Stephen Hackett Shares Over 1,500 Screenshots of Every Mac OS Release Since 2000

Relay FM co-founder Stephen Hackett today shared an extensive collection of screenshots for every major release of the Mac operating system in the past 18 years, over which time its name has changed from Mac OS X to OS X to macOS.

The library of over 1,500 screenshots is available on Hackett’s blog 512 Pixels, providing a look back at the visual history of Mac OS X Cheetah in 2000 through macOS High Sierra in 2017. Hackett plans to update the library for every major release of macOS going forward, including Mojave in the next couple of months.

Hackett says he ran every macOS release on actual hardware, including various models of the Power Mac G4, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro, capturing screenshots of major features and other elements he felt were important over the years.

The screenshots show the evolution of the Mac’s visual theme Aqua, ranging from gloss and pinstripes in the early days, to brushed metal and corinthian leather during the skeuomorphic days, to the flatter, translucent look of today. Highlights are available in a related blog post on 512 Pixels.

Hackett says he put an extraordinary amount of time into the collection, which is certainly worth checking out for a trip down memory lane.
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How Apple’s iOS 12 Password AutoFill Feature Works With 1Password

Apple in iOS 12 introduced a new Password AutoFill API for apps like 1Password and LastPass, designed to allow password management apps to provide stored usernames and passwords for not only websites but also third-party apps.

1Password has introduced support for Password AutoFill in a beta capacity ahead of the launch of iOS 12, giving us a look at just how simple and easy Password AutoFill makes entering login details.

Note: This 1Password feature is not widely available yet because it is implemented in a beta version of the app, but it will be available for everyone when the 1Password app is updated following the release of iOS 12.

Set Up

Once a password management app that supports Password AutoFill has been installed, the feature needs to be enabled on an iOS device.

Go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > AutoFill Passwords and toggle on the AutoFill Passwords option while also making sure your password management app, such as 1Password, is selected.

You can use third-party password management apps right alongside iCloud Keychain, or you can choose to disable iCloud Keychain and use just a password management app.

How it Works

The Password AutoFill feature lets a third-party app function just like iCloud Keychain, with your sensitive data protected but easily accessible within apps when you need your login information.

When you encounter a login field in an app or on the web, tapping in the entry field will display the stored username and password from your password management app if you’ve saved one.

From there, you can tap the information to enter it into the app or website’s login window, such as in the Spotify example below.

There are instances where 1Password does not have saved information entirely right or where you have multiple logins, such as in the case of multiple Twitter or Instagram accounts.

In these situations, if you tap on the key icon and then select the “1Password” option, you can view all of the available accounts for a particular service.

In the case of Instagram, this means that when I’m logging into the Instagram app, I see my two Instagram accounts listed in 1Password and I can tap either one to enter my login information.

For apps that 1Password cannot automatically identify, you will be able to access your entire password vault to find the login information that you need.

Where it Works

What’s great about the Password AutoFill API is that it does not require developers to implement any kind of integrations with your password management app to function, as was required in previous versions of iOS for this kind of functionality.

1Password’s Password AutoFill feature, for example, works automatically in most apps and websites, with your 1Password archive available no matter where you’re logging in.

As a caveat, 1Password will not recognize some apps and you’ll see a message that the app is “Unidentified” with no identifying information provided. In this situation, you can still access your 1Password vault to search for the password that’s required.

One-Time Passwords

When logging into apps and websites that require two-factor authentication, using a one-time password is also simplified.

If your two-factor authentication setup is linked to 1Password, when you log into an app or website that requires two-factor authentication, your password is entered in the field and your one-time authentication password is automatically copied and pasted to the clipboard for easy entry.

For apps that use your phone number for authentication purposes, iOS 12 introduces a feature that takes a code from an incoming iMessage and copies it to the clipboard, so two-factor authentication is simplified no matter the method.

Password AutoFill on Apple TV

Password AutoFill extends to the Apple TV using the continuity keyboard that permits the iPhone to be used to enter passwords and login information on the Apple TV.

