AMD Radeon Software 21.9.1 adds support for Windows 11

Today, AMD released a new version of its graphics driver and Radeon Software with support for Windows 11. The latest update, version 21.9.1, also adds support for a new auto overclocking feature on the latest AMD hardware.

Support for Windows 11 means you can access all of the features included in AMD’s Radeon Software if you’re running a preview build. It’s also important as we approach the official release of Windows 11 on October 5th. Features like Radeon Boost, Radeon Anti-Lag, and Radeon Image Sharpening are all supported now, along with all the other tools the company offers. If anything wasn’t working correctly for you before, this update may help.

The other big addition, Auto Overclock, is also noteworthy. While overclocking hardware is common in the enthusiast community, not everything is willing to dive into the steps required to enable it, especially when it can be risky to do so. With Auto Overblock, AMD will automatically boost both the GPU and CPU as appropriate, giving you some extra performance for gaming and other tasks. However, you do need to have both an AMD CPU and GPU for this to work.

If you’re more into manual tuning, the latest release also includes a new section for CPU tuning, so you can overclock just the CPU and not the GPU.

Other highlights in this release include initial support for Deathloop, the Arkane-developed title launching this week, as well as the Call of Duty Vanguard open beta. It also enables support for AMD Smart Access Memory if you have Radeon RX 5000-series GPUs. This was previously only available for the latest Radeon RX 6000 series.

Finally, this update fixes a few known issues, which you can read below:

Bug fixes in AMD Radeon Software 21.9.1

• Visual artifacts in PAYDAY 2 may be observed during gameplay on some AMD Graphics products such as Radeon RX 6800 XT.
• Connecting two displays with large differences in resolution/refresh rates may cause flickering on Radeon RX Vega series graphics products.
• On Radeon RX 5500 XT Graphics, higher than expected memory clock speed and power consumption may be experienced when idle and the display’s resolution and refresh rate are set to specific values such as 1080p @ 60Hz.
• While playing Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey, driver timeouts or black screens may be experienced on some AMD Graphics products such as Radeon RX 480 Graphics when the user quickly navigates through the game menus or swiftly looks around an environment with their character.

There are also still some known issues in this release:

Known issues in AMD Radeon Software 21.9.1

• Open Broadcaster Software may continue to run in the background after a user ends a recording session and closes the application.
• Driver timeouts may be experienced while playing a game & streaming a video simultaneously on some AMD Graphics products such as Radeon RX 500 Series Graphics.
• AMD Radeon Software may crash or become unresponsive while playing some DirectX® 11 games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds with multiple displays connected in extended mode.
• Playing Horizon Zero Dawn for an extended period may lead to a driver timeout or game crash on some AMD Graphics products such as Radeon RX 6700 XT.
• Enhanced Sync may cause a black screen to occur when enabled on some games and system configurations. Any users who may be experiencing issues with Enhanced Sync enabled should disable it as a temporary workaround.
• Radeon performance metrics and logging features may intermittently report extremely high and incorrect memory clock values.
• [AMD Link] Intermittent grey frame corruption might be observed when streaming with HEVC on certain configurations via an Internet connection. A workaround is to use the AVC encoding setting instead.

If you’re running Windows 11 or the new features interest, you can download the latest AMD Radeon Software here.

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You can finally launch Assistant Driving Mode without starting navigation

Google first announced Assistant Driving Mode over two years ago at I/O 2019, but it wasn’t until late last year that the company actually began rolling out the feature to users. Although initially available in the U.S., the Assistant Driving Mode eventually rolled out to more markets this year, including India, Australia, Canada, and the UK. The Assistant Driving Mode that rolled out doesn’t match what Google showed off at the initial reveal, but finally, we’re getting the home screen UI we were initially promised.

This week, Google has started rolling out a new home screen UI for Assistant Driving Mode, as first spotted by 9to5Google. The publication initially reported that the new UI is only available on devices running Android 12 — which would make sense as Google confirmed last month it was going to kill the dedicated “Android Auto for phone screens” experience in Android 12 — but we can confirm that the new UI is showing up on devices running Android 11 as well.

The new Assistant Driving Mode home screen appears when you tell the Assistant to “launch Driving Mode” or “let’s drive.” At the top, you’ll see a “Where to?” search bar that opens up suggested destinations and a shortcut to open Maps along with a voice entry. Just below it, you find an oversized “For you” card displaying suggestions for tracks, podcasts, and news that you might be interested in playing. “Send the message” and “Make a call” shortcuts appear towards the bottom with the Google Assistant and app drawer buttons located in either corner. If a trip is in progress, a map card with an ETA is shown at the top.

Until now, you could only access the Assistant Driving Mode when you started navigation in Google Maps. That meant if you wanted to use the feature for simply playing music or calling with a known destination, you couldn’t do that. With the new home screen UI, though, it feels more like a complete product, albeit it’s still missing landscape support.

The new home screen UI is currently rolling out to users. If you want to give it a try, make sure you’re running the latest beta version of the Google App. This is because the driving mode is contained within the Google Assistant service, which itself is part of the Google App.

