HTML5 is a Flash killer. Hmmmmm. Say it over in your head a few times. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
In fact, if I wrote a blog post with such a snappy, eye-catching title as that, it might even get a few Diggs. Heck, it might even make the front-flipping-page! (Front page of the Programming section, maybe – let's not go nuts.)
Unfortunately, there's a little problem with my initial statement. OK – I admit it – it's a big problem. It's the kind of hulking problem that, if it asked to borrow a quid from you, would end up with your wallet, any loose change in your pockets and the keys to your car. And that problem?
Well, you may have guessed by now, but the whole premise that HTML5 will kill Flash is utter bunkum. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped the idea gaining some serious traction in recent months – among people and groups that should really know better.
A few days ago I was listening to one of my favourite technology podcasts, This Week in Tech. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the show, as the name suggests, it's an insightful look at the biggest tech stories of the week.) But, in that most august of podcasts, I heard the 'HTML5 is a Flash killer' argument put forward by a guest on the show – with not one dissenting voice to be heard. Not one.
I've also seen it pop up on various web design forums, and it's even made its way onto my Twitter feed on more than one occasion (I'm @danoliver if you're interested, and aren't offended by the kind of language that would make a miner blush).
Behind the theory
There are a number of reasons why so many people believe HTML5 will be the technology that finally consigns Flash to the recycle bin.
Firstly – and it has nothing to do with the merits of HTML5 – there's a deep-seated loathing of Flash, primarily brought about by a decade of annoying intro sequences on websites.
The case for the prosecution: Flash intros, in the main, are a complete waste of time and bandwidth, and should, in any self-respecting society, result in the public flogging of anyone who considers introducing them to a site. You'll get no argument from me on that front.
Next up, and this is where I start to seriously waiver, some maintain that there's never a need to use Flash and that you can achieve the requirements of a Flash project in other ways – in this instance using HTML5. This just isn't true.
ActionScript 3 can do things that have had web developers scratching their heads for years, and even Google has had to fall back on Flash programming because there's simply no other way to successfully achieve certain functions within their web apps, such as elegantly attaching files in Gmail (thanks to Olivier Gambier over at Zoomorama for that one). HTML5 is no ActionScript 3, and was never intended to be.
And then there's video. In the past few years a number of huge websites – including YouTube – have used Flash to deliver video online. Why? Well, the Flash Player is – according to Adobe – on 99 per cent of connected PCs, and authoring video content and components using Flash is a piece of cake.
"But wait!" I hear you cry. "HTML5 has a video codec, right? And this could replace Flash as the primary way of delivering video content – with no plug-in needed at all. Yeah, baby! Go HTML5!"
The codec that could
Unfortunately, the key word there is 'could'. As things stand, the HTML5 element has no default codec and, despite some support from browsers such as Firefox and Chrome, Internet Explorer still won't play ball and isn't likely to while Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in is still pushing for penetration as a Flash Player alternative. What you're left with is the following: an HTML5 working group, lacking consensus and pushing an element that won't be adopted by all browsers any time soon; versus a proprietary plug-in, with a passionate developer community, which is used by millions. I know where my money's going in the short term. I'm not a Flash fanboy, far from it, but I hope we can put an end to talk of HTML5 killing Flash. Despite the fact that most people agree the internet would be a better place without plug-ins, while browsers continue to support different standards, and the people pushing said standards are unable to come to a consensus, then a plug-in is often the only way to achieve a uniform user experience across multiple browsers. Some of the internet's most successful websites and apps simply wouldn't exist without a little help from Flash and for this reason we should at least give this oft-maligned plug-in some credit. And please, please stop these misinformed proclamations of its imminent demise. Related Stories Review: Google Buzz Review: Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 Review: Panda Cloud Antivirus Read More ... Review: Viewsonic VG2427WM The Viewsonic VG2427WM is a 24-inch monitor with a true 16:9 aspect ratio that makes full use of its 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution. The matt-black bezel around the screen is small and largely inconspicuous, but the screen does have an overall office feel about the design. Setting up the monitor is simply a case of pulling it from the