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Weather Line Offers Personalization through Beautiful Themed Weather Widgets

One thing has proven clear since iOS 14 released last week: every app has its own unique take on widgets. Among all the new widgets we’ve covered, there really isn’t a common theme that can be drawn. Perhaps over time certain best practices will emerge, but right now apps are all doing their own thing, including weather apps. Last week we reviewed a weather app that offered fine-grained control of all the different data types contained in its widgets; today I want to cover an app that takes an entirely different approach to personalization.

Weather Line doesn’t provide any options to choose which data a widget will display. You get the data it gives you: nothing more, nothing less. However, the app has gone all-out with personalization in an entirely different way: widget themes.

Weather Line’s widgets display the same beautiful visuals found inside the full app, with charts mapping either an hourly forecast spanning the next 10 hours or a daily forecast covering the next 10 days. The hourly widget is available in small, medium, and large sizes, while the daily flavor is limited to medium and large, making a total of five widget options.

Once you’ve selected the widget(s) you’d like on your Home Screen or in your Today view, it’s time to personalize them with one of Weather Line’s themes. By tapping on an installed widget while in jiggle mode, or by long-pressing a widget and choosing ‘Edit Widget’ from the menu, you can open the widget configuration screen. There are only two options to configure: location for the widget’s weather data, and your preference of widget theme.

There are a total of 20 theme options to choose from, offering a diverse array of looks for matching your Home Screen setup. These include 18 different color themes ranging from Milennial Pink to Neon, Dracula, or Emoji, plus there are two additional options you can choose instead of specifying one of these 18 themes: Dynamic Background and Match System Appearance.

Widgets that offer extensive settings to fiddle with are great, especially for power users. But there’s something special and perhaps even more broadly appealing about being able to personalize a hyper-aesthetic Home Screen, and for that, Weather Line is an excellent choice.

Track Hyper-Local Weather Conditions With the Netatmo Weather Station

For some people, weather apps simply answer questions like ‘Do I need a coat today?’ but their appeal is much broader. Weather apps are also about science and statistics. If you enjoy the geeky data side of tracking the weather, there’s no better way satisfy that interest than by collecting measurements yourself with a weather station like the one made by Netatmo.

Weather stations, like many gadgets, run from the simple to the complex. What I like most about the Netatmo Weather Station is that it’s easy to set up and modular. That means you can start with the core system that tracks basic weather data like temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and air quality, and later, add wind speed and precipitation gauges if you want to dive deeper into tracking the weather.

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AppStories, Episode 6 – Interview: The Making of the CARROT Apps with Brian Mueller→

On this week’s episode of AppStories, we interviewed Brian Mueller, the creator of the CARROT series of apps, about how he got started, the origins of CARROT, a corgi with a top hat and monocle, and his new CARROT game, Artificial Superintelligence.

You can listen to the episode below.

Sponsored by:

  • Setapp – An app for every job, already on you Mac.
  • SaneBox – Clean Up Your Inbox Today (and Keep It That Way Forever)
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A MacStories Setups Update→

Last November, we created the MacStories Setups page. It’s a collection of the gear, apps, and services that Federico and I use for work and play. We knew when we created the page that it would change regularly, and it has. Today, we’re introducing our third update in four months, which collects changes related to Federico’s MacPad setup and some smaller adjustments that we’ve both made recently.

The MacPad additions to Federico’s setup include:

However, Federico isn’t living a MacPad-only lifestyle. He uses the Vision Pro daily and has added it along with the following accessories to his setup:

Other additions include:

Our app lineups change constantly, too, and most recently, Federico has added:

As for me, since my big desk setup upgrade, I’ve made a handful of changes to my desk and gaming setups, along with other adjustments.

The Logitech Casa Pop Up Desk.

The Logitech Casa Pop Up Desk.

