Samsung Galaxy Note ICS upgrade pushed to Q2 with added apps

With Q1 fast running out, Samsung has confirmed that its promised Android 4.0 upgrade for the stylus-toting Galaxy Note will now not arrive until sometime in Q2, though it will bundle some new software to sweeten the disappointment. In addition to Ice Cream Sandwich, the so-called Premium Suite upgrade will also include a bundle of new, S-Pen enabled apps, along with a free copy of Angry Birds Space, which released today.

Among the apps is S Note, which Samsung's description makes sound like a digital scrapbooking tool. It can be used to combine notes and sketches with a variety of digital content, and will come with various templates for using the software as a meeting minutes log or as a diary.

Shape Match and Formula Match, meanwhile, will turn hand-drawn shapes into perfect geometric equivalents, along with solving numeric formulas that are hand-written. The apps will also digitally convert hand-sketched tables and grids into presentation-ready equivalents, which could be particularly useful.

Finally there's My Story, for creating personalized digital cards from a combination of notes, video, photos, text and voice.

The delay is frustrating for Galaxy Note owners, but potentially more annoying is the likely inclusion of Samsung's TouchWiz UI rather than the native ICS interface.