large box and adding the right cables. This is because Viewsonic has already attached the monitor stand to the screen. This stand offers full height adjustment, screen tilt and pitch and even swivel modes, so getting the VG2427wm into the right position is easy. The power button sits below the screen and is flanked by four control buttons. The buttons are small, but look a little cheap, and the blue LED light that shines out spoils the overall effect of the monitor. That said, the menu system is comprehensive and easy to work through, so getting the best colour match possible is a relatively easy process. Connected up When it comes to connections, you'll find that Viewsonic offers the standard D-Sub and DVI ports. Sadly, it lacks HDMI, but you will find three USB ports on the monitor. A mouse is also included in the package, allowing you to plug this directly into the monitor. When it comes to using the VG2427wm, you will find the screen is incredibly bright and offers a great colour balance. We found that whites were easily the sharpest on test and running movies through this screen was great, as colours looked sharp and there was very little in the way of jaggies showing up. The Viewsonic VG2427wm is an impressive monitor delivering bright and sharp images. The stand, while flexible, does give VG2427wm a rather large footprint and an overall look that is better suited to the office than the living room. However, this is our only complaint on what proved a cost-effective and usable screen.Related Links TechRadar Reviews Guarantee Read more monitor reviews Related Stories Review: Acer S243HL Review: BenQ G2220HD Review: Packard Bell Viseo 230WS Review: HP LE2201w Read More ... Review: Acer eMachines E525-901G1Mi The E525-901G16Mi from eMachines is suited to those after a no-nonsense portable solution. It boasts more power than the Elonex Sliver and Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n, and provides good competition for the Lenovo – which are other similarly specified rivals. The 15.6-inch screen isn't as sharp as the Elonex's, but still provides detailed images courtesy of the 1366 x 768-pixel resolution. As with all a lot of other laptops, a glossy Super-TFT screen coating is in place but it suppresses reflections in bright light well, and you won't have a problem viewing it outdoors, for example. The laptop features a pleasantly inoffensive design that's attractive enough in its own way, and build quality is good, meaning it will take a few light bumps and bashes on the road. The laptop keyboard has a spongy response and yet the typing action is surprisingly good, with large, well-spaced keys making it a very accurate board, although ultimately we prefer the solidity of the Lenovo G550 keyboard better. Like the aforementioned Lenovo, a dedicated numeric keypad is also included, making inputting data especially easy. This laptop uses the same Intel processor as the Lenovo, yet it has 1024MB less memory and, as a result, the Lenovo offers more power and performance. This should be a consideration if you intend to multi-task or run resource-intensive programs. Nevertheless, running everyday applications won't be an issue. However, this is no multimedia machine, but you'll be able to carry out minor photo editing, thanks to the integrated Intel graphics chip, and even play internet games without too much hassle. Basic storage The 160GB hard drive provides enough room for all your files and folders, alongside moderate multimedia libraries. However, if you're looking to store a lot of data, then you're sure to find the extra 90GB the Lenovo offers useful. Unlike the Acer and Elonex, the laptop isn't specifically designed to be very portable. The 2.5kg the machine weighs isn't cripplingly heavy, however, and the 216-minute battery life is acceptable (we expect a minimum of at least 180 minutes), although is beaten by the Lenovo. A media card reader is also included, which will suit those who want to download their photos off their digital cameras without all the fuss of using USB cables. The eMachines E525-901G16Mi is a very likeable machine which does a lot well, but the Lenovo offers better power, portability and usability across the board, making it the better option.Related Links TechRadar Reviews Guarantee Read more laptop reviews Related Stories Review: Samsung R580 Review: Asus UL20A Review: Toshiba Portأ©gأ© R600-13Z Review: Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n Review: Elonex Sliver Read More ... Review: Packard Bell Viseo 230WS The Packard Bell Viseo 230WS is a 23-inch monitor with a glossy black finish and minimalist look that is popular with HDTV manufacturers right now, so the monitor won't look out of place in a modern living room. The bezel is relatively small and the overall footprint of the Viseo is slim. Setting up the monitor is incredibly easy, as the stand simply slots into place. The power button is located on the underside of the monitor under the Packard Bell brand name. When you switch it on, a white LED light shines down. Menu controls are discreetly marked on the bezel and you'll find the hardware buttons on the underside of the screen. The connections can be found on the base