Encode, the nonprofit organization that co-sponsored Californias ill-fated SB 1047 AI safety legislation, has requested permission to file an amicus brief in support of Elon Musks injunction to halt OpenAIs transition to a for-profit company.In a proposed brief submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Friday afternoon, counsel for Encode said that OpenAIs conversion to a for-profit would undermine the firms mission to develop and deploy transformative technology in a way that is safe and beneficial to the public.OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, claim to be developing society-transforming technology, and those claims should be taken seriously, the brief read. If the world truly is at the cusp of a new age of artificial general intelligence (AGI), then the public has a profound interest in having that technology controlled by a public charity legally bound to prioritize safety and the public benefit rather than an organization focused on generating financial returns for a few privileged investors.In a statement, Sneha Revanur, Encodes founder and president, accused OpenAI of internalizing the profits [of AI] but externalizing the consequences to all of humanity, and said that [t]he courts must intervene to ensure AI development serves the public interest.Encodes brief has garnered the support of Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer in the AI field and 2024 Nobel Laureate, and UC Berkeley computer science professor and director at the Center for Human-Compatible AI Stuart Russell. OpenAI was founded as an explicitly safety-focused nonprofit and made a variety of safety-related promises in its charter, Hinton said in a press release. It received numerous tax and other benefits from its nonprofit status. Allowing it to tear all of that up when it becomes inconvenient sends a very bad message to other actors in the ecosystem.OpenAI was launched in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab. But as its experiments became increasingly capital-intensive, itcreatedits current structure, taking on outside investments from VCs and companies,includingMicrosoft.Today, OpenAI has a hybrid structure: a for-profit side controlled by a nonprofit with a capped profit share for investors and employees. But in ablog post this morning, the company said it plans to begin transitioning its existing for-profit into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), with ordinary shares of stock and the OpenAI mission as its public benefit interest.OpenAIs nonprofit will remain but will cede control in exchange for shares in the PBC.Musk, an early contributor to the original nonprofit entity,filed suit in November requesting an injunction to halt the proposed change, which has long been in the works. He accused OpenAI of abandoning its original philanthropic mission of making the fruits of its AI research available to all, and of depriving rivals of capital including his AI startup, xAI through anticompetitive means.OpenAI hascalledMusks complaints baseless and simply a case of sour grapes.Facebooks parent company and AI rival, Meta, is also supporting efforts to block OpenAIs conversion. In December, Metasenta letter to California attorney general Rob Bonta, arguing that allowing the shift would have seismic implications for Silicon Valley.Lawyers for Encode said that OpenAIs plans to transfer control of its operations to a PBC would convert an organization bound by law to ensure the safety of advanced AI into one bound by law to balance its consideration of any public benefit against the pecuniary interests of [its] stockholders.Encodes counsel notes in the brief, for example, that OpenAIs nonprofit has committed to stop competing with any value-aligned, safety-conscious project that comes close to building AGI before it does, but that OpenAI as a for-profit would have less (if any) incentive to do so. The brief also points out that the nonprofit OpenAIs board will no longer be able to cancel investors equity if needed for safety once the companys restructuring is completed.OpenAI continues to experience anoutflowofhigh-leveltalentdue in part to concerns that the company is prioritizing commercial products at the expense of safety. One former employee, Miles Brundage, a longtime policy researcher who left OpenAI in October, said in a series of posts on X that he worries about OpenAIs nonprofit becoming a side thing that gives license to the PBC to operate as a normal company without addressing potentially problematic areas.OpenAIs touted fiduciary duty to humanity would evaporate, as Delaware law is clear that the directors of a PBC owe no duty to the public at all, Encodes brief continued. The public interest would be harmed by a safety-focused, mission-constrained nonprofit relinquishing control over something so transformative at any price to a for-profit enterprise with no enforceable commitment to safety.Encode, founded in July 2020 by Revanur, describes itself as a network of volunteers focused on ensuring voices of younger generations are heard in conversations about AIs impacts. Encode has contributed to various pieces of AI state and federal legislation in addition to SB 1047, including the White Houses AI Bill of Rights and President Joe Bidens executive order on AI.Updated December 30, 10:10 a.m. Pacific with statements from Revanur and Hinton. TechCrunch has an AI-focused newsletter! Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.

