A while back I wrote about some of my then - favorite bill of fare - bar utilities for Mac OS X. But there are many , many more such utilities out there . Here are a few new favorites , which , when fighting , use only this much space in your menu bar :
AirPort web notifier
Last year I reviewed Canary Wireless ’s Digital Hotspotter , a internet detector that not only count for wireless networks in your vicinity , but also order you which unity are unresolved vs. private . It ’s a useful gadget because you could break for wireless internet without having to open your laptop computer .
But if you ’ve already get your laptop computer loose , Coconut Flavour’scoconutWiFi 1.2 (; donation requested ) is just as useful . It puts a little item in your menu bar that displays both the number of wireless networks in range and — via the menu ’s icon — the position of those internet . If you choose to use a color - based display , a red dot means “ no electronic internet , ” yellow mean “ only write in code electronic internet found , ” and green signify “ at least one opened internet find . ” instead , you’re able to choose to expend symbolic icons .
For object lesson , in the screenshot below , coconutWiFi differentiate me that there are two wireless networks in the area , but both are inscribe :
Clicking on the carte du jour image displays a itemization of any networks found as well as the status — open or unopen — of each . CoconutWiFi can also alarm you — via a organisation alert phone — when you ’re in range of an open electronic web . Unfortunately , you ca n’t switch networks using coconutWiFi ’s fare ; you still involve to use Apple ’s AirPort Status menu for that .
Caps lock indicator
Last calendar week , aMacworldreader asked for some help via the Macworld forums :
The lector was talking about Logitech ’s newfangled S530 keyboard / mouse scheme ; the keyboard has no caps shut away light , so you do n’t realize you ’ve enable caps lock until you start type and everything comes up in all chapiter .
The solution to this problem ? John Woodward’sCAPS Warn 1.3 (; barren ) . When CAPS Warn is running , you get the outline of a red upward - face up pointer in your menu bar . If the shift key or caps interlock winder is pressed , the arrow becomes solid ruby , alerting you to the fact . Instant caps lock index number — and because the indicator is on the sieve , rather than on the keyboard , you ’re more potential to see it .
Unless you ’re a hunt - and - peck typist who spends more time looking at the keyboard than the concealment ; in which case , you ’ll appreciate CAPS Warn ’s other feature . For exercise , CAPS Warn can also flash the CRT screen and/or notify you with an alert sound whenever the detonating equipment lock key is pressed . It can also discourage you after you typewrite a drug user - limit number ( 1 to 9 ) of character with break or caps lock enabled .
My biggest complaint about CAPS Warn is that if you enable its preferences duologue ( via its computer menu - bar menu ) and then swap to another program , it ’s a major hassle to regain the penchant dialog again — and while you ’re trying , CAPS Warn will “ beep ” every time you press a key . So be sure to close up the preference dialog when you ’re done with it .
Enhanced Window menu
Last year I showed you Witch , a utility that gives you the power to accessanywindow inanyapplication via a single , onscreen display similar to Mac OS X ’s Command+Tab app switcher . But if you ’d care to see similar functionality via a menu , Sanity Software’sWindowFinder 1.4 (; $ 10 ) make you just that : It stick a novel menu in the computer menu bar that listsallwindows inallapplications , aggroup by software .
Choosing a window from the menu switches to its software and brings it to the front . ( Former Mac OS 9 users will also enjoy WindowFinder , as it ’s standardised to OS 9 ’s program Menu , except that you switch to a windowinan program rather than to the program itself . )
In terms of options , you could take the size of the menu ’s program icons — or to neglect them completely , listing only name — and you could exclude particular program ( such as those that do n’t have windows ) so they do n’t seem in the fare . ( mention that for some reason , certain applications do n’t expose icons in WindowFinder ’s fare ; I have n’t figured out why this befall , but WindowFinder still allow you switch to any of those applications ’ windows . ) If you ’re mouse - inclined , WindowFinder is a groovy utility .
CoconutWiFi require Mac OS X 10.3.9 or afterwards . CAPS Warn require Mac OS X 10.3 or by and by and is a Universal Binary . Window Finder ask Mac OS X 10.4 or after and is a Universal Binary .