Google (Free, Google Play) →

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme: Everything you need to know

When it comes to business laptops, few brands are as iconic as Lenovo’s ThinkPad lineup. The classic black look, the red accents, and features like the pointing stick make each ThinkPad instantly recognizable. But as the PC market has evolved, new form factors have showed up, and the lineup has had to adapt to target each of those markets. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is one of those laptops that was created to respond to specific market needs, in particular those who want the absolute best performance in a laptop that still fits in an office environment.

With the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4, Lenovo has taken that further than ever. In addition to 45W Intel processors (up to an Intel Core i9), you now get NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, plus up to 64GB of RAM. All of that in a package that’s still thin and features iconic ThinkPad elements like the pointing stick. If you want to know everything there is to know about Lenovo’s most powerful business laptop, you’ve come to the right place.

Navigate this article:

• Specs
• Performance
• Display and audio
• Webcam and Windows Hello
• Design and build quality
• Ports and wireless connectivity
• Pricing

Specs

First off, let’s take a look at the specs of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme. This should give you an idea of how powerful and capable it is.

	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
Processor	Intel Core i7-11800H (up to 4.6GHz, 8-core) Intel Core i7-11850H vPro (up to 4.8GHz, 8-core) Intel Core i9-11950H vPro (up to 5GHz, 8-core)
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6
RAM	8GB 16GB 16GB (2x8GB) 32GB 32GB (2x16GB) 64GB
Storage	Slot 1 (PCIe Gen 4): 256GB (PCIe Gen 3) 512GB (PCIe Gen 3) 512GB (PCIe Gen 4) 1TB (PCI3 Gen 3) 1TB (PCIe Gen 4) 2TB (PCIe Gen 4) Slot 2 (PCIe Gen 3, optional): 256GB (PCIe Gen 3) 512GB (PCIe Gen 3) 1TB (PCIe Gen 3) 2TB (PCIe Gen 4)
Display	16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS, anti-glare, 400 nits 16-inch Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) IPS, anti-glare, Dolby Vision, HDR 400, 600 nits 16-inch Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) IPS, touch, anti-reflective, Dolby Vision, HDR 400, 600 nits
Audio	Dual stereo speakers (2 x 2W)
Webcam	1080p Full HD camera
Biometric authentication	Fingerprint reader Optional: IR camera
Battery	4-Cell 90Whr battery Up to 10 hours (MobileMark 18)
Ports	2 Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports HDMI 2.1 (2.0 for Intel UHD Graphics) SD card reader 3.5mm headphone jack Optional: SIM card slot
Connectivity	Intel Wi-Fi 6/6E AX210 (2×2), Bluetooth 5.2 Optional: 5G (Qualcomm Snapdragon X55, not currently available)
Colors	Black Black with woven carbon fiber cover
Size (WxDxH)	14.13 x 9.99 x 0.7 in (359.5 x 253.8 x 17.7 mm)
Weight	Starting at 3.99 lbs (1.81 kg)
Starting price	$1,531.80 (varies)

While that should give you a decent idea of what to expect, let’s take a closer look at what the ThinkPad X1 Extreme brings to the table.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme: Performance

As the name suggests, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is all about performance, and even though you have a few options, there’s no option that’s going to be slow. Not only are these 45W processors from Intel, but they’re all at the top of the range too. There are three processors you can choose from; the base model is an Intel Core i7-11800H, and that’s already an 8 core, 16 thread processor.

From there, you can upgrade to the Core i7-11850H or the Core i9-11950H, both having the same number of cores and threads, but reaching higher speeds. These two are also vPro processors, meaning they have advanced security features for business users. Regardless of which processor you choose though, you’re going to get an incredibly fast machine that can handle even the most demanding tasks like video editing.

You can pair that CPU with your choice of NVIDIA graphics, all the way up to a GeForce RTX 3080, which is incredibly impressive for a business laptop. Your options are limited by the processor you choose though. If you choose the Intel Core i7-11800H, you can get either a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti or an RTX 3060; with the Corei7-11850H you can stick with Intel integrated graphics, get a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, or an RTX 3070; and finally, if you get the Intel Core i9-11950H, you’ll automatically get the GeForce RTX 3080.

Outside of the Intel integrated graphics, all the options here are incredibly powerful, meaning you can not only get work done, but even squeeze in some gaming if that’s your thing. Powerful graphics can also be useful for productivity and the ThinkPad X1 Extreme delivers. This all fits in a slim business-style chassis, so to help with cooling, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme pulls in air through the keyboard vents and expels it through the back.

Moving on to RAM, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme has two SODIMM slots, which you can configure out of the box with up to 64GB of RAM. The base configuration has just one 8GB stick, and for each configuration in-between, you can choose whether you want dual-channel memory or single-channel. For example, you can choose to have a single 16GB RAM stick or two 8GB ones, and it comes at the same price.

This is so you can choose whether you want more performance out of the box with dual-channel memory, or if you plan to add your own RAM later to get more capacity. Regardless, with up to 64GB of RAM, you can use the ThinkPad X1 Extreme for intense multi-tasking and memory-heavy workloads like large coding projects or managing databases.

Finally, there’s storage. You also get two SSD slots — on some models. Since the NVIDIA GPUs available are very powerful and generate a lot of heat, some additional cooling is necessary if you buy a higher-tier model. If you get Intel integrated graphics or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, you get two SSD slots, which you can configure with up to 2TB each for 4TB in total.

