Zayn Malik Wants to Go Solo After Leaving One Direction

Zayn Malik Wants to Go Solo After Leaving One Direction

Zayn Malik wants to go solo after leaving One Direction! In an interview with The Sun, the singer confirmed that he's working on his own music that may be released later this year.

According to the article, he's "[seeking] solace in his music," shutting himself off from the world in a West London recording studio and working on his first release with Naughty Boy. We've known about their collaboration in the past, but we just assumed it was going to be a side project.

The producer has also been posting cryptic tweets since the news broke, teasing that he's working hard on a big project.

While we're obviously happy that we'll get to hear Zayn's gorgeous voice (and high notes!) once again, we're a little shocked that he's launching a solo career.

Of course, it seems like he doesn't want the rigorous schedule that came with being a part of 1D, so he probably won't be trying to replicate their success. It seemed like he was pretty upset after his songs didn't make it onto Four, and he's just looking for a way to get out his music now.

After Zayn Malik left One Direction, fans have been wondering about his relationship with Perrie Edwards. The rumors that he cheated on the Little Mix singer reportedly contributed to his decision to leave the band, but Zerrie lovers can breathe easy because they're still happily together.

"Yeah, she's alright, man. She's a good girl," he said, when asked about their relationship in an interview with The Sun.

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Liam Payne Posts Emotional Response to Zayn Malik Leaving One Direction

Liam Payne Posts Emotional Response to Zayn Malik Leaving One Direction

The One Direction guys all recently broke their silence about Zayn Malik leaving 1D, but Liam Payne just posted a long and heartfelt message about it all.

In the extended post, he explains that this past week has been "some of the worst times" and that he's "deeply saddened" by everything that's transpired.

He wrote,"In light of recent events I think this is important to say. For the past five years now I've been part of something so special I don't think any of us really understand, something that can mean the world to people and put a smile on the face of our fans even in the darkest times."

"To a lot of people it's just a bunch of silly kids in a band but to the people involved it means so much more. This last week has been some of the worst times, possibly the worst it's something we are all deeply saddened by."

"It's sad to think for the time being we won't grace the stage as five bros or have the same fun on a tour bus or laughs in a hotel together that we have over the years but I'm super sure us and zayn will always remain the closest friends. I guess what I'm really trying to say is it's far from over."

"When we very 1st became successful we all agreed that one direction had become much bigger than each individual member that's why I feel right now it's okay to be sad and upset but I do ask everyone who is a fan of us to please keep ur faith in us I'm sure there's a lot more to come all love"

We're so happy that Liam has assured fans that 1D will remain strong, but we feel so bad for the guys – fans aren't the only ones who are extremely upset. Over the past five years, Liam, Niall, Zayn, Harry, and Louis have become like brothers and we're sure it will feel like something's missing for quite some time. But like Liam said, "Please keep [your] faith in us. I'm sure there's a lot more to come."

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Did Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson Cry Over Zayn Malik During One Direction's Last Show?

Did Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson Cry Over Zayn Malik During One Direction's Last Show?

Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were both spotted fighting back tears during One Direction's last performance in Jakarta! This was before Zayn Malik announced the news that he was leaving the group, but fans are speculating that they knew during the show, and were torn up over it.

Both of the guys were photographed getting seriously teary-eyed!

Hazza was even spotted wiping back his tears during "Best Song Ever."

When they were signing off, he also gave a heartfelt message thanking their fans for all their support. (And it'll be enough to bring you to tears to hear that now.)

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Zayn Malik Officially Leaves One Direction

Zayn Malik Officially Leaves One Direction

Zayn Malik has left One Direction! His representatives confirmed the news, and he released an official statement on the band's Facebook page.

He will not be performing the rest of their On the Road Again tour dates, after quitting their Asia tour dates.

"After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction. Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year," their representative said.

Zayn wrote a heartbreaking statement, apologizing to his fans and expressing a desire to leave the limelight.

He said, "My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologize to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart."

"I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world."

One Direction also released an official statement.

The band said, "We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends. The four of us will now continue. We're looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour."

Simon Cowell said, "I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction. Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond — and immensely proud — of him. I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave. As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band."

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5 Seconds of Summer Is Launching a Record Label!

 5 Seconds of Summer Is Launching a Record Label!

5 Seconds of Summer just announced big news — they're launching their own record label, Hi Or Hey Records! Although they've been teasing the project for about a year, they've now officially put it into action.

The name of the label was selected by fans, and apparently stems from one of their early interviews in 2012.

We're definitely curious to see what kind of acts they'll sign first. After all, they got discovered on YouTube, so we're sure they're going to want to pay homage to the site that led to their big break.

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Ariana Grande Cries Over Grandpa Grande During Her Tour

Ariana Grande Cries Over Grandpa Grande During Her Tour

Ariana Grande cried during her New York Madison Square Garden show while performing "My Everything," after dedicating the song to her grandfather. The singer got insanely emotional in the middle of her performance, stopping briefly to hold back tears before continuing

It's such a heartbreaking moment!

We know how much she loves him. Although he passed away last July, she's been missing him a lot in the recent months. She recently posted a conversation with him that was super-emotional, so it seems like that her Grandpa Grande has been in her thoughts a lot lately.

