Best AT&T Deals and Promotions for June 2018

If you’re on AT&T, these are the hottest deals to keep an eye out for.

AT&T is one of the largest and most well-known carries in the United States, and as a result of this, you can often find some pretty sweet deals being offered. Whether you’re in the market for new phones or television service, AT&T has something for just about everyone. Here are the top deals we recommend the most.

Buy one Galaxy S9, get another for free

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is one of the hottest Android phones around, but its retail price can also set you back a pretty penny. To help offset this cost, AT&T is letting you get one for free when you buy two on AT&T Next.

Your savings are applied via monthly bill credits, and after 24 monthly payments, you’ll end up paying just $32.92/month to own both phones.

Along with new customers being eligible for this promotion, existing subscribers can also take advantage of it as long as they add the phones to their current plans.

See at AT&T

Get two LG V35 ThinQs for the price of one

Aside from Project Fi, AT&T is the only other carrier in the U.S. where you can buy the LG V35 ThinQ. While the V35 shares the same design as last year’s V30, it has a much more powerful Snapdragon 845 processor and the same excellent cameras found on the LG G7.

The V35 usually retails for $899, but similar to the above Galaxy S9 offer, you can get one for free when buying two on AT&T Next.

To help make that deal even better, you can get $400 in trade-in credits when trading in an eligible phone to upgrade to the V35. Not bad at all.

See at AT&T

Grab the ZTE Axon M for free with monthly bill credits

The ZTE Axon M is still one of the most unique phones on the market, and if you’ve been eager to live the dual-screen life, AT&T’s now letting you get the phone for free!

After buying the Axon M on AT&T Next and pairing it with wireless service, you’ll receive monthly bill credits that allow you to essentially get it for free. Those credits are offered over the course of 30 months and a new line is required from either new or existing subscribers in order to be eligible.

See at AT&T

Buy three accessories and get 20% off

Need a case for your phone? What about a new USB-C cable? Maybe you’ve been eyeing a Bluetooth speaker? Whatever you’re in the market for, AT&T is where you’ll want to go if you’re ready to pick up some new mobile accessories.

For a limited time, you can take 20% off your entire order when you buy three or more accessories (up to 10) from AT&T. Even better, you don’t have to be subscribed to an AT&T to take advantage of this offer!

See at AT&T

Updated June 26, 2018: Added all new deals for June 2018!

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Firefox to Get New Security Tool With ‘Have I Been Pwned’ Email Database Integration

Mozilla has announced a new security tool for users of its Firefox web browser. Called Firefox Monitor, the website lets visitors check if their accounts have been included in known data breaches and the types of data exposed in each breach.

The security tool is the result of a partnership between Mozilla and HaveIBeenPwned.com (HIBP), a site set up by security researcher Troy Hunt that includes a database of email addresses that are known to have been compromised in data breaches.

Thanks to the partnership, Firefox is able to check email addresses against the HIBP database via a method of anonymized data sharing (full details can be found in Troy Hunt’s blog post). The new tool builds on Firefox’s existing HIBP integration, which tells users if a site they are visiting was previously exposed in a data breach.

In February, password management app 1Password announced its own partnership with HIBP, which lets users check that their passwords haven’t been leaked online. Since that time, developers AgileBits have built the Pwned Passwords database list into its 1Password desktop apps. As of today, users can also search HIBP from directly within 1Password via the Watchtower feature in the web version of the product.

Mozilla says it will begin trialling the new integration between HIBP and Firefox to make breach data searchable over the coming weeks.

Firefox Quantum is available for macOS as a free download directly from the Mozilla website.

Tags: Mozilla, Firefox
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Wi-Fi Alliance Begins Certifying Next-Generation WPA3 Security Protocol

The Wi-Fi Alliance has officially started certifying WPA3, the next-generation security standard for wireless networking devices (via Engadget). The new protocol addresses a number of potential vulnerabilities that exist in WPA2 for both personal and enterprise networking environments.

Amongst the enhancements, WPA3-Personal includes a more robust password-based authentication system that reduces the chances of a hacker guessing your password, individualized data encryption to protect against Wi-Fi eavesdropping, and the ability to protect data traffic even if a password is compromised after the data was transmitted.

