Laptops
Asus New ROG Strix Scar 17 SE and Flow X16 2-in-1 Laptops Announced
Asus has introduced two new premium laptops, after the relaunch of its ROG Strix and TUF gaming laptops with the newest Intel and AMD components earlier this year. The new ROG Flow X16 and Strix Scar 17 SE (Special Edition) have the newest AMD and Intel processors, as well as RTX GPUs and other features. So, let’s have a look at the specifics.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE: Specifications and Features
At CES earlier this year, Asus unveiled the ROG Strix Scar 17 2022 Edition. In comparison to the previous model, the Strix Scar 17 SE or Special Edition has even more powerful internals and upgraded features.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE
Starting with the design, Asus has always been innovative with the exteriors of their premium laptops, and the Strix Scar 17 SE is no exception. On the top lid, there is a text-based design created by Asus using a spot of special invisible ink. The pattern appears muted in normal lighting, but it shines in a green-blue colour theme when exposed to a blue LED or UV light. The special edition Strix Scar 17 will also come with a little UV torch from Asus. Users can also find a secret message for a mini-game called SCAR Runner by looking at the design closely.
It has a 17.3-inch Full HD 360Hz display or a QHD 240Hz panel when it comes to the display. The Strix Scar 17 is powered by Intel’s latest 12th-Gen Core i9-12950HX processor, which was announced earlier this month for multimedia makers. It has a TDP of 55W and 16 cores and 24 threads, allowing it to give a tremendous performance with up to 175W of power.
Asus has also included a more powerful RTX 3080 Ti GPU, which can now use up to 175W of power when utilising Dynamic Boost, as well as a MUX switch to switch to the discrete GPU and disable the CPU’s integrated graphics processor. Up to 64GB of DDR5 4800 MHz RAM and 4TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage are supported.
Asus had to come up with a new cooling solution for the Strix Scar 17 SE because of all the strong and power-hungry components within. As a result, it collaborated with Thermal Grizzly to develop a unique thermal compound called “Conductonaut Extreme.” This substance is administered to the device’s CPU and GPU to keep them cool during intense tasks. When compared to the regular Thermal Grizzly paste, Asus claims that the new thermal paste can save up to 15 degrees.
Furthermore, the 330W power adapter of the gadget has been revamped by the business to be 34% smaller and 27% lighter than the adapter of the Strix Scar 17 2022 Edition. The laptop’s battery lasts 90 minutes. A Thunderbolt 4 port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack are among the ports. It also has four Dolby Atmos speakers, a backlit keyboard, and other features.
The ROG Strix Scar 17 will run Windows 11 Pro and have Asus software such as the feature-rich Armory Crate software and Asus support. The base model will cost £4,000 (Rs 3,84,250) and will be available in the third quarter of 2022.
Asus ROG Flow X16: Specifications and Features
The ROG Flox X16 is the successor to the ROG Flow X13 from last year, and it has a larger 16-inch screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It’s a 2-in-1 gadget with a 360-degree hinge and a variety of physical modes, including tent mode, tablet mode, and regular laptop form.
Asus ROG Flow X16
Starting with the display, Asus has fitted the new Flow X16 with its ROG Nebula HDR display, which is the company’s name for a Mini-LED panel. It’s a QHD+ panel with a refresh rate of 165Hz and a brightness of 1,100 bits. The panel also offers 512 local dimming zones, a DCI-P3 colour gamut of 100 percent, and is Pantone-validated. Touch and stylus input is also supported. There’s also a 16-inch QHD 165Hz variant with the Mini-LED component and 500-bit brightness support.
The Flow X16 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU. Users can also use Asus’ ROG XG mobile eGPU to boost the device’s graphics performance. There’s also a MUX switch that disables the integrated GPU and shifts all graphics rendering work to the separate GPU.
To keep the Flow X16 cool during intense operations and long-session gaming, Asus has included a new “Frost Force” cooling system with a Thermal Grizzly-made liquid metal thermal compound. Three cooling fans, a big heatsink that runs the length of the laptop, and many heat pipes all work together to keep the heat away from the internal components.
To keep the Flow X16 cool throughout intense activities and lengthy sessions of gaming, Asus has included a new “Frost Force” cooling system with a Thermal Grizzly-made liquid metal thermal compound. Three cooling fans, a big heatsink that runs the length of the laptop, and various heat pipes that direct heat away from the internal components are all included.
The laptop also includes up to 64GB DDR5 4800 MHz RAM, up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage, four Dolby Atmos speakers, a backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and a 90Whr battery. USB Type-C, two USB Type-A, HDMI compatibility, a 3.5mm audio connector, and a microSD card reader are among the I/O ports. It is powered by Windows 11 Pro.
The price and availability of the new ROG Flow X16 have yet to be announced by Asus. We anticipate receiving the equipment by the end of the year.
Read More: Asus has released the ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition featuring a ZenVision display
Apple Creator Studio marks a major step in Apple’s creator ecosystem, uniting industry-leading apps such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage into a single subscription. Alongside these, subscribers gain access to premium content and intelligent features in Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform.
This new offering is designed for a wide range of users, including professional creators, emerging artists, entrepreneurs, students, and educators, all while maintaining Apple’s strong stance on privacy through on-device intelligence.
Smarter and Faster Video Creation with Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad receives several intelligent upgrades that significantly speed up complex workflows. Transcript Search allows editors to locate specific dialogue or soundbites instantly by typing keywords, while Visual Search helps find clips based on objects or actions within footage.
Another major highlight is Beat Detection, which visually maps musical beats and bars directly onto the timeline, making it easier to sync edits with music. iPad users also benefit from the new Montage Maker, an AI-powered tool that automatically assembles dynamic edits, adjusts pacing, and reframes videos for vertical formats, making social media publishing faster than ever.
