ASUS to unveil a phone-docking tablet at Computex?

We love teasers, but the wait can be unbearable sometimes. Luckily, all it takes is a tweak in the URL to uncover ASUS' upcoming Computex teaser pics ahead of time, as discovered by our eagle-eyed reader Anas. As you might have already figured out, the image on the left -- which just went live -- seems to be just a reminder of the Eee Pad MeMO's June launch, though the words "A Tablet That Jumps Out at You" could also imply a device bearing 3D functionality of some sort. Maybe ASUS managed to upgrade said 7-inch Honeycomb tablet just in time? We shall see.

But the real meat here lies in the remaining image, which is scheduled to close the loop on the "Pad or Phone" teaser campaign this coming Sunday. What's new is merely the intriguing line "How about Both?" below the old text, accompanying the silhouette of what appear to be a large tablet and a smaller phone-like device. Could this mean ASUS is toying with the idea of an Atrix-like docking combo, except the lapdock is instead just a tablet? We could well be stretching here, but hey, ASUS does say it wants to "break the rules," right? Stay tuned as we'll find out more at Computex 2011 next week.



Update: It should be noted that the phone-docking idea we're referring to is not related to the MeMO and MeMic duo -- look at the second pic closely and you'll see that the smaller device has four Android soft keys, whereas the MeMic has different buttons. Check out the close-up after the break.

A close-up of the devices in the second pic:

ASUS (Facebook)

Windows tablet OS preview coming next week?

We've heard an awful lot about a Windows tablet OS this past year, with stirrings of a 2012 launch -- heck, even Steve Ballmer's fanned the flames of speculation -- and now the rumor mill's been set in motion with word of an impending preview expected next week. According to Bloomberg, three sources have confirmed Microsoft's plan to flaunt the much-anticipated UI, possibly at upcoming appearances at AllThingsD and Computex. The showcase is supposedly set to run the touchscreen-enabled software on a Tegra-equipped machine. We'd previously reported on stirrings of a June demo. Considering all the evidence that's stacked up over the past few months, we'd say 2012 is looking like a rather practical target.

Business Insider

Bloomberg

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will ship with Android 3.1 on board, said to be 'a few days away'

Do you like Android 3.1? Do you like tablets slimmer than the iPad 2? You might want to talk to Samsung in that case, because the Galaxy creator has put those two features together on its Galaxy Tab 10.1 product page and has compounded the excitement with a tweet saying the tablet is mere days away. Now, there's a bit of conflicting information here, because Samsung's tweet actually promises Android 3.0, but the Tab 10.1 page clearly lists the harder, better, faster, stronger Android version as the one that comes with the slate. Additionally, our conversations with Samsung at Google I/O earlier this month indicated that the June 8th launch date that we've been taking as gospel until recently is a little shakier now, with a slight delay possibly being caused by the desire to install the latest Honeycomb on board. So maybe the tweet's accurate in saying the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is coming in just a few days, it just depends on your definition of "few."

Update: Another tweet from Samsung's US account has reaffirmed that Android 3.1 will be the OS.

thegadgets.net

Samsung, @SamsungMobileUS (Twitter)

StreakDroid 2.0.0 gives the gift of Gingerbread to Streak hackers

If you've been following along, you know that a phone enthusiast named DJ_Steve has kept the Dell Streak fresh, thanks to a series of hacked ROMs, dubbed StreakDroid. The latest version, 2.0.0 (or GingerStreak, if you're feeling cute) brings Gingerbread to the 5-inch smartphone -- expanding on the last ROM, which gave hackers the option of selecting Gingerbread's app launcher. As always, though, dear Steve has noted a handful of bugs in the ROM's early stages, including issues with the Superuser app, less-than-stellar graphics performance, and the fact that both GPS and 720p video recording require an engineering baseband and DSP to be flashed. As of this writing, all of the comments are from Streak owners eager to download this for themselves. We assume you are, too, so let us know how the new ROM works out for ya.

MoDaCo

ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us 'pad or phone?'

Oh ASUS, what are you up to now? The company that brought us the wildly popular Eee Pad Transformer has another new tablet brewing in its design labs, which we're promised we'll get to witness for the first time at Computex 2011. Until then, we've been provided with a trio of images to pore over and get the guessing games going. The slate device, whose size and software remain unspecified, is said to feature a bump (above left) and a clip (above right), though there are no explanations given about the function of either. You may see both images in their full size after the break, along with a teaser image from ASUS' Facebook page with the slogan "break the rules: pad or phone?" stood in front of a tablet silhouette. That provides plenty of clues for aspiring Sherlocks out there, but little concrete knowledge. Ah well, Computex is just a week away.

