Windows 7 first look; 500 worst passwords of all time; Extreme digital makeover [ZDNET WEEK IN REVIEW]

Trouble viewing this mail? Read it online | Manage my newsletters | Previous Edition   ZDNet Week in Review tech | Fri., July 31, 2009
Home | News & Blogs | Videos | White Papers | Downloads | Reviews | Photo Galleries | Podcasts | RSS Feeds
Must-Read News Stories Windows 7 first look: More than just 'Vista, fixed' Ed Bott: After 10 days of installing and testing the final release of Microsoft's new operating system on a wide range of desktop and notebook configurations, I continue to be impressed by the many small but meaningful changes -- and several large ones -- that give Windows 7 its own identity. READ FULL STORY The Ultimate Windows 7 Upgrade FAQ Sponsored PCI DSS Compliance in the UNIX/Linux Datacenter This paper discusses how creating a secure access control infrastructure in heterogeneous UNIX/Linux environments supports Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance. (Symark Software) SmartPlanet: The 500 worst passwords of all time...and how to avoid them John Dodge: We all have lots of Internet passwords, and about half of them are not difficult to guess. Here are the 500 worst passwords of all time -- and how to avoid them. READ FULL STORY Digital divide: Wireless access methods vary by demographic This Week's Highlights Ballmer: Ultra-thin PCs are the answer to netbooks Mary Jo Foley: Is Steve Ballmer feeling misunderstood? After trying to explain to analysts why the Microsoft-Yahoo search partnership is a win-win for the two companies, Microsoft's CEO talks up another area where he hopes to sway Wall Street opinion: Netbooks. READ FULL STORY Windows Mobile-Windows continuum: The plot thickens How to fix Windows Mobile? Microsoft still isn't saying Ballmer: He knows when you're using a Mac Wall St analysts descend on Redmond for financial meeting Ballmer on the Microsoft-Yahoo deal: 'Nobody gets it' Yahoo costs: The slide Microsoft didn't want you to see Slide of the day: Laptop Hunter ads working? Sponsored Live Webcast: Maximize Uptime, Performance and Savings with UNIX Listen to experts as they discuss how you can best utilize UNIX to improve service, reduce costs and manage risk on your network. Microsoft-Yahoo: Gauging the IT integration risks Larry Dignan: So Microsoft and Yahoo made a deal. But once you strip away the financial, strategy and ad prospects for M icrosoft's 10-year search partnership with Yahoo, you're left with an impressive amount of information technology integration heavy lifting. READ FULL STORY It's official: Microsoft-Yahoo ink 10-year search pact With Microsoft search deal, Yahoo risks becoming AOL Poll: Did Microsoft and Yahoo do the right thing? Microsoft-Yahoo search pact appears to be a win-win deal Microsoft and Yahoo: Still a few surprises SmartPlanet: What Microhoo means to you Black Hat: BIOS 'rootkit' pre-loaded in laptops Ryan Naraine: A popular laptop theft-recovery service that ships on notebooks made by major manufacturers is actually a dangerous BIOS rootkit that can be hijacked and controlled by malicious hackers. READ FULL STORY Black Hat: Hijacking an iPhone via SMS Researchers exploit SSL and domain flaws Report finds fake antivirus on the rise High-risk internet server exploit goes wild Researchers demo BIOS attack that survives hard-disk wipe Looking for a job? You may require an extreme social networking makeover Jennifer Leggio: According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com, more than one in five employers search social networking sites to screen potential hires. If your social network presence isn't in tiptop condition, it might hinder you from getting the job of your dreams in an already tough market. READ FULL STORY Brian Sommer: The Reference Letter Redux Survey: 37% of employees would become insiders given the right incentive Day in the life of... a laid off tech support Employability in the recession Upgrade talent for the economy to come Everyone has a secret life but will Google find it? Social computing in the enterprise: Does it pay? Dion Hinchcliffe: While there's increasingly less question that social media offers genuine ROI, the question remains: Can it directly drive bottom-line performance in the average organization today? Many prefer waiting for best practices to solidify before climbing very far up the social computing adoption curve. READ FULL STORY Does social media really correlate with the bottom line? Color me skeptical Reconciling social computing with the enterprise The year of the shift to Enterprise 2.0 Sharepoint and Enterprise 2.0: The good, the bad, and the ugly Determining the ROI of Enterprise 2.0 Feds need to mandate e-book standards Christopher Dawson: Real accessibility goes way beyond enabling text-to-speech on a Kindle. We need content that's accessible to students worldwide, with and without disabilities. It's time the government mandated an open, extensible, XML-based standard. Wanted: An American Textbook Accessibility Act. READ FULL STORY Kindle draws fire at Arizona State Without content, Apple tablet is a