Introducing MagicPrefs

In November I reviewed the new Apple Magic Mouse. Overall I was impressed with the hardware, but felt that the lack of custom gestures stopped the device from being great. I hoped that over time Apple would introduce new gestures unlocking the devices potential, however we are now three months later and all is quiet. Thankfully, when a corporate giant fails to meet their customers needs, you can guarantee there are a group of talent developers ready to fill the void. In this case I am talking about MagicPrefs.

MagicPrefs is the System Preference Apple forgot. It allows a huge number of custom multi-touch gestures to be enabled on the Magic Mouse, instantly increasing the functionality and ultimately the value of the device.

Once installed MagicPrefs automatically takes over your Magic Mouse and you will probably instantly feel a difference in tracking speed. You will now also have access to the MagicPrefs settings menu which can be found in your "System Preferences" under "Other". 

Although at first the MagicPrefs menu looks confusing, it's actually very simple. The key features are divided in to three tabs: "Clicks & Taps", "Swipes" and "Drag, Pinch etc". From here you can select a gesture and specify what action you would like it execute. Once selected, the gesture will be enabled instantly.

One word of warning, when getting started I recommend you enable only a few gestures at a time. The temptation is to enable all of them at once, however this quickly becomes over complicated and as a result, counter productive. Personally I have found the multi finger taps and swipes to be the most useful.

MagicPrefs also has a great number of advance features, these can be enabled through the use of AppleScript or from the "MagicMenu" which is also located in your System Preferences. These advance features are for power users only and I have found no need to enable them. If you want more information on how they can be used check out the MagicPrefs FAQ.

During my time using MagicPrefs I have not encountered a single issue and it integrates with the operating system perfectly. This is great news for all Magic Mouse owners as it shows the true potential of the device. I still hope that Apple will one day provide custom gestures built in to OS X, however until that happens MagicPrefs is an incredibly powerful and reliable solution that can be downloaded for free.

Use the Magic Mouse on Windows

For those who read my previous review, you will know I am a big fan of the new Apple Magic Mouse. Unfortunately, up to this point, you have only been able to use the mouse with Mac OS X, as Apple has not released any Windows compatible drivers.

Thankfully the folks over at Uneasy Silence have discovered a way to extract both 32bit and 64bit Windows drivers from Apple’s recent Bluetooth Update. This means you can now install the Magic Mouse on a Windows PC (XP to 7).

32bit Magic Mouse Windows Driver

64bit Magic Mouse Windows Driver

Apple Magic Mouse Review

Today the new Apple Magic Mouse was made available in the UK from Apple retail stores. The only way to get hold of one before this point was to buy a new iMac (not a cheap option if you just want a new mouse).

Up to this point I, like many, have always had a love/hate relationship with the Apple mouse. I have owned at least the last three generations, the last being the wireless Mighty Mouse, which included laser tracking and bluetooth connectivity.

The wireless Mighty Mouse like all of its predecessors promised great things and although in my opinion was the best Apple mouse to date, still felt unresponsive and at times frustrating to use compared to cheaper Logitech and even Microsoft products.

Steve Jobs once said "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower". I agree with this statement and it is one of the reasons why I buy Apple products, however over the past few years the mouse has been an area where Apple simply followed the industry by using mechanical, laser driven technology, that is available in thousands of other products. Finally Apple have remedied this be offering a truly unique and innovative product.

The Magic Mouse, at its most basic, is an elegant laser driven wireless mouse that uses bluetooth for connectivity. It has one physical click similar to the previous generation Mighty Mouse. However it's unique selling point is the multi-touch surface that covers the 80% of the mouse.

As always with Apple products the build quality is immediately obvious, even the packaging has clearly been logically thought through to allow for efficient transportation. The mouse utilises the classic Apple aluminium construction for its base with a white/transparent plastic top, which is used as the multi-touch surface. The mouse looks modern, clean and expensive, especially when compared to the ageing "bubble design" of the Mighty Mouse.

A couple of constraints, however, are that the mouse only has one physical click, therefore if you are a power user or heavy gamer that requires ten different buttons, this is not the mouse for you. 

Before you can start using the Magic Mouse you need to install an OS X update. This update will be included in the version 10.6.2 due in the next month. The update is available for Leopard and Snow Leopard and can be downloaded direct from Apple at:

• Wireless Mouse Software Update 1.0 for Snow Leopard (63.92 MB, Requires OS X 10.6.1)
• Wireless Mouse Software Update 1.0 for Leopard (36.22 MB, Requires OS X 10.5.8)

Once installed the mouse can be connected using the Bluetooth wizard from "System Preferences".

You will now have access to the Magic Mouse System Preferences pane. This allows you to demo and configure the multi-touch gestures. 

Thankfully, I have found the mouse to be a pleasure to work with. The aluminium construction makes the whole mouse feel solid and the physical click is reassuringly firm. 

All multi-touch gestures function exactly as advertised on the Apple website. Secondary click has proven to be 100% accurate during my testing which is definitely an improvement over the Mighty Mouse. Scrolling has also been vastly improved as you can now add momentum which makes the scroll process much more fluid, very similar to how the iPhone scroll works. This gesture has also worked flawlessly and you are able to use any area above the Apple logo as the multi-touch surface, meaning you don't have to be particularly accurate with your fingers to get the desired effect. Other gestures such as two finger swipe and navigation work well also, however in honesty are not used often.

My only criticism is the lack of additional gestures. Apple have clearly built a fantastic piece of hardware, with a multi-touch surface that is incredibly responsive and accurate, therefore it is slightly frustrating that I only have four gestures that I can use. For example I believe there is great potential for "pinch zoom" or a multi finger click that provides access to Expose or the Dashboard. Having used the technology I am sure the hardware is capable, however for some reason Apple have chosen not to push the boundaries. I can only hope that as with the MacBook multi-touch pads that additional gestures get added over time.

Overall the Magic Mouse is definitely the best mouse Apple have ever made and I applaud them for trying to innovate in this area. The hardware is fantastic and works perfectly, I just wish I could do more with the multi-touch. I guess only time will tell if Apple support this product so it can reach its true potential.