For this to work, both the Apple TV and the iOS device need to be signed into the same iCloud account, and from there, the process is identical to using Password AutoFill on the iPhone.

In a text entry field, when prompted to use the iPhone to enter login information, passwords stored in a password management app and linked to Password AutoFill will be able to be entered on the Apple TV.

Note: tvOS 12 and iOS 12 are required for Password AutoFill to work on the Apple TV.

Security

Every time your password management account is activated, you will need to confirm your identity with either Face ID or Touch ID to enter a password.

If Face ID or Touch ID fails, you will need to enter a password. In the case of 1Password, this means that if biometric authentication does not work, you will need to use the master password.

Release Date

1Password’s Password AutoFill update will be available following the release of iOS 12, which we expect to see debut next month, shortly ahead of the launch of new iPhones. 1Password is available on Macs and iOS devices for as little as $2.99 per month for an individual account. A free 30 day trial is available from the 1Password website.
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The Top Five Mobile Games To Get You Through Lectures

Zoning out in lectures is something we’re all used to. We’ve all switched off and found something more appealing when we’re supposed to be listening in and taking note.

Now, of course we’re not condoning it, but it is something we totally feel you with. It’s so tempting to pull out your phone and take on something more appealing. With a new semester about to get back underway, we take a look at the mobile games and apps to enjoy when your university lecture is sending you off to sleep.

The Bored Button

It seems common sense to simply have a button on your smartphone when you’re feeling a little bored.

The Bored Button is the perfect solution and available as both an app and in your browser. All you have to do is push it and you’ll be given a random game or fun little snippet of information to keep you entertained.

It’s perfect for a dull lecture as you don’t need to overly pay attention while they’re only small, fun games that take a short period of time.

Slot Machines

Fun in short bursts is definitely the way, allowing you to zone in and out of gaming and listening.

Online slots are ideal for this, taking little time to play but significantly boosting your excitement levels.

You can usually play for free by picking up some no deposit free spins meaning you won’t have to worry about making a loss while in class.

It’s a type of game in which you can dip in and out of, again making it ideal for this scenario.

Sudoku

Games that aren’t dictated by a clock counting you down are always a good idea and sudoku will keep you occupied on and off for an entire lecture.

You often see people completing them from newspapers in lectures and in coffee shops, so why not simply download one onto your mobile?

There are dozens of sudoku apps out there, most of which are free. And what’s more there will be no evidence you’ve been preoccupied like there would be with a pen and paper.

Compulsive

A short sharp gaming app, Compulsive is a Tetris-like game that gives you 60 seconds to make blocks of four or more tiles of the same colour.

It’s simple yet can prove incredibly tense, so you certainly have to hold your nerve in a busy lecture theatre. It’s a highly addictive game, so don’t go overboard with it, but it’s a superb quick bit of fun for playing before a lecture has started or in the mid-speech slump.

Here’s what we know about the Honor 8X, including its rumored 7.12-inch screen

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Last year’s Honor 7X quickly became one of our favorite budget phones. It had an appealing, yet durable design, great specs and came in at $200.

So when we heard news of a possible successor to the Honor 7X, we had to learn more. Here’s everything we know about the Honor 8X.

Design, display, and specs

Gizmochina

For the most part, it looks like the Honor 8X will share many design cues with its predecessor, the Honor 7X. On the front of the phone the bezels have been slightly reduced, thanks to a tear drop notch that houses the camera. The back, if TENAA renders are correct look nearly identical to the 7X with the exception of an additional camera lens. While we can’t confirm the material used on the back of the phone, it looks like it may be the same aluminum used on last year’s 7X.

Perhaps the most exciting spec on the Honor 8X is its display. According to GSMArena, and other sources, the 8X features a monstrous 7.12-inch LCD with a resolution of 2,240 x 1,080.

A recent TENAA filing offers lots of information about the other specs on the Honor 8X. While many originally assumed the 8x would feature a Kirin processor, the TENAA filling and Master Lu listing shows the phone will have a Snapdragon 660 chip along with 4GB of RAM. Storage will come in at 64GB with an external storage slot.

