MenuStrip 1.5 — a multi-purpose utility for Mac OS X that allows access to frequently used settings such as the computer volume, monitor resolution, and color depth from the Mac OS X menubar — is now available from MacPowerUser.com.
The folks at MacPowerUser.com say the most useful features of the US$12 shareware product are the “Hide All”/ “Show All” buttons and the “Single App Mode” toggle button that it places in the menu bar.
When “Single App Mode” is enabled, all open applications, except for the front-most program, are hidden. When switching between applications, the newly activated application will be visible while all others become hidden.
When pressed, the Hide All button will hide every window on the screen, including all Finder windows, showing only the desktop. The Show All button functions in the exact opposite way as the Hide All button: it “unhides” all applications that were previously hidden.
MenuStrip is configurable using a separate application called MenuStrip Prefs. Each menu button can be enabled or disabled based on each user’s preference. Also, a list of applications can be set so that they are not affected by the previously mentioned hide functions. For instance, if you run CPU Monitor in a floating window and would like it to always remain visible, add it to this list and MenuStrip won’t hide it if the Hide All button is pressed. It will hide everything except CPU Monitor.
But if all this isn’t enough, MenuStrip also features a menubar clock with chime and alarm capabilities. The utility is available for download (it’s an 876 kb file) now. The folks at MacPoweruser.com also indicate they have more Mac OS X utilities in the works.