of the monitor and are kept to a minimum, with only a DVI and standard D-sub port for hooking up to your laptop. The only other connection is a 3.5mm audio socket. The stand is fixed, so you won't be able to raise the screen. However, there is a tilt mode so you can pitch the screen up. We did find this extremely stiff to use though and would suggest investing in a monitor stand to help raise it up. Bright panel The screen is incredibly bright with a brightness rating of 300cd/mآ², which is very much in keeping with the industry standard. The contrast ratio of the screen proved acceptable and it offered a good colour range. However, we did find the whites to have a slight tinge to them, which showed up when in document mode. You'll appreciate the 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution when running movies, as it means you'll be able to run Full HD content in native mode. We found movies looked great on this screen. The Packard Bell Viseo 230WS offers real value for money. In terms of connections and features, this is very much an entry-level monitor, but we found it worked well and images looked pleasing sharp.Related Links TechRadar Reviews Guarantee Read more monitor reviews Related Stories Review: Acer S243HL Review: BenQ G2220HD Review: HP LE2201w Review: Viewsonic VG2427WM Read More ... Guide: How to power up your Apple Magic Mouse Apple's Magic Mouse can recognise four points of contact on its touch-sensitive surface, but only two-fingered gestures are catered for by default. Don't take this personally though, because there's a great application that helps you get the most out of your Magic Mouse by adding new gestures, three-and four-fingered taps and clicks. MagicPrefs is a free download, which can be found here. Once you've run it for the first time, it appears as a System Preferences pane or you can manage it through an optional menu bar icon too. From the new preferences window, your Magic Mouse can be configured to do far more than is possible using the standard System Preferences pane for mouse input. At the top of the MagicPrefs window sits two slider bars. The Tracking Speed slider performs the same task as the Tracking slider in System Preferences, but increases the maximum available speed by 200%. According to the program's website, the Tap Sensitivity bar 'implements an advanced algorithm that impacts a number of factors used to determine taps.' The Clicks & Taps panel offers pulldown options that you can activate using your single-or multiple fingered gestures. A click involves pressing the mouse button with the required number of fingers touching the surface of the device. A tap has you touching the device without pressing the button. You don't have to enable them all, of course – if a specific gesture is getting in the way by being activated accidentally, simply uncheck it. The really exciting news is that the very latest version of MagicPrefs adds support for swipe gestures, as well as two-and three fingered pinches, both inwards and outwards. It's incredibly comprehensive, and easy to set up. When you've configured the mouse to your requirements, you can save your settings as a preset, enabling you to store different custom settings for different tasks. How to configure your Magic Mouse using MagicPrefs 01. The slider bars The slider bars control Tracking Speed and Touch Sensitivity. Using MagicPrefs' realtime graphical display as a guide, find the settings you feel most comfortable with. If you wish, you can save multiple presets, matching your mouse configuration to specific tasks. 02. Clicks and taps The Clicks & Taps window lets you configure your gestures to perform tasks such as Middle Click, Hold Both Buttons (useful for gamers), Exposأ© functions and launching the Dashboard or Terminal. These tasks are set up using pull-down menus. 03. Swipes, drags & pinches The latest release of MagicPrefs adds support for swipes with up to four fingers, drag gestures and pinches, both inwards and outwards. They can be potentially hard to use, so only activate what you need. You can always add more later, as you improve with practice. Related Stories Apple iPad UK release date set for 'late April' Steve Jobs: The Agony and the Ecstasy Guide: How to run almost any OS on your Mac Has Play.com revealed the Apple iPad UK price? Apple iPad pre-ordering for US goes live Read More ... Review: HP LE2201w The HP LE2201w is a sturdy-looking monitor that won't look out of place on any office desk. The 22-inch panel is finished with a matt-black surround and sits on a simple stand that offers tilt adjustment, but no elevation. There is a built-in handle on the rear of the monitor that allows you to move and position it with ease. By taking a look at the connections on the base of the monitor you instantly get the feeling this is an entry-level device, as there is only a single D-sub port and the power input – nothing else. With a screen resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels, the lack of a digital connection won't be a problem for the average laptop user though. The front of the monitor has the control buttons in the right-hand corner. There is a power switch and three function keys, making