non-starter in Education Hate educational DRM? Try a Flexbook Screw Kindle -- just give me a decent app for textbooks If a color Kindle is years away, where does that leave e-textbooks? Amazon ate my homework, or why DRM stinks for education Photo Gallery Space Invaders Infinity Gene (iPhone/iPod Touch) Taito's re-imagining of their arcade classic might be the best iPhone retro game yet. VIEW THE GALLERY Sample photos: Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 Dinosaur sightings: Old search engines More ZDNet Photo Galleries Verizon Wireless to developers: 'Our success is tied to you' Larry Dignan: Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam pitched application developers on the company?'s strategy as it moves toward its 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network. Verizon said that its app marketplace will complement existing stores from platform partners. READ FULL STORY Apple, AT&T, iPhone: Everything that's wrong with the cellphone industry wrapped up in a single package Sprint increases bet on prepaid; Buys Virgin Mobile USA BlackBerry Storm price dropped to $99.99: Is that enough? SmartPlanet: What exactly is a 'smart grid'? An explanation John Dodge: What is a smart grid, anyway? I caught up with Mike Butts, director of Advanced Metering Infrastructure, to learn what its ambitious smart grid and metering system will look like. Hint: think Wi-Fi. READ FULL STORY Video: Who will manage the smart grid? Video: Do we need smart meters? John Dodge: Smart grid spying worries privacy advocates John Dodge: Five not-so-obvious ways to conserve electricity Featured TalkBack It's the era of the media engineer Tom Foremski: Software coding is becoming a much more common skill and it is a skill that is losing value. You can find coders in developing countries and contract the work for a fraction of what it used to cost. But there is going to be a need for a new type of software engineer: a media engineer. READ FULL BLOG What do you think? Post Your Thoughts in TalkBack Reader TalkBacks Microsoft and the 'premium mix' dilemma "I don't mind if my notebook looks cool. But I would much prefer if they improved the functions first." -- terry flores SSDs are getting better, still not there yet "I don't see any reason that SSD will become replacement of hard disk." -- privacy matters Apple tablet: An iPod touch DX? Andrew Nusca: The challenge is to maintain the perception that the tablet device is cheaper than a MacBook but solves many of the problems the iPod touch can't -- the ability to surf the Web, watch video or play games in full-fidelity, without giving up the simplicity of the iPhone OS experience. Apple is seemingly designing a device that people don't yet know they need. READ FULL STORY Jason D. O'Grady: Three things the Apple tablet needs to be successful Apple's tablet in time for Christmas? The Apple tablet is a non-starter in Ed without content Can Apple launch a tablet device and do what it did with the iPhone? 1 billion of Apple's app downloads may be bogus Robin Harris: The Wintel blue light special ZDNet Reviews Nikon D3000 replaces the venerable D40 entry-level DSLR Janice Chen: Nikon has finally officially announced the D3000, a long-rumored replacement for its popular entry-level D40 dSLR. Nikon's lowest-price dSLR, the compact D3000 steps it up with a 3.0-inch LCD, an 11-point autofocus system, and a new Guide Mode that caters to dSLR newbies. READ THE REVIEW Gateway DX4300-03 Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 (Sprint) More ZDNet Reviews Sign up for ZDNet's Product Watch Newsletter for the latest product reviews, news, and expert analysis Dead-Finger Tech: Panasonic HD front projector Robin Harris: I like my toys, but my Panasonic PT-AX-200U front projector is my favorite. The picture quality is superb, as good as the local movie theater. Dozens of people have come over for the Friday night movie and all have been impressed. READ FULL STORY 13-in. Apple MacBook Pro (Andrew Nusca) Canon Powershot SD550 (Rachel King) Dead-Finger Tech: Google Apps (Christopher Dawson) Dead-Finger Tech: Weber Smokey Mountain (Jason Perlow)	In The Blogs Palm's Pre can't offset Sprint's subscriber losses Learning how to to use Picasa Software pricing and the Devil's Triangle Measuring the ROI of PR Barnes & Noble offers free Wi-Fi in stores nationwide, no purchase necessary A 'personal cloud' with Novatel's MiFi 2372 3G Wi-Fi hotspot File format blues SmartPlanet: A doctor anonymously blogs from a big-city hospital SmartPlanet: Don't confuse customer loyalty with profitability SmartPlanet: The next business hotspot? New Orleans Now Introducing... Financial news, insight & guidance. It's where you go from here. MoneyWatch is the premier destination for smart, practical personal finance advice about your retirement, investing, savings, career and real estate. Visit MoneyWatch.com today! Most Rated Posts The Ultimate Windows 7 Upgrade FAQ Microsoft agrees to give choice of browsers to Windows 7 users in Europe Walmart to sell $298 Compaq laptop in time for back-to-school 'while supplies last' Could Apple