For a budget phone, the camera on the Honor 7X was pretty impressive. It looks like the Honor 8X may be even better. According to a regulatory TENAA filing, it looks like the Honor 8X may pack a dual camera module on its rear with a 16-megapixel primary sensor and 5-megapixel secondary sensor; other sites state the phone will have 2-megapixel secondary lens. The front-facing camera, tucked into a tear drop notch, will come in at 8 megapixels.

The battery on the Honor 8X will come in at a massive 4,900mAh. That should be plenty to get a day’s worth of heavy use, even with the huge 7.12-inch screen.

Release and pricing

Weibo

Since the Honor 8X has not been officially announced yet, we don’t have pricing or availability information. However, Honor did tease the upcoming 8X on its official Weibo page, which leads us to believe we should see the phone in the coming months.

At this point, our best guess is that the Honor 8X will be announced in China in October or November. Once the phone is announced in Asia we’d expect to see a global release announced early 2019, perhaps at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Nokia 6.1 Plus: Everything we know
• Here’s everything we know about the Motorola One Power
• Moto G6 Play review
• Nokia 3.1 review
• Moto G6 vs Nokia 7 Plus vs Honor 7X camera shootout

Chrome 69 arrives in September with Google’s Material Design overhaul intact

The latest version of Google Chrome will arrive on September 4 and it comes with the interface overhaul called Material Design. A specific portion of the company’s notes for the enterprise makes this clear, stating that Chrome will sport “a new design across all operating systems.” The same paragraph also mentions autofill updates and integration into the notification center on Windows 10.

If you’re not familiar with Material Design, it’s a new approach to Chrome’s interface from a visual standpoint. If you’re on a Windows 10 PC, you can actually unlock a portion of the redesign in Chrome 68 by changing the “UI Layout for the browser’s top chrome” flag to “Refresh.” On MacOS, you will also need to enable “Use Views browser windows instead of Cocoa” to see Material Design in action.

In a nutshell, Google tries to emulate printed paper with this new design. Launched in 2014, Material Design emerged in Google Now to emulate cards, rendering crisp edges and shadows to give these virtual cards depth. Material Design then appeared in Android 5.0 and is slowly infiltrating all apps and services provided by Google, including its Chrome web browser.

“Material Design is guided by print design methods — typography, grids, space, scale, color, and imagery — to create hierarchy, meaning, and focus that immerse viewers in the experience,” Google says. “Material Design is inspired by the physical world and its textures, including how they reflect light and cast shadows. Material surfaces reimagine the mediums of paper and ink.”

One of the apparent Material Design-based changes in Chrome is the address bar sporting cleaner, rounded edges. The tabs get a visual overhaul as well showing straight edges and slightly rounded corners, just like those you may see on real-world folders. All drop-down and right-click menus are clean, widely spaced and card-like, imitating printed media.

Outside the addition of Material Design, Chrome 69 will require you to grant permission for websites to use Flash every time you restart the browser. Adobe confirmed in 2017 that it would no longer update and/or distribute Flash starting 2020. Adobe’s long-time media platform will be replaced by the technologies served up in HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly.

On the enterprise front, Chrome 69 will include a password alert policy. According to Google, if someone tries to sign into a website that’s not whitelisted or is flagged as suspicious by the company, a popup will warn the individual to reset his/her password. This move attempts to crack down on those who like reusing passwords across multiple sites, leading to compromised accounts and company network breaches.

“Third parties can sometimes inject code that disrupts the stability of Chrome Browser,” the notes add. “In Chrome 66, we introduced on-screen warnings that alerted users when a third-party injects code. In Chrome 69, third-party code is now blocked by default. If you still use software that injects code into browser processes, you can temporarily enable access using the new ThirdPartyBlockingEnabled policy.”

