A whole lotta press is being given to the new frontier that is Google Gears and getting your on-line browser trapped applications to work offline. Through all this gushing comes a voice of reason that suggests we’re just exchanging one set of problems for another. In a post yesterday Dare Obasanjo skillfully points out some of the inherent problems faced by Google Gears. Myself .. I think it’s sounding to be more trouble than it’s worth but then I’m just a cranky throwback.

I see that Walt Mossberg today came out saying that the new Windows Live Mail, not to be confused with Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail Desktop, is a worthy heir to the outdated Outlook Express. Tell you what Walt … wait until you have to backup your settings and data. This new incarnation of the simple email client might look pretty and all that but it still sucks with its identity based data storage and can still cause tremors of fear when it comes time to backup or restore your stuff. Me … I’m sticking with InScribe with its simple one folder copy and paste backup and restore .. and even move to a new machine.

Ah the ol’ DRM shell game is still in play over at LaLa by the sounds on the news item from TechDirt. Here LaLa was hoping to make big brownie points with the public by announcing the availability of DRM free songs. As Mike at TechDirt reports a fellow blogger; Bob Lefsetz, has found out that in fact the supposed DRM free tracks do in fact have … ready? … DRM. It’s just a DRM of a different stripe so we’re told.