If you go with an RTX 3060, 3070, or 3080, you only get one slot. The slot included by default supports PCIe Gen 4×4, but you have to specifically choose a PCIe Gen 4 SSD if you want the extra speed. The other slot, available on lower-end graphics models, only supports PCIe Gen 3. These are also user upgradeable, so you can always add or replace your storage later on.

Display and audio

The display on the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is also impressive. Like many business laptops, it’s got a 16:10 aspect ratio, and in this case, it comes in a 16 inch size. Taller aspect ratios like this mean you get more surface area for the display, and thus, more space for things like text and UI elements when you’re working

What’s really impressive is that the base configuration comes in at WQXGA — or Quad HD+ — resolution, 2560 x 1600. Many laptops start with a Full HD+ display, but with a Quad HD+ panel by default, you’re already getting a stellar experience on the base level. For a laptop screen size, Quad HD+ strikes a great balance between sharpness and battery life, whereas Full HD+ panels can look a bit pixelated and 4K displays use a lot more power. This display covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut, which gives you solid color reproduction, though not the best out there. It has a maximum brightness of 400 nits, and no touch support.

If you do want 4K though, you have that option with the ThinkPad X1 Extreme. This upgrades the resolution to 3840 x 2400 (Ultra HD+), and it also increases the maximum brightness to 600 nits. This means you now get support for DisplayHDR 400, as well as Dolby Vision. For content creators, this panel covers 100% of Adobe RGB, a much better representation of real-life colors that makes this display ideal for video and photo editing. There’s also an option for touch support on this display, which also adds support for an active pen if you have one.

As for audio, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme has two top-firing speakers with 2W of power each, and Lenovo says they’re 20% more powerful than the previous generation. Since these are firing upwards at you, you should get a solid audio experience, and it’s still impressive considering everything else packed into this chassis.

Webcam and Windows Hello

Many laptops that focus on raw performance tend to overlook the webcam quality, but Lenovo didn’t do that here. Out of the box, you get a 1080p webcam with the ThinkPad X1 Extreme, which is still uncommon on many Windows laptops. Like many business laptops, the webcam has a physical shutter that covers the lens if you have any privacy concerns because of it. You also get two far-field microphones so you can be heard clearly during calls.

If you enjoy the extra convenience, you can also configure the ThinkPad X1 Extreme with an IR camera for Windows Hello. This makes logging in extremely easy since you can just look at the computer and be signed in. The IR camera is also included by default if you choose the Ultra HD+ display. There’s no support for human presence detection, however. This is something Lenovo includes on some of its laptops, and it would allow the laptop to wake up automatically when you approach it, so it can unlock completely hands-free.

If you don’t want facial recognition, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme also has a fingerprint reader built into the power button for biometric authentication.

ThinkPad X1 Extreme: Battery life

As it packs incredibly powerful specs, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme also requires a large battery to keep things running when you’re not plugged in. It packs a 90Whr battery and supports Rapid Charge, meaning it can charge up to 80% in one hour.

According to Lenovo, that 90Whr battery can last you up to 10 hours, but this is going to vary depending on your usage and configuration. Lenovo doesn’t say which configuration ran the test, but if you opt for an Intel Core i9 processor and RTX 3080 graphics, it’s probably going to be significantly lower.

The charger included also varies with your configuration to ensure that the laptop will charge even if you’re using it. You get a 135W power adapter if you have Intel integrated graphics, a 170W adapter if you get a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, and a 230W charger for the remaining models. It also uses a proprietary port for charging, not USB Type-C.

Design and build quality

As far as design goes, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme stays true to the lineage of the ThinkPad family. The laptop is almost entirely black, with a silver and red ThinkPad logo, plus a red pointing stick. It also uses a unique combination of materials. The bottom of the laptop uses an aluminum alloy for the casing, while the top uses a carbon fiber hybrid.

And yes, you do get the red pointing stick that’s a trademark of the ThinkPad lineup. Even with all the power packed inside, Lenovo still fit the pointing stick in the middle of the keyboard and the additional mouse buttons above the trackpad.

Also like other ThinkPads, you can get it with a woven carbon fiber pattern on the lid, instead of the flat black paint version. However, this isn’t an upgrade you can just choose. If you buy the laptop with a Quad HD+ display, you get the black paint lid; if you choose the Ultra HD+ panels, you get the woven pattern lid.

Ports and wireless connectivity

Connectivity is another one of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme’s strengths, and it has a lot of ports built right in. It starts with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, offering 40Gbps of data throughput for displays, external GPUs, or other peripherals using a Thunderbolt dock. It also has two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a full-size SD card reader, and a headphone jack, in addition to the proprietary charging port. Additionally, one of those USB Type-A ports is always on, meaning you can use it to charge your phone, even if the laptop is in sleep mode.

For wireless connectivity, you get an Intel AX210 wireless module, which includes support for Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, as well as Bluetooth 5.2. These are the latest version of each technology, so you won’t have to worry about having outdated technology anytime soon.