On the enterprise side, WPA3 also offers an optional mode using 192-bit minimum-strength security protocols, as well as cryptographic tools to better protect sensitive data.

WPA3 also includes new quick-setup options for smart home devices through Easy Connect, a smartphone-based feature for users to set up wireless devices that lack displays.

Support for WP3A must be built into devices for the protocol to be enabled, so it won’t start coming into general use for a while yet. The good news is that WPA3 will retain interoperability with WPA2 devices, so there won’t be a need to update every device on the same network.

The Wi-Fi Alliance expects WPA3 certification to increase over the next year, and as adoption grows, the protocol should eventually become a market requirement for all Wi-Fi certified devices.
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Nikkei: AirPods Charging Case Will Be Able to Wirelessly Charge an iPhone

An upcoming version of the AirPods charging case will be able to wirelessly charge a compatible iPhone, according to Nikkei Asian Review.

The first paragraph from Cheng Ting-Fang and Lauly Li:

Users of iPhones will soon be able to wirelessly charge their handsets using the charging case for Apple’s popular AirPods wireless earphones, according to an industry source familiar with the plan.

The report claims the charging case could be available as soon as the end of this year, although the timeframe is subject to change.

It’s not entirely clear if the report is referring to the same AirPods charging case that Apple previewed alongside the iPhone X. Apple said that optional accessory will be released in 2018 alongside its AirPower charging mat.

All in all, it’s a bit of a strange report. Would a user hold or lay their iPhone against the AirPods charging case? Would the AirPods still charge? Wouldn’t the charging case need more mAh to sufficiently charge an iPhone?

More thoughts and details to follow…

Related Roundups: 2018 iPhones, AirPodsTags: nikkei.com, AirPowerBuyer’s Guide: AirPods (Caution)
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Japan aims to power Tokyo Olympics with 100 percent renewable energy

With the Tokyo Olympics just two years away, the event’s organizing committee has announced it wants to power the games using renewable energy only.

That means building systems to supply the Games — both Olympic and Paralympic — with electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind and solar as part of efforts to promote decarbonization, the Japan Times reported.

Described by an official as “unprecedented” for a major sporting event, the Games’ renewable energy target will also encompass the athletes’ village, the international broadcasting center, and the main press center.

Part of the strategy designed to help it reach its target will involve renting and leasing items that are used during the event. If any need to be bought, the committee will make arrangements to guarantee their use once the sporting extravaganza is over.

Organizers also plan to purchase renewable energy from power companies and to install solar panels where possible.

Speaking of solar panels, the committee is making plans to build a number of solar roads to generate some of the power used by the 2020 Games. Embedded directly in roads, the surface of the panels includes a special resin to ensure their durability, the Independent reported. As part of trial, a convenience store near Tokyo recently installed solar panels beneath its parking lot, with the setup now taking care of almost 10 percent of the store’s power needs. Similar technology has already been installed in several roads in France, as well as on cycle paths in the Netherlands.

Other efforts to make the Games greener include making the medals from precious metals collected from used mobile phones.

Organizers launched a campaign in Japan last year to encourage people to recycle their old mobile phones from which the metals can be extracted.

Partnering with Japanese cellular giant NTT Docomo and the Japan Environmental Sanitation Center, the plan is to collect at least eight tons of metal from discarded mobile devices. Millions of phones are needed so that enough material can be gathered to make the 5,000 medals due to be presented at the event in 2020.

Recent Olympic Games have used recycled e-waste to create the medals, but Japan says Tokyo 2020 is aiming to be the first where all of the gold medals are made entirely with recovered metal.

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Cooler Master’s new $79 mechanical keyboard lights up your desk like Christmas

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PC gamers shopping for the best mechanical keyboard packed with more features per dollar than high-priced models should look no further than Cooler Master’s CK552. Technically it launched on June 19, but Cooler Master held back the reviews until today so that Best Buy could stock its shelves full of CK552 keyboards you can purchase right now for $79. 