Notebook Italia

TechinStyle.tv

Samsung Germany puts cart before horse: Galaxy Tab 10.1 peripherals on sale now

Like what you've seen of Sammy's slim new slate, but aren't so psyched about typing sans tactile feedback? Well, worry no more, as Samsung Germany is showing off some peripherals for the ten-inch Galaxy Tab. There's a €150 ($213) case with an integrated Bluetooth keyboard to give it that Transformer-esqe form factor or an €80 ($114) keyboard dock ("available soon") that should also sate your phalanges' physical desires. Other accoutrement includes USB adapters, protective cases and sleeves, a docking station, and an HDMI adapter for viewing video on screens of all sizes. So now that Samsung's selling some of the sides, we've got one question. Where's our entree?

Tabtech

Samsung Germany

Flyer Friday: Best Buy starts selling HTC's seven-inch slate today

We thought HTC's Flyer wasn't going on sale until May 22nd, but it appears a certain big box retailer has changed its plans. Our tipsters have told us that stores with the device in stock have started selling it today, May 20th, despite the somewhat confusing text you see in the picture above. So, if you're pining for a $500, seven-inch slab of silky smooth Sense 3.0, head on down to the local Best Buy and grab one yourself.

HTC Flyer lands at Best Buy on May 22nd for $500, Magic Pen sold separately

The 16GB-equipped, 7-inch Flyer from HTC is making its way west this week. Best Buy, which gets the honor of exclusively launching the WiFi-only Android tablet in the US, has revealed Sunday as the official first day of availability for the Flyer, at a price of $500. As you'll recall, the stylus that ships in the retail box just about everywhere else will be markedly missing from the Best Buy bundle, costing an extra $80 to those who simply must have it. You'll be able to purchase your Flyer online and at all brick-and-mortar Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores, but if mobile connectivity is more important to you, we'd advise holding out a little while longer for the 3G- and 4G-capable Evo View variety on Sprint.

BGR

Best Buy

Dell Streak Pro Honeycomb tablet pictured, likely to be with us in June

Android Honeycomb OS, 10-inch screen size with 1280 x 800 resolution, and NVIDIA's Tegra 2 (T20) chip on the inside. If those specs sound familiar, it's because most manufacturers already have a tablet just like Dell's upcoming Streak Pro. This slate from Round Rock got us a little hot under the collar recently, when it appeared it would ship with the T25 Tegra 2 silicon -- which runs at 1.2GHz and offers 3D support -- but nope, it's same old, same old from Michael and company. Still, the Streak Pro will apparently come will a brushed aluminum back, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB storage options, dual mics, dual cameras (2 megapixel on the front, 5 megapixel 'round back), and a choice of four colors: blue, pink, black, and red. If that's not enough customization for you, Dell's also adding its Stage UI atop Android, while support for AT&T's LTE network is also said to be under consideration. You can see some of the new tablet's accessories at the source link below, which also advises us to expect the Streak to go Pro in June, as previously anticipated.

Netbook News, SlashGear

Tweakers.net

Android-powered LG P930 shows up in XML file with 1,280 x 720 display, we think it's a tablet

Typically, when tidbits about unannounced products start to trickle out, we begin our inquiry with general truths -- say, "this is a smartphone" -- and then work our way up to the nitty gritty. In the case of LG's mysterious P930 device, though, our search for clues starts at the opposite end. According to an XML file on the company's website, it's cooking up an Android-powered device with 1,280 x 720 resolution and GPRS / EDGE / HSPDA / HSUPA connectivity. One question this string of code fails to answer: just what is this thing anyway? A smartphone? A tablet? Given the information available, we're inclined to say this will be a slab, joining the inaugural G-Slate. It's not that handsets with 1,280 x 720 resolution are out of the question, but we do notice that the file mentions 15 x 13 character size. When you compare that to devices such as the HTC Sensation 4G, which has a 25 x 21 char size, you'd imagine this mystery device has a lower pixel density than a phone with the same resolution. Until LG comes clean, of course, your guess is as good as ours.

Unwired View

LG

Toshiba Write-Erasable Input Display hands-on at SID 2011 (video)

Sure, we've seen oodles of light pen drawing boards, and e-readers that support doodling, but Toshiba's "R&D project" at SID Display Week just... struck us. Weighing far less than the notepad used to jot down notes about it, this encapsulated device evidently sports a built-in battery, E Ink tendencies, a microSD card slot, proprietary charging port, an on / off toggle switch and support for stylus input. Drawing on it was both enjoyable and simple, and we were actually able to erase our typos with the press of a button (and a bit of eraser work with the pictured pen). Enough chatter -- have a look yourself in the video past the break.

