Kalakshar US

The latest update to macOS is called Sonoma and it’s all about productivity and widget management. The new operating system adds widgets to the desktop and makes them movable, allowing users to place them anywhere. As one widget is in use, the others will fade into the background.

Sonoma — or, macOS 14 — will also communicate with widgets on your iPhone, with no need to install them directly on the desktop, via a feature called Continuity. With your iOS device nearby, you’ll be able to access all of your phone’s widgets on desktop. 

Now that the productivity features are out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff. Notably, Sonoma features improvements in Mac gaming power. The new OS introduces Game Mode, which reduces background tasks while prioritizing CPU and GPU performance, all in the name of smoother, higher-performance play. In related news, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut will hit Mac this year, as will all future projects from Kojima Productions.

Video conferencing on Mac will receive a Presenter Overlay mode that places you on top of the content you’re sharing, making it part of your background. You’ll also be able to use hand gestures to add video effects to your calls, and they’ll work on Zoom, Teams and other popular apps.

Updates to Safari include the addition of profiles with disparate cookies, extensions, favorites and tab groups, and the ability to share passwords through iCloud Keychain. Private browsing on Safari is locked down even more with Sonoma, with the addition of tracker blocking.

Last year’s update, macOS Ventura, landed last fall and included Stage Manager, a feature that organizes apps and windows based on what you’re actually using. Safari and Mail also saw some refreshes to better align with iOS 16.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/macos-sonoma-brings-widgets-to-the-desktop-180459498.html?src=rss 

Your Apple Watch will look very different in the near future. Among the many announcements Apple made during its WWDC keynote was one related to watchOS 10. As expected, the company is giving the smartwatch user interface an overhaul as part of perhaps the firmware’s biggest update yet.

You may recall that the original Apple Watch UI was designed, in part, around Glances — a carousel of widgets for different apps and features. Apple eventually moved away from Glances to place more emphasis on apps, but now the company is looking to make widgets a larger focus of the Watch interface again.

It seems to work in a similar way to the Siri watch face that’s long been available on Apple Watch. However, this experience will now be available on any watch face. You can rotate the Digital Crown to access a smart stack of relevant widgets — just like you’re able to cycle through widgets that you place on top of each other on your iPhone. Things like timers, stopwatches and podcasts will show up as widgets when they’re in use. You can even have a widget that’s home to your favorite complications.

The Activity app will include corner shortcuts. You’ll be able to view more data by rotating the crown. The World Clock app is also getting an update. It will feature dynamic background colors to help reflect the time of day in different time zones, which could come in handy when you have friends, family or colleagues in different parts of the world.

There are two new clock faces coming in watchOS 10. One called Palette will show you the time in a colorful fashion. The other face features Snoopy and Woodstock.

Cyclists may be pleased by updates that are coming in WatchOS 10. You’ll be able to connect to Bluetooth biking sensors and view power and heart rate data during cycling sessions. Your watch can track your functional threshold power as well. Cycling activity that your Watch tracks will appear on your iPhone automatically. 

The Compass app is also getting an upgrade. It will now create two new waypoints automatically. The first will drop a pin at the estimated position where you last had a cellular connection, which will be useful for when you’re hiking ant need to make a call or see your messages. On a similar note, your Watch will be able to place a Last Emergency Call Waypoint. This will show roughly where you last had access to any carrier’s network so you can make an emergency call. Elsewhere, a new Elevation view will use altimeter data to provide a 3D view of saved waypoints. Folks in the US will be able to access a topographic map. You’ll be able to search for trailheads and trails nearby and view details such as trail length, type and difficulty.

Elsewhere in watchOS 10, the Mindfulness app will include a feature that allows you to log your emotions and moods by rotating the Digital Crown. Apple says that users can “scroll through engaging, multidimensional shapes to choose how they are feeling, select what is having the biggest impact on them and describe their feelings.” Through the Health app on iPhone and iPad, you’ll be able to access insights that can help you determine the factors that are affecting your mental health, Apple says. 

This story is developing, please refresh for additional updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-embraces-widgets-again-in-watchos-10-180838970.html?src=rss 

Apple gave a look at features targeted at reducing eye strain for kids during its annual WWDC on Monday. The feature comes after Apple initially previewed more health and accessibility features for Global Accessibility Awareness Day in May.

Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, usually develops in childhood and affects about 30% of the US population, according to the American Optometric Association. At WWDC, Apple said spending more time outdoors and in the daylight can help reduce a child’s risk of developing nearsightedness. A new Apple Watch feature will use the ambient light sensor to measure how much time the wearer spends outside. That data will show up in the Health app, and in Health Sharing for families, to keep track of how much time is spent outside. 

Another effort to reduce myopia risk is Apple’s new screen distance detection. The Screen Distance feature uses the camera technology behind Face ID in other Apple products to send an alert when a user is too close to their screen. The notification tells users to move a device farther away from their face if they’ve been holding it too close. 

All Health app data, including the vision updates for kids, is encrypted, according to Apple. 

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-kid-friendly-features-reduce-eye-strain-wwdc-182620428.html?src=rss 

The Apple headset is one of the company’s most anticipated products with leaks and rumors dating back to 2017. But after years of speculation, today at WWDC 2023 Apple has finally given us a real look at the device that it’s now calling the Vision Pro.

Created to support both AR and VR applications, the Reality Pro is a standalone device featuring an innovative design without the need for a dedicated controller. Instead, thanks to the use of multiple external cameras, Apple is planning to rely entirely on voice inputs and hand gestures. On top of that, Apple has created a new feature called EyeSight that uses an exterior display and the headset’s internal cameras so that users can see people your reactions while someone is wearing the headset. 

Additionally, you can use familiar apps like Safari and others while still being able to interact with objects or people in the real world. And while the Vision Pro has been designed for use at home, Apple says thanks to new versions of familiar apps like FaceTime, the headset it also a great collaboration tool for those on the road. 

Another feature on the Vision Pro is the inclusion of Apple’s first 3D camera. Apple says the camera can be used to capture special moments with added depth information, while also making it clear when a person is or isn’t recording footage. Alternatively, if you just wanted to use the headset as a fancy way to watch TV or movies, there’s a dedicated mode for watching videos that allows you to change the size of the content on demand. As for gaming, Apple says the Vision Pro supports more than 100 different games from the Apple Arcade library with the system able to pair with a PS5 or Xbox controller as needed. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-vision-pro-is-apples-long-awaited-arvr-headset-182725385.html?src=rss