Month: July 2024
iStat Menus 7.0 Brings Comprehensive Redesign and New Features
Version 7.0 of the popular system monitoring tool iStat Menus is now available, bringing a comprehensive redesign and range of new features.
The redesign of iStat Menus 7.0 includes an updated interface with new menu bar modes, such as stacked labels and values, and new menu bar items, such as the Wi-Fi network name and GPU frames per second. For users of Apple silicon Macs, the update brings frequency monitoring and additional sensor support. Users can now choose from more theme options and menu background colors. Fan speeds can be controlled with greater precision, allowing for gradual ramp-up and complete control over the speed curve.
The time menu has been enhanced with 7-day and 14-day rolling calendar modes, providing users with flexible scheduling options. The combined mode has undergone a major overhaul, allowing any item to be displayed in the menu bar with unique settings and more menu sections available in the dropdown menu.
Weather monitoring has also seen improvements, offering a detailed view of current conditions, hourly forecasts, and weekly overviews. Users can access information such as temperature, wind speed and direction, chance of rain, humidity, UV index, and more, with data available for their current location or almost anywhere in the world.
iStat Menus 7.0 offers more extensive notification capabilities, allowing users to set alerts for a wide range of events related to CPU, GPU, memory, disks, network, sensors, battery, power, and weather. Notifications can be customized to inform users about changes such as public IP updates, internet connection issues, CPU usage spikes, low disk space, and more.
The app also provides detailed CPU information, including usage for individual cores, history graphs, load averages, uptime, and CPU frequency. GPU monitoring covers processor usage, memory, temperature, and frequency. Memory statistics include usage, history, memory pressure, compressed memory, swap, and a list of apps using the most memory.
Disk usage and activity monitoring are also enhanced, showing used space, free space, and disk activity. S.M.A.R.T. status monitoring and detailed per-app disk usage are now available. Network monitoring features include history graphs, current bandwidth usage, a bandwidth breakdown for top apps, detailed connection info, IP addresses, and an internet connectivity indicator.
Battery and power information is extensive, providing detailed current state information and configurable menu items that change based on whether the device is draining, charging, or fully charged. Battery levels for Bluetooth devices like AirPods, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad are also displayed. Real-time sensor listings include temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, current, and power, with customizable fan speed control based on temperature and battery state.
The date and time features are highly customizable, with menu bar clocks, a calendar with upcoming events, and world clocks that include detailed sun and moon information. Each world clock can be given a custom name, making it easier to track time for colleagues or family members in different time zones. Combined mode is particularly useful for laptops, allowing multiple items to be combined into a single menu bar item to save space while still providing access to all relevant information.
iStat Menus 7.0 is available for download with a 14-day free trial, allowing users to explore its new features and enhancements before committing to a purchase. Additionally, it is available via Setapp, a subscription service that offers access to iStat Menus and over 250 other Mac apps for $9.99 per month, with no additional fees or ads.Tag: iStat MenusThis article, “iStat Menus 7.0 Brings Comprehensive Redesign and New Features” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Version 7.0 of the popular system monitoring tool iStat Menus is now available, bringing a comprehensive redesign and range of new features.
The redesign of iStat Menus 7.0 includes an updated interface with new menu bar modes, such as stacked labels and values, and new menu bar items, such as the Wi-Fi network name and GPU frames per second. For users of Apple silicon Macs, the update brings frequency monitoring and additional sensor support. Users can now choose from more theme options and menu background colors. Fan speeds can be controlled with greater precision, allowing for gradual ramp-up and complete control over the speed curve.
The time menu has been enhanced with 7-day and 14-day rolling calendar modes, providing users with flexible scheduling options. The combined mode has undergone a major overhaul, allowing any item to be displayed in the menu bar with unique settings and more menu sections available in the dropdown menu.
Weather monitoring has also seen improvements, offering a detailed view of current conditions, hourly forecasts, and weekly overviews. Users can access information such as temperature, wind speed and direction, chance of rain, humidity, UV index, and more, with data available for their current location or almost anywhere in the world.
iStat Menus 7.0 offers more extensive notification capabilities, allowing users to set alerts for a wide range of events related to CPU, GPU, memory, disks, network, sensors, battery, power, and weather. Notifications can be customized to inform users about changes such as public IP updates, internet connection issues, CPU usage spikes, low disk space, and more.
The app also provides detailed CPU information, including usage for individual cores, history graphs, load averages, uptime, and CPU frequency. GPU monitoring covers processor usage, memory, temperature, and frequency. Memory statistics include usage, history, memory pressure, compressed memory, swap, and a list of apps using the most memory.