Google Chrome 69 arrives on September 4.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google’s Chrome desktop browser is about to receive a major facelift
• Unlock Google’s cool new Material Design interface hidden inside Chrome 68
• The best web browsers
• Google Chrome now shows browser notifications in Windows 10 Action Center
• Chrome OS keeps improving, but it still doesn’t work for me

LG V20 and Q6 now being updated to Android 8.0 Oreo

There are also new features coming to the G7 and G6.

LG has never been well-known for issuing speedy or consistent software updates, but the company’s been trying to turn that around after opening a dedicated “Global Software Update Center” this past April. Now, some of those efforts are coming to light as four LG phones are getting new software goodies.

Starting first with firmware upgrades, Android 8.0 Oreo is now rolling out to both the LG V20 and Q6. In addition to Oreo, the Q6 is getting support for DTS:X 7.1 channel 3D surround sound. There’s also a new feature that’ll turn on the Q6’s flashlight so that it turns on and off in accordance with whatever music you’re playing.

Moving over to the G-series, the LG G6 is being updated with LG’s AI-enhanced Bright Camera feature that helps to increase the brightness of photos taken in low-light scenarios. The use of AI also tries to determine the best possible camera settings for difficult/dim environments. Lastly, the LG G7 will soon get AR Stickers so that users can “include animated 3D characters or text in photos and videos that can be then easily shared online with friends with the AR Sticker feature.

These updates will first be rolled out in Korea and then make their way to international markets over “the coming months.”

LG G7 ThinQ review: Wide angle, narrow appeal

LG G7 ThinQ

• LG G7 ThinQ review: Wide angle, narrow appeal
• LG G7: Review, Specs, Availability, Problems and more!
• LG G7 Specifications: Everything you need to know
• Join the LG G7 forums

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Save hundreds on this Ultimate Raspberry Pi Starter Kit

Coupling Internet of Things (IoT) with a Raspberry Pi can lead to plenty of fun and opportunity, but you really need to have the right tools at your disposal. There are plenty of packages you can put together yourself, but what about the knowledge required to use the hardware properly? Why not get it all in one place?

Dive into Raspberry Pi with this starter kit that includes four courses and over 10 hours of content! Learn more

Android Central Digital Offers right now has an awesome deal on an Ultimate Raspberry Pi 3B Starter Kit, complete with Raspberry Pi, 37 sensors, and four courses that will teach you how to complete various Pi projects. Instead of the usual price of about $529, you’ll instead pay just $146. That’s 72 percent off the regular price.

Alongside the 37-sensor starter kit that includes a Raspberry Pi 3B, you’ll have lifetime access to four courses with over 10 hours of content. Courses include:

• Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Bootcamp
• 2018 Ultimate Guide to Raspberry Pi
• Getting Started with NodeMCU
• Build Your Own GPS Tracking System with Raspberry Pi

Learn how to program a Raspberry Pi 3B! Learn more

If you’d like to jump into the world of Raspberry Pi but have been waiting for the right opportunity, definitely check out this kit. It contains everything you need to get started, and you’ll save hundreds of dollars off the regular price.

TicWatch Pro Review: Battery life update

Mobvoi isn’t the first smartwatch to put out a hybrid smartwatch, but this one works out almost too well.

Many have questioned the future — and the present — of smartwatches in the Android ecosystem. Wear OS as a category has felt dead for months now, and if there’s any watch I’d trust to help give it a shot in the arm while we wait for the long-rumored/dreamed-of Pixel Watch, it’s going to be the newest smartwatch in the TicWatch line.

The TicWatch Pro sports a dual-layer screen that goes old-school in just the right way while allowing the watch to sip its battery for days and weeks rather than the maybe-if-you-pray two days most current watches struggle to survive.

TicWatch Pro

249 at Amazon

Bottom line: A smartwatch that ticks all the boxes from NFC-based Google Pay to multi-week battery life in Essential mode. It’s a large watch, but one with a large feature set to match.