Finally, Lenovo also says you’ll be able to get optional support for 5G cellular networks with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 modem. 5G is the latest generation of cellular networks, and it promises increased bandwidth so it can accommodate more devices at faster speeds. For a laptop, the essential takeaway here is that you can stay connected to the internet no matter where you are. You don’t need to rely on insecure public Wi-Fi networks to get work done on the go, which is a big deal for security.

5G support isn’t available if you get GeForce RTX 3060, 3070, or 3080 graphics, however. At the time of writing, it’s actually not available at all on Lenovo’s configurator, but it should become available in the near future.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme: Pricing

Officially, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme starts at $2,149. However, things are a bit trickier than that. Lenovo’s website constantly has promotions and “eCoupons” available that vary all the time, so determining a proper base price is complicated. Even individual upgrades can vary in price, which makes it hard to give a specific price list.

What Lenovo considers the “base” configuration is available for $1,629.20, as of the time of writing this. This includes an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, NVIDIA GeForce 3050 Ti graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. It also comes with the Quad HD+ display option, without the IR camera, and running Windows 10 Home.

The cheapest configuration however involves upgrading to the Intel Core i7-11850H. This is because you can then remove the dedicated graphics, and stick with Intel’s integrated GPU. Currently, that’s available for $1,531.80.

If you want to upgrade the processor, GPU, and RAM all the way, you’ll be spending over $4,000 on your configuration. Currently, this costs $4,223.40, but again, it’s subject to change. Lenovo’s website says the regular price of this configuration is $7,039, but you’ll probably never see it at that price.

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If you’re interested in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme, you can buy it using the link below to fully configure your setup. As we’ve discussed, there are a lot of configuration options available, so it’s all about finding what fits your needs the best. If you’re not convinced, check out our list of the best laptops you can buy today.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is an incredibly powerful 16 inch laptop with high-end Intel CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics. It can be had with up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage, plus an Ultra HD+ display.

Buy at Lenovo

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Firefox makes it easier to change the default browser on Windows 11

Mozilla has circumvented Microsoft’s restrictions on setting a default browser on Windows 11, making it easier to use Firefox by default. This fights off one of the more annoying aspects of the new operating system, which tries to push users toward Microsoft Edge.

If you’re not aware, Microsoft has made it even harder to change default browsers on Windows 11. The problem starts with the prompt that shows up when you click a link outside of the browser. If it’s the first time you’re clicking a link and you have more than one browser installed, you’ll be asked which browser you want to use. The thing is, if you choose an option and confirm it without checking the “Always use this app” box, you’ll never be prompted to choose a browser again. Microsft Edge remains the default, even if you opened that first link in a different browser.

To add insult to injury, Microsoft made it much harder to manually set a default app, too. Whereas you used to be able to select a default web browser, media player, and so on, now you have to set defaults for every file type individually. So, if you miss the initial chance to set a different browser as the default, it’s very difficult to go and change it yourself. Even when a browser prompts you to set it as the default, the process is tedious.

Clearly, Microsoft is overstepping some boundaries with this measure, and Mozilla decided to counter it. Now, when Firefox asks you to set it as the default browser, you’re no longer taken to the Settings app to set it manually. According to The Verge, Mozilla reverse-engineered the way Microsoft sets Edge as the default browser on Windows, and leveraged that to set its own browser as the default. Firefox does everything for you in the background, circumventing Microsoft’s protections.

This change was made with Firefox 91, which was released on August 10th, so it’s not completely new. However, it’s still noteworthy considering Microsoft still hasn’t changed the way default apps work on Windows 11 since the initial preview was released. Firefox is also the only major browser to do this, at least for now.

In a statement to The Verge, a Mozilla spokesperson reiterated that it’s Microsoft’s fault for making it so hard to set a default browser on Windows 10 and 11:

“People should have the ability to simply and easily set defaults, but they don’t (…). All operating systems should offer official developer support for default status so people can easily set their apps as default. Since that hasn’t happened on Windows 10 and 11, Firefox relies on other aspects of the Windows environment to give people an experience similar to what Windows provides to Edge when users choose Firefox to be their default browser.”

While Firefox is still the only browser to have done this, it’s likely a matter of time until others follow suit. Microsoft likely won’t be happy about this, but if other browser vendors follow this trend, it might force the company to reconsider its approach. Hopefully, the company will acknowledge the error of its ways sooner rather than later.

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Walmart will offer T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile phones and plans

T-Mobile is launching in over 2,300 Walmart stores starting next month, expanding their ever-growing retail presence.

The “Uncarrier” has confirmed today that over 2,300 Walmart stores across the country will soon offer phones and services to T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers. They had previously announced the expansion into retail back in March during their Virtual Analyst Day. The new retail locations will more than double their existing retail presence, adding to their recently launched footprint in Best Buy stores.

Customers of the magenta carrier’s prepaid brand, Metro by T-Mobile, will be able to purchase phones and SIM cards in Walmart brick-and-mortar stores and online beginning October 18th. The press release states that the stores will have dedicated displays set up in-store with affordable 5G phones and a choice between their 3 unlimited plans starting at $40/mo.

Standard T-Mobile postpaid phones and service offerings will be available beginning November 1st. This includes all their currently available plans, like Magenta MAX, and presumably all of their popular phone promotions like a free 5G phone with any trade-in.