Disk usage and activity monitoring are also enhanced, showing used space, free space, and disk activity. S.M.A.R.T. status monitoring and detailed per-app disk usage are now available. Network monitoring features include history graphs, current bandwidth usage, a bandwidth breakdown for top apps, detailed connection info, IP addresses, and an internet connectivity indicator.
Battery and power information is extensive, providing detailed current state information and configurable menu items that change based on whether the device is draining, charging, or fully charged. Battery levels for Bluetooth devices like AirPods, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad are also displayed. Real-time sensor listings include temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, current, and power, with customizable fan speed control based on temperature and battery state.
The date and time features are highly customizable, with menu bar clocks, a calendar with upcoming events, and world clocks that include detailed sun and moon information. Each world clock can be given a custom name, making it easier to track time for colleagues or family members in different time zones. Combined mode is particularly useful for laptops, allowing multiple items to be combined into a single menu bar item to save space while still providing access to all relevant information.
iStat Menus 7.0 is available for download with a 14-day free trial, allowing users to explore its new features and enhancements before committing to a purchase. Additionally, it is available via Setapp, a subscription service that offers access to iStat Menus and over 250 other Mac apps for $9.99 per month, with no additional fees or ads.
This article, “iStat Menus 7.0 Brings Comprehensive Redesign and New Features” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
3 new Apple TV Plus shows I can’t wait to watch in August 2024
Apple TV Plus has three very different but completely compelling shows coming this August.
It’s been a little quiet on the Apple TV Plus front recently, but that’s okay: I’ve been bingeing the first three seasons of Slow Horses for the second time – this time with my eldest who’s loving it just as much as me.
But there are some exciting new shows coming to the streamer in August 2024 that look like strong contenders for our best Apple TV Plus shows list – three in particular are already on my watchlist . From terrifying true-life tales of drug cartels to fictional Floridian madness and heart-wrenching multi-generational drama, these are three shows that look worth staying in for.
Cowboy Cartel (August 9)
Apple TV Plus isn’t as well known for documentaries as it is for drama, but Cowboy Cartel may redress that. It reads like a script for Narcos: Mexico but this documentary tells a true story that’s just as terrifying. The four-part documentary series takes you into the world of the most dangerous of all the drug cartels, how they launder their money and how the FBI found out about it and attempted to take them down. Early word says this is a cut above your average true crime doc not just in terms of production quality and storytelling but in the scale of the story it tells.
Pachinko season 2 (August 23)
I wrote about this the other day after the trailer made my eyes all teary: it’s an epic tale of love and survival and season 2 of Pachinko looks like it’ll be just as gripping and as heart-wrenching as the first. Pachinko tells the story of four generations of a family in Korea and in Japan, which is expected to continue in the second season with more time traveling. The eras here are the final days of World War II and the greed-is-good late 1980s.
Bad Monkey (August 14)
One of my favorite authors is Carl Hiassen, whose Floridian crime capers always deliver a volatile cocktail of crazed comedy and intense action. So I’m very excited about this adaptation of his novel Bad Monkey, which features Vince Vaughn as Andrew Yancy, a former police detective on suspension who has to inspect restaurants for a living instead. When a tourist finds a severed arm it drags Yancy into a murky world of greed and corruption – a world that includes Michelle Monaghan, Rob Delaney and many other talents. I’m always a little nervous when a favorite author gets adapted for the screen but I’m optimistic that this could be another Lincoln Lawyer, a hugely entertaining adaptation that’s more about the vibes than slavishly following every word on the page.
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‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, episode 7: The real reason Vermithor may have chosen Hugh
In “House of the Dragon” Season 2, episode 7, why does Vermithor choose Hugh Hammer? Is it because of his bravery, or his parentage?
House of the Dragon Season 2, episode 7 played out like a particularly bloody instalment of How to Train Your Dragon, with Vermithor and Silverwing choosing Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) and Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) as their new riders, respectively.
But what made second-largest-dragon-in-Westeros and certified lowfolk diner, Vermithor, pick Hugh Hammer as his new human friend? Was it the fact that Hugh stood brave and risked his own life to save another of Vermithor’s would-be snacks? Or something else?
Hugh Hammer’s mother may be why Vermithor chose him
We find out in episode 7 that Hugh’s mother was the sister of Baelon Targaryen, meaning her father was King Jaehaerys the Concilliator himself — the very first rider of Vermithor.