The Good

• Good response time and handoff between the LCD and OLED display modes
• Large display makes navigation a breeze, even without a rotating bezel
• User-programmable button gives easy access to a favorite app

The Bad

• It’s huge, especially on slimmer wrists
• No SIM option, so it can do everything except make calls on its own
• Going from Essential Mode back to Wear OS takes a long time

Double the display, double the functionality

TicWatch Pro What I like

The TicWatch Pro sets itself apart from other smartwatches the second you see its face. Because of its dual-layer screen, the watch isn’t an abyss of black when the screen is off. Instead, it’s the familiar graphite of the see-through LCD display. These two displays allow users to overcome two of the greater pitfalls of Wear OS’s screen and battery woes: the LCD display is far easier to read in harsh summer sunlight or at awkward angles, and the LCD watch face sips battery compared to even the most minimal of always-on watch faces.

You can glance down at your watch as you type, cook, drive, or go about your day and instantly, easily read the LCD display, and with tilt-to-wake, you can still see your flashy, fabulous custom watch face and notifications when you pull your wrist up to engage it. The handoff between the two modes is just as quick as the normal tilt-to-wake on any other watch, but it saves so much more battery. In short, I freaking love it.

The TicWatch has all the goodies for us to play with inside its sizable smartwatch frame: NFC is here for Google Pay on your wrist, we have GPS, activity monitors, and a heart rate sensor for long workouts or short sprints from the studio to the newsroom, and we have Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi if you need to connect the watch to headphones or your gym’s Wi-Fi while your phone sits safely in your locker.

After over a month of using the TicWatch Pro, I’ve been consistently getting 2-3 days on a charge in Wear OS mode if I put the watch into Theater mode before I take it off at night with tilt-to-wake on. I’m also getting 3-5 days with tilt-to-wake turned off and Theater mode on at night. It recharges ridiculously quickly, going from near dead to completely full in the time it takes me to run through the shower before work. Essential Mode can indeed make the watch last for weeks, but since Essential Mode turns off most apps and the Bluetooth, I haven’t really used it. Instead, I’ve been using the LCD display for the most battery-efficient “always on” watch face ever.

A tic too big

TicWatch Pro What I’m not sold on

There’s no escaping just how big the TicWatch Pro is, but it’s hardly the first bulky smartwatch to grace the market; the ZTE Quartz in my closet is still thicker and fatter than the 45mm TicWatch Pro, but not by much. Even most of the men in my life think the Pro is a bit big for their wrists, and it feels more manacle than modern timepiece on my limp, lanky wrist. I’m small, and I knew this was going to be a big watch for me well before it arrived, but it’s still a bit of a turn-off.

The only other issue relates to the battery-saving Essential Mode. Essential Mode is a great feature, and allowing me to keep track of my steps, heart rate and time without burning through my battery is a godsend. However, since Essential Mode shuts off the Wear OS side of the watch completely, if you turn it on, be prepared to wait a full minute when you long-press the power button to re-engage it. The watch also shuts off Bluetooth while in Essential Mode, meaning that even though your TicWatch Pro is technically on, it’s not going to buzz with notifications or keep your phone unlocked via Smart Lock.

TicWatch Pro Should you buy it?

This is one of the first Wear OS watches to come so close to ‘tic’ing all the boxes in a long time. It’s the first Wear OS watch I’ve had since the original Huawei Watch that I can walk out of the house and have absolutely zero worries about the battery dying on me, and using Google Pay on your wrist is worlds easier than digging it out on your phone.

The TicWatch Pro is a big watch at a relatively small price, especially for how adaptable it is. The dual-layer display sips battery and remains far more readable at a wider range of angles and lighting situations than Wear OS’s usual always on watch faces, and even if I’m not going to use Essential Mode regularly, it’s nice to know that if I got stuck in the wood for a week or two, I could switch over to Essential Mode and my watch wouldn’t die on me while I’m counting on its step-tracker to navigate.

4.5
out of 5

This is the most complete Wear OS experience I’ve seen yet, and if there was a more size-appropriate version for us slim-wristed ladies, I’d be rocking a TicWatch Pro for the foreseeable future. As is it, I’m willing to put up with the bulk for a smartwatch that I know will last a full weekend and then some and gives me the best of Wear OS that I’ve been missing on my LG Watch Style.

