Asus Teases Uber Skinny Eee PC and Tablet Phone

Asus is planning a big week for Computex 2011.

It’s been a long time since we saw the first Eee PC, and to say the brand has changed a lot would be an understatement. Between all the Eee Slates and Eee Pad Transformers, you'd be forgiven for forgetting about the original Eee PC netbook. However, Asus hasn’t forgotten about the very first Eee PC. In fact, the company is planning a new Eee PC, among other things, and it’ll unveil it next month. 

With Computex Taipei nearly upon us (don't forget, our coverage starts next week), Asus has set about whipping fans into a frenzy about what it plans to announce at the tradeshow. Using its Facebook page as a platform for teasing, the company has been posting images all week and dropping hints about what it will have on hand in Taiwan.

First up is what looks like a tablet with the tagline, “Break the Rules: Pad or Phone?” It definitely looks like a tablet, but another posting points towards three additional photos of the device (on Techinstyle) and asks," “Hmmm tablets with bumps... is it pregnant??" Could we be looking at a phone with a larger, tablet dock? We could see this working if the phone clipped in to the back of the tablet...

Google Preps Chrome For IPv6 Test Day

Google has quietly added an IPv6 band aid for Chrome.

In anticipation of the upcoming World IPv6 Day and the possibility of browsers failing to connect to web servers, Chrome now integrates an IPv4 fallback option.

Google officially added the feature in the most recent stable release of Chrome 11 (version 11.0.696.71), while Canary and Nightly versions of the browser received the update already in versions beginning on May 5. The new feature will prevent a timeout of a loading web page by setting the IPv6 connect time to 300 ms. Google said that a parallel IPv4 connect will kick in at that time and the IPv6 connect will race against IPv4. The first completed connect will be given priority.

Samsung's Explore 3D Service Hits the U.S

amsung last week launched its Explore 3D service for customers in the United Kingdom and promised that a U.S. launch was on the way. Sure enough, here it is.

UK owners of Samsung TV sets have been enjoying 3D video streaming since last Tuesday, and, just seven days later, U.S. users are able to join the party. Samsung yesterday announced the launch of its Explore 3D streaming service in the United States. The service comes via the Explore 3D app, which is available from Sammy’s SmartHub UI, and will offer "dozens of pieces of 3D content" for free. Streaming in HD, the current line up includes movie trailers, music videos, educational content and full-length TV shows from Wealth TV. Samsung says that later in the year it plans to offer users access to paid content, including movies, shorts and documentaries. 

Rumor: Cisco May Consider Selling Linksys

There is a persistent rumor that Cisco has no more use for Linksys and is intending to sell it.

The rumors have become more intense since Cisco shut down the Flip division and finger-wagging analysts offered advice that Cisco should be focusing on its core business and enterprise customers rather than playing in the consumer field.

There is not much money to be made in the consumer networking business these days, but it is unlikely that Cisco will simply shut down Linksys - a company Cisco bought for $500 million in 2003. Linksys' product line has remained largely stagnant over the past few years and not evolved with the market. For example, products such as a NAS, are completely missing from the product portfolio, which make Linksys a rather unattractive acquisition target for traditional consumer networking companies.

Apple Replaces Paper Signs with iPad 2s

Apple has revamped its retail stores and replaced paper signage details specs and pricing with iPads.

If you’ve ever been to an Apple store, you’ll likely be familiar with the setup inside. The store is organised by product, with each having its own dedicated section; the iPods, iPhones, iPads and MacBooks all sit on separate wooden tables around the store. Next to each product is a little piece of paper (protected from wear and tear by plastic casing) that details the specs and pricing of the product. However, your next visit to the Apple store is going to be quite different.