it extremely easy to set up and colour-balance the LE2201w. The menu system is simple, but we found that the buttons have a rather hollow click as we used them. Test results When it came to testing, the screen delivered a reasonable colour balance with a warm overall look to images. White balance also proved more than acceptable, with black levels appearing deep and sharp, adding a nice level of contrast. However, we did find the panel to be quite dark, with the screen only starting to truly deliver when at 90 per cent brightness. This is largely due to the panel's 250cd/mآ² brightness rating, compared to the average 300cd/mآ² of other panels. It isn't a serious issue, but it does make the screen's images appear rather heavy. The HP LE2201w is not the largest or brightest screen on test, it is definitely better suited to the office than the living room and its connections are certainly showing their age, but for an entry-level widescreen monitor it offers reasonable value for money.Related Links TechRadar Reviews Guarantee Read more monitor reviews Related Stories Review: Acer S243HL Review: BenQ G2220HD Review: Packard Bell Viseo 230WS Review: Viewsonic VG2427WM Read More ... SXSWi 2010: Weak passwords and lack of AV a major issue in social network security Even after many high-profile hacking and phishing attacks on social networking accounts, and constant messages urging people to be vigilant, the biggest problem with web security is still weak passwords. Speaking at South by South West Interactive, an industry panel of security engineering managers from Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft discussed the approaches they use to secure their web services. Del Harvey is Director of Trust and Safety at Twitter. "I have a team of 20 folks, which given that the team at Twitter is about 160, is a very large team and we deal with ensuring the user expectations for privacy are there, and when bad things happen we work to fix them." Harvey says education is an on-going problem: "The current biggest thing that is crucial to our security programme is trying to get users educated about security. Everyone knows at least one person who says 'I use the same password on every site – but it's a really good one', or 'I use different passwords on every site – I take the first letter of the site and the last letter of the site and then I put my birth year in the middle.' "It's this big wave right now of almost identity theft-based attempts at hacking, not just on Twitter but also on Facebook and on email sites and messenger sites. There's a big push towards not necessarily brute force [attacks] but more specialised. Obviously we still have brute force issues where we deal with, OK they've tried to log into x number of accounts in y amount of time with z combinations of passwords. And then we have rounds of phishing, straight out 'haha this you?' links." Ryan McGeehan, Security Manager for Incident Response at Facebook, says: "Awareness is a major thing for us, too. The number of individuals who use the same password across multiple sites is astounding. "So, for instance, if some obscure web forum that you are a part of gets compromised and the database gets leaked, and the passwords are stored in clear text, then the person who stole that database decides to try all of those usernames and passwords on other sites the success rate is astounding. "It's an awareness issue; it's a security issue for any site that is dealing with usernames and passwords." AWARENESS ISSUE: Facebook's Ryan McGeehan Deepak Manohar looks after security on Windows Live products, which include Hotmail, Live Messenger and Windows Live Photo Gallery. "It's my job to work with our developers to ensure we don't have security and privacy issues with our products and to protect your identity from being stolen," he explains. User awareness is a major concern and a major part of the Windows Live security program, says Manohar. "The way we break up our security programme is into proactive and reactive security. Proactive security is what we do up front in the developer lifecycle, and we break that up into training – every developer at Microsoft goes through at least an hour of security training every year. "We try to cover the most important security threats in that hour of training. So developers learn how these threats are exploited, how these methods are used by attackers to spread malware and perform phishing attacks." "For our reactive process, we have an incident monitoring team who scour the internet and search for potential issues that people are talking about regarding our sites, so even if they don't properly disclose it to us, we become aware of it and we take reactive steps to mitigate this." That many people simply don't run anti-virus software is another major headache, adds Manohar. "Many people don't have anti-virus software on their computer - that is the biggest vector, that's affecting us quite a bit. About 60% of legitimate websites have had some security vulnerability in the last year. And these vulnerabilities are used to spread malware to your computer. "So my first suggestion is: get anti-virus on your computer and that will help solve the