evaluation kits:
• ET Persona Eval Kit 1 (ETP-EVAL-01): includes one multi-touch 7-inch Tablet (ET Persona 7CH-8) and one multi touch 10-inch Tablet with 2 cameras (ET Persona 10CX-8).
• ET Persona Eval Kit 2 (ETP-EVAL-02): includes one multi touch 8 inch Tablet (ET Persona 8CH-8) and one multi-touch 10 inch Tablet (ET Persona 10CH-8).
• All tablets will be bundled with the ETX-Mobile Edition and will include a free 90-day premium subscription to myEduTone Bundle, a suite of education-specific applications and content.

• Provide customers with the ability to try the ETX-Mobile Edition and customize for their school’s requirements.
• Provide customers an opportunity to get familiar and ready to implement the ET Persona tablets and the associated software when the ET Persona tablets ship in volume.  General availability is expected in Fall 2011.
• Each evaluation kit includes 2 ET Persona Tablets, ETX-Mobile Edition 90-day premium subscription with full access to the web 2.0 Community and Marketplace, 90 day free subscription to My EduTone Bundle (education-specific third-party applications and content services), and unlimited email and phone support for 90 days.

Availability: The ET Persona Early Access Program units will start shipping on June 27th, 2011 and will be limited to qualified customer and partner organizations only.

Cost: $500.00 per evaluation kit or $1,000.00 for both evaluation kits.

Contact information:  info@edutone.com or call us at 1 866 901-8663 x9000

Join The ET Persona Early Access Program