With summer around the corner, I’ve been refining my portable setup. The Logitech Casa Pop Up Desk that I reviewed recently is perfect for an afternoon at a coffee shop or sitting out on my balcony. I’ve enjoyed the Boox Tab Ultra so much that I added a Boox Palma for ultra-portable e-ink reading on-the-go.

The articles I save to read on the Palma and elsewhere are currently split between GoodLinks and Readwise Reader. I’ve also swapped out NaturalReader for Speechify for text-to-speech workflows, but I’m not completely satisfied with any read-aloud solution I’ve tried yet.

I’m also slowly refining my gaming setup. The ASUS ZenWiFi Pro Wi-Fi 6E mesh router system is a big step up from the Linksys Atlas routers I was using before in terms of both coverage and speed. I’m still floored by the bandwidth I get with my iPhone 15 Pro Max and Ayn Odin 2 Pro. I also picked up a Miyoo Mini+ retro gaming handheld because I’m traveling soon and wanted an ultra-portable handheld to take with me. Also, to track what I’m playing, I’ve been using GameTrack, which I recently reviewed.

Both of us have added a handful of other apps and gear, too, so be sure to browse through the Setups page to find the complete listing of our current setups.

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The Best Way to Take Screenshots on Apple Vision Pro

Taking good-looking screenshots on the Apple Vision Pro isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible either. I’ve already spent many hours taking screenshots on the device, and I thought I’d share my experience and some practical tips for getting the best screenshots possible.

Although I’ve only had the Apple Vision Pro for a week, I’ve already spent a lot of time thinking about and refining my screenshot workflow out of necessity. That’s because after I spent around three hours writing my first visionOS app review of CARROT Weather and Mercury Weather, I spent at least as much time trying to get the screenshots I wanted. If that had been a review of the iOS versions of those apps, the same number of screenshots would have taken less than a half hour. That’s a problem because I simply don’t have that much time to devote to screenshots.

Taking screenshots with the Apple Vision Pro is difficult because of the way the device works. Like other headsets, the Apple Vision Pro uses something called foveated rendering, a technique that’s used to reduce the computing power needed to display the headset’s images. In practical terms, the technique means that the only part of the device’s view that is in focus is where you’re looking. The focal point changes as your eyes move, so you don’t notice that part of the view is blurry. In fact, this is how the human eye works, so as long as the eye tracking is good, which it is on the Apple Vision Pro, the experience is good too.

However, as well as foveated rendering works for using the Apple Vision Pro, it’s terrible for screenshots. You can take a quick screenshot by pressing the top button and Digital Crown, but you’ll immediately see that everything except where you were looking when you took the screen-grab is out of focus. That’s fine for sharing a quick image with a friend, but if you want something suitable for publishing, it’s not a good option.

Fortunately, Apple thought of this, and there’s a solution, but it involves using Xcode and another developer tool. Of course, using Xcode to take screenshots is a little like using Logic Pro to record voice memos, except there are plenty of simple apps for recording voice memos, whereas Xcode is currently your only choice for taking crisp screenshots on the Vision Pro. So until there’s another option, it pays to learn your way around these developer tools to get the highest quality screenshots as efficiently as possible.

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Our Setups

Our desk setups.

Our desk setups.

It’s no secret that, here at MacStories, we like to experiment with different hardware and apps in the constant pursuit of more portable setups, more customizable apps, or more powerful workflows. And we recognize that, for readers, it can sometimes be…tricky to keep up with the “latest” state of our setups.

With this Setups page, our goal is to provide readers with a summary of our hardware and software setups. The list will be updated on a regular basis over time.

For more questions, feel free to reach out on Mastodon @viticci or @johnvoorhees, or ping us on Discord.

Changelog

April 17, 2024
Federico

Note: Details about the Lenovo Legion Go can be found in this episode of MacStories Unwind.

April 2, 2024
Federico
  • Added EUCARLOS carrying case for Vision Pro
  • Added KIWI lens protector
  • Added SoloTop
  • Added Infinity One Air Cover forehead mount
  • Added 3D-printed stand
    • March 22, 2024
    Federico

    Note: Details about the MacPad can be found in this story.