Walmart’s VP of Wireless Services, Mehrdad Akbar, had this to say of the announcement:

“T-Mobile is a top wireless provider and one that we know our customers are going to be excited to shop in our stores and on Walmart.com. We are thrilled to add T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile to our assortment and feel that it’s yet another way we are delivering the best products and services to our customers to help them save money and live better.”

Walmart has offered their “Family Mobile” brand of prepaid service for years, offering a variety of plans with anywhere from 5GB of data to unlimited. That service uses the T-Mobile network. It’s unclear if Walmart will continue to offer Family Mobile to new customers once T-Mobile launches their official services in stores.

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macOS Monterey: Release date, features, privacy, and more

Originally unveiled in June 2021 at Apple’s virtual WWDC event, macOS Monterey is the next iteration of macOS. The current official version of macOS is Big Sur, which saw huge visual changes and usability improvements. In comparison, macOS Monterey is a smaller update, focussing on performance and privacy. In addition, Safari is also getting a fresh coat of paint and a few nifty new features.

For those that are adventurous, Apple has the usual public beta available for macOS Monterey. The beta is relatively stable at this point, but there are still a few lingering bugs. If you want to know all about macOS Monterey, but don’t want to risk the beta, we’ve got you covered. In this article we’ll run down everything you need to know about macOS Monterey: release date, new features, and more.

Navigate this article:

• When will macOS Monterey release?
• Will my Mac get the macOS Monterey update?
• Which beta versions have released thus far?
• What are the big features coming in macOS Monterey?
  • Universal Control
  • AirPlay to Mac
  • Safari UI update and Tab Groups
  • FaceTime improvements and SharePlay
  • Live Text
  • Visual Lookup
  • Shortcuts
• Any other smaller features/changes worth knowing about?
• What’s new with privacy in macOS Monterey?
• Will all new features come to both Intel and Apple silicon Macs?

When will macOS Monterey release?

macOS Monterey is expected to be released in Fall 2021. Apple typically pushes out their newest version of macOS with hardware updates. This year we’re expecting to see new 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pros with Apple silicon inside, perhaps the upcoming M1X chip.

While we don’t know the exact release date for macOS Monterey, we can speculate based on rumors surrounding the launch of those new MacBook Pros. Current leaks suggest that Apple may hold three separate Fall 2021 events, with the redesigned MacBook Pros debuting in the third and final event. If these leaks are any indication, this would place the third event in late October or early November. Overall, this lines up very well with last year’s timeline for macOS Big Sur, which was released on November 12th, 2020.

Will my Mac get the macOS Monterey update?

macOS Monterey is compatible with many of the Macs that were able to run macOS Big Sur. Unfortunately, some older Macs from 2013 and 2014 aren’t getting macOS Monterey. Here’s a list of all the Macs slated to get macOS Monterey this fall:

• iMac – Late 2015 and later
• iMac Pro – 2017 and later
• MacBook Air – Early 2015 and later
• MacBook Pro – Early 2015 and later
• Mac Pro – Late 2013 and later
• Mac mini – Late 2014 and later
• MacBook – Early 2016 and later

These are the Macs that were compatible with the macOS Big Sur update:

• 2015 and later MacBook
• 2013 and later MacBook Air
• Late 2013 and later MacBook Pro
• 2014 and later iMac
• 2017 and later iMac Pro
• 2014 and later Mac mini
• 2013 and later Mac Pro

Notice that the 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air, 2014 iMac, as well as 2013 and 2014 MacBook Pros are at the end of their update life cycle with Big Sur.

Which beta versions have been released so far?

Apple has released six beta versions of macOS Monterey to developers and five versions to public beta testers. I’ve been running the public beta on my 2018 MacBook Pro and the fifth beta is quite stable. There are a few bugs with search failing to work in Finder and a few crashes here and there, but it’s not a bad experience as a daily driver at this point.

In the third developer beta, Apple introduced a number of refinements, including a redesigned Safari search bar and tab interface, making the design introduced in earlier betas optional (see below for more on Safari).

The fourth developer beta brought Live Text to Intel-based Macs, which was previously listed as exclusive to M1 machines. Live Text allows users to directly interact with text within images, such as phone numbers and addresses. With Live Text, text inside images also becomes selectable, allowing users to cut and copy the text into apps. The fifth developer beta also included new icons for Apple’s iWork apps.

What are the big features coming in macOS Monterey?

Universal Control

If you own multiple Macs, or a Mac plus iPad combo, this feature makes life a lot more convenient. You can now use a single keyboard and mouse/trackpad to control multiple Mac or iPad devices. This is especially useful for those of us that use our iPad as a sidecar for our desktop Mac or MacBook Pro. Now you can even drag and drop text or multimedia content between your Mac and iPad.

Perhaps the best part of Universal Control is that it just works. You don’t need to set up anything or enable settings on either device. Place your Mac and iPad near one another and you can seamlessly move the cursor from one device to the other automatically. This feature could easily revolutionize workflows for many power users that rely on a full suite of Apple devices.

AirPlay to Mac

AirPlay has been around for quite a while at this point, so most people know how it works. You can send audio from your Mac or iOS device to a nearby speaker that’s AirPlay compatible. With macOS Monterey, you’ll also be able to use your Mac as an AirPlay receiver. This is an excellent feature if you want to send music from your iPhone to a nearby Mac for a more robust audio experience. In fact, you can even add your Mac as a speaker to any AirPlay 2 multi-room audio setup.

