By Sara Skiff | Monday, August 30, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 98 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
Tip: Outlook 2007 and 2010 Reminders
Review: Samsung EPIC 4G
How Much Revenue Should Your Firm Generate Before Hiring
Does Your Website Cater to Your Clients or Your Peers?
This issue also contains links to every article in the August 2010 issue of GP Solo. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
By Sara Skiff | Monday, August 23, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 90 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
Microsoft's Legal Cloud Computing Strategy
Review iPhone 4 and AbacusLaw
Why the 40 Hour Work Week Is a Non Starter
Why Facebook Places matters to Your Law Practice
Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
By Neil Squillante | Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new tablet computer with two screens (see article below), a fireproof and waterproof external hard drive, an Outlook plug-in, an email archiving and monitoring tool, and an iOS text editor. Don't miss the next issue.
The Next Small Thing in Tablets
Two is often better than one. It takes two to kiss. The two car garage has practically become a birthright. Many lawyers love having a partner and could not imagine practicing solo. TechnoLawyer subscribers have waxed poetic about two monitors. And many of the latest smartphones have two cameras. What next for duality? Toshiba claims to have the answer.
Libretto W100 … in One Sentence
Released this week, Toshiba's Libretto W100 is a Windows 7 tablet with two screens.
The Killer Feature
What's the use case for two screens on a tablet? The same as for dual monitors — write a document while monitoring email, watch a movie in a hotel room while monitoring your nannycam, etc.
The Libretto's two screens measure 7 inches diagonally and close against each other in clamshell fashion. Both screens offer a 1024x600 pixel resolution and feature multitouch technology and a virtual keyboard. An accompanying virtual trackpad enables you to move and position the cursor. The screens toggle between landscape and portrait depending on how you hold the Libretto.
Other Notable Features
The Libretto W100 weighs 1.8 pounds. You'll find an array of wireless technologies, including 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. It also includes a Webcam, USB port, and memory card reader. It comes equipped with a 62 GB solid state drive for storage and 2 GB of RAM.
What Else Should You Know?
The Libretto W100 is powered by a Pentium U5400 processor and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. Toshiba has not released specifications for the removable battery yet. Pricing starts at $1,099. Learn more about the Libretto W100.
How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 94 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
The Ultimate Guide to Gmail (PDF)
Eversheds Eschews BlackBerry in Favor of iPad
The BigLaw Bucket List
Brace Yourself for Social Media Marketing Backlash
This issue also contains links to every article in the August 2010 issue of Law Practice Today. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
By Jeffrey Allen | Monday, August 9, 2010
Originally published on August 2, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
I
recently reviewed Apple's iPad in the
TechnoFeature newsletter. Below you'll find reviews of two iPad apps on which I've come to rely — Aji's iAnnotate for reading and annotating PDF files and Culture Code's Things for project and task management.
IANNOTATE
iAnnotate serves as a competent PDF reader that enables you to create notes and highlight portions of PDF files. It is very easy to use and a potentially valuable tool for lawyers. iAnnotate costs $9.99.
iAnnotate's tools include sticky note comments, underlining, highlighting, strikethrough, freehand drawing, and bookmarking. The highlight, underline, and strikeout annotation features only work with PDF files that you upload through the iAnnotate PDF Service.
The what? The iAnnotate PDF Service is a software program for Mac and Windows that enables you to sync your iPad with your computer via a WiFi connection to transfer PDF files.
File transfer represents iAnnotate's greatest weakness. Computers with extra layers of security sometimes preclude the application from working. iAnnotate does not support the most popular cloud storage locations yet. As with other document apps, you can sync the documents through your iTunes software.
iAnnotate has great potential and already qualifies as very useful. I hope later releases will fix some bugs and address the deficits, especially the issue of file transfer. Until the developer resolves these issues, iAnnotate will not realize its full potential. Nevertheless, if you buy an iPad, you'll find iAnnotate worth the $9.99 investment.
THINGS
Things offers rudimentary project management functionality on your iPad for $19.99. I should note that the developer also sells an iPhone version ($9.99) and a Mac version ($49.50). They all do basically the same thing (no pun intended), although the interface appears slightly different in the various versions.
Things organizes projects by lists of activities that you must complete to finish the project. Things is well designed and fairly simple and straightforward to use. It enables you to view your information in several different perspectives including:
- The "Next" list, which shows all of the next actions for each project, organized by project. You can also sort this list by due date by touching the alarm clock icon.
- The "Scheduled" list provides a view for tasks to start at a later date, which is helpful if you need to schedule something that could take several days to complete.
- The "Someday" list enables you to park the tasks that you'll get around to "someday" whether it is working toward a paperless office or buying a new billing program.
