TechnoLawyer Blog: Entertainment/Hobbies/Recreation

Future of Music; Reviews of Chrometa, Acer Aspire 4810T, Backblaze Pod; iPad Alternative

By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 16, 2010

Coming today to Fat Friday: Entertainment lawyer Mark Klarich discusses the future of the music industry and the way we consume music, Caren Schwartz reviews the Acer Aspire 4810T-8480, John Townsend reviews Chrometa, Robert Maize discusses the INTERWRITE as a possible alternative to the iPad, and Tom Trottier reviews the Backblaze Pod for mega data storage. Don't miss this issue.

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SaaS Debate Continues; Drobo Review; Speak Up; Music Subscriptions; Typewriters

By Sara Skiff | Friday, March 12, 2010

Coming today to Fat Friday: Leonard Johnson discusses Software as a Service (SaaS), Geoff Ormrod reviews Drobo and DroboShare, Tom Rowe continues the debate on music subscription services, Mary Bellusci comments on a recent SmallLaw column about speaking opportunities for lawyers, and Stephen Asbel explains why the typewriter still has a place in the law office. Don't miss this issue.

Solo Life; Music Subscriptions; Clio Review; 64-Bit Timeslips; Public Health Care

By Sara Skiff | Friday, March 5, 2010

Coming today to Fat Friday: William Shilling responds to a recent SmallLaw column about going solo, Larry Sullivan discusses music subscription services, Andrew Weltchek reviews syncing his BlackBerry with Clio, Bobby Abrams reviews his experience using Timeslips 2008 and Windows 7 64-bit, and Ronald Cappuccio discusses the lawyer's role in the public health care debate. Don't miss this issue.

2009 TechnoLawyer Holiday Gift Guide: GPS PND, Earphones, and iPod/iPhone Speaker System

By Neil Squillante | Monday, November 23, 2009

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire we take a break from our typical coverage to bring you our 2009 holiday gift guide. Don't miss the next issue when we return to covering the hottest new legal technology.

Scroogenomics author and Wharton professor Joel Waldfogel counsels against holiday gift giving because of the value gap — what you pay for a gift versus the typically lower value the recipient places on your gift.

Professor Waldfogel's analysis suggests to me that we simply don't put enough thought into gift giving. After all, we like receiving gifts — right up until we rip off the wrapping paper to reveal yet another shirt or whatever else we don't want or need.

Below you'll find our 2009 TechnoLawyer Holiday Gift Guide for technophiles. The list is short, but it features items for people with discerning taste. Also, I personally use and recommend all three products.

Never Let a Loved One Get Lost: Magellan Maestro 4700

In ten years, GPS personal navigation devices (PNDs) may disappear, squeezed out by dashboard GPS systems and smartphone apps. For now, we're in one of those in-between stages in which the standalone devices still have advantages over both factory-installed systems (newer technology) and smartphone apps (larger screens and more powerful receivers).

I recently purchased Magellan's top-of-the-line Maestro 4700, which I recommend. Why Magellan? Garmin offers better graphics and TomTom offers celebrity voices, but as a Hertz customer, I grew to like Magellan's proprietary features such as the gong sound when you're supposed to take action, and the QuickSpell technology for entering addresses (similar to TiVo).

Furthermore, the Maestro 4700 has a unique form factor that I find perfect — a 4.7 inch screen. Most competing units have a significantly smaller 4.3 inch screen. Garmin's nuvi 1490T has a 5 inch screen, which seems too large for my small car (it would probably work well in an SUV or truck).

The Maestro 4700 pretty much matches any Garmin feature for feature (e.g., lane assist), but without the premium price. It costs about $230 at Amazon (the price fluctuates).

Earlier this week, Magellan released the Magellan RoadMate App for the iPhone at an introductory price of $80. I couldn't resist and bought a copy. How do I rationalize having two GPS devices? Not easily but bear with me.

First, the iPhone app provides a backup. Second, I like traveling light. On a recent trip, I left my Maestro in my glovebox and paid extra for a rental car with a GPS unit. On my next trip, I can use my iPhone. Third, I never used Magellan's nifty Find My Car feature because I don't want to carry the Maestro with me. Again, because I take my iPhone everywhere, I'll never again roam aimlessly around a parking lot. Finally, the iPhone app may come in handy for walking directions.

My advice? Buy the Maestro 4700 — it's a solid GPS PND at a great price. Consider bundling the iPhone app along with it if warranted. Plus I also recommend and use ProClip car mounts.

Big Sound in a Tiny Package: Ultimate Ears 700

About a year ago I praised the Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 vi earphones, which I still use as my primary earphones. But with a list price of $420 (I paid $371), I cannot recommend them for a holiday gift, especially this year. I can, however, recommend the less expensive Ultimate Ears 700.

Disclosure: As a beta tester, I received my Ultimate Ears 700 earphones for free. I would have purchased a pair. They sell for $200.

The Ultimate Ears 700 do not sound as good as the triple.fi 10 vi, but they sound very good and they're also a fraction of the size. In fact, they're the smallest dual driver earphones in the world (last time I checked). As a result, they virtually disappear in your ear canal. You can lay sideways on a pillow while wearing them.

My advice? Buy the Ultimate Ears 700 for music lovers, especially those who don't want to sacrifice quality while exercising, travel frequently, enjoy listening to music while laying down, or don't want to look like a nerd.