Apple is allowing anyone to access its Apple TV+ streaming service for free this weekend, from January 3 to 5. The company made the announcement on Monday alongside a short video featuring its most popular TV shows, including Severance, Slow Horses, Shrinking, and more.Its worth noting that this is the first time that Apple has offered something like this. The announcement comes a few days after Apple TV+ began teasing that it was planning to open up its content to non-subscribers.A weekend is enough time to binge-watch some of Apples most popular shows, especially Severance, which is returning for its highly anticipated second season on January 17.Although Apples tweet announcing the promotion says Apple TV+ will be free to stream on January 4 and 5, Apples official press release says it will be available for free from January 3 to 5. By opening up access to its content, Apple is likely hoping that people will explore its TV shows and then eventually sign up for a subscription to keep up with the show or check out the rest of the streaming services library of content. The company says Apple TV+ will be free on any device where Apple TV+ is available, and that all you will need is an Apple ID to access the streaming service.Apple TV+ is priced at $9.99 per month, and allows up to six members of a Family Sharing group to watch content under a single subscription.

Bench, the VC-backed accounting startup that left thousands of customers locked out of their accounts after it suddenly shut down last week, will be acquired by Employer.com for an undisclosed price in a last-minute deal, TechCrunch has exclusively learned.The San Francisco-based HR tech company Employer.com focuses on payroll and onboarding, in contrast to Bench, which specializes in accounting and tax. Employer.coms chief marketing officer Matt Charney told TechCrunch the company will revive Benchs platform and provide instructions for customers to login and obtain their data imminently.Customers will be given the choice to port their data or keep their service under new ownership, Charney told TechCrunch. Benchs previous recommendation to file for a six month extension with the Internal Revenue Service to look for a new bookkeeper is no longer needed if customers decide to stay on, Employer.com confirmed.Benchs website, which is still offline at the time of writing, previously touted more than 35,000 American small business owners on its platform, according to an archived copy. (Post-publication, Employer.com told TechCrunch that Bench has approximately 12,000 customers.) Benchs website currently reads: More information on how to continue your services will be available soon. The startups abrupt shutdown on Friday caused chaos, with customers finding themselves locked out of their accounts right as tax season is set to begin, and emails from TechCrunch to Bench employees bouncing back.TechCrunch confirmed the acquisition with a Bench board member. Neither Bench nor Employer.com would comment on the acquisition price.Employer.com is a new company: Its CEO, Jesse Tinsley announced his acquisition of the domain name in November for about $450,000. Tinsley is behind a host of HR, onboarding, and recruiting-related businesses, including Recruiter.com and BountyJobs. In a post on December 11, Tinsley said that the company is still acquiring companies in the HR space. Employer.com is not VC-backed and is entirely self-funded, Charney told TechCrunch.In a statement announcing the acquisition, Employer.com said Bench customers can expect to continue working with the same expert in-house bookkeepers they know and trust.This acquisition ensures that Bench customers can continue relying on the same high-quality service theyve always received, while also opening the door to future enhancements and capabilities powered by Employer.coms extensive resources, Employer.coms statement said.That may be tricky in practice. Bench employed more than 600 people, according to its website, some of whom posted on LinkedIn after the shutdown notice that they were now looking for work. Bench is now starting to call many but not all of its employees back to work to ensure continuity, Jennifer Bouyoukos, Benchs chief people officer, told TechCrunch.TechCrunch archived Benchs original shutdown notice from December 27 below: A copy of the Bench notice of service closure on December 27, 2024.Image Credits:TechCrunch (screenshot)Topics

Breakdown & ShowreelsIF: Character Breakdown by FramestoreBy Vincent Frei - 30/12/2024 Lets dive back into the magical world of IF! Framestore brings the story to life with an incredible lineup of adorable, intricately designed characters. From their expressive animations to their charming details, these creations will steal your heart!WANT TO KNOW MORE?Framestore: Dedicated page about IF on Framestore website.Chris Lawrence & Arslan Elver: Heres my interview of Chris Lawrence (Production VFX Supervisor) & Arslan Elver (Animation Supervisor) at Framestore. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2024

Want More?VDB SimulationsIf you want tons of fire and smoke simulations, but dont want to spend all of the time rendering them procedurally, check out our VDB packs. We did all of the simulating, and you will receive a file that you can drag-and-drop into your project. Theyre much faster to use, much more detailed, and the results are incredible. We have almost 2,000 of them in our store, so check them out!