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Google is hoping these offers make you want to buy a Chromecast

Google is hoping these offers make you want to buy a Chromecast

Google isn't just using Chromecast Offers to reward existing users, the company's also loading it freebies in an effort to more households to get one. For instance, if you buy a Chromecast from March 20th to April 19th, you'll get $80 worth of rewards. Namely, 3 months of subscription to Play Music, 1 month of Qello Concerts, 3 months of DramaFever, 3 months of Sesame Street GO and a free movie rental from Play Movies. While Google has reportedly sold over 10 million streaming sticks last year, having more users means getting more leverage when negotiating with content providers. That, in turn, could lead to bigger rewards or exclusive deals similar to Apple TV's HBO Now offering.
Chromecast Offers

Mariella Moon
Engadget 

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Advanced optical fibers could give rise to human-like AI brains

Advanced optical fibers could give rise to human-like AI brains

We haven't built a truly sentient artificial ntelligence system yet, like the Terminator or C-3PO -- you know, the kind of AI that scares Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking. But a team of researchers believe they've at least found the secret to creating human-like artificial brains. More specifically, they've discovered that optical fiber made from chalcogenides can create synapses to latch onto each other, just like what happens in our gray matter. Chalcogenide is a light-sensitive compound typically used to manufacture glass for photocopiers, and it allows the the fibers to process vast amounts of data.
See, while computers these days are becoming increasingly fast and powerful (take Watson, for example), the human brain is still a lot faster and more efficient. The researchers from the University of Southampton and the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore still have to find a way to combine multiple fibers to form an artificial neural network, but it's a start. If you're well-versed in scientific lingo, check out the scientists' paper published in Advanced Optical Materials for more technical details. And if the study scares you, you can follow in Musk's footsteps and support the research program, which aims to ensure that AI systems don't turn into evil masterminds that want to wipe out humanity.
Advance Optical Materials

Mariella Moon

Engadget

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Samsung can put 128GB of storage in your low-cost phone

Samsung can put 128GB of storage in your low-cost phone

Just because you're not splurging on a top-of-the-line smartphone doesn't mean that you have to settle for a tiny amount of storage. Samsung certainly thinks that way -- it just announced a 3-bits-per-cell flash memory chip that promises 128GB of storage in "mass market" (read: more affordable) mobile devices. It's based on the plain eMMC tech you see in most phones instead of the fast UFS format inside the Galaxy S6, but you probably won't complain about the speed when it can still read sequential data at a very respectable 260MB per second. The one catch? There's no word on when it'll be ready, so you may be waiting a while before you're carrying a budget phone with more drive space than some laptops.

[Top image credit: Samsung Tomorrow, Flickr]
Samsung (BusinessWire)

Jon Fingas
Engadget 

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TV-ready game turns your Android phone into a tennis racquet

TV-ready game turns your Android phone into a tennis racquet

Android fans: you no longer have to watch on the sidelines as your friends play TV tennis with their iPhones. Rolocule has released Motion Tennis Cast, an Android version of its free sports game that uses screen mirroring tech (such as Chromecast, Miracast or Samsung's AllShare Cast) to turn your phone into a Wii Sports-like motion controller, with your TV or a Chrome browser tab serving as the screen. You'll largely be lobbing and volleying like you did in the iOS version, although there's a new multiplayer mode that lets you challenge your Facebook and Google+ friends. The real party trick may be coming down the pipeline, however. Rolocule is teasing plans for an Android Wear version, so you'll one day have the option of swinging with your smartwatch.
Google Play

Jon Fingas

Engadget

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Facebook Messenger will now let you send money to friends

Facebook Messenger will now let you send money to friends

We reported on rumors that Facebook was going to add payments to its messaging services back in October of 2014. Today the company made it official, introducing a new feature to Facebook Messenger that lets users send and receive money at no cost. Facebook says the money is sent right away, although it may take one to three days to show up in your bank.
The company, understandably, put a lot of emphasis on the security it built into this system. "We use secure systems that encrypt the connection between you and Facebook as well as your card information when you ask us to store it for you." The company is also building out new teams for in-house security. "These payment systems are kept in a secured environment that is separate from other parts of the Facebook network and that receive additional monitoring and control. A team of anti-fraud specialists monitor for suspicious purchase activity to help keep accounts safe.
Facebook says the first time you use payments, you'll need to add a Mastercard or Visa debit card issued by a US bank. It's not clear yet when the option for credit cards will be added, or when the service will expand internationally.


Ben Popper
The Verge 

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NVIDIA's latest and greatest GPU will cost $999

NVIDIA's latest and greatest GPU will cost $999

While NVIDIA unveiled its latest powerhouse GPU last week, it unveiled more information about the brand new Titan X at its own developer's conference earlier today. For those who squirm at tech speak, look away now, because we're going to indulge in quite a bit of it: The Titan X comes with eight billion transistors, 3,072 CUDA cores, 7 Teraflops worth of single-precision performance plus 0.2 Teraflops of double-precision workloads. It also has 12GB of VRAM, which NVIDIA says is twice the amount of previous graphics cards. What does this mean for you? Well, NVIDIA is promising better gaming performance of course, but Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's CEO, says that the Tegra X also has great potential in scientific applications. A 16-core Intel Xeon would normally take 43 days to process data for a deep neural net analysis, but the Titan X can do it in just 1.5 days, he says. Suffice to say, the Titan X is a monster of a GPU, which might explain its hefty price tag: $999. That's about the same cost as its predecessor, the Titan Black, so we're betting that the cost of that will likely drop some time soon.
NVIDIA

Nicole Lee
Engadget 

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