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.