really dictate iPhone terms to Verizon Wireless? Latitude for iPhone shows off iPhone deficiency   New Technologies Sponsored White papers PCI DSS Compliance in the UNIX/Linux Datacenter This paper discusses how creating a secure access control infrastructure in heterogeneous UNIX/Linux environments supports Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance. (Symark Software) Live Webcast: Maximize Uptime, Performance and Savings with UNIX Listen to experts as they discuss how you can best utilize UNIX to improve service, reduce costs and manage risk on your network. The future sales force - A consultative approach This white paper explains why integrating your consultative sales, ROI analysis, and proposal production processes is the key to building a competitive sales force. (Microsoft) Microsoft Dynamics AX: Build a competitive edge for manufacturing plant operations This paper outlines how technology helps manufacturers meet competitive challenges, increase efficiency, and stay ahead of competitors. (Microsoft) IBM Smart Business White Paper Take an in-depth look at a new, three-in-one solution that makes it easier than ever to find, run, and manage your business applications. (IBM) More white papers: Most popular papers Recently added papers Most popular papers by industry More Popular Resources The 10 most annoying programs on the Internet Take charge of Windows XP with these 10+ power tips Steer clear of these 10 illegal job interview questions How to fully degunk a PC to get rid of crapware 10+ things you should know about troubleshooting a slow PC Videos and Podcasts How does a solar cell work? How does solar conversion work now and how do we want it to work in the future? Paul Altivisatos, interim director for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at UC Berkeley, explains how a solar cell works and how the solar energy of the future can become more efficient. PLAY VIDEO Freemium: The first business model of the 21st century At the Revenue Bootcamp Conference in Mountain View, Calif., Chris Anderson, author of "Free: The Future of a Radical Price," discusses how different companies use the free-to-premium, or freemium model to not only make money, but often keep customers at a higher rate than fully paid services. PLAY VIDEO Beyond Google AdSense: Monetizing smaller Web sites What can small companies and start-ups without huge audience numbers do to earn money from their Web sites? At the Revenue Bootcamp Conference in Mountain View, Calif., panelists discuss pay-per-click ads, and why they might not be the best model for small companies. Rather, they say, finding a single sponsor or targeting a more specific audience could be a better strategy. PLAY VIDEO What's working and what's not in SEO? At the Revenue Bootcamp Conference in Mountain View, Calif., panelists discussed the best ways to drive traffic to your site. Dion Lim, COO of SimplyHired.com, stresses his company's success with partnerships--if you make people money, he says, they'll be your friends for life. PLAY VIDEO The future of... Dressing rooms Need to update your business wardrobe, but don't have the time to scrutinize yourself in the fitting room mirror? Researchers at PARC are working on putting an end to dressing room indecision. ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das meets up with the brains behind the "responsive mirror" and tries the technology on for size. PLAY VIDEO Play more video and audio Hot Sponsored Downloads ZC Video to iPod Converter Hotspot Shield - Freeware Registry Booster AVS Audio Editor Opera - Freeware Most Popular Downloads  MarketBrowser Get world class charting on your computer in seconds with MarketBrowser. Check portfolio performance instantly with the at-a-glance toolbar. Quickly run studies like moving averages, spreads and oscillators. License: Free OS: Windows  MyDefrag Make your hard disk faster with this disk defragmenter and optimizer. License: Free OS: Windows  Excel Overlay Compares two Excel spreadsheets and displays the differences by assuming both spreadsheets are similar to each other and once "overlayed" onto one another, the differences become plainly apparent and easily corrected. License: Free to try OS: Windows  1-Click DVD to iPod Now you can convert all your favorite DVDs to iPod compatible files with just one click. License: Free to try OS: Windows  WorldMate Live Your e-mail is an inconvenient place to store your itinerary, and your calendar is too hard to read. With a little online prep, WorldMate Live makes a fine travel secretary. License: Free OS: Windows Mobile
Send us your feedback here. Sign up for more free newsletters from ZDNet! | To manage your account settings or to remove yourself from all ZDNet communications, please visit our Subscription Center. The e-mail address for your subscription is techmails79758@gmail.com Unsubscribe from this e-mail | FAQ | Advertise | Privacy Policy Copyright 2009 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. ZDNet is a registered service mark of CNET Networks, Inc. CNET Networks, Inc. 235 Second Street San Francisco, CA 94105 U.S.A.