Audio isn’t the only thing you can share with the new AirPlay to Mac feature. You can also extend or mirror any Apple device’s display to your Mac. This means you can also use one Mac as an external display for another, something very useful for those with an iMac and MacBook. The new AirPlay to Mac feature works either wirelessly or wired via USB-C, which will be preferable to reduce latency when listening to music.

AirPlay to Mac works with the 2018 or later MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, 2019 or later iMac or Mac Pro, the iMac Pro, and the 2020 or later Mac mini.

Safari UI update and Tab Groups

With macOS Monterey, Safari is getting a distinctly different look. The tab bar now matches the color profile of the site you’re currently visiting. Tabs also blend in with the webpage background better and have been redesigned as floating bubbles. Web pages also fill the entire screen in Safari, with the borders of the page pushed to the boundary of the Safari window.

Aside from aesthetic improvements, Safari also has some new usability features. Tab Groups allow users to save a group of tabs together for later viewing, so they don’t take up all of the space on your tab bar. This feature is incredibly useful if you often need a particular group of tabs open for work, you can save these in a tab group and only open this group when at work. To access Tab Groups, simply click on the down arrow located next to bookmarks.

Tab groups can be shared with others and accessed on any Apple device running iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or macOS Monterey.

FaceTime improvements and SharePlay

FaceTime is one of Apple’s signature services. For many macOS and iOS users, FaceTime and iMessage are the biggest reasons they’re locked into the Apple ecosystem. With macOS Monterey, FaceTime is getting a number of sweet features. Perhaps the most intriguing new feature is SharePlay. SharePlay allows users to watch content with their friends over FaceTime, with synced playback and volume controls. In fact, the volume will even adjust to allow you to continue talking while you enjoy your movie or show. If music is more your thing, you can also listen to an Apple Music playlist with friends and users can add tracks to the queue as you go.

If you need to get some group work done, you can also share your screen in FaceTime to collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and more. To make the SharePlay experience even better, FaceTime now supports Spatial Audio. With Spatial Audio, your FaceTime call quality will be better than ever. Spatial Audio makes it so the voices on the screen sound like they’re coming from the direction where the particular person is situated in your grid view.

You can even FaceTime with non-iPhone users in macOS Monterey, a feature we’ve been waiting on for quite a while. To FaceTime with an Android or PC user, simply create a FaceTime link and share it with those you want to join your FaceTime call. Users can join the call from the Chrome or Edge browsers on an Android phone or on their PC. You can even run Windows on your Mac using Parallels Desktop 17 and then FaceTime with yourself if you want.

If you like to FaceTime with large groups of people, the new Grid View shows everyone on the call with equally sized tiles. For users with M1 Macs, you also get Portrait Mode in FaceTime, enabling you to blur out your background while on a call.

Live Text

The new Live Text feature in macOS Monterey allows users to interact with text found in photos. You can copy addresses, telephone numbers, and more from a simple photo. One of the ways I use this the most is when I’m taking a picture of a receipt. If you send a package for instance, you can photograph the receipt, click on the tracking number and automatically track your package in Safari.

Even though Google Photos has had this feature for quite some time, it’s still nice to see it come to Mac users in Monterey. Live Text works with handwritten information as well, so you can jot something down with a pen and take a picture with your iPhone to create a digital copy to transfer information.

Visual Lookup

Continuing with the machine learning features, Visual Lookup allows you to get information about important features in a given photo. You can right click on a photo in Safari or locally on your Mac and choose the ‘Look Up’ option. If there are any key features of the photo, you’ll get a pop-up that displays useful information.

Currently, Visual Lookup can recognize landmarks, plants, animal breeds, cloud types, and more. Surprisingly, this feature is available on both Intel and M1 Macs.

Shortcuts

If you’ve used an iPhone for a while, Shortcuts are already quite familiar. Apple introduced Shortcuts for iOS in iOS 13 back in 2019. The basic idea of Shortcuts is to create routines that allow you to get more out of your Apple devices. One of the big selling points of Shortcuts is increased productivity, so it makes sense to bring the app to macOS with Monterey.

You can get Shortcut suggestions from the Gallery and there are new Mac-specific suggestions to increase productivity on your desktop or laptop. Shortcuts are well integrated into macOS Monterey and can be run from the Dock, menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, or by using Siri, and they’re also universal. Shortcuts made on your iPhone can be used on your Mac and vice versa. If you’re a pro user, you can also integrate Shortcuts with shell scripts for even more functionality.

Any other smaller features/changes worth knowing about?