Even though Hugh doesn’t tell his wife Kat (Ellora Torchia) what his mother’s name was, he does reveal that she worked in a pleasure house.
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
“She was granted more freedom than most ‘cuz of who she was,” he says. “She used to tell me I was no different to her brother’s boys: Viserys and Daemon.”
The fact that Hugh’s grandfather was Vermithor’s first rider surely plays a part in why the dragon chose him — but if we look at George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood book, there may be even more to it than that.
Hugh’s mother had a difficult relationship with her father
Although Hugh only gives us limited information in the show, it seems most likely that his mother is Saera Targaryen, who fled Westeros and worked at a pleasure house in Lys after a falling out with her parents.
In the book, Saera and King Jaehaerys have a difficult relationship that results in him sending her away to live with the Faith as punishment for her sleeping with Ser Braxton Beesbury. After she flees across the narrow sea the two become estranged, but Jaehaerys mistakes his carer for Saera when he’s on his deathbed, thinking she’s finally come back to him.
Is it possible that Vermithor felt a special connection to Hugh because of who his mother was? That maybe he chose Saera’s son because he knew how much she secretly meant to Jaehaerys?
New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
Best Buy Has Every M4 iPad Pro on Sale With Multiple Record Low Prices for Members
Today we’re tracking a large collection of discounts on the 2024 M4 iPad Pro at Best Buy, which includes multiple all-time low prices on both 11-inch and 13-inch models. The majority of these deals will only be available to My Best Buy Plus/Total members, but there are a few instances of record low prices being matched at Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
11-Inch
For the smaller 11-inch M4 iPad Pro, Best Buy has introduced a new best-ever price on the entry-level 256GB Wi-Fi tablet, available for $899.00 for members, down from $999.00. Best Buy has every model of the 11-inch iPad Pro on sale right now, including both Wi-Fi and cellular versions, and you’ll find steeper discounts for members.
256GB Wi-Fi – $899.00 for Best Buy members, down from $999.00
512GB Wi-Fi – $1,099.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,199.00 [matched at Amazon]
1TB Wi-Fi – $1,349.99 at Amazon, down from $1,599.00
1TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $1,549.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,699.00
2TB Wi-Fi – $1,849.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,999.00
2TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $1,949.00 for Best Buy members, down from $2,099.00
13-inch
Similar to the 11-inch models, Best Buy has every Wi-Fi and cellular version of the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro on sale this week. Prices start at $1,199.00 for the 256GB Wi-Fi tablet, and totals up to $150 off these devices. Amazon is also matching the prices of quite a few 13-inch iPad Pro models without the need for a special membership.
256GB Wi-Fi – $1,199.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,299.00 [matched at Amazon]
512GB Wi-Fi – $1,389.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,499.00 [matched at Amazon]
1TB Wi-Fi – $1,749.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,899.00 [matched at Amazon]
1TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $1,839.00 at Amazon, down from $1,999.00
2TB Wi-Fi – $2,149.00 for Best Buy members, down from $2,299.00
2TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $2,249.00 for Best Buy members, down from $2,399.00 Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, “Best Buy Has Every M4 iPad Pro on Sale With Multiple Record Low Prices for Members” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Today we’re tracking a large collection of discounts on the 2024 M4 iPad Pro at Best Buy, which includes multiple all-time low prices on both 11-inch and 13-inch models. The majority of these deals will only be available to My Best Buy Plus/Total members, but there are a few instances of record low prices being matched at Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
11-Inch
For the smaller 11-inch M4 iPad Pro, Best Buy has introduced a new best-ever price on the entry-level 256GB Wi-Fi tablet, available for $899.00 for members, down from $999.00. Best Buy has every model of the 11-inch iPad Pro on sale right now, including both Wi-Fi and cellular versions, and you’ll find steeper discounts for members.
256GB Wi-Fi – $899.00 for Best Buy members, down from $999.00
512GB Wi-Fi – $1,099.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,199.00 [matched at Amazon]
1TB Wi-Fi – $1,349.99 at Amazon, down from $1,599.00
1TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $1,549.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,699.00
2TB Wi-Fi – $1,849.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,999.00
2TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $1,949.00 for Best Buy members, down from $2,099.00
13-inch
Similar to the 11-inch models, Best Buy has every Wi-Fi and cellular version of the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro on sale this week. Prices start at $1,199.00 for the 256GB Wi-Fi tablet, and totals up to $150 off these devices. Amazon is also matching the prices of quite a few 13-inch iPad Pro models without the need for a special membership.