problem. Because once they get malware on your computer, they can log every keystroke; they can change the websites that you visit; they can change the DNS entry in your computer and they send all this data to arbitrary people and there's an underground market which buys and sells this information. ACCOUNTS FOR SALE: Microsoft's Deepak Manohar "You can buy Facebook accounts, you can buy Twitter accounts, and you can buy Windows Live accounts, and this is the vector that they use. It is more because of a lack of anti-virus on computers which is leading to people being affected rather than vulnerabilities in the website itself." Getting your phished account back So how do you restore access to a compromised account? That's difficult, says Harvey. "If you reset a password and your users don't have a login other than their username and password with no email address connected to it, what are they going to do?" McGeehan continues: "If you have a single webmail account and it gets phished, usually a good response would be to block out anyone from accessing that account. But then how do you notify that person that they need to reset their password? Because you've just locked out their email. "And if the user has malware that is attacking your website – if you terminate the session of the attacker there is a piece of malware on that user's machine that is going to bring it right back so you have to communicate to that user and say 'hey, you have to manually remove malware from your machine and then we'll do the rest of the process, which will include resetting your password." "And that's really hard," adds Harvey. "Telling someone 'hey, your computer is infected - trust us, we are a site on the internet!' It's not very convincing to a lot of people. "We have a lot of users who will write in and say 'you suspended my account, what's up?' and we say 'you're super-infected, actually' and they will say 'no, I downloaded five torrents last week, and they were .EXEs, but I am not infected.' "Telling a user in a non-aggressive but factual way is really hard. This is their Facebook account, their Twitter account, their email account, their online identity of some form and you are telling them that it is jacked up and they cannot touch it right now. Nobody wants to hear that. "So telling them that in a way that doesn't come across as us being aggressive or over-protective or 'we just made an error on our end'… We get a lot of 'no, you must be wrong'. And we're like, 'actually you posted malware. Seven times. In 18 seconds. You are." Related Stories Google Street View rolled out to 95% of UK Pink Floyd protect online albums from the chop Twitter rolls out 'tweet with your location' feature Facebook 'not ruling out' Daily Mail legal action China warns Google to obey or 'pay the consequences' Read More ...
What you're left with is the following: an HTML5 working group, lacking consensus and pushing an element that won't be adopted by all browsers any time soon; versus a proprietary plug-in, with a passionate developer community, which is used by millions. I know where my money's going in the short term.
I'm not a Flash fanboy, far from it, but I hope we can put an end to talk of HTML5 killing Flash. Despite the fact that most people agree the internet would be a better place without plug-ins, while browsers continue to support different standards, and the people pushing said standards are unable to come to a consensus, then a plug-in is often the only way to achieve a uniform user experience across multiple browsers.
Some of the internet's most successful websites and apps simply wouldn't exist without a little help from Flash and for this reason we should at least give this oft-maligned plug-in some credit. And please, please stop these misinformed proclamations of its imminent demise.
Related Stories
The Viewsonic VG2427WM is a 24-inch monitor with a true 16:9 aspect ratio that makes full use of its 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution.
The matt-black bezel around the screen is small and largely inconspicuous, but the screen does have an overall office feel about the design. Setting up the monitor is simply a case of pulling it from the large box and adding the right cables.
This is because Viewsonic has already attached the monitor stand to the screen. This stand offers full height adjustment, screen tilt and pitch and even swivel modes, so getting the VG2427wm into the right position is easy.
The power button sits below the screen and is flanked by four control buttons. The buttons are small, but look a little cheap, and the blue LED light that shines out spoils the overall effect of the monitor. That said, the menu system is comprehensive and easy to work through, so getting the best colour match possible is a relatively easy process.
Connected up
When it comes to connections, you'll find that Viewsonic offers the standard D-Sub and DVI ports. Sadly, it lacks HDMI, but you will find three USB ports on the monitor. A mouse is also included in the package, allowing you to plug this directly into the monitor.
When it comes to using the VG2427wm, you will find the screen is incredibly bright and offers a great colour balance.