See at Amazon

Updated August 2018: Now that we’ve been able to put the TicWatch Pro through its paces over the last month and a half, we’ve had a chance to put the Pro’s battery claims to the test and report back its findings.

Make fitness fun with Garmin’s Disney Princess Vivofit Jr. 2 tracker

Pep up your princess.

Motivating kids to get off the couch and in the backyard can be a chore, but this device will help your kids want to get up and move around. Garmin’s Vivofit Jr. 2 kid’s fitness trackers have been around for awhile now, but today, the company announced the newest version. Garmin partnered with Disney to release a new Disney Princess-themed tracker, complete with a special band and a new mobile app.

Up until now, Vivoft Jr. 2 models included themes like Star Wars, Minnie Mouse, and the Marvel Avengers. The new Disney Princess version is perfect for the younger members of your royal family. It can track steps, sleep, and active minutes. It has a battery life of over one year, too.

To keep kids motivated, the free corresponding app will let your child adventure around the kingdom with Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Mulan, and Jasmine. The more they meet and exceed their activity goals, the more of the in-app story they’ll get to see. Activity will help your little ones collect gems, unlock fun games, and more. This is a big step up from the original Vivofit Jr., which didn’t have a fun app or cool character designs.

The companion app, which is available on iOS and Android, is your personal parental assistant. Using your smart device, you’re able to view your child’s activity, assign chores, and schedule reminder alerts. You can even use the app to create fun family challenges and friendly competitions, and you can incentivize kids further by rewarding them with virtual coins. Perhaps 50 virtual coins can be redeemed for one extra half hour of video games? Or 100 coins constitutes an ice cream cone? Maybe you could even pick up a fun playset, like these Disney Princess Bangles to accessorize the tracker, a necklace activity set, or a new coloring book, and dole out the prizes as your child hits their fitness goals. Agree upon a reward and watch your little ones learn that exercise can be as fun as it is gratifying.

The Garmin Disney Princess Vivofit Jr. 2 is available for $79.99 at Amazon, and it should soon be available at stores like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. You can even find replacement bands like this one to switch up the experience.

See at Amazon

Walmart’s new service aims to save you money on ebooks and audiobooks

Read and save in a whole new way.

You know what Amazon’s online Kindle store has been missing? True competition. The sort of competition that makes prices better for the rest of us. Well, Walmart and Rakuten are teaming up to provide exactly that with a new site featuring e-books, e-readers, and audiobooks called Walmart eBooks. This site will include a library of more than six million titles, Rakuten’s Kobo e-readers, and a subscription-based audiobooks service similar to Amazon’s Audible.

The difference from Amazon is Walmart’s monthly subscription for audiobooks will only cost $9.99 compared to $14.95. You will also be able to add to your content library through Walmart’s brick and mortar stores using digital book codes. More than 3,500 Walmart stores will start carrying cards for up to 40 popular titles this week.

Much like the Kindle store, you won’t necessarily need one of the Kobo e-readers to read or listen to these books. Just download the Walmart eBooks app from iOS, Google Play, or elsewhere and use that on devices you already have. If you do want a Kobo e-reader, Walmart will sell them online starting today and in up to 1,000 stores by the end of the week. With features like water-resistance, e-ink touchscreens, and weeks of battery life, the Kobo e-readers have plenty of advantages to challenge the Amazon Kindle lineup.

Walmart is kicking off this launch with a couple of ways to save money. First, you’ll get $10 off an e-book or audiobook purchase as a new customer. Second, you can try Walmart’s audiobooks subscription service free for 30 days. Walmart is well-known for rolling back prices, right? So if this new market translates into a way to get your favorite book titles a bit cheaper, then it could be worth it. Time will tell. We’ve seen Amazon offer plenty of excellent promotions for its services, so keep an eye on Thrifter for new ways to save at Walmart.

See Walmart eBooks