Decent Sound in a Slick Package: Yamaha PDX-30 Speakers

Repeat after me — "I understand that I cannot get concert hall sound from speakers the size of a grapefruit." Speaker manufacturers should require customers to sign this disclaimer.

Now that we've taken care of expectations, I recommend Yamaha's PDX-30 Portable Player Dock for iPod and iPhone.

Mine sits on a nightstand in my bedroom. While a $125,000 Sonicweld Pulserod speaker system would sound a lot better, bedrooms require more practicality than other rooms. For example, we all need alarms. The Yamaha PDX-30 does not include an alarm, but every iPod and iPhone does — and you can find many third-party alarm apps in Apple's App Store. The Yamaha PDX-30 costs $200.

I searched fruitlessly for a long time for a speaker system with the Yamaha PDX-30's feature set — genuine iPhone compatibility (no nag screen, no speaker buzzing), small footprint, a color other than black (you can choose from black, blue, pink, or gray — I got the latter), and a remote control with full iPod navigation.

The remote control does not have a screen. You must still look at the iPhone, but you don't have to touch it — a big plus because it's awkward to use an iPhone while docked.

My advice? Buy the Yamaha PDX-30 for the iPod- or iPhone-lover on your list who needs a small speaker system that sounds good for its size.

The Holidays: There's an App for That

Professor Waldfogel suggests that if you give gifts, go with gift cards because they provide the most economic value. Here's a suggestion to make gift cards more heartfelt — house it in a homemade card with suggested items from the store. Use screen capture software to take snapshots of merchandise to use in your card.

Given that we all have company-issued iPhones here at TechnoLawyer, I asked around the office for app suggestions in the event you buy someone an iTunes gift card:

Air Sharing Pro — WiFi file transfer.
Scrabble — the classic word game.
WordJong — another word puzzle game.
Ranch Rush — farming fun.
Police Radio — the next-gen police blotter.
OmniFocus — a task manager for busy people.
HarborMaster — dock incoming cargo ships.
Homerun Battle 3D — swing for the fences.
Doom Resurrection — don't play with the lights off.
Skyscrapers — think Tetris with buildings.

Happy Thanksgiving and Holidays from TechnoLawyer!

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Loislaw Speaks; MyFax Review; Vista WiFi Tips; MP3 CD Tip; Editing Scanned Documents; Three Thoughtful Questions

By Sara Skiff | Thursday, October 22, 2009

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Susan Berry at Wolters Kluwer Law & Business responds to recent Posts about Loislaw for online legal research, Sherry Wiley explains how she got a Vista PC to work on her home and office networks, Caren Schwartz reviews MyFax, Randy Gold explains how to burn iTunes files to an MP3 CD, and Stephen Seldin explains how to transform a scanned document into editable word processing file. Don't miss this issue.

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Bloomberg Law Unleashed Plus 84 More Articles

By Sara Skiff | Monday, October 12, 2009

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 85 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:

Listening to Podcasts at Double Speed

Just a Touch Away, the Elusive Tablet PC

Lawyer's Unemployment Benefits Yanked Over $1/Day From Blog

Boycott of Best Lawyers and US News Survey Is Growing

This issue also contains links to every article in the September/October 2009 issue of Law Practice. Don't miss this issue or future issues.

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Zune Pass Debate Heats Up; Reviews of BlackBerry Tour, Acer Aspire 3810TZ, Chrometa, Gmail

By Sara Skiff | Friday, October 9, 2009

Coming today to Fat Friday: Tom Rowe defends Microsoft's Zune Pass, Kimberly DeCarrera reviews the BlackBerry Tour, William Leininger reviews Acer's Aspire Timeline 3810TZ laptop, Mark Olberding reviews Chrometa for automatic time capture, and Andrew Paterson reviews Gmail's spam filtering abilities. Don't miss this issue.

Loislaw Versus Westlaw; Microsoft Mesh; F5 Firepass; Vista Networking Tip; Floola Review; eFax Review

By Sara Skiff | Thursday, October 8, 2009

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Constance Sutton compares Loislaw with Westlaw for legal research, Craig Humphrey reviews Microsoft Mesh, Windows Home Server, and F5 Firepass for remote access, David Estes shares a tip for integrating Vista PCs into your network, Daniel Fennick compares Floola with iTunes, and Timothy Cleary reviews eFax (plus some thoughts on security issues). Don't miss this issue.

Microsoft Office for Billing; Timeslips Tech Support; Zune Pass Review

By Sara Skiff | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Coming today to Answers to Questions: G. Blair McCune explains how he manages time and billing with Excel and Word, Trent Harris reviews Timeslips' tech support, and Tom Rowe reviews Microsoft's Zune Pass music subscription plan. Don't miss this issue.

Bizhub and ScanSnap Reviews; Macs and Exchange; Loislaw Review; iTunes Tips; Timeslips Customer Service; Case Chronologies; Much More

By Sara Skiff | Thursday, September 10, 2009

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Edwin Bideau reviews Fujitsu's ScanSnap and Konica's bizhub multi-function printer, Mike Agron discuses the challenges he faced with Microsoft Exchange after he switched to a Mac, Jesse Farr reviews Loislaw for legal research, Neal Rogers shares some tips for using iTunes on a Vista PC, and Terry Rosenthal shares her thoughts on Timeslips' current customer support and product management teams. Don't miss this issue.

TechnoLawyer Blog: Entertainment/Hobbies/Recreation

All the legal technology and practice management news that's fit to blog.