Today's Riddle

Q: What's the difference between Dewey LeBoeuf and RIM, maker of Blackberry? A: About six months to a year.

IF YOU HAVE AN OLD IPAD, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH

Yes, the iPad is an amazing device.  If you bought the original, it is two years old.  Only two years old!  The marketing machine at Cupertino works in overdrive to create planned obsolescence.  But do you really need to upgrade every time?  No.  The new iPad 3 has two very cool features:  4G/LTE and the so-called "retina display", which is a marketer's term for very high resolution.  I've seen the new retina display, and yes, it is very impressive.  But, if you have an iPad 1 or iPad 2, the display looks good enough unless you compare it alongside the new iPad 3.  I suggest you don't.  Besides, if you are over a certain age, the improved resolution is probably lost on you.

But what about 4G?  Yes, 4G is very nice.  But guess what?  I have an iPad 1 and I have 4G.  In fact, I've had 4G on my iPad almost since the day I bought my iPad in July 2010.  How?  I have a Samsung 4G "Mifi" card sold by Verizon, called a "jetpack".  See picture below.  It gives me 4G on my iPad, and has the added benefit of allowing me to share my 4G wifi with other devices.  For example, I can share the 4G with my wife's Kindle Fire when we are traveling.  The one disadvantage to the Mifi card is you have to be careful not to lose it.  I have put a a velcro strip on it, along with a velcro strip on my iPad's Cruxcase (see my May 19 review of Cruxcase  at http://thehightechlawyer.blogspot.com/2012/05/must-have-in-every-lawyers-toolkit_19.html) so I don't have to lug it around separately.  Alternatively, I stick it in my pocket.

Notably, the iPad 3 did not come with Siri.  A cynic would conclude that Apple is saving Siri for its next iPad release, in 2013.  Others speculate that Apple might release Siri as a software update to the iPad operating system IOS sometime later this year.  Apple is more secretive than the CIA, so who knows.  If Apple releases Siri as a midstream software release, it might be worthwhile to upgrade, but otherwise, I'd be inclined to wait for the iPad 4 before upgrading.

Reviews of Android Versions of Siri

As my friend Soli pointed out in a recent post, Android phones also have virtual assistants that employ voice recognition.  Perhaps Apple just does a better job in marketing this feature.  Here is an article that reviews the Android apps that are Siri-like.  http://allthingsd.com/20120524/for-hire-good-virtual-assistant-for-android/?mod=mailchimp.  The article favors Speaktoit as the better app.  So if you have an Android smartphone, this article is for you.

The "Must Have" in Every Lawyer's Toolkit: Cruxcase for iPad

            When I go to seminars and glance around the room these days, it is pretty common to see a large sprinkling of iPads.  When I see these iPads, I scratch my head in amazement.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the iPad.  It is an amazing device.  But it has three limitations:  1.  No keyboard.  2. No USB port. and 3.  No ability to print except for a limited number of "Air Play" printers.  I believe there are workarounds for all three limitations, but this article is focused on the first limitation, "no keyboard".  The answer to that limitation is the Crux360 from Cruxcase www.cruxcase.com. 

            The Crux360 turns your iPad from an interesting device for the consumption of media (i.e. paying Apple and Netflix money to watch movies and television shows) to a really useful workplace tool for generating content, i.e,. taking notes, writing memos, answering emails, and anything else that involves typing.  I went through a fair amount of trial and error in the form of about a half dozen bluetooth keyboards and cases with built-in keyboards, before coming across Cruxcase. 

