Cisco Systems is preparing to launch a new line of flip cameras.  Additional details and specs are not yet available. [BusinessInsider]

Cisco has unveiled a new router that will cost $90,000.  The CSR-3 switch will be able to handle high demand for video on 100G networks.  Cisco believes that this router will become their flagship router in the future.  The CRS-3 router has three times the scale of its CRS-1 predecessor. [InformationWeek]

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Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is cutting off a system integrator contract with HP. HP will no longer be a Cisco Certified Channel or Global Service Alliance Partner either. Below is the full statement from the Cisco Blog:
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Quantcast, a website that monitors stats for websites announced earlier this week that they have raised $27.5 million. Cisco Systems is the leader investor in Quantcast. Quantcast competes with Alexa and Compete.com. Quantcast plans to use the funding to expand their advertising platform.

“Quantcast’s approach and technology for delivering high-value, targeted advertising aligns with the needs of Cisco’s customers, from service providers to media companies and ultimately consumers,” stated Cisco SVP and general manager of Media Solutions Group Dan Scheinman. Other investors include Polaris Venture Partners, The Founders Fund, and Revolution Ventures.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) will be acquiring DVN (Digital Video Networks) for $44.5 million. Of that $44.5 million, $17.5 million will be paid up front and the rest of the $27 million will be paid based on sales performance. The deal is expected to close by the first half of 2010. DVN has about 160 million subscribers and the company plans to grow by another 200 million customers in the next 3-5 years. DVN will be rolled into Cisco’s International Cable Unit division.

Earlier today Cisco announced that their first quarter profit dropped 19% because of a drop in sales. However Cisco CEO John Chambers said that there are “strong sequential growth trends” as the economy is recovering. The profit posted was $1.79 billion for the quarter. This is down from $2.2 billion the year before. Cisco has recently partnered with VMware and EMC to sell data center products. Cisco plans to repurchase $10 billion worth of stock.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO?) issued a statement that they will be buying Starent Networks for $35 per share ($2.9 billion total). Starent Networks makes products that allow wireless telecommuncations to control large sums of data being sent to phones and computers.

The Starent deal was worth a 20% premium over the stock closing price on Monday. Starent customers include Verizon, Vodafone, China Telecom, and Sprint Nextel. “We have had a huge explosion in data traffic,” stated Cisco chief strategy officer Ned Hooper. “We expect the market for mobile data to double every year through 2013.” Cisco is also predicting that video data will be about 60% of the data traveling on mobile networks.

Cisco has been on an acquisition binge lately. Two weeks ago Cisco made an offer to buy out videoconferencing company Tandberg for $3 billion and Pure Digital Technologies (maker of Flip video cameras) for $590 million. Cisco has the most amount of cash on hand for acquisitions than any other technology company. Cisco has $35 billion.

Starent is based in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and was founded in 2000. Starent had a 74% revenue rise to about $254.1 million last year. The acquisition deal is expected to be completed by 2010 in the first half.

Debra Chrapaty was the head of the infrastructure business over at Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). According to AllThingsD sources, Chrapaty left the company to join Cisco Systems as the corporate VP of Global Foundation Services. Chrapaty was one of the very few women executives over at Microsoft. She worked at the software giant for 7 years.

When Chrapaty was working at Microsoft she was in charge of Microsoft Live, Cloud and Online Services worldwide. She also managed over 200 Microsoft portals. At Cisco, Chrapaty will be responsible for the collaboration software group.

Chrapaty will be filling in the shoes for Doug Dennerline, who recently left for Salesforce.com. Dennerline now works as the EVP of Sales for the Americas at Salesforce.com.

Chrapaty used to be the CTO of the National Basketball Association. She also worked at Organic, AllBusiness, and E*TRADE.

San Jose, California based manufacturing company Cisco Systems Inc. is investing a large amount of money into SkyLake, a South Korean based private equity investment firm.  So far Cisco has invested $32 million and they plan to invest a total of $2 billion as part of a 5 year strategy in the technology sector for SkyLake.

Some of SkyLake’s recent investments include Viatron Technologies, DASAN Networks (Nokia Siemens subsidiary), and Wemade Entertainment Company.  The investment made by Cisco shows the company’s intentions to globalize.  Cisco has a high interest in creating a higher presence in the Asia-Pacific area.