The Mac Lawyer

iPhone J.D. Now Online

Attorneys who use iPhones now have another reason to rejoice.  Last week, Jeff Richardson launched iPhone J.D., a blog dedicated to the use of iPhones by lawyers.  As I've previously posted, Jeff co-presented a session with me at this year's TechShow, and I believe that he is extremely smart and tech-savvy.

I have read the first several posts at Jeff's new blog, and they are excellent.  His initial post, "Why I Use an iPhone", is well worth a read, whether you are considering getting an iPhone or if currently use one.  I am thrilled to welcome Jeff to the blawgosphere, and I hope that you will join me in adding iPhone J.D. to your newsreader today.

Apple Releases iPhone 2.2 Software Update

Yesterday, Apple released an update to its iPhone operating system (now v. 2.2).  This update includes the following new and improved features:

• Google Street View  ::  Street View takes you on a virtual walking tour: Navigate street-level photographs of places you've located in Maps.
• Public Transit and Walking Directions  ::  Get walking directions, find public transit schedules, check fares, and estimate your travel time.
• Podcasts  ::  Get access to millions of free podcasts on the iTunes Store via Wi-Fi or your cellular network.
• Safari Improvements  ::  A new search-friendly user interface, better performance, and more stability make Safari even easier to use.
• Home Screen Shortcut  ::  Take a shortcut from any Home screen back to your first Home screen by pressing the Home button.
• Other  ::  Decrease in call setup failures and dropped calls.  Preference to turn on/off auto-correction in Keyboard Settings.  Improved sound quality of Visual Voicemail messages. 

 

Recent Apple Rumors

There has been a flurry of Apple rumors over the last week or so, and I thought that I'd list a few of the more interesting ones here for my readers:

• iPhone OS 2.2  ::  Gizmodo reports that the iPhone operating system will be updated to v. 2.2 on November 21st.  While no one is sure exactly what this update will include, some of the "hoped for" features include copy and paste, walking directions, public transit route information, and direct downloading of podcasts.
• New MacBook Air Casing  ::  AppleInsider reports that Apple may update the MacBook Air's casing, to replace some of the aluminum components with carbon fiber, in an effort to make the MB Air even lighter.  Specifically, the prediction is that in the not too distant future, the bottom case will be made of carbon fiber.
• Snow Leopard  ::  MacRumors reports that Apple may begin shipping its updated operating system, OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), in the first quarter of 2009.  However, it should be noted that Snow Leopard is expected to be a "smaller" update than OS X 10.5 (Leopard) was, with fewer new features.

Report Indicates iPhone Tethering Coming Soon

The President / CEO of AT&T Mobility said yesterday that his company has been working with Apple to enable "tethering" on the iPhone.  This process would allow the iPhone to be used as a wireless modem for laptop and/or desktop computers. The best news is that he said that this option will be available "soon."  This would be quite a change, because there is no authorized method for tethering an iPhone at this time.

Source:  "AT&T: Tethering Coming to the iPhone Soon" by Harry McCracken, published at Technologizer.

Top iPhone Applications for Attorneys

My good friend, David Swanner, recently published the following list of the top five free iPhone applications for lawyers:

1. Jott for iPhone :: Use this application to turn you iPhone into a powerful voice recorder that turns whatever you say into written notes. Perfect for on-the-go note taking, or transcribing conversations. Simply touch anywhere on the record screen, then tap again to stop recording. Use Jott for iPhone to create to-do lists that can be crossed out with the swipe of a finger and back up your notes on the Jott server for free. Jott is constantly being revised and via your Jott account you can now send hands-free texts and emails as well.
2. Air Sharing for iPhone :: This application allows you to take any of your documents with you on the go. View Word, Excel, jpegs, and much more at the touch of a button. Air Sharing for iPhone makes flash drives a thing of the past—and you get to view to the document on demand. The application is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux, and uses included software to transfer files straight to your phone without having to connect your iPhone to your computer at all, hence the Air Sharing name. Upload files quickly and easily to your iPhone for fast and easy access.
3. Remote Desktop Lite :: Especially convenient for users of Microsoft XP Professional, Remote Desktop Lite allows you to access your work computer from your iPhone. The application runs off of wiFi, or the phone’s network, and is fully secure. With this and other applications, the need to lug your laptop around is virtually eliminated. Set up your iPhone to use your remote desktop and see everything on your computer, just on a smaller screen. The setup and use of the program is simple and quick, and keeps you in touch with everything you need from your home or office computer.
4. Evernote :: Now you can take your note taking to a new level with Evernote for iPhone. Type in text, take a snapshot, or record your voice to add to your notes. This excellent tool ensures that you get the most amount of information recorded as possible, so you have everything you need when you return to the application. The best thing about this application is that once you set up your free Evernote account, you can access the pictures, text, and sound recordings from any computer or web-enabled mobile device, in addition to your iPhone. Since it is web-based, you never have to worry about losing your notes again—they’ll always be backed up.
5. iProcrastinate :: Don’t let the name fool you. This software is an excellent task management tool for people who are constantly moving. Let the application keep you on track and manage your time more wisely with iProcrastinate. Rather than having a whole lot of fluffed-up features, iProcrastinate is intuitively written and is extremely easy to use. You can use it for the simplest to the most daunting of scheduling tasks with the greatest of ease. Color-code your schedule for ease of locating what you need, when you need it. This is an amazing tool that will help keep your mind at ease when you need to know what’s coming next.

