Best Computer DealsWelcome to Best Computer Deals. We update hourly with the best deals for Laptops, PDAs, Netbooks, Notebooks and Desktops

Why is Flash video so awful?

Can we have Flash now? So went the tasteless internet meme just moments after he who was once known as his Jobsness passed from 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino California to, well, the infinite loop.

As a pretty PC-centric computing enthusiast it would be all too easy to sneer knowingly at Jobs’ fundamental refusal to allow Flash video onto his iPads and iPhones.

It’s certainly hard to square Jobs’ claim that the iPad offered the best possible browsing experience with the fact that he’d locked users out a massive chunk of the web.

As it happens, the lack of Flash video support is the only reason why I don’t own an iPad. But I don’t want to get into an argument about that. Instead, I’m going to contradict myself and say that Jobs had it right. In fact, I’d like Flash banned on PCs with immediate effect. Because Flash video is by far and away and without a shadow of a doubt the worst thing about using a modern PC.

At this point I probably need to qualify things a little. Casual PC users probably won’t have a major issue with Flash. Light web browsing with one or two browser windows or tabs open isn’t enough to out Flash’s awfulness. Not most of the time, anyway.

Per-tab threading

As a proper web junky, however, I’ve finally and comprehensively lost my rag with Flash. For the record I’m a Chrome user. It ain’t perfect, but for better or worse it’s my favourite browser. But it pretty much perfectly showcases how awful Flash video is.

Chrome is threaded, of course, which should mean that your general browsing session just keeps on trucking, no matter what. But Flash isn’t threaded. So when it bombs out, it’s brings your entire browsing world down, all 68 tabs of it.

You could argue it’s my tendency to have a ton of tabs open that causes a lot of the problem. But even if that were true and it wasn’t the case that it’s about time Adobe coded it for efficient per-tab threading, Flash has plenty of other problems.

Can HTML5 save the day?

As I sit and write this, the Daily Show stream on 4oD I’m half watching has just hung. For the third time. If I want to pick up where I left off, I’m going to have to sit through no fewer than five full length ads. Again, for the third time.

Meanwhile, over on my laptop, the video turns green after five seconds in iPlayer. I can fix that by turning off hardware acceleration, but then my CPU gets hammered and my battery life goes south. A graphics driver update might do the trick, but why should I have to bother when I rarely going on never have any issues with other video formats? It’s just Flash.

I used to think Jobs was being a bit of a bully in his dealings with Adobe regards Flash. But I’ve had enough now and as far as I’m concerned Adobe got no more than it deserved for allowing Flash to remain so shonky.

Of course, HTML5 is coming to save the day. But it’s taking its sweet time. Until it has entirely taken over, Flash will be my number one computing enemy.

View full post on TechRadar: latest computing news

Apple appears to have emerged victorious from a dispute regarding the domain name iPhone5.com, a possible name for its new iPhone that could be named iPhone 5.

The domain was previously being used as a message board for iPhone-related discussions, but was not affiliated with Apple.

Apple filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to have ownership of the domain transferred to them earlier this month.

It’s no secret that the unwritten laws of "first come, first served" don’t apply in these cases. Apple has won previous WIPO disputes regarding domain names for iPhone4s.com and even iPhonesex4s.com.

WIPO’s case filing lists the dispute as "terminated," and iPhone5.com has apparently been taken down, as the site now shows a blank white page.

What’s next for iPhone5.com?

WhoIs lists iPhone5.com’s current owner as Corporation Service Company, a Delaware company that’s apparently taken over control of the site for Apple.

Presumably, the domain will eventually redirect straight to Apple’s new iPhone site when the next iPhone is announced. For now, it remains empty.

A Google cache of the iPhone 5 site before it was taken down reveals a brief and desultory farewell message from "Alex":

"Important iPhone5.com case update: So, the iPhone5.com domain name goes to Apple for free," the note reads, adding that PayPal donations "are welcome" and that he (or she) will "see everyone at iPhoners.com."

At least until Apple sets their gaze on that site as well.

Will the new iPhone be called the iPhone 5?

Apple’s desire to lock down the iPhone5.com domain seems to indicate that the new iPhone will be called the iPhone 5, but that’s not necessarily the case.

Previous iPhones have been labelled with sequential numbers indicating the chronology of their release, more or less. But the new iPad, which was expected to be called the iPad 3, was simply called the iPad, and the new iPhone could follow suit.

On the other hand, Wedbush analyst Scott Sutherland commented to TechRadar earlier this month that "the new iPad has created some confusion with the name," and that Apple "may be smart to go to iPhone 5 especially after doing the [iPhone] 4S."

Apple could reveal the new iPhone at WWDC next month, but until then they’re not likely to announce anything.

View full post on TechRadar: latest computing news