The CK552 is a highly attractive, visually sturdy mechanical keyboard sporting a minimalistic, curved brushed aluminum design and raised, floating keys. The model we received for testing is pure black, but Cooler Master also sells a version with a Gunmetal color scheme, the CK550, for an additional $10. The company sells a silver model too for an unknown price, the CK551, relying on an entirely different switch than the CK552 and CK550 models.  

Typing a lightshow

The CK552 (and CK550) relies on Gateron mechanical switches promising up to 50 million key presses in its lifetime. The red switches are your mainstream option, as they’re good for both gaming and typing. Brown switches build on the reds by providing tactile feedback while remaining somewhat quiet. Blue switches are the loudest of the trio and require more force than the red and brown versions. 

If you want a lot of bling for $79, Cooler Master’s CK552 is your ticket to an on-desk lightshow.

In our hands-on, we chose the CK552 with red switches given it won’t be used solely for gaming. Typing isn’t exactly quiet, producing a dull “knock” with each key press, but that shouldn’t matter during your gaming experience unless you’re typing a research paper while sniping heads. The switches themselves feel highly responsive with each key press, and the caps provide clear, thick fonts for the backlighting to dazzle your eyeballs. 

If you want a lot of bling for $79, Cooler Master’s CK552 is your ticket to an on-desk lightshow. Each key supports more than 16 million colors while the caps sit high above the aluminum faceplate, spilling colorful light all across the keyboard. You can change this backlighting in two ways: Downloading Cooler Master’s free desktop software or by using on-the-fly controls built into the peripheral. 

This latter aspect is the meat and potatoes of Cooler Master’s keyboard: Customizable settings without the need for software. For instance, by pressing the dedicated FN key along with any key between F1 and F8, you can cycle through eight set colors, create your own custom color, cycle through lighting effects, and more. These function keys sport icons defining their on-the-fly function, such as F2 increases the LEDs’ red hue — and so on. 

You can assign these colors and lighting effects to four profiles stored on the keyboard. Other settings you can save include macro assignments: F11 is used for recording, F12 to delete, and more. The FN key itself dons the Cooler Master logo outline rather than the typical “FN” on the key cap. That said, on-the-fly controls are great if you need to customize the keyboard during gaming tournaments where software isn’t allowed.

If you want a more hands-on approach to customizing the peripheral, Cooler Master’s free software is your best bet. Here you’ll see the features split into four categories: LED, Macro, Key Map, and Profiles. Everything you configure with this software is saved directly to the keyboard. 

For gamers wanting a feature-packed, high-performance mechanical keyboard for $79, this is it.

With the software, you should have an easier time configuring the keyboard’s light show. By the end of our testing, we had the CK552 lit up like a Christmas tree by layering four effects: Stars, Rain, Circle Spectrum and Water Ripple. All effects are customizable, enabling you to set the desired colors and effect direction. We actually spent quite a while testing and combining these effects to get the desired lighting because the process (and end result) was simply a blast. 

Outside the lighting, the software is a bit more thorough than the on-board controls regarding profiles, key mapping, and macros. For instance, you can import and export up to four profiles, or nuke all four and start from scratch. Key mapping is as simple as clicking on a specific key in the software’s keyboard map and pressing a physical key to reassign its function to the target key. For macros, simply create, record, and assign it to your desired key. 

For gamers wanting a feature-packed, high-performance mechanical keyboard for $79, this is it. It’s sturdy but lightweight, and its compact enough to be an easy carry to tournaments. It’s a wired peripheral, so the input during Destiny 2 and Prey‘s new DLC felt crisp and on cue. It doesn’t come with a wrist rest, but the WR530 is a perfect complement to Cooler Master’s new keyboard.

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How to set up the Continued Conversation feature for Google Home

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Are you tired of saying “Hey Google” or “Ok Google” over and over in order to give your Google Home device commands? You’re not alone. Much of the feedback Google received about their Home devices is that people got tired saying “OK/Hey Google” over and over again whenever they wanted their smart speaker to do multiple things during the same conversation.