We’ve covered the really big stuff coming with macOS Monterey, but what about the smaller features you might use as well? Here are some of the useful features in Monterey that aren’t getting as much hype, but are still worth knowing about:

• Finder – Finder offers a pie chart progress window when copying files, and the “go to folder” has been improved with a new look and autocomplete engine. There’s also now an iCloud collaboration folder that houses shared documents. Finder windows now automatically resize when moving between displays, improving multitasking.
• Focus – Match your devices to your mindset with Focus. Automatically filter notifications based on what you’re currently doing. Turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’ to switch everything off, or choose from a suggested Focus for work, personal time, sleep, fitness, gaming, reading, or driving.
• Low Power Mode – You can extend your MacBook’s battery life with Low Power Mode, which reduces system clock speed and display brightness to extend battery life.
• Erase All Contents and Settings – There’s a new option to erase all user data and user-installed apps from the system without having to reinstall macOS.
• Memoji – Memoji represents more of your look and style with new customizations, including oxygen tubes, cochlear implants, and a soft helmet for headwear.
• Books App – Enjoy a refreshed version of the app that’s easier and more intuitive to use. Access features like Reading Goals, Want to Read, and Reading Now, previously available only on iOS. Search is also more intuitive.
• Apple ID – You can set an Account Recovery Contact for your Apple ID in case you forget your password, and there’s a Digital Legacy so you can set someone as a Legacy Contact that can access your account when you die.
• Apple Card – Advanced Fraud Protection lets Apple Card users change their security code frequently to make Card Number transactions more secure.
• Accessibility – VoiceOver for Markup descriptions and PDF signatures has been added, and there are new accessibility focussed Memoji. Mouse pointers can also be customized, and improvements to ‘Full Keyboard Access’ let a Mac be controlled entirely with a keyboard.
• Hello Screen Saver and Background – macOS Monterey includes a “Hello” desktop picture and screen saver.
• Find My – The ‘Find My’ app features live locations for family and friends, and there’s a ‘Find My’ widget. AirPods Pro and AirPods Max are also now compatible with the ‘Find My’ network so they can be located even outside of Bluetooth range.
• Home – HomeKit Secure Video can now let you know when a package has been delivered.
• Reminders – Reminders includes support for tags and custom smart lists, plus there’s an option to delete completed reminders.
• Screen Time – Downtime on demand can be activated to allow only phone calls and apps that you choose. When activated, Downtime sends a five minute reminder and then stays on until the end of the day.
• Siri – Siri in macOS Monterey is better at maintaining context between requests, so you can refer to what you just asked and Siri will understand.
• Tips – Apple brought a Tips feature to macOS Monterey to help people learn new Mac features.
• Window updates – You can swap out apps in Split View or change a Split View window to a full screen window. There’s also an option to enable a full-screen menu bar so you can see the app menu while in full screen mode.
• Mail App Extensions – The Mail app in macOS Monterey supports extensions that can do things like block content, perform message and composing actions, and improve security.
• Improved Display Support – Newer Macs running Monterey will support Adaptive-Sync external displays with variable refresh rates. Adaptive-Sync is a variable refresh rate display technology used for AMD FreeSync, Nvidia G-Sync, and other similar display features.
• Full-screen menu bar – You have the option to display the menu bar at all times in full screen so you can easily view the app menu and other glanceable information anytime.

What’s new with privacy in macOS Monterey?

Apple has always touted itself as the number one tech company when it comes to privacy. In macOS Monterey, there are a number of new privacy focused features. Let’s take a look at everything Apple’s including to improve privacy on the Mac.

Child safety features

Apple is rolling out a feature to protect children when communicating on any Apple device. The new Communication Safety feature is coming to macOS Monterey as well as iOS 15 this fall. If a child attempts to send or receive a sexually explicit photo, the Messages app will issue a warning. There’s also an option for the parent to receive a notification if the child does not heed the warning, or attempts to reply with sexually explicit photos.

In addition, Apple initially outlined plans to roll out a new feature for scanning iCloud photos for child pornography. This feature received significant pushback from security researchers and has been tentatively delayed and will not be rolling out with macOS Monterey.

Mail Privacy Protection

Mail Privacy Protection helps protect your privacy by preventing email senders from learning information about your Mail activity. If you choose to turn it on, it hides your IP address so senders can’t link it to your other online activity or determine your location. And it prevents senders from seeing if you’ve opened their email.

Hide My Email

‘Hide My Email’ allows you to create unique, random email addresses that forward to your personal inbox so you can send and receive email without having to share your real email address.

Password improvements

With Monterey you can generate verification codes needed for additional sign-in security. If a site offers two-factor authentication, you can set up verification codes under Passwords in System Preferences and Safari — no need to download an additional app. Once set up, verification codes will autofill when you sign into the site.

Passwords are also easier to manage. Look up and manage your saved passwords for apps and websites in the new Passwords section of System Preferences, which replaces KeyChain. Import passwords from other password managers to Passwords in System Preferences or Safari. You can export passwords too. This is a great feature for any users that have an Android phone but use a Mac for computing.

iCloud+ with Private Relay

iCloud Private Relay is a service that lets you connect to virtually any network and browse with Safari in an even more secure and private way. It ensures that the traffic leaving your device is encrypted so no one can intercept and read it. Then all your requests are sent through two separate internet relays. It’s designed so that no one — including Apple — can use your IP address, location, and browsing activity to create a detailed profile about you.

Recording Indicator

See which apps have access to the microphone on your Mac in Control Center. A new software indicator augments the camera indicator light by showing you whenever an app has access to your microphone.

Will all new features come to both Intel and Apple silicon Macs?

With so many new features coming to macOS Monterey, you might be wondering if Intel users will get left out on certain updates. Unfortunately, there are a few features that will be exclusive to Macs running Apple silicon.