            The Crux360 is perfect.   With it, I can sit in a meeting or a seminar, and take notes fairly inconspicuously with the iPad on my lap.  If I use one of the word processing programs, that are tied to Dropbox, after the file is saved it shows up miraculously on my PC at the office.  A quick digression on word processing software for the iPad:   I use Documents to Go, because I am familiar with it.  However, you might also consider OfficeHD and Quickoffice.  Two other packages that are intriguing are CloudOn and OnLive Desktop. These two programs connect you over the internet to a Windows desktop where you operate true Microsoft Office software remotely on your iPad.  The advantage that brings is that you have all the native formatting of Microsoft Word.  The various office-like apps on the iPad do not have all the formatting capability of Microsoft Word.  Most conspicuously for attorneys, they all seem to lack the redline feature.  With CloudOn and OnLive Desktop you can create and see redlining on your documents. 

            I was one of the first customers of Cruxcase.  The first unit I received was defective, and when I contacted them, they had me return the case and promptly sent me a new unit.  The new unit worked fine, but after about nine months one of the keys stopped responding.  When I contacted Cruxcase, they again had me return the defective case and sent me a new one.  So my take on them is that they are a startup going through growing pains, but they have the sense to take care of their customers and make things right. 

            So I look around the hotel room, and I see all these iPads propped up, and I ask myself, "how do these folks take notes with it?".  As I sit there and type 80 words per minute capturing what is being said, I watch lawyers laboriously peck away on the iPad virtual keyboard. 

            I don't get it.  To me, Cruxcase is the missing link.  Every lawyer with an iPad should have one.

If You Already Have an iPhone, Here is How to Get 4G

            If you already have an iPhone, a startup plans to sell a 4G "sled" or carrying case that will address the biggest deficiency of the iPhone, that it is not a 4G device.  http://tinyurl.com/7p4dqtu

This is News? Verizon Pushing Customers Towards Android Phones

If you go to a Verizon store, CNN Money reported last week that the salespeople will encourage you to buy an Android phone over an iPhone.  http://tinyurl.com/7aktarv  This should not come as a surprise - Verizon makes more money on Android phones than they do on the Apple iPhone.  A year ago I went in to the local Verizon store to buy an iPhone for my wife.  The salesperson talked my wife into an Android phone, on the basis that the Android phone had 4G capability,which the iPhone lacked and still lacks.  Merchants steering customers in one direction or another is an old story.  This is often the case, whether you are buying a smartphone or a dishwasher or a car.  Just be aware that it is happening, and make your purchasing decision cognizant of the fact that the salesperson likely has a financial incentive to sell you one product over another.   

BEING A HIGH VELOCITY LAWYER: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TOOLS

Recently I wrote an article, "The High Velocity Law Office" that was published in an ABA newsletter (http://tinyurl.com/7xntx3s), and a Texas Bar newsletter (http://tinyurl.com/7aarykf).  One of the constraints of publishing in those environments is you cannot endorse a specific product.  Of course there are no such constraints here in blog-land, so what follows is a product endorsement.  I have received no remuneration for the following product endorsement. 

If I had to pick one piece of technology that most lawyers (and mobile professionals) don't use but should adopt, it is voice mail-to-email.  I started using a service called Phonetag about 4 or 5 years ago.  I figured that by now everyone would have adopted it.  It is baffling to me that this service has not had greater market penetration than it has.  The way it works is you pay about $10/month (for forty transcribed messages, extra if you go over 40) and have your unanswered phone calls forwarded to a number assigned to you by PhoneTag.  When the call is routed to that number, your caller hears your customized message, similar to regular voice mail. and typically you inform callers that their message will be transcribed, and ask them to speak clearly  Phonetag does a very good job of transcribing messages, and sends you that transcription in the body of an email message.  In that email Phonetag also attaches what is called a ".WAV" file of the message so that you can listen to it if you need to.  Occasionally I have to listen to the attached file, but most of the time the transcript is good enough.   

Sometimes, in time sensitive situations, or during a lull in  a business meeting (when attendees are known to furtively peek at their smartphones for messages), or when you are on the go and it is not convenient to dial in for your voice mail, it is extremely helpful to get a transcript of a voice mail message. 

If you don't have Phonetag, and you are looking at ways to increase your productivity, this one is at the top of my list.  www.Phonetag.com