Well, you asked, and Google listened, introducing a “Continued Conversation” feature that allows you to use the wake phrase only once. Continued Conversation is now available to enable on your device, and here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Make sure Home is set up

You need to set up Google Home and connect it to the Google Assistant on the appropriate account. This way, when you enable Continued Conversation on Google Assistant, it will affect your Google Home. If it’s been a while since you used that Google Assistant app, open it and make sure it is fully updated. Assistant should update automatically if it’s open. Double-check to make sure it is signed into the right account (the one you use with Google Home) before you begin!

Please note that, currently, the Continued Conversation feature is only available in the United States and only available in English. Additional rollouts are expected in the future.

Step 2: Open Assistant settings

With Google Assistant open, head to the explore button in the upper right corner—the icon looks like three dots. Select this icon, and it will drop down a menu with plenty of maintenance options. Choose Settings from this menu.

Step 3: Go to Preferences

In the Settings menu, you will see which account is signed in (a good time to check again that it’s the right account), which devices are connected, and all your options for managing that account. Choose the Preferences option, with the icon made of segmented lines.

Step 4: Enable Continued Conversations

The Preferences menu includes different settings you can change for Google Assistant, like choosing a different voice. One of these options will be Continued Conversation. Select it to enable the feature. You’re ready to go!

Step 5: Practice a Continued Conversation

Start a normal command with Google Home, and then add on additional directives as needed. For example, you might say, “OK, Google, turn on the TV,” then say, “Also, dim the living room light” and, while you’re remembering, “Oh, and turn on the security system.” With Continued Conversations enabled, Your Home should do all these things without you needing to say OK Google again. This works when scheduling events, requesting information, and more.

A couple of things to note about Continued Conversation: The mode ends eight seconds after your last command. This gives you enough time to think of anything else you might want to do, but generally ends before Home accidentally starts responding to other conversations.

If eight seconds seems a little long to you, you can immediately end Continued Conversation by saying, “Thank you” or “Stop.” Just don’t accidentally say thank you when you’re still giving commands.

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The Crew 2 for PlayStation 4: Everything you need to know

The Crew 2 takes racing to a whole new level.

Ubisoft’s The Crew 2 aims to build on the original with a wide array of vehicle types, another beautiful representation of America, and expanded online features to make racing with your friends a most enjoyable experience. Here’s everything you need to know about The Crew 2 for PlayStation 4.

What is The Crew 2?

With the original The Crew, Ubisoft set out to make a racing game that brought us back to the days of PlayStation 2 classics like Midnight Club: Dub Edition and Need For Speed: Underground. Those games were less about hardcore motorsports and more about the thrilling dramatics of the street racing scene. It emphasized driving with your “crew,” and eventually going down other troubled roads with your mates that ultimately have you swimming in a world of crime.

The idea was solid, but the execution wasn’t all that great, and a smorgasbord of bugs at launch also marred the game. Ubisoft took a ton of player feedback in their quest to make a sequel that everyone would enjoy, and thus The Crew 2 is taking the series in a completely different direction. It’s still a game about racing with your buds, but it’s so much more than the linear, cliche club-racing game it once strived to be.

Race across America

As with the original game, The Crew 2 has you racing across a scaled down version of America. You’ll be able to check out several cities, and judging by the first game they’ll be beautifully represented here. You obviously won’t be able to hit every road of every city and state, but the areas Ubisoft decided to put time into are well done.

Cities we’ve seen featured so far include New York City, Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, and some areas near the Mississippi River. Iconic locations such as Lake Tahoe, Wolf Territory, Sequoia Park, Harlem West, and Jersey City are all confirmed.

The Crew had one of the biggest maps we’ve seen in all of video games, and certainly the biggest we’ve seen in a racing game to date, so it’s nice to see that element expanded on in the sequel. In fact, the world is so expansive that you can go coast to coast without seeing a single loading screen. We’re not sure how they’ll be able to explain going from the mountainous terrain of the Rockies to the concrete jungle in such a short amount of time, but you’ll need to suspend your disbelief just a tad.

Every vehicle you can imagine

The Crew 2 is all about racing, and while the original game was mostly limited to cars, this one is embracing a much wider range of vehicles. We’ve got offroad rally cars, dirtbikes, and maybe even monster trucks to get into. And then there’s stuff you don’t even drive on a road, such as boats, planes, and helicopters.

