Nokia announces new brand-licensed tablet computer

Nokia announces new brand-licensed tablet computer

Finland's Nokia (NOK1V.HE) announced a brand-licensed tablet computer which runs on Google's (GOOGL.O) Android platform, just six months after the company sold its ailing phones and devices business to Microsoft (MSFT.O) for over $7 billion.
Nokia said the manufacturing, distribution and sales of the N1 tablet will be handled by Taiwan's Foxconn (2354.TW).

Sebastian Nystrom, the head of products at Nokia's Technologies unit, said the company was looking to follow up with more devices in the future.
The tablet, which sports Nokia's own interface, is planned to be in stores in China in the first quarter of next year for an estimated price of $249 before taxes with sales to expand to other markets after that.

After the 5.6 billion-euro deal with Microsoft, Nokia was left with its network equipment and services business plus its smaller HERE mapping and navigation business and Technologies unit, which manages licensing payments on its patents and conducts research and development.
Last week Chief Executive Rajeev Suri said the company was looking into ways to bring its brand back into the consumer market through licensing deals with electronic product makers.

Reuters

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Computers can now describe images using language you'd understand

Computers can now describe images using language you'd understand

Software can now easily spot objects in images, but it can't always describe those objects well; "short man with horse" not only sounds awkward, it doesn't reveal what's really going on. That's where a computer vision breakthrough from Google and Stanford University might come into play. Their system combines two neural networks, one for image recognition and another for natural language processing, to describe a whole scene using phrases. The program needs to be trained with captioned images, but it produces much more intelligible output than you'd get by picking out individual items. Instead of simply noting that there's a motorcycle and a person in a photo, the software can tell that this person is riding a motorcycle down a dirt road. The software is also roughly twice as accurate at labeling previously unseen objects when compared to earlier algorithms, since it's better at recognizing patterns.
The technology has its problems, especially if you don't have a large pool of training images. It frequently makes mistakes, as you can see in the examples above. However, these are still early days. Larger data sets should help with the detection routine's performance, and there are likely to be refinements to the code itself. When it does get significantly better, it could have a tremendous effect on everything ranging from artificial intelligence to search. A robot could tell you exactly what it sees without requiring that you look at a camera to check its findings; alternately, you could search for images using ordinary sentences and get only the results you want. It might be years before you see Google's technique used in the real world, but it's clear that you won't have to deal with stilted, machine-like descriptions for too much longer.

Google Research Blog, Stanford University

By Jon Fingas

Engadget 

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G4 channel shutting down for good this month

G4 channel shutting down for good this month

NBC Universal is putting an end to its G4 cable television network after more than a decade of operation, Nebraska affiliate Great Plains Communications reported earlier this month.
G4 aired gaming-focused television shows like X-Play and Attack of the Show before ceasing its production of original programming in 2012. The channel was to be rebranded as an Esquire network in 2013, but fell back on airing re-runs of older series after conversion plans were abandoned.
Kansas-based cable provider Golden Belt Telephone confirms that G4 will be taken off the air on November 30.
[Image: NBC / G4]Great Plains Communication, GBTA

By Danny Cowan

Joystiq

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Selena Gomez Trying To Make Justin Bieber Jealous?

Getty Images

Selena Gomez and David Henrie recently hung out, reportedly so she could make Justin Bieber jealous! According to Hollywood Life, "The Heart Wants What It Wants" singer is using her former Wizards of Waverly Place costar to make her ex mad.

“Selena could have kept this dinner quiet but she wanted Justin to know about it. She knows Justin is always jealous when she hangs out with David and she knows it gets to him," their source said.

“She went somewhere she knew she’d get photographed and she put a video on Instagram, that was all for Justin. She’s not over him."

Selena has a very complicated relationship, so they probably still have feelings for each other, but we don't think she would use her friend to purposefully make her on-again, off-again boyfriend jealous.

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Taylor Swift Spotted Multiple Times With a Same Handbag

Taylor Swift's new album, "1989," sold nearly 1.3 million copies its first week out.

However, she didn't run out and buy a designer bag to congratulate herself: The singer has been spotted carrying the same $50 purse for weeks this must be her favorite handbag .

Swift, 24, has always been one to try different trends, but one constant in her wardrobe is this bag from Aldo, which seems to be sold out in her chosen shade of Bordeaux, but is still available in black.

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Say Good Bye To Black Heads

Say Good Bye To Black Heads

Black heads look very unpleasant. One needs to be very keen in taking care of black heads before they become more deep and big in size. Regular cleansing helps in taking care of these black heads. A good toner helps reduce pours.

Blackheads, essentially open-air pimples, can appear on any part of your body and be especially frustrating to deal with. If you are looking to remove your blackheads, try some of these successful treatments to clean your skin and stop the formation of  dark spots.

• 
  
• Lemon and Honey: Take half a lemon, and drop two to three drops of honey on it and rub it to effected areas, leave for 5 minutes and then wash it off with cold water. Gently dry with tissue paper and you’ll get amazing results in just 10 minutes.