The Live Text feature was originally announced as an M1 Mac exclusive, but that changed with the 4th beta update. Intel Macs can now use Live Text in macOS Monterey. Here’s a list of the remaining Apple silicon-exclusive features in Monterey:

• Portrait Mode blurred backgrounds in FaceTime videos (the Portrait Mode option shows up on Intel Macs, but doesn’t work).
• An interactive 3D globe of Earth in the Maps app.
• More detailed maps in larger US cities.
• Text-to-speech in additional languages, including Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish.
• On-device keyboard dictation that performs all processing completely offline.
• Unlimited keyboard dictation (removing the 60 second limit).

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My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge review: An amazing mobile shooter with avaricious ads

As we all swim in a mobile gaming market filled with gachas, clickers, and Candy Crush rip-offs, it’s rare that you’ll come across a game that makes you feel like an action hero. However, I believe I’ve found one — My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge — in which you play a diminutive action hero who’s capable of performing spectacular bullet-time gymnastics in a series of platformer locations. It’s actually a pretty good game, but it’s just a shame it tries so hard to push you in the direction of buying its premium version.

What exactly is “My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge”?

My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge, released on both iOS and Android, is a loosely connected sequel to the 2019 game My Friend Pedro. That game was based on an older Flash game of the same name that was originally released by Adult Swim Games in 2015. The consistent feature of all of these games is that the main character murders people at the behest of a talking banana named Pedro that only he can see. It’s probably best not to think too much about the implications of that.

My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge (Free⁺, Google Play) →

The goal of My Friend Pedro is to fight your way through a series of larger and more complicated warehouses, using a combination of bullet time and acrobatics to outshoot the bad guys who have apparently wronged you or Pedro in some way. Most of the game is a wonderful tribute to the craziest action films as your character athletically leaps and rolls across the 2D platformer maps, the short bursts of action broken up by the bullet time. You’ll spend most of those precious seconds trying to figure out which bad guy best deserves your bullets, in true Max Payne style.

Have guns, will travel

The game has a fairly forgiving difficulty curve for the first few levels, but that’s almost by necessity. The controls can be hard to get one’s mind around at first. Some moves like basic motion require you to use your thumbs on the screen like you’re using a game controller, while others require the use of a finger. It’ll probably take a few tries to get the hang of it, but once you get it, it flows very naturally.

Ripe for Revenge is really one gameplay loop — leap, roll and shoot your way through a series of baddies using bullet time and apparently limitless ammo. It’s a good thing this gameplay loop is done so well. There are endless amounts of fun to be had from blasting your way through walls by shooting gasoline tanks, taking out four bad guys with a single moment of bullet time, and watching your score tick up as the game gives you a star rating at the end of every episode.

It’s not a complicated game, and it’s great once you find your groove

Because the gameplay is simple, there isn’t much My Friend Pedro can do to dress it up. You can also pick up a series of other weapons you can use against your enemies, although the basic principle of “tap bad guys until they stop moving” remains the driving force behind all of them.

It’s not a complicated game, but it’s great once you find your groove and master the gameplay. The fun comes in the complications the level throws at you, not how many movement controls or weapons you can use.

It’s bullet time! Oh wait, it’s just another ad

Ripe for Revenge by itself is a fun little title, something that will occupy players for a few hours or days of gameplay. It’s not the sort of mobile title you invest months of your time in. You won’t be grinding or partaking in omnipresent gacha mechanics. In fact, the only thing that will prevent you from seeing all of its content within a few hours is the fact that the game runs ads between every level and after every death.

Ads are an unfortunate fact of life in the mobile games industry. If you don’t want to pay outright for a premium game (and most players don’t, if we’re being honest), then this is the only way for mobile game developers to profit from their work. So their inclusion by itself is not worthy of criticism. However, the game not only runs an ad every time you die if you’re playing the free version but after the ad, you’re kicked back to the start of the level. In the premium version, you can pick up immediately from where you left off.

The way the ads are implemented in Ripe for Revenge feels a bit underhanded

Sure, through perseverance and practice, you can become proficient enough that it won’t matter. You won’t see ads because you won’t die. But that’s going to require a lot of tooth-grinding frustration. The premium upgrade, with its $3 price tag, begins to look awfully tempting after a while, and while I’m aware that’s the point, I don’t appreciate how insidious it is.

And even if you make it all the way through a level successfully, with no deaths and with a perfect star rating, you get an ad anyway! Again, this is a fact of life in the modern game industry, but it’s still depressing how quickly this kills the flow of an otherwise excellent little action game.

If you’ve played the console/PC version of this game, it’s worth pointing out this sequel won’t measure up to it in terms of visual quality. If the original Flash game was an oddball pixel art indie, and the remake is a bright, gory spectacle, Ripe for Revenge is a bit more on the dismal side. It’s mostly dark purple with some browns and greys thrown in, although that does help to make the gun flashes and blood spray all the more noticeable.

Should You Play? Yes!

My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge is a fun action title, definitely worth your time. And I don’t usually recommend this, but I think the premium version is worth it if you’re prone to getting frustrated with games and don’t feel like grinding through the ads to play.

My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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