Archos has announced the 101 XS tablet, which comes complete with a dual-purpose keyboard/cover, and will soon be upgraded to Android 4.1.

Archos has announced a new tablet, the 101 XS, which will go on sale in the coming months. In addition to a large screen and a dual-core processor, the 101 XS has a keyboard dock reminiscent of both Asus’s Transformer range and Microsoft’s recently revealed Surface slates.

The 101 XS — which at 8mm thick, lives up to the “extra slim” boast that Archos says the XS in its name stands for — has a 10.1-inch touchscreen with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, while inside is a TI OMAP 4470 dual-core chip with a clock speed of 1.5Ghz, and 1GB of RAM.

There’s 16GB of internal memory, but this can be increased by another 64GB using the microSD card slot, plus there’s a 1.3-megapixel forward facing camera, but no rear camera.

Other features include Bluetooth 4.0, a microUSB port and a mini HDMI, Wi-Fi, a wide array of pre-installed apps such as the full version of Office Suite Pro 6 and Angry Birds, plus access to the Google Play store.

So, fairly standard so far, but there are a few points that make the Archos 101 XS stand out in a very crowded space. The first is the Android operating system, which is 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right now, but will become 4.1 Jelly Bean before November this year. Archos has also taken the sensible decision not to cover Android in a custom skin, but to leave it as naked and free as Google intended.

As is the current fashion, the Archos 101 XS will come with a keyboard dock inside the box, but rather than be an extra component to carry around, it clips over the tablet when not in use and acts as protective cover. Called the Coverboard, it uses magnets and a folding stand to secure the tablet in place, and only adds 5mm to the overall thickness when covering the screen.

Archos will put the 101 XS on sale by the end of next month in the UK, then in the USA by November, when it will cost £299 and $399 respectively. With a November release date penciled in for the US, it could arrive with Jelly Bean already installed too.

Perhaps beverages spilling onto keyboards happens all the time in the Logitech office, eventually inspiring one of the company's boffins, staggered by all of the butter-fingered blundering, to come up with a new accessory – the washable keyboard.

Up until now, spilling a soda or a coffee onto a keyboard usually meant one thing and one thing only: a trip to the computer store. But not any more.

Logitech’s latest addition to the computer accessory market means the next time you give your keyboard a soaking, all is not lost. You see, the  company has just unveiled the K310 Washable Keyboard. That’s right, you can run it under the tap, or even submerge it in water. Dirty, damaged keyboards may finally be a thing of the past.

The K310 Washable Keyboard incorporates laser-printed, UV-coated character keys, meaning you’ll have no worries about the letters disappearing after numerous washes.

The keyboard even has drainage holes, helping it to dry in good time so you can return to your computer with your next drink, all ready to spill.

For the perfect wash, Logitech recommends you use a mild soap and soft cloth. It can, if you’re struggling with a really stubborn stain, go into warm water up to 30cm (11 inches) deep. The website warns against putting it in the dishwasher, which means a washing machine is definitely out of the question.

Logitech’s forever-clean keyboard – perfect for mucky eaters and messy drinkers – will be available in the US from the end of this month for $40, before going global in October.

Parents in the UK, prepare to be badgered by your little ones – Finnish game maker Rovio is days away from opening its first Angry Birds theme park there.

Of course, there will be those who are absolutely fed up to the back teeth with Angry Birds. Among them may be the early adopters who’ve since grown weary of the bird-slinging game, or those who were suspicious from the start, steadfastly refusing to become one of the many many millions of people who’ve downloaded the game onto their mobile devices and continue to enjoy spending countless hours battling with egg-stealing green pigs.

Among those many millions are, for sure, a huge number of kids, drawn in by the cutesy graphics and simple game play. These same children – at least the ones living in the UK – will likely be impatiently tapping their parents on the back the moment they discover the country’s first ever Angry Birds theme park is about to open.

Located in Nottinghamshire, England, the new activity park forms part of Sundown Adventureland, a popular day-out destination for families in the area.

According to the designer of the new attraction, there’ll be themed swings and roundabouts, as well as several climbing towers. Of course, there’ll be a giant sling too, though hopefully someone will be on hand to stop over-excited kids catapulting their friends into the North Sea. There’s also talk of themed rides being introduced at some stage.

Paul Tomlinson, park manager at Sundown, said he was delighted to be hosting the UK’s first Angry Birds attraction “as the brand is so well known throughout the world.”

Of course, this isn’t the first Angry Birds-based theme park to open – there’s already one in China (albeit unauthorized), and another in Finland, where Rovio, the company behind the game, is located.

Rovio’s CEO, Peter Vesterbacka, told Reuters earlier this year that the Angry Birds attractions – of which there are plans for many more – will resemble small adventure playgrounds rather than full-on Disneyland-style affairs. “We can’t afford to invest billions into theme parks,” he said. “We are a tiny company from a tiny country.”

[via the Guardian]