Of course, you can find out more about these applications at the links above or by visiting the Apple App Store.  My readers are also invited to submit comments with their own favorite iPhone apps.

Source:  "Top 5 iPhone G3 Applications for Lawyers" by Kelly Kilpatrick, published at David Swanner's South Carolina Trial Law Blog.

Is the iPhone the Best Smartphone for Attorneys?

Jeff Richardson, my friend and co-presenter at this year's ABA TechShow, wrote the following excellent and insightful article addressing this very question:

Apple released a software update for all iPhones, version 2.1. With this latest update, a strong case can be made that the iPhone is the best smartphone for lawyers.

When the original iPhone was released in 2007, it was a breakthrough product because it was both one of the most advanced smartphones ever created and also the easiest to use. But it had some limitations that were critical for many lawyers. Most importantly, it lacked integration with Microsoft Exchange, a feature that lawyers with Blackberries, Windows Mobile and Treos running Goodlink have depended upon for years. When a lawyer doesn’t have full access to his or her law firm e-mail, a smartphone just isn’t that smart. The original iPhone also lacked 3G, which made web browsing slow when you were away from WiFi, and lacked the ability to add third party software (unless you hacked it). The original iPhone was still a marvel of design and amazingly stable for a 1.0 release, but the missing features caused many lawyers -- like me -- to wait on the sidelines.

On July 11, 2008, Apple released the new 3G iPhone and updated the software to version 2.0. This hardware and software update added what lawyers need: excellent integration with Microsoft Exchange, the speedy 3G AT&T network, and the ability to easily download third party software using Apple’s App Store. But unfortunately, there were some shortcomings with the 2.0 software that took away from the iPhone experience. Battery life was limited (a problem that, to be fair, exists on all 3G phones), syncing to a computer was sometimes painfully slow, callers in some areas of the country had problems with dropped calls, etc. And unlike the very solid first generation iPhone, the 3G iPhone with the 2.0 software had many bugs and would often crash. The crashes were very graceful -- there were no “blue screens of death;” you simply return to the home screen -- but bugs are always annoying, no matter how small or well handled. So as a result, the iPhone 3G gave lawyers the features that they wanted, but the bugs, battery life issues and other problems detracted from the experience.

Now ... 3G for Me

Late last week, I finally got the 3G iPhone -- 16 GB black version.  I have wanted one since they were released, but I had simply been too busy to go pick one up.  I had several opportunities to get one, as out local AT&T Store has gotten a good supply of them, but between working for my clients, coaching little league fall baseball, and trying to be a father/husband, my time has been very limited.  Fortunately, AppleInsider reports that that Apple is now supplying enough units to meet its demand.

My impressions over these first several days has been quite favorable.  The main difference is that I have found the 3G network to be noticeably faster than the EDGE network.  Other than that (and having much more storage space for my music, etc.), it works just like my first generation iPhone -- that is to say that it works great.  Due to the increased speed, I have found myself using it more often to look things up on the 'net and to access my client information via my web-based case management program, Rocket Matter.  If you're considering making the jump to the 3G iPhone, now is the time!

Can the iPhone or iPod Touch Replace Your Laptop?

Seriously... Can the iPhone or the iPod Touch replace your laptop for your mobile computing needs?  What about just some of them?  Two respected technology gurus (whom I greatly respect) have posted articles on this very subject.

Ernest Svenson a/k/a Ernie the Attorney recently traveled to Panama, and he decided not to take his laptop with him and to rely on his iPhone instead.  His article discusses the email, phone, and applications aspects in detail.  Ernie concludes that while he would not forego his laptop, it was reassuring to know how much could be done on the iPhone.

Dennis Kennedy has also written a series of articles analyzing whether the iPod Touch can serve as his secondary laptop.  Dennis walks through his thought process in analyzing his needs and wants on this issue, and it is a very interesting read.

Sources:  "Can You Travel Without a Computer, And Just Take an iPhone?" by Ernest Svenson, published at his Ernie the Attorney blog, and "My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch" by Dennis Kennedy, published at DennisKennedy.com.

