Intel pulled up the curtains on a little surprise at 2008 Computex technology show in Taipei, and the shocking revelation is geared for taking connected gaming to the next level. Using Intel-powered PCs, they've demonstrated that mobile phones could play video, audio, and relay game control messages via streams on a new build of StreamMyGame software. More details revealed at the full story.

Taipei, Taiwan is home to Computex, the second largest computer show in the world, and the South China Sea island is responsible for the biggest chunk of laptop manufacture in the world. At the show, the theme, as far as manufacturers are concerned, seemed to be "smaller and cheaper."

Laptop makers are in search of the next big thing that will take the mass of consumers by storm. Most of them are in the same page as far as the core model is concerned. Designs presented in the show were sleeker and more low-cost, with the smallest units measuring only seven inches across and weighing in at about two pounds each. The most low-cost units were available for only about US$ 200.

The idea, manufacturers say, is to come up with something that has sufficient features, is lighter and smaller than a laptop, but is more reliable and versatile than a smartphone. The sleekest models exhibited in the show seemed to be closing in as most of them were small enough to fit in a lady's bag but could still house a full keyboard.

Alvin Kwock, an analyst for JP Morgan comments "computer companies are really boosting their industrial design capabilities to gain more business."

When Microsoft's David Hufford said that the ideal price for a console was a buck below US$ 200, he never thought that one of Taiwan's biggest hardware manufacturing moguls could match that price... on a laptop.

Introduced at the 2007 Computex showcase, the wee (yes pronounced "wii") ASUS EeePC 701 caught the eyes of many a techie not because of its size, but because of its starting price.

The product manager at the ASUS booth also revealed that each laptop would come pre-installed with a flavor of Linux, although the demo product was seen to have performed well with Windows XP. Users still hooked to Microsoft's OS will be given XP driver support, however.

SSD support now expands to 32 GB, while the manager hinted at a possible 3G module that would either be attachable as a dongle or built-in to the final model. A separate version of the "English speaking countries" has been estimated to be available as soon as August, but that remains to be seen. Engadget, however, eyed the demo unit in perfect, near-completion condition and speculates that the ETA could become a near-distinct possibility.

EeePC 701 Specification

• Display： 7 inches
  
• CPU & Chipset: Intel mobile CPU and Intel chipset
• OS: Linux/ Microsoft Windows XP compatible
• Communication: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet; 56K modem
• WLAN: WiFi 802.11b/g
• Graphic: Intel Unified Memory Architecture graphics solution
  
• Memory: 512MB, DDR2-400
• Storage: 4/ 8/ 16GB Flash
• Webcam: 300K-pixel video camera
• Audio: Hi-Definition Audio CODEC; Built-in stereo speaker; Built-in microphone
• Battery Life: 3hrs (4 cells: 5200mAh, 2S2P)
• Dimension & Weight: 22.5 x 16.5 x 2.1~3.5cm, 0.89kg