    John
  • Added Logitech Casa Pop Up Desk
  • Added ASUS ZenWiFi Pro Wi-Fi 6E Mesh Routers
  • Added Miyoo Mini+
  • Added Boox Palma
  • Added Samsung T9 2TB SSD
  • Added Shure SE215-CL in-ear monitors
  • Added GameTrack and Sequel
  • Added GoodLinks
  • Added Readwise Reader
  • Added Vision Pro
  • Added Syntech Hard Carrying Case
  • Added KIWI lens protector
  • Replaced NaturalReader with Speechify
  • Added Tower and Kaleidoscope
  • Replaced Paste with PastePal
  • Removed: XREAL Air
    • February 2, 2024
    John

    Note: Details about these changes can be found in this story and this episode of MacStories Unwind.

    January 19, 2024
    Federico
  • Added Z13 Acronym to Videogames section (Unwind episode)
  • Removed Raikiri Pro game controller and replaced with FlyDiGi Vader 3 Pro and GuliKit KingKong 2 Pro
  • Added Hall effect joysticks to ROG Ally section
  • Added Edge Pro MagSafe holder and BoomCan MS from How I Modded My iPad Pro with a Screen Protector, iPhone Holder, and Magnetic Stereo Speakers
  • Removed mentions of velcro and replaced with AllyMate and DeckMate in ROG Ally and Steam Deck sections
  • Apps section: updated entries for media tracker, read later, podcast, weather, and team communication apps
  • Added new Belkin charger

    • Table of Contents

    Federico’s Setup

    My desk.

    My desk.

    Daily Drivers

    Videogames

    My Lenovo Legion Go.

    My Lenovo Legion Go.

    Audio

    My favorite headphones.

    My favorite headphones.

    Mac Server Setup

    Batteries and Chargers

    TV Setup

    Other Gear

    The MacPad.

    The MacPad.

    Apps

    John’s Setup

    Core Desktop Production Setup

    Portable Setup

    Vision Pro Setup

    Reading and Research

    Cables, Connectors, and Miscellany

    iPhone

    Mac Server Setup

    Podcasting

    At Home Podcasting

    On-the-Go Podcasting

    Videogames

    Consoles for Modern Games

    Retro Gaming

    TV Setup

    Controllers and More

    Other Headphones and Speakers

    Office, Lighting, and Office Automation

    Batteries, Chargers, and Power Strips

    Apps

    Note: MacStories participates in the Amazon Associates and other affiliate programs and may be paid a small commission if you click on a link and purchase a product or service from a third party. For more information on how MacStories uses affiliate links, please read our Privacy Policy.

    Coming Soon: The Sixth Annual MacStories Selects Awards, Readers’ Choice Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award

    The sixth annual MacStories Selects Awards are just around the corner. The awards honor our favorite apps in a wide variety of categories. Winners will receive a physical MacStories Selects award designed by MacStories’ own Silvia Gatta. As with last year, awards will be selected in the following categories:

    • App of the Year
    • Best New App
    • Best App Update
    • Best New Feature
    • Best Design
    • Best Watch App
    • Best Mac App
    • Lifetime Achievement Award

    We’ll also be conferring two special awards once again:

    • The Readers’ Choice Award
    • The Lifetime Achievement Award
    In 2022, Club MacStories members picked CARROT Weather for the Readers’ Choice Award.

    In 2022, Club MacStories members picked CARROT Weather for the Readers’ Choice Award.

    The Readers’ Choice Award is nominated by Club MacStories members and chosen by Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members. A link to the nomination form and details about which apps are eligible for the award were published in Issue 393 of MacStories Weekly at the beginning of the issue. Nominations will be accepted until Noon Eastern US time this Tuesday, November 14th.

    After nominations close, we’ll tally the submissions and open voting on the top nominees to Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members via our Discord community. Voting will conclude at Noon Eastern US time on Thursday, November 16th.

