CNET Digital Dispatch: Win 98 extravaganza, Netscape 4.5 peek June 18, 1998 Vol. 4, No. 24 ****************************************** Warmth and sunlight has finally hit San Francisco, but CNET editors are still sporting the ghostlike pallor they acquired while finishing up our mammoth Windows 98 Special Report. We had the first published review on Windows 98, and now we're taking it to the next level with a bevy of OS-related issues, tips, and so forth in our complete Win 98 Special Report. We also have two new sites for you to check out and oh so much more. See what happens when you stay inside?! Alice Hill Vice president and editor, CNET.COM Unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of this newsletter. ****************************************** Table of contents: 1. Windows 98: a CNET Special Report 2. Sneak peek: Netscape Communicator 4.5 beta 3. Go shopping: CNET's computer product and price site debuts 4. COMPUTERS.COM: 9 flatbed scanners for less than $300 5. BUILDER.COM: set up shop online 6. GAMECENTER.COM: download 50 free games now! 7. NEWS.COM: PC industry hits the Big Apple 8. Also: Silicon Valley start-ups; Mac-only Web authoring tool 9. Top ten signs that Russia is not taking Y2K seriously 10. Behind The Scenes (for Digital Dispatch readers only) ****************************************** 1. WINDOWS 98: A CNET SPECIAL REPORT It's the biggest release of the year, and CNET has everything you need to know. Our Special Report gathers the latest news, performance tests, and answers to 20 questions about the new OS. We've even got price lists for the hardware to go with the new software. Still confused? Check out our interactive Decision Maker. Oh, and did we mention that we're giving away a FREE Windows 98 PC? It's all available under one roof, here: http://www.cnet.com/Content/Features/Special/Win98/?dd.cn Final performance results! Once and for all, is Windows 98 faster than Windows 95? http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/Compare/Win98/?dd.cn What's new about it? Why is the Department of Justice so interested? What's FAT32? CNET has answers to your top 20 questions about Windows 98: http://www.cnet.com/Content/Features/Techno/Win98/?dd.cn Plus: how to get your PC ready, how to roll your own upgrade without buying Win 98, and the promise of Microsoft's *next* operating system, Windows NT 5.0. ****************************************** 2. SNEAK PEEK: NETSCAPE COMMUNICATOR 4.5 BETA Rather than wait for the outcome of the Department of Justice vs. Microsoft case, Netscape is trying to save its hide now. This week, Netscape released the first Communicator 4.5 beta--just in time to steal some thunder from the Windows 98 launch. Here's what you'll miss if you upgrade to Win 98 and choose Internet Explorer as your default browser: http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/Compare/NetCom4.5/?dd.cn ****************************************** 3. GO SHOPPING: CNET'S COMPUTER PRODUCT AND PRICE SITE DEBUTS A hearty welcome to CNET Shopper.com, the latest addition to the CNET family. Our new site makes shopping for computer products a snap by enabling you to compare 1 million prices on 100,000 products from 100 merchants--ensuring that you always get the best deals on the hardware and software you buy online. For your easy, one-stop guide to where to buy desktop systems, motherboards, memory, controllers, storage devices, and accessories, don't miss CNET Shopper.com: http://www.shopper.com/ ****************************************** 4. COMPUTERS.COM: 9 FLATBED SCANNERS FOR LESS THAN $300 Want to get images into your computer without spending $1,000 on a digital camera? Flatbed scanners are the ticket. Scan photos, books, maps, magazines, or just about anything that fits on a copy machine. And if you want words rather than pictures, OCR software lets you convert a scanned page into editable text. COMPUTERS.COM reviews nine top models that cost less than $300: http://www.cnet.com/Digdispatch/dispatch54.html?dd.cn ****************************************** 5. BUILDER.COM: SET UP SHOP ONLINE Online sales are up, and online shops are proliferating, so isn't it time you took your wares to the Web? BUILDER.COM can help you find a fast, easy, and inexpensive way to start selling online. We compare Buildashop Standard, ShopSite Manager, Yahoo Store, Virtual Spin Internet Store, and WebBusiness Builder. Find out which tool is right for your company! http://www.builder.com/Business/Affordable/?dd.cn ****************************************** 6. GAMECENTER.COM: DOWNLOAD 50 FREE GAMES NOW! Sick of searching for new game downloads? Don't worry--we did the work for you. It's yet another grandiose Gamecenter downloader's guide, brimming with more than 50 new games! Fire up that modem, and get grabbing: http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Download14/?dd.cn ****************************************** 7. NEWS.COM: PC INDUSTRY HITS THE BIG APPLE The computing industry, wracked by price wars, parts