This complimentary Mac application adds beautiful glass-like widgets to your lock screen.
WidgetScreen enhances the Mac lock screen by adding weather, calendar, battery, and music widgets.
The Mac lock screen has long felt somewhat neglected. It typically shows just the time and wallpaper, with limited additional information. Although macOS supports desktop widgets, once the Mac is locked, that extra data disappears.
WidgetScreen aims to address this in a straightforward manner. Created by UK computer science student Sam Cook, this free Mac application adds transparent widgets to the lock screen, allowing users to quickly view information such as the weather, clock, calendar, battery status, music playback, countdowns, and system details.
Cook’s app is specifically designed for the lock screen. The widgets appear only when the Mac is locked and vanish as soon as the user logs in, ensuring they don't interfere with the desktop widgets in macOS.
What functionality does WidgetScreen provide?
WidgetScreen is designed for quick visual access. Users can arrange the widgets on a grid, adjust their sizes, select frosted or clear glass styles, modify units and time formats, and choose which display they appear on.
The app also addresses a notable concern by not requiring Screen Recording permission; its website states that it does not capture your screen or access your wallpaper. Instead, the widgets are displayed above the lock screen as native windows. The weather information is sourced from Open-Meteo and uses a basic IP-based location by default. Users can also manually set a specific city.
What is the cost?
WidgetScreen is entirely free, does not necessitate an account, and is compatible with macOS 15 and newer. It also resides in the menu bar, allowing for easy adjustments without digging through settings.
Cook is actively gathering feedback from users on Reddit. Enhancements such as automatic updates and better frosted glass visuals have already been incorporated, while future updates are expected to include user-customizable widgets, desktop support, additional opacity controls, more calendar options, and various widget styles.
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Windows 11’s updated Media Player is somehow inferior to the version from 17 years ago.
The new Media Player for Windows 11 is slower and more resource-heavy than the classic edition.
Microsoft has introduced a new Insider Preview update for the modern Media Player in Windows 11. However, the application is under scrutiny following tests that revealed it consumes more memory and opens local video files at a slower rate than the classic Windows Media Player, which is now 17 years old.
The update includes various useful fixes, such as improved captions, clearer codec error reporting, and enhanced file recognition. Nevertheless, the primary concerns still revolve around increased RAM consumption and the need for paid codec support for some widely-used video formats. The update is not yet accessible to all users, with Media Player version 11.2605.14.0 currently available only in Experimental Insider builds as part of Microsoft’s Insider Preview releases from June 12.
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If you own a Mac, consider trying this free and aesthetically pleasing disk space tool.
Radix serves as a free open-source alternative to paid disk analyzers for Mac.
Running low on storage space on a Mac is a common issue, but Apple’s built-in tools for managing storage often fall short in providing specific insights about the items taking up space. Typically, you receive broad categories, but pinpointing the exact folders, downloads, app files, or old projects that are causing the problem can require extra effort.
Radix is a free, open-source application for Mac that aims to streamline this process. It functions as a disk space analyzer that scans a folder, drive, or volume, presenting the results in an interactive sunburst chart. Instead of manually sifting through folders, you can view a visual representation of how your storage is being utilized across the drive.
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The Sashimi robot is real and excels at slicing and dicing.
Equipped with three arms, a GelSight sensor, and surprisingly adept chopstick skills.
Robots are capable of lifting boxes, sorting packages, and screwing in bolts without difficulty. Some can even walk and run like humans. However, put a slippery piece of raw salmon in their hands, and problems arise.
A team from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has tackled this challenge. The outcome is the Sashimi-Bot, a three-armed robot that can prepare sashimi from a raw salmon loin without the need for a chef.
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This complimentary Mac application adds beautiful glass-like widgets to your lock screen.
The Mac lock screen is typically quite bare. WidgetScreen enhances its functionality with free, transparent widgets that vanish as soon as you log in.