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Windows Weekly [#92] NetCast

I’m Jonesin’

Hosts: Paul Thurrott and Leo Laporte

New economics, Gmail goes offline, IE8 RC1, Windows 7 UAC, iTunes Plus, and more.

Do More with Less: How to Survive in Today’s Economic Reality

  • A Microsoft marketing mantra becomes a life mantra for all of us
  • Stretching PC/technology lifetimes
  • Saying no to new gadgets … Every time we peddle something people don’t need, we lose a slice of our soul
  • Reassessing what it is you really need to get work done
  • Paul’s “28 Days Later” concept: Revisiting things Paul’s reviewed or recommended: Do they stand the test of time?
  • Next “Everything Must Go” event: Late February
  • Not just about spending less – decrease tech life’s overhead as well
  • v. small ex: Paul doesn’t install/configure any Firefox add-ons – 7 less things to do on reinstall

Related: Gmail goes offline: Long expected, but this is a game-changer

Internet Explorer 8 RC1 release

  • Near-final, “platform-complete” version of Microsoft’s next browser
  • For XP, Vista, 2003/2008 not Windows 7
  • A few new functional changes but mostly about performance and fit and finish

Is Windows 7 UAC dangerous … or just useless?

Rafael Rivera and Long Zheng have discovered that the dumbed-down UAC in Windows 7 is easy to bypass and could be used to compromise PC

Also in Windows 7 news…

  • Windows 7 public beta set to end February 10
  • Rumors of a Netbook SKU

iTunes Plus goes a la carte

  • Previously, you had to upgrade your entire collection in order to get DRM-free 256 Kbps AAC tracks. Now you can pick and choose
  • iTunes now a first-class choice for online music w/ Amazon MP3 and Zune Marketplace

News: Dell will sell a smartphone based on either Google Android or Windows Mobile. Paul’s advice: Don’t

Tip of the week: More Windows 7 theme packs … many are based on Mac wallpapers

Software of the week: Gladinet

Many readers have recommended this: It lets you access SkyDrive from Windows Explorer (and other things).

Audible picks of the week: The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches: Enjoying Life More by Spending Less and Elsewhere, U.S.A.: How We Got From the Affluent Society to the Home Office.

Check out Paul’s blog at the SuperSite for Windows for more information.

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iron wil