We found that whites were easily the sharpest on test and running movies through this screen was great, as colours looked sharp and there was very little in the way of jaggies showing up.
The Viewsonic VG2427wm is an impressive monitor delivering bright and sharp images.
The stand, while flexible, does give VG2427wm a rather large footprint and an overall look that is better suited to the office than the living room. However, this is our only complaint on what proved a cost-effective and usable screen.
The E525-901G16Mi from eMachines is suited to those after a no-nonsense portable solution. It boasts more power than the Elonex Sliver and Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n, and provides good competition for the Lenovo – which are other similarly specified rivals.
The 15.6-inch screen isn't as sharp as the Elonex's, but still provides detailed images courtesy of the 1366 x 768-pixel resolution.
As with all a lot of other laptops, a glossy Super-TFT screen coating is in place but it suppresses reflections in bright light well, and you won't have a problem viewing it outdoors, for example.
The laptop features a pleasantly inoffensive design that's attractive enough in its own way, and build quality is good, meaning it will take a few light bumps and bashes on the road.
The laptop keyboard has a spongy response and yet the typing action is surprisingly good, with large, well-spaced keys making it a very accurate board, although ultimately we prefer the solidity of the Lenovo G550 keyboard better.
Like the aforementioned Lenovo, a dedicated numeric keypad is also included, making inputting data especially easy.
This laptop uses the same Intel processor as the Lenovo, yet it has 1024MB less memory and, as a result, the Lenovo offers more power and performance. This should be a consideration if you intend to multi-task or run resource-intensive programs. Nevertheless, running everyday applications won't be an issue.
However, this is no multimedia machine, but you'll be able to carry out minor photo editing, thanks to the integrated Intel graphics chip, and even play internet games without too much hassle.
Basic storage
The 160GB hard drive provides enough room for all your files and folders, alongside moderate multimedia libraries. However, if you're looking to store a lot of data, then you're sure to find the extra 90GB the Lenovo offers useful.
Unlike the Acer and Elonex, the laptop isn't specifically designed to be very portable. The 2.5kg the machine weighs isn't cripplingly heavy, however, and the 216-minute battery life is acceptable (we expect a minimum of at least 180 minutes), although is beaten by the Lenovo.
A media card reader is also included, which will suit those who want to download their photos off their digital cameras without all the fuss of using USB cables.
The eMachines E525-901G16Mi is a very likeable machine which does a lot well, but the Lenovo offers better power, portability and usability across the board, making it the better option.
The Packard Bell Viseo 230WS is a 23-inch monitor with a glossy black finish and minimalist look that is popular with HDTV manufacturers right now, so the monitor won't look out of place in a modern living room.
The bezel is relatively small and the overall footprint of the Viseo is slim. Setting up the monitor is incredibly easy, as the stand simply slots into place.
The power button is located on the underside of the monitor under the Packard Bell brand name. When you switch it on, a white LED light shines down.
Menu controls are discreetly marked on the bezel and you'll find the hardware buttons on the underside of the screen. The connections can be found on the base of the monitor and are kept to a minimum, with only a DVI and standard D-sub port for hooking up to your laptop. The only other connection is a 3.5mm audio socket.
The stand is fixed, so you won't be able to raise the screen. However, there is a tilt mode so you can pitch the screen up. We did find this extremely stiff to use though and would suggest investing in a monitor stand to help raise it up.
Bright panel
The screen is incredibly bright with a brightness rating of 300cd/mآ², which is very much in keeping with the industry standard. The contrast ratio of the screen proved acceptable and it offered a good colour range.
However, we did find the whites to have a slight tinge to them, which showed up when in document mode.
You'll appreciate the 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution when running movies, as it means you'll be able to run Full HD content in native mode. We found movies looked great on this screen.
The Packard Bell Viseo 230WS offers real value for money. In terms of connections and features, this is very much an entry-level monitor, but we found it worked well and images looked pleasing sharp.
Apple's Magic Mouse can recognise four points of contact on its touch-sensitive surface, but only two-fingered gestures are catered for by default.
Don't take this personally though, because there's a great application that helps you get the most out of your Magic Mouse by adding new gestures, three-and four-fingered taps and clicks.