And it’s not enough to let you use such an insane variety of vehicles. The fact that you can seamlessly switch between them at any time during any point of a race is quite interesting. We’re not sure how Ubisoft will handle that transition in-game or how they’ll explain the phenomenon, but it’s happening.

Secure your bragging rights

The Crew 2 is an experience that’s entirely online. That’s because the game no longer confines you to a strict story mode. While you can now create your own character, Ubisoft instead wants the player to write their own story. It’s your typical “Race to the Top” affair, with your lone end goal being to get to the top charts of each racing scene.

Aside from the good feeling you’ll get from advancing through the ranks, getting top honors will net you recognition from your peers.

There are four such scenes in the game, all of which have their own themes that’ll dictate the sort of racing you’ll be doing. There’s the Street Racing hub, Pro Racing hub, Freestyle hub, and Off-road hub. We’re not sure how some of the more exotic vehicles will fit into these categories – perhaps all the non-car activity goes on in Freestyle land – but you’re free to take on whichever you fancy according to your playstyle and interests.

Aside from the good feeling you’ll get from advancing through the ranks, getting top honors will net you recognition from your peers. That’s thanks to a new social system that broadcasts your achievements to your friends and other racers in your vicinity. What’s more, those who do well can earn themselves in-game cosmetics to show off their road superiority.

You’ll also be followed by LIVE, a multimedia corporation who captures your musings across the country. They’ll broadcast your racing to millions of viewers, and it’s your job to impress enough of them to earn a following. Getting more fans allows you to compete for higher stakes, which ultimately means you can buy more of your favorite cars and customization items.

Get started with the open beta

Good news: there’s an open beta for The Crew 2 taking place at 4 AM Eastern on June 21st, and lasting all weekend. The track will close June 24th at 4 AM.

You’ll be able to go through the entirety of the game world in the beta, either through free drive or by checking out specific races for the following categories:

• Aerobatics
• Drift
• Jetsprint
• Motocross
• Powerboat
• Rally Raid
• Street Racing
• Touring Car

You’ll also be able to use all photo and video editing tools, as well as access the Live Replay menu to take screenshots and create short movies. Those who participate in the beta and are also part of the UClub will unlock an exclusive gold helmet that your character can wear in the full version of the game.

The beta will be about 15GB large on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro, but you’ll need 30GB free to begin the download. To participate, head to the PlayStation Store and search for The Crew 2 Open Beta. You won’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play it, either.

Pre-order deals

Pre-ordering The Crew 2 opens you up to some nice bonuses. All standard pre-orders will net you the Legendary Motors Pack featuring the Mercedes-AMG C63 Touring Car 2016, as well as the Harley-Davidson Iron 883 2017.

There’s also a $70 deluxe edition that comes with the Motorsports Deluxe Pack, adding in the Ford F-150 Raptor Race Truck 2017, the Abarth 500 2008 Monster Truck Edition, the Pilatus PC-21 aerobatics plane, and three racing outfits for your character. This is in addition to the aforementioned Legendary Motors Pack.

Finally, there’s the Gold Edition of the game. You’ll get the season pass to go along with the Legendary Motors Pack and the Motorsport Deluxe Pack, as well as a digital steel book for $110.

Also, note that players who played the original game for even just a second will unlock the Ferrari 458 from the very beginning. You can expect up to 19 additional cars if you put even more time into the game.

When can you play it?

The Crew 2 is launching for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 29th, 2018. Buckle up and let us know how you’ll be racing to glory once the game finally arrives.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Talks Immigration, Human Rights, Privacy, Apple News and More in New Interview

Apple CEO Tim Cook this evening sat down for an interview with Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky to discuss education, privacy, human rights, and immigration, and to explain why Apple takes a strong stance on these topics.

According to Cook, Apple has always been about “changing the world” and that’s not something that can happen “when you stay quiet,” but there are no specific guidelines that Apple follows when deciding to speak out.

