Official Android 4.0.4 ICS Update For Galaxy Tab 10.1 Rolling Out Now

Apple and Samsung may be currently locked in a rather ugly trial centered around various alleged patent and design infringements, but that doesn’t mean the owners of either company’s products needs to needlessly suffer. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is one of the products that finds itself right in the middle of the ongoing dispute between the two technology giants, but even in the midst of all the legal wrangling, it still manages to find itself receiving a nice new software update which brings new and improved Android features.

If you are the proud – or even possibly ashamed – owner of a Galaxy Tab 10.1 then you might find yourself receiving an imminent notification advising that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is available for immediate download. We understand that this software update is only currently rolling out to United Kingdom based Galaxy owners, and at present, we aren’t entirely sure if users in other territories can expect to see similar updates in the near future. As part of the firmware update, the device will prompt the user to download and install a 237MB file to enable all of that Ice Cream Sandwich goodness.

Any notification of the availability of a new Android version is always good news for device owners, especially when you consider the insane fragmentation with Google’s mobile operating system. But it is also an update that might be classified as bitter-sweet for some users given the fact that devices like the Nexus 7 have access to the new and highly praised Jelly Bean version of the software. An update is great, but an update to what is already an out of date operating system is not so great in our opinion.

It isn’t just the 10.1 that is receiving the Ice Cream Sandwich love. Owners of Samsung’s 7.0, 7.7 and 8.9 tablets are also expected to be receiving the update notifications, allowing the firmware files to be download and updated over the air on the device itself, or alternatively through the use of the Samsung Kies software. One piece of good news about the update is that it is actually the latest version of ICS, Android 4.0.4, that is being pushed out to the Galaxy Tab lineup and will hopefully bring enough new features and improvements to keep users happy.

With all eyes currently focusing on Samsung and Apple for perhaps the wrong reasons, it’s nice to see some of those Galaxy Tab loving customers getting an update that will attempt to bring some additional battery life and improved processing speed, as well as giving them access to the new interface that lives within Ice Cream Sandwich. If you haven’t received the update on your UK device yet, worry not as the update process is gradual. (Redmondpie.com)

Trashcan Anticipates Where You’ll Toss Trash, Moves to Catch

The Smart Trashbox is a trashcan on wheels that can catch what you throw away, ensuring your screwed-up paper and empty beer cans don’t end up on the floor.

Created by Japanese modder FRP, it uses Kinect sensors to monitor and track the trash as it is thrown, calculates its trajectory and moves underneath using its motorized wheel base to catch it. You can check out more details and see the trashcan in action in the video. (Mashable & Youtube)

Rumor: New iPod Touch to Feature Bigger Screen

The new iPod touch, due to be released this fall, will feature a 4-inch screen, just like the upcoming next-generation iPhone, Japanese blog Macotakara reports.

The new device will also sport the A5 processor — the same one that iPhone 4S has — and a case with an aluminum back that’s similar to the iPad’s.

The device will come in white and black, and will also feature a hole on the lower end of its back, whose purpose is unknown.

Of course, though the rumors about it are swirling about, not even the 4-inch new iPhone has been officially confirmed, so take this report with a grain of salt.

Source: Mashable

Kissenger: virtual lips for long-distance lovers

SINGAPORE—Finding it hard to keep up the passion in a long-distance relationship? Help might be on the way.

A robotics professor in Singapore has invented a gadget equipped with motion-sensitive electronic “lips” that allow amorous but absent couples to exchange long-distance smooches via the Internet.

Shaped like a small head with oversize silicone lips, the “Kissenger” — short for Kiss Messenger — was unveiled in June at a scientific conference in Britain and is still being refined for commercial launch.

“It can be used between humans to improve their communication,” its creator Hooman Samani told Agence France-Presse.

Couples just have to connect the devices to computers via USB cables, link up online and start kissing the silicone material to trigger sensors that move the gadget on the other side.

They can stare at each other on screen while exchanging kisses.

“The main issue is to transmit the force and pressure, and also the shape of the lip,” Samani said.

The “special silicone material” chosen for the lips offers “the best sensation and feeling”, said the scientist, who has personally tested the device.

But the Kissenger is not yet ready for the market despite “a lot of offers” from interested parties because there are “ethical issues” that need to be resolved on top of the technical aspects, he said.

“Kissing is very intimate so in order to have a product in market which is going to deal with this sensitive issue we have to do proper studies and investigation on the social point of view, cultural point of view,” he said.

The device is still being refined at a laboratory jointly set up by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Keio University of Japan.

Samani calls his field of study “lovotics” — research into the relationship between robots and humans — and the Kissenger is just one of several devices being developed by his team.

Source: Inquirer.net