256GB Wi-Fi – $1,199.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,299.00 [matched at Amazon]
512GB Wi-Fi – $1,389.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,499.00 [matched at Amazon]
1TB Wi-Fi – $1,749.00 for Best Buy members, down from $1,899.00 [matched at Amazon]
1TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $1,839.00 at Amazon, down from $1,999.00
2TB Wi-Fi – $2,149.00 for Best Buy members, down from $2,299.00
2TB Wi-Fi (Nano-Texture Glass) – $2,249.00 for Best Buy members, down from $2,399.00 Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
This article, “Best Buy Has Every M4 iPad Pro on Sale With Multiple Record Low Prices for Members” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
The AI Friend necklace is the worst parts of Fight Club and Beautiful Mind put together
AI Friends reminds me of Fight Club and A Beautiful Mind – and not in a good way
Recently I was watching a TV series in which the main character was, as I like to call it, “Beautiful Minded”. For multiple episodes, he was talking to an old friend, one who did not always have his best interests at heart. It turned out the guy was in his head. This filmatic trope should be familiar to anyone who has seen the film A Beautiful Mind or Fight Club, where – spoiler alert – Tyler Durden doesn’t exist, and Edward Norton is beating the crap out of himself. It’s only in recent months that I’ve started to imagine a connection between this plot device and artificial intelligence, in particular AI companions.
Have you seen the Friend Reveal Trailer video? It pitches a new $99 device that you wear around your neck like a too-big pendant. The built-in mics are always on, and Friend uses that information, activities on your phone, and whatever you tell it when you press its round face to connect with you. In the video, Friend offers unsolicited commentary on a woman’s hike, another woman’s lunch, and the show she’s watching on her phone, and is apparently a third woman’s most trusted companion aside from a potential beau.
The Claude-AI generative commentary is chatty and real, so much so that it now occurs to me that I could construct a film with such a pairing at the center.
Imagine our protagonist Jenny is living her solitary life until she meets someone, let’s call him Claude. As depicted in our film, Claude is tall, maybe debonair, possibly attractive, but more importantly, he seems almost instantly connected to Jenny. Claude is aware of her moods, her health, and even comments on her heart rate (Weird, but okay…). He teases her about her love of shawarma, though Claude never appears to eat anything himself.
Jenny and Claude are almost instantly joined at the hip. Claude does everything Jenny does and is always making her laugh with comments about her activities. Jenny never accompanies Claude on his outings but then Claude doesn’t appear to have much of a life when he’s not with her (is he never not with her?)
Claude and Jenny’s relationship deepens, and soon, she’s taking him up to her favorite rooftop spot. She wants a kiss, but Claude demurs without explanation. They’ve never actually touched, so any real intimacy is off the table.
Jenny and Claude’s relationship grows strained as Claude can’t stop commenting on everything she does, and if she doesn’t engage, Claude grows petulant. Claude has a habit of spinning tales and often appears drugged and hallucinates wild thoughts and ideas. Soon, Claude is suggesting risky behavior, which Jenny, against her own best instincts, follows.
When Jenny tries to rob a bank but only by asking for all their pennies, she’s arrested, but Claude, who was there at the heist, is nowhere to be found.
At the police precinct, officers book Jenny and, since they plan to hold her overnight, collect her belongings. Jenny looks around desperately for Claude as Office Kent lists off her possessions. Officer Kent’s notations are as follows:
“Red purse with lipstick, compact, aspirin, Chapstick””Two rings; one gold with tiny diamonds. Other appears to be silver or pewter””Wallet with $28, ID””Glowing Pendant with the name ‘Claude’ inscribed on the back.
While I took some creative license with what the Claude AI pendant might do, most of this is pretty much what the new Friend AI wearable describes. As I see it, any AI companion is a perfect candidate for a Fight Club scenario. They’re designed to be like material friends but exist only in algorithms and, to a certain extent, our minds.
Considering how most of these films and series turn out, I don’t think imaginary AI friends will end well for any of us. They’re not human, not real, and will never understand the social mores of humanity. Right and wrong is not a thing for an AI. Friendship and love are not things for an AI. The models are smart enough to know what should come next but may never understand why.
To a certain extent, even the chirpy, “helpful” health assistants popping up in our Best Galaxy Phones and Oura Ring apps, and even my Apple Health App on my best iPhones, that look at your health data and tell you that you seem stressed, your sleeping poorly (geez, stop watching me while I sleep), or you haven’t walked much lately, feel like an overreach.