Perhaps one of the most resounding and uplifting images of U.S. politicians these past tumultuous years has been that of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Even well into his nineties, he banged a hammer, getting up on roofs, building houses, all while wearing blue dungarees like Bruce Springsteen. Carter was a longtime volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and a dogged environmentalist which did much set the country straight toward a green future. Carter died this weekend at age 100. News of the former presidents death was confirmed by The Carter Center. The 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate passed at his home surrounded by family in Plains, Georgia, making him the longest-living U.S. president.My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love, Chip Carter, the presidents son, said in a statement. My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.Carter volunteered for Habitat for Humanity well into his nineties. (Courtesy Habitat for Humanity)James Earl Carter Jr. was born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia. In 1946, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He married his wife, Rosalynn Smith, that same year.In 1953, Carter left the U.S. Navy to manage his fathers peanut farm. In 1963, he successfully ran for a Georgia State Senate seat. Carter operated the peanut farm while serving in the state senate. He subsequently served as Governor of Georgia between 1971 and 1975. Carter was elected U.S. President in 1977. In 1978, under Carters tutelage, Congress authorized the Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978. This legislation granted time and resources for scientists to explore solar irradiance (sunlight) as an alternative to fossil fuels.Leading the ChargeCarter said he wanted to harness the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil. That same year, May 3 forever became Sun Day. Carter didnt mince any words when he said his goal was to wage the moral equivalent of war on the energy crisis at hand. This pioneering investment was made famous when, in 1979, Carter had 32 photovoltaic panels installed on the West Wings roof. These same photovoltaic panels however were famously taken down by his successor, Ronald Reagan, after moving in. (Ironically, George H. W. Bush reinstalled solar panels at the White House in 2003 to help heat the pool, albeit quietly, and then Barack Obama added more to the roof in 2013.)The Carter Presidential Center was built in 1986 and designed by Henri Vatable Jova, Stanley Daniels, and John Busby, reputable Atlanta architects. (Nicolas Henderson/Flickr/CC BY 2.0)While in office, Carter ensured that more than a dozen new parks were added to the National Park Services purview. Carter placed special emphasis on nature reserves in Alaska, where oil tycoons sought to plunder. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was approved, putting much land in Alaska under public management.Habitat for Humanity WorkCarter lost to Reagan in 1981. After, The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project was founded in 1984 as an offshoot of Habitat for Humanity. That program started in Georgia as a one-off, but eventually spread out into 15 countries around the world, becoming an annual affair. The program ultimately built and renovated 4,390 homes. Its gathered more than 104,000 volunteers.We are deeply saddened by President Carters passing, and our prayers are with the Carter family, Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, said in a statement. President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia more than 40 years ago, and soon brought worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing. Reckford continued: We are grateful for the incredible impact the Carters have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example. The Carters put Habitat for Humanity on the map, and their legacy lives on in every family we serve around the world.In the early 1980s, construction started on the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. A local firm ran by Henri Vatable Jova, Stanley Daniels, and John Busby designed the building together with Hawaii-based Lawton, Umemura, Yamamoto. In 1986, the same year the Carter Presidential Center completed, Reagan shut down research into renewable energy. Reagan also prohibited tax breaks for property owners who installed photovoltaic panels and wind turbines. These measures were praised by The Heritage Foundation, but critics argued Reagans antics put the U.S. back on track to be fully dependent on foreign countries for dirty, nonrenewable energy.Peace and PoliticsCarter stayed politically activethroughout the 1990s.In 2002, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. The committee bestowed the award upon Carter for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter (Courtesy Habitat for Humanity)In 2006, Carter strayed away from his contemporaries in U.S. politics when he used the word Apartheid to describe the situation in Israel and Palestine when speaking to Charlie Rose.Critics like Rashid Khalidi argued however in his book The 100 Years War on Palestine (which President Biden was recently seen brandishing) that the 1978 Camp David Accordswhich Carter helped broker between Israel and Egyptdid much to destabilize the Levant, and ultimately hurt Palestinians.Carter spent much of his nineties volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, and continuing to advise global leaders. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on November 19, 2023.Today, Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