Honey and Cinnamon: Honey is a natural antibiotic and works to pull out dirt from your open pores. Mix a tablespoon of honey with ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon and use your fingers to dab it onto your dry skin. Rub it in a circular motion for three minutes and then wash off with warm water

• Egg whites mask: Egg whites help to tighten pores and pull out any clogged dirt giving you smooth, clear skin. Remove the yolks from two eggs and smear it into a thin layer over your face. Give it two minutes to dry, and then add the remaining whites in a second layer. Give the complete mask an additional 10-15 minutes to dry, or until the whites are smooth to the touch and your skin feels tight. Use warm water to rinse the whites off your face.

• Turmeric powder and mint leaves: Both spices you likely have in your kitchen cupboard, turmeric and mint help to clean out dirty pores. Create a brew of mint tea and allow it to cool. Then, add two tablespoons of the liquid with a tablespoon of turmeric powder and apply it to your face. Leave it on for ten minutes and then rinse off with warm water.

• Epsom salt and iodine: Epsom salt mixed with iodine form a bacteria-fighting combo perfect for removing blackheads. Mix a tablespoon of epsom salt with hot water and a few drops of iodine. Let this mixture sit, stirring occasionally to dissolve the salt completely into the hot water. Then, use a bit of cotton to dab the solution onto your skin, allowing it to dry onto your face. Then gently rinse the mixture off with clean warm water.

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 Demi Lovato's Spooky Ghost Encounter:

Demi Lovato loves ghost encounters, and frequently tells fans about the ghost she was BFFs with at her home in Texas when she was little. So, it's no surprise that Demi was very excited this weekend when she had a ghostly experience in her London hotel room.

Demi told fans about the spooky encounter

"Both tv's just turned on at the exact same time in my hotel room without touching them. Don't know whether to be scared or SO EXCITED!!!"

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Does Louis Tomlinson Hate Zayn Malik's Facial Hair?

We thought everyone in the universe was a fan of Zayn Malik's facial hair, but apparently his One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson is not impressed with his look.

During a new interview, Zayn joked that his upcoming future plans include: “Hopefully some more facial hair.”

While we'd be totally into that, Louis wasn't having the idea, telling him: “You’ve got loads now, if you get any more it could be crazy.” Hey, Tommo! You've got quite the stubble there yourself!

Zayn actually just shaved off his mustache and beard before meeting Britain's royal family last week, and now we're wondering if Louis' comments had anything to do with that decision!

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Britain says will not block sales of tear gas to Hong Kong

Britain says will not block sales of tear gas to Hong Kong

Britain said on Monday that it had decided not to block the sale of tear gas to Hong Kong, having reviewed its export policy after police there used the gas against pro-democracy protesters in September.
In a written submission to parliament on Monday, Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire said the only current license did not breach rules and would not be revoked. Swire had said in October that a review was likely in light of the Hong Kong clashes.
"The Government has reviewed licenses for tear gas exports to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government ... the Government has decided it will not be revoked on the basis that it does not contravene the consolidated criteria," he said, referring to the rules used to control arms exports.
Swire said the government had not been able to verify pictures purporting to show that some of the canisters used by police in the Chinese-controlled city, a former British colony, had been manufactured by a British firm.
(Reporting by William James and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Reuters

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Battlefield 4 is free to play for a week on PC

Battlefield 4 is free to play for a week on PC

EA is back with another Origin Game Time promotion following that one for Titanfall. Those of you on PC can claim a week of free access to Battlefield 4 -- just add the game to your Origin library before August 14. The clock doesn't start until you launch the title, at which point you'll then have one full week (168 hours) to play as much or as little as you'd like.
This offer includes full access to the single-player campaign (don't feel bad about skipping it) and multiplayer, and any progress you make will be retained should you choose to buy Battlefield 4 afterward. Pretty good way to get your fill without committing.
Tempted to log back in after a long absence. Maybe I'll stand a chance now
Destructoid

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Grave is bringing its strange brand of survival horror to PS4

Grave is bringing its strange brand of survival horror to PS4

Grave, an unsettling desert survival horror game with shrieking boogeymen who stalk you at night, is headed to PlayStation 4 next year. I'm somehow only now hearing about this port.
Broken Window Studios' modest Kickstarter didn't bring in enough money for its PS4 stretch goal back in April but, as noted on the PlayStation Blog, it's coming to the platform anyway. It will join the existing 2015 release plans for Steam (PC/Mac/Linux) and Xbox One.

Destructoid

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Angry Birds Go tops 100 million downloads, adds team multiplayer

Angry Birds Go tops 100 million downloads, adds team multiplayer

To celebrate more than 100 million downloads of its free-to-play avian kart racer Angry Birds Go, the development team at Rovio has added team multiplayer functionality to the game's latest update.
Though Rovio's unveiling is light on details, we know two crucial things. First, the game now supports races that pit teams of three players against one another. Second, unlike the vast majority of features available to players of Angry Birds Go, this new team multiplayer mode is not an in-app purchase, and is actually, legitimately free. Alongside the new team multiplayer mode Rovio has also added night racing to Angry Birds Go, for those who prefer their unrealistic motosports under the cover of darkness.
Beyond the break you'll find footage of the new team multiplayer racing in action. If any of that sparks your interest, you can grab a fully updated copy of Angry Birds Go from Google Play, the iOS App Store or whatever other distribution service your mobile device of choice relies upon.
[Image: Rovio]
Rovio
Joystiq

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