Windows Weekly 92

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. For a free credit toward the audiobook of your choice, visit Audible.com/windows.

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show. The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Derek K. Miller.