STAR/BUTTERWORTH. Photo by Ronaldas Buozis. All images courtesy of the artist, shared with permissionBeams of Light Lance Monumental Architecture in Jun Ongs Astral InstallationsDecember 30, 2024ArtDesignKate MothesIn artist Jun Ongs luminous installations, rays of light pierce through concrete, stone, and steel. In his ongoing Stars series features LED strips that intersect with the human-built environment in monumental, illuminated geometries.Ongs latest piece, HALO, relies on an existing architectural structure to provide a site-specific framework. Beams of light appear to permeate stone and concrete, simultaneously contained by the buildings yet impervious to their solidity.HALO. Photo by YueJin Art MuseumExploring themes of time and space, HALO radiates from within the Xiu De Bai Pavilion, a former Buddhist temple in Yan Shui, Tainan, Taiwan. Built in 1919, the temple has history tracing back to the Qing dynasty and was pivotal in supporting the community, Ong says.Light in Buddhism is an important metaphor for enlightenmentthe awakening or the understanding of truth, says a statement from YueJin Art Museum. Just as Buddha, in addition to sacred figures in other religions, is often portrayed with a bright aura or halo around the head or body, Ong envisions the burst of light as a means of illuminating our surroundings and our past.HALO builds upon a work titled STAR/BUTTERWORTH, which he installed in Penang, Malaysia, in 2015. The artist was inspired by the idiosyncratic designs of Buckminster Fuller, like his geodesic domes, and M.C. Eschers optical illusions. He says, Using only two materialstensile steel cables and LED stripsI manipulated light and architecture to create a colossal object that seemingly burst out of the building like a glitch in time.Detail of HALOFor HALO, Ong created a starburst form that can also be interpreted as a ring of light, reimagining a 2022 piece called STAR/KL, which he installed in brutalist interior in Kuala Lumpur. I hope that the Star series continues to emerge across different cities and cultures and possibly also in interesting terrains, like caves, the desert, or even forests, Ong says.Commissioned byfor the 2024 Yuejin Art Museum Festival, HALO remains on view through February 16. If youre in The Netherlands, you can also see Ongs piece POLARIS on view as part of the Amsterdam Light Festival through January 19. Find more on the artists website and Instagram.Detail of STAR/BUTTERWORTH. Photo by Ronaldas BuozisPOLARISDetail of HALOHALO. Photo by YueJin Art MuseumPOLARIS. Photo by Merce WouthuysenDetail of STAR/BUTTERWORTH. Photo by Ronaldas BuozisDetail of HALO. Photo by YueJin Art MuseumNext article

ZDNET's key takeaways The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is available now for $50 on Amazon. It's a solid fitness tracker with great battery life that covers the basics in a slim form factor. It might not fit everyone, and the entry-level tracking data lacks the deep, personalized insights you'll find on more expensive devices. View now at Amazon If you want all the features of a smartwatch but can't commit to a big, bulky watch face, you might be interested in a smart band. Xiaomi's ninth-generation popular fitness band has so many new features that it's basically on par with any full-fledged smartwatch, just in a smaller, lighter form factor.The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 features a compact design with a slim watch face and a bright, 1.62-inch AMOLED display that's packed with almost all the health-tracking features you'd find on any other smartwatch, with fantastic battery life to boot.Also: One of my favorite Android smartwatches isn't from Google or OnePlus (and it's on sale)In fact, Xiaomi advertises this device as having up to 21 days of battery life on a single charge, although this number goes down based on how many metrics you monitor at once. That said, the battery life is still pretty fantastic, and even with everything turned on, I was able to get a little over a week of constant monitoring without having to charge it. details View at Amazon So how does the Smart Band 9 differ from a smartwatch? Well, the lines are a little blurred. Basically, it can do all the basic things any smartwatch can do but without the quality-of-life features found on higher-end smartwatches and without deeper, more personalized data insights. Xiaomi does have a line of smartwatches, after all, and naturally, there is some delineation between the feature sets.The Smart Band 9 has the basics covered, though. It's accurate at tracking most physical activities and comes with over 150+ sports modes, heart rate and blood oxygen tracking, stress tracking, and, of course, sleep tracking. Additionally, it pairs with your phone to support the most useful connectivity features, such as notifications for emails, texts, calls, etc. It does not have GPS, however, nor does it feature a mic or a speaker. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETThe device also requires some manual tuning that other, more premium devices would probably recognize automatically. By default, many of the continuous monitoring features are switched off, and to get the most out of the device, you'll need to manually turn on the features you want.The band coordinates with the Mi Fitness app for Android or iOS for the complete experience. The app is straightforward enough to cover the basics but isn't overly comprehensive. All the previously mentioned tracking metrics are accessible in the app, which is clean and easy to navigate.Also:How to buy Casio's tiny digital watch for your finger in the USThe Smart Band 9 uses the Mi Fitness three-band rainbow design as its core daily tracking system. It shows your calories burned, steps taken, and daily movement. As you do all three of those things, the bands fill, marking your progress. This concept is used by all manner of wearables, but this one features one of the cleaner designs I've seen.In fact, Mi Fitness is one of the more accessible apps for folks who aren't well-versed in fitness tracking lingo or are new to the game. It does a good job of spacing out the data so as not to bombard you with numbers and metrics. For that reason, this would also make a great tracker for kids or teens.Xiaomi says that the Smart Band 9 features a tracking sensor that is 16% more accurate than the previous version. Still, its accuracy sometimes strayed for me, particularly with the more complex metrics. For example, it doesn't seem to catch when I wake up at night, even if I get out of bed.Nevertheless, the sleep tracking is about on par with other smartwatches, providing a breakdown of how long you were in each sleep stage, as well as your average heart rate, blood oxygen level, and breathing rate (as long as you turn those features on). Its lightweight and thin form factor also makes it very easy to sleep with, so if wearing a chunky watch to bed feels weird to you, this might be a good option.Also:The best Android smartwatches in 2024: Expert tested and reviewedThe Smart Band 9 doesn't have some of the deeper insights that more comprehensive sleep trackers like the Oura ring have, but it will interpret the basics for you and add the data to your overall Vitality Score. This number is the Mi Fitness' holistic health assessment metric that looks at the last seven days' worth of data to provide an overarching score based on your age, weight, and activity level.Xiaomi makes some wearable accessories that connect with its smartwatches and smart bands to provide more accurate data. For example, the Running Clip for the Smart Band 9 is only $12 and clips to your shoe for deeper, more accurate tracking. You just switch the band into running mode to access run cadence, stride length, landing time, landing mode, and more. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETLet's break down some of the things I don't love about the Smart Band 9. First, the fit is not exactly perfect. Because the device is so small, it tends to lose its optimal position on the wrist. There were multiple instances where I looked down, only to see the sensor light flashing on the bottom of the device, indicating it doesn't have skin contact. If you're a lean person or have smaller wrists, the Smart Band 9 might have a little more trouble positioning itself and lose contact from time to time, especially if you're moving around. The way around that is to just wear it very tight to your wrist, which may or may not work for you.Also: This Android smartwatch undercuts what Samsung and Google offer, and I prefer it more tooAlso, the screen is small. Navigating the menus is functional, but if you have big hands or trouble seeing the tiny 1.62-inch display, the Smart Band 9 might be a little too compact. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETWhen I tested it out during a HIIT workout, the transition from moving around to the little display took some getting used to. Similarly, if you're mid-run, it's very difficult to navigate. This is a device you set up before running around.ZDNET's buying adviceThe Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is a great entry-level device that can do almost anything a smartwatch can do, just in a more basic form. If you're looking for accurate, actionable insights across specific metrics, you'll want to invest in a premium smartwatch. Still, the Smart Band 9 and the accompanying Mi Fitness app are well-designed and accessible, great for kids, teens, and folks just starting their fitness journeys.The device itself is small and thin, and because of that, might not fit well on certain people, and the display, while very bright, is about half the size of a smartwatch. Its small size makes it very easy to wear to bed for sleep tracking, and it provides the basic roundup of sleep tracking metrics.If you're looking for a wearable that can do most of the same things but has a proper watch face, check out the Amazfit Bip 5, which is only about $18 more expensive.Featured reviews

Scaling physical qubits reliably is a step forward. Now comes the hard part: actual circuits.