gluts, and inventory issues, will make its latest pitch to business and corporate buyers at this week's PC Expo in New York City: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0%2C4%2C23187%2C00.html?dd.cn ****************************************** 8. ALSO: SILICON VALLEY START-UPS; MAC-ONLY WEB AUTHORING TOOL CNET TV: an inside look at Silicon Valley start-ups, and how to attend traffic school online! http://cnet.tv.com/ DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK: SWAT 2 lets you rescue hostages in the North Hollywood bank robbery: http://www.cnet.com/Digdispatch/dispatch55.html?dd.cn MAILJAIL: throw spam mail into the clink: http://www.cnet.com/Dispatch/0%2C118%2C403,00.html?dd.cn OTHER REVIEWS: CyberStudio 3.0's Mac-only Web tool is good, but still not perfect; Atrieva Anywhere secures your data on remote servers; and Catch The Web gives you the power to organize: http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/JustIn/?dd.cn ****************************************** 9. TOP TEN SIGNS THAT RUSSIA IS NOT TAKING Y2K SERIOUSLY There have been reports that Russia is not taking the year 2000 bug seriously enough: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0%2C4%2C23291%2C00.html?dd.cn A little digging confirmed those fears... 10. Appointed Misha the Bear, the 1980 Olympics mascot, as official Y2K Czar. 9. Y2K task force always begins meetings with several ceremonial vodka toasts. 8. Programmers busy building Russian chess computer to beat the stuffing out of Big Blue. 7. Aeroflot never used computers for air traffic control anyway. 6. There's no catchy acronym like "Y2K" available in the Russian alphabet, and they don't want to hear about the "millennium bug" because the millennium actually begins on 1/1/2001. 5. "Y2K" misunderstood as unnecessary update of the still very popular AK-47. 4. Considering hard-line Communists' proposed solution: turn calendar back to 1918. 3. The computers that control nuclear missiles are already running Windows 98--and what could be more stable than that? 2. Intense Russian weather shuts down society every January anyway; why should the year 2000 be any different? 1. Some Russian officials overheard referring to this potentially earth-shattering event as "a fear-based marketing scam cooked up by a bunch of growth-addicted capitalists." ****************************************** 10. BEHIND THE SCENES (FOR DIGITAL DISPATCH READERS ONLY) Now, a more personal note. We're feeling pretty snappy over CNET's winning sweep at the Computer Press Awards held earlier this week. The grand total came to a whopping eight first-place awards and six runners-up in the following categories: Winners: Best Television Show: "CNET Central" Best Television Segment: "CNET Central" Best Overall Site: NEWS.COM Best Online News Story: NEWS.COM Best Online Feature: NEWS.COM Best Online How-to Story: BUILDER.COM Best Online Review: GAMECENTER.COM Best Audio Segment: CNET Radio Runners-up: Best News Story: NEWS.COM (2) Best Online Review: CNET.COM Best Online How-to Story: BUILDER.COM Best Overall Television Show: "The New Edge" Best Online Feature: CNET.COM And now for the quote that makes us gloat: "What CNET and its various sites have done is really remarkable," said CPA president Michael Desmond. "Our judges looked very hard at all the online categories, but CNET consistently produced top content that took greatest advantage of the online medium. I credit CNET's exclusive focus on online publishing, which allows them to focus the ample talent they have on staff." Anyway, we just wanted to publicly thank the CNET readership for keeping us on our toes. Your feedback has helped shape everything we do, andthere will be more surprises coming your way in the weeks to come. I've made it a personal priority to listen to your comments and concerns, so as we like to say, you ain't seen nothing yet! See you next week. -Alice *************ADVERTISEMENT*************** CNET ONLINE CAREER CENTER: THE TECH INDUSTRY JOB SOURCE Looking for the perfect job, or maybe just a change of scenery? The CNET Online Career Center is the place to find your ideal job anywhere in the high-tech industry. Search the listings by entering your personal criteria, or use the Personal Search Agent and receive listings via email: http://jobs.cnet.com/?dd.cn ****************************************** SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE You are receiving this Dispatch newsletter because you elected to have it sent to you. To manage your subscription to the Digital Dispatch, follow the instructions here: http://www.cnet.com/Help/Dispatch/?dd.cn ****************************************** Thanks for tuning in and logging on! CNET: The Computer Network http://www.cnet.com/ http://www.news.com/ http://www.computers.com/ http://www.builder.com/ http://www.browsers.com/ http://www.gamecenter.com/ http://www.download.com/ http://www.shareware.com/ http://www.search.com/ http://www.shopper.com/ Copyright 1998 CNET, Inc. All rights reserved.