Advanced Music Creation with Logic Pro and MainStage
Logic Pro for Mac and iPad introduces intelligent tools such as Synth Player and Chord ID. Synth Player acts like a virtual electronic musician, generating realistic synth performances powered by AI, while Chord ID analyzes audio or MIDI recordings to automatically generate chord progressions.
Logic Pro also expands its Sound Library with hundreds of royalty-free loops and samples. iPad users now gain Quick Swipe Comping, a favorite among vocal producers. Additionally, Music Understanding features allow creators to search for sounds using natural language, simplifying the creative process.
With MainStage included, performers can turn their Mac into a live instrument or effects rig, ensuring studio-quality sound on stage.
Pixelmator Pro Arrives on iPad
For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is available on iPad with a touch-optimized interface and full Apple Pencil support. Creators can seamlessly move projects between Mac and iPad while enjoying advanced tools such as smart selections, vector and bitmap masks, Super Resolution, and Auto Crop.
Apple Creator Studio subscribers also gain access to a new Warp tool and premium mockups, enhancing creative flexibility for designers and digital artists.
Enhanced Productivity with Keynote, Pages, and Numbers
Apple Creator Studio adds premium templates, themes, and a new Content Hub filled with high-quality visuals. Intelligent features powered by AI enable image generation, layout cleanup, formula creation in Numbers, and even automatic presentation drafts in Keynote. These enhancements help users work faster without compromising creative control.
Pricing and Availability
Apple Creator Studio launches on January 28 and will be available via the App Store for $12.99 per month or $129 per year, with a one-month free trial. Students and educators can subscribe at a significantly reduced rate, while Family Sharing allows up to six members to access the suite.
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Tech News
Microsoft Lens Discontinued: 5 Powerful Reasons Microsoft Is Shifting Document Scanning to OneDrive
Microsoft Lens Discontinued by Microsoft marks the end of one of the most trusted document scanning apps on Android and iOS. As the company continues consolidating its services under the Microsoft 365 Copilot ecosystem, features once exclusive to Lens are now fully integrated into OneDrive, making the standalone app redundant.
Microsoft Lens is officially being retired, marking the end of one of Microsoft’s most popular document-scanning apps on Android and iOS. As Microsoft continues to streamline its ecosystem under the Microsoft 365 Copilot umbrella, the company is consolidating overlapping features into fewer, more powerful apps — and unfortunately, Lens didn’t cut.
According to Microsoft, the Microsoft Lens app will stop being supported on Android and iOS starting January 9, 2026. Users will be able to scan documents until March 9, 2026, after which new scans will no longer be possible. Existing scans will remain accessible as long as the app stays installed on the device.
Microsoft Lens Discontinued: Why Microsoft Is Shutting Down the App
The main reason behind this move is feature consolidation. Microsoft has already integrated document scanning into Microsoft OneDrive, eliminating the need for a separate scanning app. By focusing on OneDrive, Microsoft can deliver scanning, storage, editing, and sharing tools in one unified experience.
Despite Lens boasting an impressive 4.8-star rating, Microsoft believes OneDrive is better positioned to handle both productivity and security needs moving forward.
OneDrive’s Advantages Over Google Drive
Microsoft OneDrive has steadily evolved into a full-fledged productivity hub. It offers password-protected and expiry-based sharing links, a feature still missing from Google Drive. Users can also store sensitive documents in Personal Vault, which adds an extra layer of encryption and biometric protection.
When it comes to PDFs, OneDrive stands out with advanced editing tools such as page management, annotations, text insertion, and built-in document signing. Android users also benefit from biometric app locking, ensuring files remain private even if the device is shared.
What Lens Users Should Do Now
If you’ve relied on Microsoft Lens for scanning receipts, documents, or notes, now is the time to transition. OneDrive already offers similar — and in many cases superior — functionality, with better integration across Microsoft 365 and Windows devices.
As Microsoft continues to prioritize AI-powered productivity through Copilot, OneDrive is clearly positioned as the company’s all-in-one document and file management solution.
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Gmail AI Inbox is taking center stage as Google introduces a new wave of artificial intelligence features designed to make email management faster, smarter, and more personalized. With a redesigned AI-powered Inbox, AI Overviews in search, and a built-in proofreading tool, Google aims to reduce inbox clutter and help users focus on what truly matters.
What Is the New Gmail AI Inbox?
The newly announced AI Inbox in Gmail introduces a dedicated tab that provides a summarized view of important information. It is divided into two key sections: Suggested to-dos and Topics to catch up on.
Google is initially rolling out this feature to trusted testers, with a wider release planned in the coming months.
AI Overviews in Gmail Search
Gmail search is also getting smarter with AI Overviews. Instead of digging through emails manually, users can now ask natural language questions like “Who sent me a renovation quote last year?” Gmail then scans the inbox and presents a concise answer at the top, pulling relevant details directly from emails. This feature is exclusive to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers at launch.
Proofread: Google’s Built-In Writing Assistant
Another major addition is Proofread, a Grammarly-like feature built directly into Gmail. It analyzes drafts to improve clarity, word choice, sentence structure, and tone. With one-click suggestions, it helps users write more professional and error-free emails without relying on third-party tools. Proofread is also rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
AI Features Now Available to All Users
Alongside these premium tools, Google is expanding access to popular AI features like Help Me Write, AI Overviews for threaded emails, and Suggested Replies for all Gmail users. These updates signal Google’s push to make AI a core part of everyday email experiences, while maintaining privacy and user control.
Credit: Google
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