We’ve always been about changing the world and it became clear to me some number of years ago that you don’t do that by staying quiet on things that matter. For us, that’s been the driving issue. There’s no formula for when you speak and when you don’t. The way I think about it… is it something Apple has a special expertise on? I don’t want Apple to be another talking head. We should only speak when we have specific knowledge to bring to the subject.

Do we have standing? Do we have a right to talk about this issue? It’s not enough to be a large company to speak. I think about that, and so what that means for us is that we typically speak about education, privacy, human rights, immigration, and the environment because there’s something we have where we can bring a point of view — it may be discounted and most people may view it to be incorrect — but nevertheless it is a point of view we can share.

Cook went on to say that he doesn’t think businesses should deal only in commercial things. “Business to me is nothing more than a collection of people and if people have values — and I argue we should — then by extension companies should have values.” Companies should speak out after evaluating whether or not a subject is a core value, says Cook.

Ask yourself — is it a core value of your company? […] If something happens that isn’t consistent with those, then I think you need to speak. Think about if you don’t — then you’re in the appalling silence of good people category and this is something I’ve never wanted to be a part of.

Apple has spoken out on immigration specifically because Apple employs many immigrants. “We’ve got over 300 folks here on DACA,” Cook said. “I want to stand up for them.” Apple also has several thousand people that are on H1B visas who may be in “the deep green card back log,” which Cook says gives Apple a unique perspective to share on the topic. “There are real people behind this that have real feelings,” he explained.

As for diversity, Apple “has a lot of different people from a lot of different places” and is “accepting of people everywhere” which has led Cook to believe that the company has something unique to offer in conversations about diversity, which is also tied to the company’s views on human rights and one of the reasons why Cook spoke out on recent U.S. immigration policy that saw children separated from their parents, which he called “inhumane.” “Ultimately, that is what human rights are, treating people with dignity and respect,” he told Lashinsky.

While Apple is quick to speak out on policies surrounding immigration, diversity, human rights, and similar topics, Cook clarified that Apple does not “get into politics.”

We just stick to the policy. If you do that, most people will respect that. Even when people disagree, they will respect that that’s what you’re doing.

In response to people who think companies should stick to making good products and making good money rather than, Cook said he doesn’t believe the majority of people want that. Apple, he reiterated, does not get into politics — it’s about policy.

Apple doesn’t give one dollar to political campaigns. We discuss privacy policy, we discuss immigration policy, we discuss corporate tax reform, the policies around tax reform. I think most people look at that and say that makes sense. […]

The CEO of Apple is never going to fulfill the mission of changing the world in today’s environment by doing that. You’re not going to be able to do all that you can by staying quiet.

On the topic of privacy, Cook said that Apple’s view on privacy started from its values and then its business model was built to live up to those values.

We felt strongly about privacy when no one cared. We could not see the specific details, but we could see that the building of the detailed profile of people likely would result in significant harm over time. That it could be used for too many nefarious things. We think that people in today’s environment don’t have a full view of who has what and how much of their lives has been opened to commercial entities and public entities.

Cook discussed Apple’s newly announced decision to add a curated Midterm Election section to the Apple News app. Cook said Apple has always believed in curation, pointing towards the App Store. “We felt like this is our store and it says something about us as to what’s in there,” he said. “And so we’ve done that from day one and we’ve taken that same view to news.”

Apple added a news section because “news is going kind of crazy.” It doesn’t mean, however, that people who use an iPhone have to rely on Apple News, because users can “get content from anywhere else” if they “don’t like it.”

Cook says that Apple wants to make sure people are reading content that’s not created “strictly with the goal of enraging people.” The company wants to focus on “content that has a reason to be out there,” with news to be sourced from conservative outlets, liberal outlets, and “in between if there is such a thing anymore.” Cook says the 2018 Midterm Election section of Apple News will include a spectrum of content from a variety of sources with no specific political agenda.

There were also some questions relating to the new Screen Time feature in iOS 12, and Cook says Apple never wanted people to overuse its products. For him, Screen Time has caused to cut down on iPhone usage, specifically when it comes to notifications, because the number of notifications he was receiving was “crazy.” “We want everyone to have this information,” he said. “And then you can do what you want with it.”

