Hasta La Gadget!

Unlocked versions of Samsung’s Galaxy S III in the UK are beginning to receive the Jelly Bean update this morning, in a new OTA update. The firmware for Android 4.1 has already been spotted for carrier-branded versions of the handset, but so far has been missing from unlocked Galaxy S III devices such as those purchased from Samsung’s own stores. That’s all changed this morning, however.

We checked our own unlocked UK Galaxy S III, and found that a new update was indeed available for the phone. Measuring in at a hefty 284.36MB – which means downloading over WiFi is advisable, rather than your cellular data connection – the package can also be acquired through Samsung’s Kies app and loaded via USB.

Among the improvements in Jelly Bean on the Galaxy S III are Google Now, which uses your appointments and location to flag up pertinent snippets of information; more details on alerts in the notifications bar; and new amendments to the camera app that allow video recordings to be paused and resumed. As on the Galaxy Note II, there’s also a new Blocking mode which allows users to pare back what notifications they receive, and from whom.

You can check for the latest firmware for your Galaxy S III by going to “About Device” in the settings and choosing Update. Alternatively, load up Kies and download it there. Vodafone and Three have already begun pushing out their own Galaxy S III Jelly Bean updates, while Samsung says US carriers have their own timetables for the “coming months.”

Jelly Bean for unlocked Galaxy S III goes live in UK is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Panasonic has developed a prototype dry head spa robot, which in the future could be attached to a desk or bath. It uses robot hand technology previously developed for use in their hair washing robot.
“For kneading the scalp while the hair is dry, people use dry head spas. So, we’ve added a robot hand we’d already developed for washing hair, and developed this, as a model for seeing how such therapy might feel.”
To start the dry head spa, you first adjust the head …

If you’ve been counting the days until Medal of Honor Warfighter hits store shelves, the wait is over. At least in North America anyway, gamers in Europe will have to wait until October 26 to get their hands-on Warfighter. The game puts players in the shoes of the most elite soldiers in the world.

EA promises that Warfighter will deliver the only true modern military shooter experience of the year featuring 12 Tier 1 units from 10 different countries. Available fighting units for players to choose from include Polish GROM, German KSK, Canadian JTF-2, and U.S. Navy SEALs among others. The video game is based on the Frostbite 2 game engine promising good graphics.

The game features multiple player modes allowing head-to-head fighting online and a new multiplayer co-op feature called Fireteams. Fireteams are supported in eight real-world maps. The game also features an in-depth single player campaign that allows players to conduct all sorts of missions from rescuing hostages to destroying pirates on the Somali coast.

The video game is available for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. PC gamers can also pick up a copy in stores. EA is also offering a Medal of Honor Warfighter Limited Edition version that includes the Zero Dark Thirty map pack in the US and Europeans will get The Hunt Map Pack at no additional cost. Map packs will also be offered individually for $9.99 each.

Medal of Honor Warfighter now on store shelves in North America is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government and some rebel leaders have agreed to a ceasefire during an upcoming four-day Muslim holiday, the U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria announced Wednesday.

Lakhdar Brahimi told reporters in Cairo that President Bashar Assad’s government has agreed to a truce during the Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins Friday. Brahimi said Damascus will issue a statement on accepting the truce for the holiday later “today or tomorrow.”

Brahimi’s announcement came as government forces intensified airstrikes on rebel-held area near the besieged city of Aleppo. The fighting in Syria has killed more than 34,000 people since March last year, according to activists.

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More on Syria

Analog TV broadcasts have been shut off in the UK, marking the final stages of the digital switchover and freeing up valuable spectrum for further 4G LTE roll-out. The signal broadcast milestone is the culmination of half a decade of handover, with Northern Ireland the last remaining hold-out; transmissions there ceased at midnight local time, the BBC reports, ending 80 years of analog television. However, the potential for high speed data is probably enough to assuage any sadness.

UK carriers have been chomping at the bit to repurpose the swathes of spectrum until now being used for analog TV, with the frequencies ideal for LTE services. That sense of urgency has only increased in recent months, after EE – a combination of carriers T-Mobile UK and Orange – revealed it planned to jump ahead and launch its own LTE service at the end of this month.

EE has hit an unexpected stumbling block with the news of its first LTE tariffs, which the carrier seemed to expect – with the inclusion of free film rentals, cloud backup, and more – would be broadly welcomed by speed-hungry consumers, but which in fact met with disappointment. The tariffs may offer higher speeds and unlimited calls/texts, but in some cases the data allowances are uncompetitive in comparison to rival 3G carriers.

Nonetheless, EE has an advantage in the marketplace and it’s one its competitors aren’t happy with; adding salt to the wound is the fact that the best-selling iPhone 5 is only available in LTE form on EE in the UK. The same is true of the 4G versions of the new iPad with Retina Display 4th-gen and iPad mini, announced yesterday.

Exactly how long it will take to repurpose the analog TV frequencies for LTE is unclear, though Vodafone and others have indicated their services could launch in Spring 2013.

[Image credit Stephen Coles]

Analog TV ceases transmission in UK, freeing up airwaves for juicy LTE is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.