- The "Projects" area lists all of tasks associated with each project. Tap on a project to open it and see the list. Like the other lists, you get an icon bar at the top with which you can filter by tag, move an item to another list or project, mark items you want to pay attention to today, or add new items.
- The Logbook stores your completed tasks.
Things for the iPad has no import or export options (except syncing with the desktop software), and no way to email a list of tasks to someone else, though you can email individual tasks from each item's info box.
Things' organization of tasks by project makes it a useful addition to the standard "to-do" list program or calendar. I think it costs more than it should. Accordingly, I downgraded its Technoscore as a result of my cost-benefit analysis.
Conclusion
Both iAnnotate and Things make the iPad more useful as a legal tool. iAnnotate offers potentially greater utility, but has more flaws. Things is more polished, but in my opinion somewhat overpriced. Nevertheless, I plan to keep both apps on my iPad (I use iAnnotate more often).
Written by Jeffrey Allen of Jallenlawtek.
How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
By Eliza Sarasohn | Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new smartphone (see article below), an online meeting appliance, a Web analytics service, eDiscovery software for early case assessment, legal holds, and document review, and an iPhone/iPad app for remote control of your computer. Don't miss the next issue.
Light My Fire
Just look around the restaurant during your next power lunch. Judging by the number of diners hunched over glowing touchscreens, lawyers and other professionals have abandoned the once-ubiquitous "CrackBerry" in favor of iPhones and Android smartphones. Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry, is painfully aware of this trend. While RIM still maintains the lion's share of the smartphone marketplace, analysts estimate Apple could bypass RIM as early as next year. Yesterday, RIM unveiled its master plan.
BlackBerry Torch 9800 … in One Sentence
Shipping on August 12, 2010, RIM's BlackBerry Torch 9800 is a touchscreen smartphone.
The Killer Feature
With the Torch, RIM aims to play upon the BlackBerry's core strengths (user-friendly email and physical keyboard) while integrating the touchscreen capabilities of its competitors — an approach RIM executives summed up at a recent press conference with the catchphrase "fresh but familiar."
The BlackBerry Torch is the first BlackBerry to feature both a touchscreen (fresh) and a physical slideout QWERTY keyboard (familiar). The design enables you to switch between the 3.2 inch 360x480 capacitive "multitouch" display (which supports pinching and zooming), and a vertical keyboard that slides out from underneath the touchscreen featuring BlackBerry's signature sculpted keys.
Other Notable Features
The BlackBerry Torch marks another first — the first BlackBerry that will run OS 6. This new operating system features higher resolution graphics and icons, new shortcuts, social networking and instant message integration, and universal search. But its standout feature is the WebKit-based browser, incorporating the same technology behind the Web browsers in the iPhone and Android smartphones.
The Torch's camera sports five megapixels, flash, autofocus, image stabilization, and geo-tagging. RIM is also actively courting outside app developers by opening up the Torch to apps made with simple Web technologies like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5 as opposed to the Java-based tools required for earlier BlackBerry operating systems.
What Else Should You Know?
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 will retail for $199 exclusively (for now) from AT&T with a two-year contract. Learn more about BlackBerry Torch 9800.
How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Coming today to TechnoFeature: Do you lust for an iPad? Have you failed to persuade your law firm to buy you one? Lawyer and iPad owner Jeffrey Allen has come to your rescue — maybe. In this TeachnoFeature, Jeffrey reviews iWork, Apple's office suite for the iPad, which consists of Pages for word processing, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Keynote for presentations. Every lawyer uses an office suite so if iWork measures up you may have all the ammunition you need. Keep your fingers crossed and read the article to find out whether Jeffrey considers these apps essential legal tools or not.
How to Receive TechnoFeature
Our flagship newsletter never disappoints thanks to its in-depth reporting by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. It's in TechnoFeature that you'll find our oft-quoted formal product reviews and accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The TechnoFeature newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
By Sara Skiff | Monday, August 2, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 87 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
Exploded Data, the Legal Web, and What We're Missing
Insights on Amazon's New Kindle 3
Creating a Team of Decisive Attorneys: Talk With the Boss
What the Band Kiss Can Teach You About Legal Marketing
This issue also contains links to every article in the August 2010 issue of Law Technology News. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 82 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
Being a Virtual Lawyer Is All Mindset Not Technology
Review: WordPerfect Viewer for iPhone
Curbing Those Long, Lucrative Hours
Where Should Your Law Firm's Blog Reside?
Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
By Sara Skiff | Monday, July 19, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 74 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
New Site Crowdsources the Legal Treatise
Bad Connection: Inside the iPhone Network Meltdown
The Top 5 Reasons Lawyers Fail
How Lawyer Roy Ginsburg Uses His Blog to Attract New Clients
This issue also contains links to every article in the July/August 2010 issue of Law Practice and the July 2010 issue of Law Practice Today. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
