There was a tool to release those latches at the top, but a knife blade will also release them. Pull out the control unit and unplug the cables at either side. You will find a bracket that held the control head, I removed mine by removing the screws at the rear of the bin, working it out and then removing the bracket that is held by two screws. You can push the two cables into the dash and re-install the bin. I also removed the hangup in the arm rest, by removing the screws at the sides pulling the panel up. The carpet can be brushed up and looks pretty good. The hole left in the upper bin can be covered by a piece of velcro (the fuzzy part).
You could put a cup holder in the arm rest bin, something with holes and a couple of posts to support it off the bottom