TechnoLawyer

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 145 articles from the past week worthy of your attention. Below you'll find a sample article from each section of today's issue, including our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week.

How Microsoft Can Prevent Its Death

Get Smart About Your Smartphone Contract

Can Law Firms Receive Payment Via PayPal?

Four Poor Navigational Choices for Law Firm Web Sites

Congratulations to Fred Vogelstein of The New York Times on winning our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award: The Inside Story of the iPhone's Launch

Don't miss today's issue or any future issues of BlawgWorld.

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Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. BlawgWorld enables you to stay on top of all the noteworthy articles (and podcasts) published online without having to hire a research assistant. Even when you're busy, you won't want to miss each issue's Pick of the Week. The BlawgWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to LitigationWorld: If language remained static, we'd still write in the style of Beowulf. It's not just the words that evolve, but also style and techniques. In this issue of LitigationWorld, lawyer and legal writing expert Ed Good offers a superior way to frame and structure arguments in your briefs. You'll also learn why you should avoid using parentheticals except for their true purpose. As usual, Ed illustrates his advice with actual examples. Also, don't miss the LitigationWorld Pick of the Week for the top five mistakes plaintiff lawyers make.

How to Receive LitigationWorld
All practice areas evolve, but none faster than litigation. Written by successful litigators and other litigation experts, LitigationWorld provides you with practical tips related to electronic discovery, depositions, litigation strategy, litigation technology, and trial presentations. LitigationWorld also features in-depth litigation product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings, as well as links to the most noteworthy litigation articles in other publications so that you'll never miss anything. The LitigationWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of Fat Friday contains these articles:

Dave Migliaccio, Review: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12.5 Plus Dictation v. Typing

Steven Schwaber, Use Your Downtime Wisely and Get on Your Feet

Ernest Bruchez, Review: Jarte (Text Editor)

Jeremy Clark, Review: Arkon Portable Fold-Up Stand For Tablets

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TL Answers contains these articles:

Neil Squillante, Advice About Republic Wireless

Charles Cochran, Review: SugarSync and Syngery+ With Four Monitors

John Armstrong, Another Twist on Document Naming

Richard Schafer, How to Avoid Scan Jams

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

How to Receive TL Answers
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In TL Answers, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The TL Answers newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TL NewsWireThe feature article of today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a wireless and cloud-capable scanner with a convenient design. The Roundup section covers a scanning app for the iPad with built-in OCR, a special edition Fujitsu scanner for Evernote users, and an iOS app for taking photo notes. Also, if you missed last week's TL NewsWire feature article, you'll find an excerpt and link below.

THE WHY-DIDN'T-THEY-THINK-ABOUT-THAT-BEFORE SCANNER

Have we reached the apex of scanning? Hardly. With foolproof scans routine, companies now seem focused on making scanning more productive. This not only means faster speeds at lower prices, but also more convenient scanner designs and better software that can scan to anywhere and automate organization and other tasks. A new scanner tackles these pain points.

NeatConnect … in One Sentence

Announced last month and shipping this month, Neat's NeatConnect is a wireless desktop scanner.

The Killer Feature

Most current scanners have just one slot, resulting in a first-world annoyance. You narrow the slot to scan a business card or receipt. When you next use the scanner, you have to widen the slot for the letter-size document you want to scan.

NeatConnect eliminates this annoyance with three dedicated slots — one for business cards, one for receipts, and one for documents. The latter slot is adjustable to accommodate tweener documents.

Other Notable Features

NeatConnect measures 11 x 8.7 x 7.5 inches and weighs 5.7 pounds. Each of NeatConnect's three slots can hold up to 15 items. NeatConnect scans duplex at speeds up to 24 pages per minute. The maximum resolution is 600 dpi.

You'll find three connection options — a USB port, an SD card slot, and WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) for wireless scanning. NeatConnect has a touch screen on its front, which you can use instead of the bundled Neat software to change settings and select the destination of your scans. This eliminates another first world problem — scurrying back and forth between your computer and scanner.

In fact, you can bypass your computer entirely by scanning directly to an email address or to NeatCloud, a secure cloud document management system that you can access via a web browser or the Android or iOS app (NeatCloud requires a subscription; you get a free three month trial with the scanner). You can also scan to other cloud services, including Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and SkyDrive.

If you scan to your computer, you can take advantage of the bundled Neat software, which can recognize and extract data such as the establishment name and total on a receipt, and the contact information on a business card or letter. Built-in templates enable you to use extracted data for expense and tax reports. You can also export extracted data for use in other software such as your Outlook address book.

What Else Should You Know?

NeatConnect costs $499.95. The bundled Neat software works on both Macs and PCs. The optional NeatCloud service ranges in price from $5.99 to $24.99 per month (less expensive annual plans also exist). Learn more about NeatConnect.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published on August 30 in our free SmallLaw newsletter. Instead of reading SmallLaw here after the fact, sign up now to receive future issues in realtime.