ZDNET's key takeaways The Asus ProArt P16 is available now, starting at $1,900.It pairs powerful hardware with a suite of customizable options designed for creatives.The deep personalization requires engagement from the user, the huge trackpad won't be everyone's cup of tea, and the ultra-glossy display tends to glare. $1,899.99 at Best Buy Asus' ProArt series consists of sleek laptops with high-end hardware for creatives. At the top of the line is the new AMD-powered ProArt P16, which exudes power and performance with a sleek, all-black form factor, giant trackpad with Asus' proprietary DialPad, and brilliant display.I recently had a chance to go hands-on with the ProArt P16 and found it to be a highly capable machine with a lot of raw power, but one that also requires some customization and optimization to get the most out of it. Before I touch on that, let's take a look at the hardware.Also: This Asus laptop is my go-to MacBook alternative - and it's on sale at Best BuyThe ProArt P16 comes with 32GB of memory and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, a 12-core, 24-thread chip with a 50 TOP NPU. This strong core powers the device's creative endeavors, whether video editing, using advanced animation or graphic design programs or simply multitasking with a handful of different apps and dozens of browser tabs. details View at Best Buy One of the best parts of this laptop, however, is its display. The 500-nit, 3840 x 2400 resolution AMOLED touchscreen display delivers a crisp, bright picture and has a glossy, premium coating. Powered by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, it features DLSS 3 (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and support for ray tracing.Although it is certainly capable of delivering a good gaming experience, it's held back a bit by the 60Hz refresh rate, something that is part of the give-and-take of the device's overall feature set. Asus' decision to limit the refresh rate is a little disappointing, but it does keep the price point low and solidifies its intended use case as a creator-first machine.Also: The best laptops for graphic designers: Expert tested and reviewedIn that vein, it comes with a stylus that feels precise and responsive, especially on the smooth, glossy display, which feels like a blank canvas beckoning you to sketch on. The pen on this laptop is good enough for artists and designers to use seriously, as all too often, they're either too laggy or too barebones to justify using. Here, however, it's snappy and responsive and comes with various capabilities that work in tandem with the DialPad to power customizable, single-click actions.I also appreciate that this laptop isnota 2-in-1. Convertible laptops are often forced to switch to tablet mode if you want to use them with a stylus, as pressing on the display in laptop mode pushes it down unless you're supporting it with your hand.The ProArt P16 was designed with this in mind, as the display locks into place at its furthest angle. Instead of folding back from the pressure of the pen, it stays upright with a generous degree of bend. Just keep in mind that pushing back too hard will result in the front of the device lifting off of the desk.Also: This Asus has one of the best OLED displays I've seen, and I've tested hundreds of laptopsThe Asus DialPad is another unique feature that creatives will love to tinker with. If you haven't seen it before, it's a small, raised wheel on the trackpad that can be customized to activate different settings, like changing brush sizes in Photoshop or cutting, pausing, or rewinding in CapCut or Premiere. The DialPad's small physical size makes activating and scrolling through the "wheel" fast and easy, especially for common features. