TechnoLawyer: Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets

Coming May 12, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Kevin Svec provides a troubleshooting guide for law firms experiencing network slowness, and Kristy Binmore explains how your firm can tweak the Maximum Transmission Unit in the Windows registry to speed up your network. In addition, John Laster tells you where you can find legal-oriented WordPerfect macros, and Bryan Keenan provides hope for lawyers who want to synchronize their Treo 600 with ECCO Pro. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a thrice weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming May 10, 2005 to TechnoFeature: In this article, intellectual property lawyer Stephen Nipper discusses his reluctant jump from PC to Mac: his initial suspicions, first impressions, final conclusions, and tips for other lawyers considering making the switch. After using a Windows-based PC for years, Stephen found himself in a whole new world thanks to his iBook. What's his verdict? Read this article to find out.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming May 2, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Jason Havens reviews the Panasonic KXT-G4000B 4-line cordless telephone system after two months of use in his law office, Ken Laska points to a resource other than TechnoLawyer for unbiased reviews of scanners and other law office equipment, Dianna Reynolds discusses Amicus Attorney's integration with GroupWise, Stephen Donovan reviews Dell's 1600n MFP printer/scanner, Linscott Hanson reviews an outliner that you can use on your PC and your PDA, and Mary Allen reviews a consultancy that specializes in creating WordPerfect macros for law firms. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a twice weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Recently, in Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members debated the wisdom of using a Mac in a law practice. Martin Pagel, realizing that most lawyers have no choice in the matter, points to Sharp's new Actius MC24 notebook, which looks like an Apple iBook but weighs 0.5 pounds less. It sells for $999 directly from Sharp; less elsewhere. Among its specs: Mobile AMD Athlon XP-M Processor 2400+, 512MB of DDR SDRAM (upgradable to 768MB), 12.1-inch XGA TFT LCD, 40GB hard drive, 802.11g WiFi, 4 USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, a PCMCIA Type II card slot, and a CD-RW/DVD combo drive.

About Quips
A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Coming April 21, 2005 to Answers to Questions: William Egger provides the most comprehensive review of CompuLaw we've ever seen (he also reviews Amicus Attorney for good measure); James Covington reports that he has found a replacement for HP's beloved but star-crossed CapShare handheld scanner, Mark Klarich explains why he uses two computers and which ones he chose, and Brent Riggs notes the distinction between Reveal Codes and Reveal Formatting while Alan Garber explains why both have become passe — relics of a bygone era. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a twice weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming April 18, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Paul Waldron reviews a new product that eliminates the need to "babysit" your scanner, Roger Boyell explains what to look for in the new crop of digital audio recorders (for dictation), Howard Raab discusses why he disagrees with my recent advice about Dell, Hugh Tedder reviews a useful accessory that raises your laptop to an ergonomically appropriate height, and Jeanetta Stewart compares Word's "Reveal Formatting" to WordPerfect's "Reveal Codes." Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a twice weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Recently in our TechnoGuide newsletter, TechnoLawyer member Diane Targovnik asked for help synchronizing her Treo with Group. Fellow TechnoLawyer member Nancy Crow has come to her rescue, writing "Intellisync syncs my Handspring Visor with GroupWise quite nicely. I'm sure it will work with a Treo." TechnoLawyer member Sharon Taylor seconds Nancy's recommendation: "We have been able to use the Intellisync software to transfer data to GroupWise and sync calendar and address information from Palm Pilot databases into Groupwise databases." You can try Intellisync before you buy a copy.

About Quips
A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

To celebrate the launch of TechnoLawyer Blog, we have posted in full Dennis Kennedy's excellent analysis of Tablet PCs. This article ran earlier this week in our TechnoFeature newsletter.

Synopsis
In this article, legal technology expert Dennis Kennedy reports on his move to the world of the Tablet PC. He gives the Tablet PC high marks, highlights ten key observations, and comments on how the Tablet PC has changed his approach to computers in some fundamental ways. He then wonders aloud what it will take for law firm IT departments to equip lawyers with these tools.

Regarding the recent discussion in Fat Friday about bans on smartphones in courthouses, TechnoLawyer member Steve Minor reports that at least one court — the Eastern District of Tennessee — is "willing to make a deal with you." What about the courts in your jurisdiction?

About Quips
A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

In Fat Friday, we recently discussed devices banned by courts around the country. Regarding the reasoning behind these bans, TechnoLawyer member Jon Calhoun posits: "I think the cell phone ban is addressed not so much to deter carrying in explosives, but to prevent a cell phone from being used as a remote triggering device to set off explosives. I know this sounds like something out of Mission Impossible, but I believe cell phones were used as triggering devices in the bombings in Spain recently."

About Quips
A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.