Toshiba Write-Erasable Input Display hands-on at SID 2011

Cisco Cius on AT&T: crystal clear corporate communication coming this fall

Cisco's Cius hopped on Big Red's bandwagon a few months back, and now it's bringing its high-def corporate communications skills to AT&T. And not only will Ma Bell be selling the seven-inch slate, its AT&T Foundry division will make business-friendly apps for the device. Don't go bugging the bossman for one just yet, however, as the Cius won't be riding AT&T's waves of 4G HSPA+ until this fall. PR's after the break.

AT&T

Acer postpones Iconia Tab A100 launch to second half of the year

Looks like Acer's 7-inch Iconia Tab A100 has opted for a fashionably late entrance. We've just been informed by the company that its Honeycomb-sporting, Tegra 2-powered slate will not be arriving, as had been expected, right around now, but will in fact make its debut in the second half of 2011. No reasons have been given for the move, other than to say that the device has been postponed. The thing that prompted us to query Acer's PR team was a report out of Poland suggesting the A100 had been cancelled. Acer's UK reps are adamant that's not been the case, but anyone who was looking forward to grabbing one soon will be disappointed either way.

HTC Puccini touted as a 10-inch LTE tablet with 1.5GHz processor, Honeycomb flavor

Hey look, the Flyer just got itself a bigger brother. A 10-inch tablet codenamed the HTC Puccini has been revealed by our old buddy 911sniper (who has a habit of finding and leaking HTC ROMs), living up to a longstanding rumor that places two 10-inch Android slates on HTC's roadmap for this summer. It's said to pack LTE for Cingular (AT&T) in the US and to be built atop Android 3.0.1. A 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8660 offers plenty of processing power within and screen resolution should match the 10-inch pack with 1280 x 800 pixels. Gazing at the above screenshot reveals a UI very similar to the Flyer's Sense 3.0 look, including the Notes app being in a prime position, which could very well mean Magic Pen compatibility will also be part of the Puccini's arsenal. You'll know more about this as soon as we do.

SlashGear

911sniper

BlackBerry PlayBook coming to the UK on June 16th, 16GB model costs £400

Brits eager for a taste of the first 7-inch BlackBerry device have just under a month of anticipation left to go. UK retailers have today revealed the date and prices at which they'll be selling RIM's PlayBook: depending on how much integrated storage you want, you'll have to pay up £400 (16GB), £480 (32GB), or £560 (64GB) for your slate, starting from June 16th. Aside from the gigabytes, you'll be getting the gigahertz too, with a dual-core 1,000MHz TI OMAP4430 processor keeping the PlayBook's insides warm and its outsides responsive. Availability will be widespread, with Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4u, Insight, and Best Buy UK having already announced they'll be stocking the tablet. You can even hit up the source links now and lay down some cash to secure your pre-order.

Carphone Warehouse, Insight

Brainchild Kineo joins Kindle, iPad in digital reformation; ships to schools in ten states

Watch out, parents -- if you live in one of a handful of states, your prodigious student-of-the-month may be bringing home something a bit heftier than a tacky bumper sticker. We're looking at the Brainchild Kineo, a 7-inch, 800MHz Android tablet, locked down for education-only use. No unauthorized web browsing, no personal email, and no Angry Birds. Running a specialized version of Eclair, the Kineo allows educators to limit student access to curriculum related apps, websites, or features exclusively -- negating the tablet's potential of becoming more distraction than learning tool. Paired with Brainchild's standards-based Acheiver software, the Kineo may actually have a chance of academic success (sorry Kindle). The first 5000 units are making their way to select districts in Texas, California, Tennessee, and a smattering of other states; hit the break for full PR and a video of the tablet in action.

Brainchild

NVIDIA CEO disappointed by Android tablet sales, blames pricing and poor app selection

It won't have escaped your attention that just about every Honeycomb tablet shipping in the first half of this year features, or will feature, NVIDIA's Tegra 2 hardware. Unfortunately for NVIDIA, reception for the Android 3.0 slates has been a little underwhelming, and the company's Chief Eloquence Officer, Jen-Hsun Huang, has had a few words to say about it. He sees the relative paucity of tablet-optimized Android apps as a weakness, while also expressing the belief that cheaper WiFi-only models should've been the standard shipping config rather than fully fledged 3G / 4G variants as Motorola has been pushing with the Xoom. All in all, his is a very sane and accurate analysis, but Mr. Huang loves to look to the future as much as he enjoys talking about the present, and in his opinion all these major downsides have already been "largely addressed" by "a new wave" of Android tablets. He doesn't specify the devices that constitute said wave, but his emphasis on thinness and lightness leads us to believe he's talking up Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9 models. Hit the source links to read more from the bronzed stallion in charge of NVIDIA.

CNET, ZDNet