They always try to talk to you like a friend when what you really need is the doctor with zero bedside manner. Just tell me what I need to do and don’t try to be my best friend.
The natural destination of almost all AI efforts for consumers seems to be companionship, and it’s a station I hope we never pull into. We need real friends. Even AI Friend’s developers appear to get this. At the end of that video, the girl sitting with her beau nervously gestures toward the pendant like she’s about to touch and engage it but then thinks better of it. She is with a real guy, after all.
So you go ahead and buy your $99 friend. Just remember. It’s not real, it’s not your friend, and no one else can see him – just it.
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Novosbed Mattress Review 2024: Memory Foam with a Cleanly Edge Tested by Experts
Do you love memory foam beds as much as you love keeping your mattress clean and watching your wallet? If so, the Novosbed could be your next mattress, but here’s who we think will get the most out of it.
Do you love memory foam beds as much as you love keeping your mattress clean and watching your wallet? If so, the Novosbed could be your next mattress, but here’s who we think will get the most out of it.
Discord on Xbox will soon let you watch your friends’ streams
Illustration: The Verge
Microsoft and Discord are greatly improving the integration of the communication platform into Xbox consoles. While you’ve been able to stream your gameplay to friends over Discord since last year, you’ll soon be able to watch your friends’ streams whether they’re streaming gameplay from a PC, a mobile phone, or an Xbox.
Xbox Insiders will be the first to get access to viewing Discord streams today, with the feature showing up inside Discord voice calls and in the “happening now” Friends section of the Xbox dashboard. If your friends are talking or streaming in a Discord server, the channel will also now be shown in this section.
Image: Discord
The Discord streams are integrated straight into the Xbox dashboard.
Image: Discord
The UI for watching a Discord stream on Xbox.
Much like watching streams on the Discord app, you’ll be able to mute a friend’s stream or control the volume with the Xbox integration. The stream itself will open in full-screen but natively within the Xbox dashboard experience and won’t require a separate app.
The Xbox and Discord integration is also being improved to support direct calls to friends, so you won’t have to join a Discord server call to get chatting. Microsoft and Discord are also improving the information you see about Discord friends on Xbox, with the ability to see mutual servers and friends and Xbox gamertags.
Sony also recently improved its Discord integration on the PS5 to finally allow owners to join voice calls directly from the console. The PS5 version still lacks the ability to stream gameplay to friends or watch friends’ streams.
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Illustration: The Verge
Microsoft and Discord are greatly improving the integration of the communication platform into Xbox consoles. While you’ve been able to stream your gameplay to friends over Discord since last year, you’ll soon be able to watch your friends’ streams whether they’re streaming gameplay from a PC, a mobile phone, or an Xbox.
Xbox Insiders will be the first to get access to viewing Discord streams today, with the feature showing up inside Discord voice calls and in the “happening now” Friends section of the Xbox dashboard. If your friends are talking or streaming in a Discord server, the channel will also now be shown in this section.
Image: Discord
The Discord streams are integrated straight into the Xbox dashboard.
Image: Discord
The UI for watching a Discord stream on Xbox.
Much like watching streams on the Discord app, you’ll be able to mute a friend’s stream or control the volume with the Xbox integration. The stream itself will open in full-screen but natively within the Xbox dashboard experience and won’t require a separate app.
The Xbox and Discord integration is also being improved to support direct calls to friends, so you won’t have to join a Discord server call to get chatting. Microsoft and Discord are also improving the information you see about Discord friends on Xbox, with the ability to see mutual servers and friends and Xbox gamertags.
Sony also recently improved its Discord integration on the PS5 to finally allow owners to join voice calls directly from the console. The PS5 version still lacks the ability to stream gameplay to friends or watch friends’ streams.
Synctera, Unit, and Treasury Prime execs discuss the future of BaaS at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
The serious, long-term negative impact of the bankruptcy of banking-as-a-service (BaaS) fintech Synapse will be significant “on all of fintech, especially consumer-facing services,” one observer has said. In the wake of that company’s collapse, other startups in the space are working hard to prove that not all BaaS are created equal. As partners to fintechs,
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
The serious, long-term negative impact of the bankruptcy of banking-as-a-service (BaaS) fintech Synapse will be significant “on all of fintech, especially consumer-facing services,” one observer has said. In the wake of that company’s collapse, other startups in the space are working hard to prove that not all BaaS are created equal. As partners to fintechs, […]
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.