MagicPrefs is a free download, which can be found here. Once you've run it for the first time, it appears as a System Preferences pane or you can manage it through an optional menu bar icon too.
From the new preferences window, your Magic Mouse can be configured to do far more than is possible using the standard System Preferences pane for mouse input.
At the top of the MagicPrefs window sits two slider bars. The Tracking Speed slider performs the same task as the Tracking slider in System Preferences, but increases the maximum available speed by 200%.
According to the program's website, the Tap Sensitivity bar 'implements an advanced algorithm that impacts a number of factors used to determine taps.' The Clicks & Taps panel offers pulldown options that you can activate using your single-or multiple fingered gestures.
A click involves pressing the mouse button with the required number of fingers touching the surface of the device. A tap has you touching the device without pressing the button.
You don't have to enable them all, of course – if a specific gesture is getting in the way by being activated accidentally, simply uncheck it.
The really exciting news is that the very latest version of MagicPrefs adds support for swipe gestures, as well as two-and three fingered pinches, both inwards and outwards. It's incredibly comprehensive, and easy to set up.
When you've configured the mouse to your requirements, you can save your settings as a preset, enabling you to store different custom settings for different tasks.
How to configure your Magic Mouse using MagicPrefs
01. The slider bars
The slider bars control Tracking Speed and Touch Sensitivity. Using MagicPrefs' realtime graphical display as a guide, find the settings you feel most comfortable with.
If you wish, you can save multiple presets, matching your mouse configuration to specific tasks.
02. Clicks and taps
The Clicks & Taps window lets you configure your gestures to perform tasks such as Middle Click, Hold Both Buttons (useful for gamers), Exposأ© functions and launching the Dashboard or Terminal. These tasks are set up using pull-down menus.
03. Swipes, drags & pinches
The latest release of MagicPrefs adds support for swipes with up to four fingers, drag gestures and pinches, both inwards and outwards.
They can be potentially hard to use, so only activate what you need. You can always add more later, as you improve with practice.
The HP LE2201w is a sturdy-looking monitor that won't look out of place on any office desk.
The 22-inch panel is finished with a matt-black surround and sits on a simple stand that offers tilt adjustment, but no elevation.
There is a built-in handle on the rear of the monitor that allows you to move and position it with ease. By taking a look at the connections on the base of the monitor you instantly get the feeling this is an entry-level device, as there is only a single D-sub port and the power input – nothing else.
With a screen resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels, the lack of a digital connection won't be a problem for the average laptop user though. The front of the monitor has the control buttons in the right-hand corner. There is a power switch and three function keys, making it extremely easy to set up and colour-balance the LE2201w.
The menu system is simple, but we found that the buttons have a rather hollow click as we used them.
Test results
When it came to testing, the screen delivered a reasonable colour balance with a warm overall look to images. White balance also proved more than acceptable, with black levels appearing deep and sharp, adding a nice level of contrast.
However, we did find the panel to be quite dark, with the screen only starting to truly deliver when at 90 per cent brightness.
This is largely due to the panel's 250cd/mآ² brightness rating, compared to the average 300cd/mآ² of other panels. It isn't a serious issue, but it does make the screen's images appear rather heavy.
The HP LE2201w is not the largest or brightest screen on test, it is definitely better suited to the office than the living room and its connections are certainly showing their age, but for an entry-level widescreen monitor it offers reasonable value for money.
Even after many high-profile hacking and phishing attacks on social networking accounts, and constant messages urging people to be vigilant, the biggest problem with web security is still weak passwords.
Speaking at South by South West Interactive, an industry panel of security engineering managers from Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft discussed the approaches they use to secure their web services.
Del Harvey is Director of Trust and Safety at Twitter. "I have a team of 20 folks, which given that the team at Twitter is about 160, is a very large team and we deal with ensuring the user expectations for privacy are there, and when bad things happen we work to fix them."
Harvey says education is an on-going problem: "The current biggest thing that is crucial to our security programme is trying to get users educated about security. Everyone knows at least one person who says 'I use the same password on every site – but it's a really good one', or 'I use different passwords on every site – I take the first letter of the site and the last letter of the site and then I put my birth year in the middle.'