Guest Post :: Reflections on the 3g iPhone

Today, I am pleased to present another Guest Post. This one comes from one of my readers, Dale Strauss, an attorney with Bullock, Scott, Neisig, Morgan, Leeton & Strauss, P.C. in Midland, TX:

Like many of Ben’s readers, I have been a gadget geek for years. I have tried most every line of smartphones that has been available on Sprint or AT&T, including the Treo 300/600/750, Samsung i500/Blackjack/Blackjack II, Cingular 3125, AT&T Tilt, and RIM Pearl/Curve. What I have been searching for is a jack of all trades that has to master four areas: (1) good phone quality, (2) email, (3) PIM function, and (4) web browsing. The iPhone 3g is the first to solidly hit three out of four.

Phone Quality: The iPhone 3g is as good as any smartphone in call quality and signal acquisition. The 2g tended to have muffled audio and low volume speakerphone quality. The 3g delivers clear audio and loud speakerphone volume even in EDGE network areas.

Email:  Exchange Activesync says it all. The 3g delivers email from our Exchange Server even before it hits my desktop. The delivery and updating of email, calendar, and contact information is every bit as fast as Blackberry Exchange Services on my Curve. Add to this the alternative push email capability of MobileMe (whoever chose that name should be fired) for those without an Exchange Server, and RIM should be very worried. Together these extend push email to small and medium businesses with far less pain than BES administration (and server downtime). The Achilles heel (see more in next section) is lack of notes and tasks syncing. This, however, is a problem for all Mac users whether using the built in programs or Entourage.

PIM: This is the weak area for the iPhone 3g, and a significant advantage for RIM. Notes and tasks do not sync with your Outlook information on Exchange Server. This is particularly a problem for Mac users, as even the vaunted Blackberry cannot sync these with Entourage or the built in applications. However, the quality of the new App Store and vendors who are writing for it will fill this gap shortly. WebIS plans to bring PocketInformant to the iPhone, which is the leading PIM for Windows Mobile. Likewise, Datavis is porting Documents to Go, and will deliver a rich Microsoft Office environment to the iPhone.

Web:  Nothing compares to Safari on the iPhone 3g; nothing. Palm, Microsoft, Opera, and others have all tried to translate the Web to the small screen, and all have failed to varying degrees. Even Opera Mini, a fair improvement, will wear your thumbs out trying to scroll its viewing window over a representation of a web page. The Safari experience, with the touch/pinch interface, duplicates the desktop Internet experience out of the box. The 3g network is truly less than 10-20% slower than a WiFi connection.

Upgrader Thoughts:  As I switch from iPhone 2g to 3g, there are a few important observations

• I thought I would hate the plastic back, and in fact I like it better than the aluminum as it fits in the hand better than the old form.
• Durability looks to be even better than the 2g; check out PC World’s torture test where they wash the 3g with soap and water under a running faucet; also repeats the baggie and keys scratch test from the 2g with flying colors.
• App Store -- The iPhone is truly a new computing platform. I can't wait for PocketInformant and Docs to Go. The games are every bit as good as any handheld game player my kids have had, so my guess there are no limits to what we'll be doing with this thing in six months. Given this wealth of application development, 16gb is a requirement, not a luxury.
• GPS is as accurate as my Curve, and TomTom is still promising the crown jewel of turn by turn navigation.
• In the “What Were They Thinking Category”: No cut and paste (which appears to be the big hold up with both PocketInformant and Docs to Go), no MMS, and no replaceable battery. This last one may be Achilles heel number two. The 3g network and all that web surfing just kills a battery, and although it has longer battery life than any other 3g smartphone (again, thanks to PC World for testing that) it will still require a midday charge on busy days.

What Apple has now delivered is a new computing platform. As developers (and Apple) continue to fill in the gaps, the iPhone 3g will become the communication tool of choice because it balances all areas better than any current device. It is not perfect, nor could it be, but it is the closest approximation I have seen since starting my computer career with a 1986 Toshiba 1100 Plus notebook.

Dale K. Strauss
Midland, TX

Let The Madness (v 2.0) Begin

Just over a year ago, Apple introduced the world to the iPhone.  Since then, it has become one of the fastest selling smartphones for both business and personal use.  In fact, many experts claim that it has transformed the way that people view and use their cellular phones.

This morning, Apple has released the new 3G version of the iPhone, which includes many new features.  It has also upgraded the iPhone firmware for all users, including the original iPhone, launched its App Store on iTunes v. 7.7, and released its new MobileMe service.

You can read more about these developments at the following:

• Apple Releases Official iPhone 2.0 (5A347) Firmware (MacRumors.com)
• Apple's App Store launches with more than 500 apps (AppleInsider.com)
• iTunes 7.7 and the App Store Now Open for Business (TheAppleBlog.com)
• Apple's MobileMe push service now live (AppleInsider.com)
• iPhone 3G Coverage from Louisville (TechnoEsq.com)