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Tech News & Commentary
Rick in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM – Calling in via the App asked: “My problem is I loaded Windows 8 on my computer and I absolutely hate it. I would like to know how to unload it or go back to Windows 7.”
Rick, you’re not alone, in fact you’re so far from alone that a lot of Windows 8 users have been granted the right to legally “downgrade” to Windows 7 for free (a process that is known in IT circles as “upgrading to Windows 7”).
Here’s the Microsoft page that explains who has the rights, so you can see if you qualify, not all Windows 8 users do.
If you do qualify, all you have to do is install Windows 7 the way you would if you were installing it for the first time, only you can borrow a copy instead of having to buy one, and Microsoft will let you use your Windows 8 license on your now “downgraded” computer.
If you don’t qualify and don’t have the right to downgrade, the only way to legally downgrade is to buy a Windows 7 license the way you would if you were upgrading from Vista to 7 and install it. It can be done, it will just cost you money.
We do hear this from people…a lot! They just aren’t happy with Windows 8. In fact, we can’t recall anyone calling us up and raving about how much they liked it. The new user interface is confusing and frustrating to a lot of longtime Windows users.
Microsoft has launched a series of TV ads aimed at changing the perspective people have of Windows 8. They show a man on the street holding a touchscreen convertible PC in its tablet mode. He shows off some of the Windows 8 features, then docks the screen into a keyboard, all to the pretend delight of the actors paid to be his audience. The key word in this is “touchscreen.”
Windows 8 was designed to take advantage of touchscreens and gesture controls. So much so that a mouse feels awkward for controlling it. Yes, Microsoft says that you can switch to the Windows “Classic” interface, meaning our old Windows Desktop view, but it’s not the same. For one thing, there’s no Start button. For another, many actions you take immediately return you to the new interface.
We acknowledge that Windows 8 might be faster than Windows 7. Benchmarks seem to suggest that it starts up in less time and loads apps more quickly. We also acknowledge that Windows 8 is, like death and taxes, inevitable. The day will come, and is not far off, when you won’t be able to buy a computer with Windows 7 installed and Microsoft won’t make Windows 7 available as a downgrade.
So while we feel your pain, we share your pain, and we join you in disliking the new Windows 8 interface (UNLESS you’re using a touchscreen tablet or convertible PC), we also have this piece of advice. Get used to it. Because it’s not going away. Your only alternatives are Linux on your PC, or switching to Apple computers. Microsoft’s wheels may grind slowly, but grind they will, and our dislike for Windows 8 won’t bring back Windows 7 any more than our dislike for Windows Vista brought back Windows XP.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With Donna Tapellini
Cloud storage gives you 24/7 access to your documents, photos, music, and you can access them wherever you are and on whatever device you’re using. Consumer Reports Senior Editor Donna Tapellini is here to talk about how to tell which cloud-storage service is right for you.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Mark recommends: Google Authenticator, FREE
- “What madness is this? My app of the week is a SECURITY tool? Well yes, and let me tell you why. A while back, we read the story of Mat Honan, a technology writer for Wired magazine, who had his Apple ID and Gmail account hacked by someone who really only wanted access to Mat’s Twitter account because, “he liked the handle.” Problem was, along the way, the hacker wiped out the data on Mat’s computer…just for laughs. In the wake of this, Apple and Google have both strongly suggested two-factor authentication of your accounts, and I have taken that step. If you attempted to gain access to my Apple ID or my Google account, you would need to have access not only to my passwords but also to a security code that changes every few seconds. And that is what my app of the week does. It displays an ever-changing security token for my Google account. It’s dead simple to set up. Download the app to your iPhone, go into your Google account security settings, and select two-factor authentication. Google displays a QR code, which you scan using the app, and presto! That account is added to your list of tokens. It really does only take seconds and it gives you enormous piece of mind. Now, if you’re prone to losing you cell phone, then…I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE ANY MORE! Google Authenticator is free, and it’s a good idea for anyone using a Google account.” — Mark
• Dave recommends: Battery Defender and TaskKiller, FREE
“Now, if you are crazy about performance, Android is the best platform for optimizing the capabilities of your smartphone. And you can do that with apps like Battery Defender, which helps maximize your battery life, and TaskKiller, which helps you kill off unnecessary programs that are usually running in the background. I know that’s TWO favorite Apps, but they work well together.” — Dave
What are your favorite Apps? Let us know at 800-899-INTO and we’ll feature them in this segment!
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details
Sal Carrabba, Founder and President – Salamander Designs
Create functional furniture that seamlessly integrates your lifestyle with today’s technology.
Mike in Wyoming sends the following email: “I’m working with my Samsung Galaxy S3 on my Gmail app and I wanted to get rid of the spam and trash folders. There’s quite a lot of files in there, and don’t know of a way to get rid of them without opening each and every single one.”
Mike, unfortunately this question is very easy to answer, but we’re not gonna give you the answer you want: you can’t easily empty the trash or the spam folder from the app.
The full gmail website, has an empty trash button that you can use, but that hasn’t made it onto the app so far.
We do have some good news for you, those messages aren’t really taking up any space on your phone, they’re never even really downloaded onto your phone until you manually open them, so if you’re worried about wasting space and not just about keeping your email account tidy, you can stop worrying.
Even the empty trash button on gmail is new, so there’s a decent chance that it will eventually make it onto the app too, for now though, it’s either living with deleting messages one by one, living with leaving them alone, or living with having to use the site. No solution involving the app is too good.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Ron in Adelaide, South Australia calling in via the App
Gives us a “shout-out” from South Australia. He says he has the app and says it’s great.
Thanks Ron – Into Tomorrow Team
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
HGST: G-Drive Mini – 500GB High Performance Portable Drive
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yo — Now with Dave’s face on them! — A clever solution to tangled earbuds.
Joos: Orange Portable Solar Charger — Charges cell phones, MP3 Players, GPS Devices and more
Improv Electronics: Boogie Board rip — Paperless, LCD writing tablet that will let you save your notes and transfer them to your PC.
iolo: Copies of: Drive Scrubber – Erase data so it can NEVER be recovered.