"It's this big wave right now of almost identity theft-based attempts at hacking, not just on Twitter but also on Facebook and on email sites and messenger sites. There's a big push towards not necessarily brute force [attacks] but more specialised. Obviously we still have brute force issues where we deal with, OK they've tried to log into x number of accounts in y amount of time with z combinations of passwords. And then we have rounds of phishing, straight out 'haha this you?' links."
Ryan McGeehan, Security Manager for Incident Response at Facebook, says: "Awareness is a major thing for us, too. The number of individuals who use the same password across multiple sites is astounding.
"So, for instance, if some obscure web forum that you are a part of gets compromised and the database gets leaked, and the passwords are stored in clear text, then the person who stole that database decides to try all of those usernames and passwords on other sites the success rate is astounding.
"It's an awareness issue; it's a security issue for any site that is dealing with usernames and passwords."
AWARENESS ISSUE: Facebook's Ryan McGeehan
Deepak Manohar looks after security on Windows Live products, which include Hotmail, Live Messenger and Windows Live Photo Gallery. "It's my job to work with our developers to ensure we don't have security and privacy issues with our products and to protect your identity from being stolen," he explains.
User awareness is a major concern and a major part of the Windows Live security program, says Manohar.
"The way we break up our security programme is into proactive and reactive security. Proactive security is what we do up front in the developer lifecycle, and we break that up into training – every developer at Microsoft goes through at least an hour of security training every year.
"We try to cover the most important security threats in that hour of training. So developers learn how these threats are exploited, how these methods are used by attackers to spread malware and perform phishing attacks."
"For our reactive process, we have an incident monitoring team who scour the internet and search for potential issues that people are talking about regarding our sites, so even if they don't properly disclose it to us, we become aware of it and we take reactive steps to mitigate this."
That many people simply don't run anti-virus software is another major headache, adds Manohar.
"Many people don't have anti-virus software on their computer - that is the biggest vector, that's affecting us quite a bit. About 60% of legitimate websites have had some security vulnerability in the last year. And these vulnerabilities are used to spread malware to your computer.
"So my first suggestion is: get anti-virus on your computer and that will help solve the problem. Because once they get malware on your computer, they can log every keystroke; they can change the websites that you visit; they can change the DNS entry in your computer and they send all this data to arbitrary people and there's an underground market which buys and sells this information.
ACCOUNTS FOR SALE: Microsoft's Deepak Manohar
"You can buy Facebook accounts, you can buy Twitter accounts, and you can buy Windows Live accounts, and this is the vector that they use. It is more because of a lack of anti-virus on computers which is leading to people being affected rather than vulnerabilities in the website itself."
Getting your phished account back
So how do you restore access to a compromised account? That's difficult, says Harvey. "If you reset a password and your users don't have a login other than their username and password with no email address connected to it, what are they going to do?"
McGeehan continues: "If you have a single webmail account and it gets phished, usually a good response would be to block out anyone from accessing that account. But then how do you notify that person that they need to reset their password? Because you've just locked out their email.
"And if the user has malware that is attacking your website – if you terminate the session of the attacker there is a piece of malware on that user's machine that is going to bring it right back so you have to communicate to that user and say 'hey, you have to manually remove malware from your machine and then we'll do the rest of the process, which will include resetting your password."
"And that's really hard," adds Harvey. "Telling someone 'hey, your computer is infected - trust us, we are a site on the internet!' It's not very convincing to a lot of people.
"We have a lot of users who will write in and say 'you suspended my account, what's up?' and we say 'you're super-infected, actually' and they will say 'no, I downloaded five torrents last week, and they were .EXEs, but I am not infected.'
"Telling a user in a non-aggressive but factual way is really hard. This is their Facebook account, their Twitter account, their email account, their online identity of some form and you are telling them that it is jacked up and they cannot touch it right now. Nobody wants to hear that.
"So telling them that in a way that doesn't come across as us being aggressive or over-protective or 'we just made an error on our end'… We get a lot of 'no, you must be wrong'. And we're like, 'actually you posted malware. Seven times. In 18 seconds. You are."
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