    For more details on each Club MacStories membership and to join, please use the buttons below:

    Club MacStories:

    Club MacStories+:

    Club Premier:

    2022's Lifetime Achievement Award went to Drafts by Greg Pierce's Agile Tortoise.

    2022’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Drafts by Greg Pierce’s Agile Tortoise.

    We’ll also be selecting a Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize an app that has had an important impact on the world of apps. We’ll be choosing an app beloved by users and inspiring to developers, which has left its mark on the App Store’s history.

    Every year, we use hundreds of terrific apps. MacStories Selects is our way to call out a handful of our absolute favorites that are shining examples of the best apps on Apple’s platforms.

    We look forward to sharing our selections and our Club members’ pick with you in December.

    macOS Sonoma: The MacStories Preview

    Never before have the iPhone, iPad, and Mac been as interconnected as they are today. It wasn’t that long ago that the iPhone was, well, the iPhone, the iPad was essentially a big iPhone, and the Mac was off doing its own thing. Now, the iPad has its own OS, the Mac is running on a whole new chip architecture, and the design and functionality of virtually every bit of UI and system app of every device have been realigned along a more rational continuum, making it easier than ever to move among them.

    A big part of reshaping macOS involved updating system apps to match the functionality available on Apple’s other OSes. That work is largely finished, which leaves us entering a new phase of macOS’s evolution. Instead of playing catch-up to iOS and iPadOS, macOS is moving along the same path, with a collection of genuinely useful new features coming this fall that I’ve been testing as part of Apple’s developer beta program. Now, you too can join in the testing if you’d like because today, Apple released its first public beta of macOS Sonoma as part of the Apple Beta Software Program.

    We’ll have full reviews on MacStories of each OS when the final versions are released this fall. However, after about a month of using Sonoma daily, I wanted to hit the highlights of what’s in store this fall for any readers who might be thinking of joining the public beta.

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    Introducing S-GPT, A Shortcut to Connect OpenAI’s ChatGPT with Native Features of Apple’s Operating Systems

    S-GPT for Shortcuts.

    S-GPT for Shortcuts.

    Update, April 13: I’ve updated S-GPT to version 1.0.2. You can read the full changelog here. All download links have been updated.

    Update, April 13: For Club MacStories+ and Premier members, I’ve published Part 1 of an extensive ‘Making Of’ series about S-GPT. This is a technical deep dive for my Automation Academy series. You can find it here and sign up for or upgrade to a Premier account using the buttons below.

    Update, April 7: For Club MacStories members, I’ve shared some optional prompts to add different personalities to S-GPT, including two inspired by Roy Kent and Steve Jobs. You can get the prompts and read more here; the main S-GPT shortcut is and will remain free-to-use for everyone, of course.

    Update, April 7: I’ve updated S-GPT to version 1.0.1. You can read more details here. All download links to the shortcuts have been updated to the latest version.

    It’s the inaugural week of the second annual edition of Automation April, and to celebrate the occasion, I’ve been working on something special: today, I’m introducing S-GPT, an advanced conversational shortcut for ChatGPT that bridges OpenAI’s assistant to native system features of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS.

    S-GPT (which stands for Shortcuts-GPT) is free to use for everyone, but it requires an OpenAI account with an associated pay-as-you-go billing plan since it takes advantage of OpenAI’s developer API, which has a cost. S-GPT was built with the latest ChatGPT API, and it can be used both with the existing ChatGPT 3.5 model or – if you have access to it – the ChatGPT 4 API.

    While the shortcut is free for MacStories readers, I will be publishing a detailed, in-depth Automation Academy class soon for Club MacStories Plus or Premier members to explain the techniques and strategies I used to build this shortcut. I genuinely think that S-GPT is, from a technical perspective, my best and most advanced work to date; I hope my Academy class will help others learn some useful tips for Shortcuts and, in return, make even better automations for our contest.

    With that said, let’s look at what S-GPT is and what you can do with it.

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