The final topic of discussion was on long term vs. short term investments, and Cook said that Apple often makes investments that are 7 to 10 years out. If he was “king for a day,” 90 day earnings reports “would be flushed” because they’re a “remnant of a different day and time.” Cook said that as a CEO, when it comes to dealing with the board on short term performance, “you have to look yourself in the mirror and say I’m going to take the heat.”

The interview wrapped up with Lashinsky asking Cook how long he planned to be CEO, with his seventh anniversary approaching. “It is the privilege of a lifetime to be at Apple and to lead the company and hopefully I’ve got some good time left,” answered Cook.

Cook’s full interview may be made available by Fortune at a later date, and if that’s the case, we’ll update this post with a link so that it can be watched in its entirety.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Tim Cook
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Happy 20th birthday, Windows 98! Here’s why we loved you

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Some of our favorite Windows 10 features of today were born 20 years ago. Exactly two decades ago, Microsoft debuted Windows 98 to the world, and the operating system showed off Microsoft’s vision for what a computer could do.

However, at the time, early reviewers knocked the OS for being a minor update from Windows 95, as it shared a similar interface to its predecessor. Thankfully, as we celebrate the twentieth birthday of Windows 98, we now have a clearer picture of the lasting legacy of the OS, as some of the features that debuted on Windows 98 are still found on Windows 10 twenty years later.

Getting a “Start” in Windows 98

Although the venerable Start menu actually debuted on Windows 95, the ability to personalize this feature came on Windows 98. At first blush, the Start menu on Windows 98 looks identical to the one on Windows 95, but users can now make Windows their own by pinning their frequently used programs at the top. Also new was a favorite folders.

Today is @Windows 98’s 20th birthday! With 20 years of hindsight, what are your feels on Windows 98?

— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) June 25, 2018

The new Start menu also paved way for supporting multiple users on Windows and the idea that a common family PC can be shared between multiple family members while still retaining individual settings and customizations. Within the Start menu is a new log off menu, allowing you to quickly sign off and have another family member sign on. This log-on menu set the way for Microsoft to bring a more secure multi-user experience to future versions of Windows.

New on Windows 98 was a new Quick Launch bar, which allowed users to pin shortcuts next to the Start menu on the taskbar. This meant we could finally launch programs without having to go through the Start menu. It’s a convenient feature, and one that’s definitely still around on Windows 10.

Although most users opted to pin favorite programs, like the bundled Internet Explorer — a strategy that Microsoft continues to use as it bundles Microsoft Edge with Windows 10  — the Quick Launch bar could also host the Address Toolbar. The Address Toolbar is a space where you can type in a web address and it will launch you to your favorite site without requiring you to open a browser first. Although it was more of a plug for Internet Explorer on Microsoft’s part, it could be seen as a precursor to the now more ubiquitous Cortana search bar on Windows 10, allowing you to quickly search the internet, browse files, and launch apps.

Creativity calls

Although it didn’t get quite the same catchy “Creators Update” moniker that Microsoft blessed on a release of Windows 10 last year that brought Paint 3D to the public, Windows 98’s Paintbrush update made it easier for users to express their creativity. In Windows 98, Paintbrush could save to JPEG, GIF, and PNG file formats in addition to the BMP and PCX formats. Microsoft was probably unaware of internet memes at that time, but it did pave the way for novices to create their own GIFs, edit selfies, and make memes.

Although we may have a new USB standard today, Windows 98 also became the first version of Windows to ship with USB support, though Microsoft did subsequently add USB support in a later update to Windows 95. Plug-and-play opened Windows 98 up to be a more productive and creative operating system, allowing users to quickly connect printers, keyboards, mice, and other peripherals.

Although cord cutting only gained popularity in recent times, Microsoft’s vision of having a PC replace the TV was found in Windows 98. In addition to being the first release of Windows that supported playing back DVDs, Windows 98 also came with support for TV tuners. Thanks to plug-and-play USB support, there were a number of TV tuners that allowed consumers to turn their PCs into televisions when paired with an antenna.

Although Windows 98 didn’t debut with a glitzy new user interface the way that Windows 95 before it did, Microsoft made some important refinements that are still being felt twenty years later.

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