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETMy only gripe about the DialPad was that it took a minute to set up. It came disabled on the laptop out of the box, requiring me to activate it with a specific gesture on the trackpad that isn't obvious unless you look it up (you press the icon in the top right corner of the trackpad, then quickly slide diagonally down toward the middle of the trackpad). As one of this laptop's premiere features, wouldn't it make sense to a) have it work out of the box and/or b) feature an easy setup tutorial?Also: I tested Acer's Swift X Laptop and its performance surprised me in 3 waysOnce it was activated, however, I quickly became a fan. I like how granular you can make the customizations, and it's useful even beyond creative use cases. In fact, I found that some of the most handy cases were in productivity apps and in the browser, enabling quick functions during the workday for frequent actions. Asus/ZDNETThe other Asus programs that come with the laptop have varying degrees of usefulness, not to mention they were rather slow to fire up. Asus' "Muse Tree", for example, took an unexpectedly long time to install and get going. I had a chance to go hands-on with this app previously, and although it's a very cool idea, I'm still on the fence regarding its usefulness.The high-end and satisfying keyboard has absolutely silent keys. Similarly, the trackpad is massive, extending from the keyboard to the edge of the device, and has a velvety matte texture. One downside is that I had some trouble getting it to function at a high capacity in a particularly cold office. If your hands are on the cold side, you might experience some slow responses.Also: One of the best laptops for work travel I've tested isn't a MacBook Air or Lenovo ThinkPadThis could potentially be adjusted with optimization, which is the other big thing I'd like to mention about this laptop. In my experience, Asus laptops across the board respond particularly well to optimization settings. The ProArt P16 is a perfect example of this; different profiles or settings parameters can drastically affect performance, ranging from battery life to speed and responsiveness.This also applies to Windows updates, particularly when it comes to demanding workloads. When I first fired up this laptop, for example, its performance was noticeably worse until I went through the series of Windows updates for the OS, updated drivers, and followed up with the list of updates in the MyAsus app.The P16's performance improved after I took the time to update it, and it was then optimized further once I got used to the DialPad and configured the trackpad and power profiles. Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETAll of this is to say that the ProArt P16, for me, was not a laptop that came ready to go out of the box but rather requires some personalization and attention to get the most out of it. This applies to its rich feature set, but it takes a moment to incorporate it into creative workflows. Ultimately, this is a good thing, as it encourages innovation on the user's part to break out of cloned UIs and workflows that all look the same.Putting a more concrete number to its performance, in our benchmarking tests, the ProArt P16 placed somewhere in between the M3 MacBook Pro and the M4, although it should be noted that it's more on par with the M3 than Apple's latest M4 product. Cinebench 24 MCGeekbench 6.2.2 SCGeekbench 6.2.2 MCApple MacBook Pro with M41,0003,82314,849Apple MacBook Pro with M3 906 3,072 11,623 Asus ProArt P161,0962,90412,787Apple MacBook Pro with M1 Pro8282,21112,482Lastly, let's briefly mention the battery. This is a laptop with a powerful suite of hardware and a 16-inch AMOLED display, so I wasn't expecting much going into my testing. However, I was pleasantly surprised at just how robust the battery is, especially when paying attention to power-saving settings.Also:The best OLED laptops of 2024: Expert tested and reviewedWith normal use and intermittent high-demand tasks, I easily got over 10 hours of battery life. However, with intensive creative tasks and heavy multitasking, you can expect around seven hours before connecting to an outlet.ZDNET's buying adviceIf you're looking for a powerful laptop with solid hardware and a rich, dynamic feature set, I recommend the Asus ProArt P16 as a solid choice for advanced creators who want to challenge the status quo and enjoy tinkering with customization settings to maximize creative output.However, if you're looking for an out-of-the-box creative powerhouse, I recommend the Apple M3 or M4 MacBook Pro. It has all the powerful hardware ready to tackle creative tasks and couldn't possibly be easier to set up. If you like the ProArt P16 but want something a bit more accessible, Asus' ProArt PZ13 is a more compact version at almost half the price.Featured reviews