You've heard stories about hapless iPhone owners who thought their data was backed up despite never syncing their iPhone with their computer or iCloud. Before you snicker, we bet you haven't tapped the full potential of your iOS devices. In this issue of SmallLaw, lawyer and iOS expert Jeff Richardson provides little-known but powerful tips for Apple's Contacts, Reminders, and Notes apps. He also explains how you can use your iPhone to create and manage your usernames and passwords, and enter them into any web browser. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week (newsletter only) for a buyer's guide to the best iPad keyboards.

IPHONE AND IPAD INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TIPS

Each day of law practice and life inundates us with small bits of information that we need to recall for later reference, but before you can remember one tidbit the next item shows up, followed by another one. Pick up your laundry tomorrow night. Buy travel-sized shaving cream at the pharmacy. Remember this phone number, this password, this person's name, etc. The information never seems to end.

Fortunately, your iPhone is always nearby, and excels at remembering all of the nitty, gritty details so that you don't need to burden yourself with memorization. In this issue of SmallLaw, I'll discuss apps and strategies to help you control this flood of information.

Information About People

You probably use the Contacts app to store a person's name, company name, email address, phone number, and other basic information. But if you tap the Edit button when viewing a contact and then choose Add Field, you will set that you can add many other useful fields.

For example, you can add a Phonetic First or Last Name to remember how to pronounce a person's name and avoid future embarrassment. You can also create a blank notes field with any kind of useful information about a person. I use the notes field to jot down the name and birth dates of children so that when I see someone again, I can remember that his son is "John" and is six years old. You might want to note interests, hobbies, favorite sports teams, etc.

Another field enables you to add a birthday to a contact, after which an entry will appear in Calendar with a small gift icon to remind you. Better yet, the powerful app Fantastical (which I use far more often than the built-in Calendar app) will calculate the math and display that it's Joe's 44th birthday.

The Reminders App and Siri

The iPhone's built-in Reminders app can remind you about specific tasks at a certain time or place. Launch the Reminders app, tap an empty line, jot down a few words about your task (like "Pick up hot dogs for Labor Day barbecue"), and then tap the arrow at the end of the line to remind you at a specific time (Saturday at 5 pm) or at a specific place (such as when you leave your office or when you arrive at a shopping center).

That's a great help, but what makes the Reminders app incredibly useful is the ability to use Siri to create reminders. You can dictate a reminder far faster than you can create one with your fingers. Activate Siri and simply talk to your iPhone. Say "Remind me to call Steve when I get to the office." Siri will ask which Steve, showing you a list of all of your contacts named Steve. Then whenever you next arrive at your office, Siri will remind you to place the call.

You can also tell Siri to "Remind me to go to the bank when I leave home" or "Remind me to start preparing for the Smith meeting at 2:30 on Thursday." All of this works a lot better than jotting down a reminder on cocktail napkin that you forget in your pants pocket, only to be seen again in a different form after going through the washing machine.

You can create different lists in the Reminders app. I recommend that you create one called "Grocery List." That way, in the future, you can simply tell Siri "Add milk to my grocery list." When you get to the store, look at the Grocery List in Reminders to see everything you wanted to remember to buy, including the items you haven't thought about since last Tuesday. You can also create date-specific lists. Tap on a specific date on the calendar in the Reminders app (e.g., Labor Day), and then add your tasks for that day.

All of the above also works on the iPad 3 or later and the iPad mini. In fact, if you have both an iPad and an iPhone, Reminders can keep your two devices in sync via Apple's free iCloud service.

The Notes App and Siri

The built-in Notes app is a simple but effective place to jot down quick notes on any topic that you can imagine. Like Reminders, it's much more powerful when you use Siri. Tell your iPhone or iPad, "Note that Suzie is arriving on Delta flight 456" and Siri will automatically create a new item in the Notes app with that text. Then you no longer need to worry about memorizing that flight number.

Usernames and Passwords

We all struggle to remember the endless usernames and passwords associated with our increasingly digital lives. A horrible "solution" is to use the same password everywhere; you don't want a hacker to gain access to one of your accounts and suddenly have access to all of them.

Rather than place sensitive passwords in the Notes app that any who picks up your iPhone can access, I recommend purchasing one of the many dedicated password apps such as LastPass, mSecure, or my favorite 1Password.

1Password remembers all of my passwords, includes a built-in web browser that can access a web site and enter my username and password automatically, and securely syncs with the web browsers on both my PC and Mac so that with a simple keystroke I can enter (or save) a password for every web site on any computer, iPad, and iPhone of mine. The app can also create complex, secure passwords that are impossible to guess and impervious to so-called dictionary attacks because they don't consist of English words. However, you never have to worry about memorizing or typing these long passwords because 1Password software handles that for you.

1Password can store more than just passwords. It has forms for remembering social security numbers, credit cards, software licenses, etc. I also love the secure notes feature because it provides a place to jot down private information protected under the lock and key of the 1Password app.

Jeff Richardson practices law in New Orleans and publishes iPhone J.D., the oldest and largest website for attorneys who use the iPhone and iPad.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, this newsletter provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published on October 1 in our free SmallLaw newsletter. Instead of reading SmallLaw here after the fact, sign up now to receive future issues in realtime.

If you think you save money by not upgrading your smartphone every two years think again. In this issue of SmallLaw, TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante explains the hidden cost of subsidized smartphones and two-year contracts. By following Neil's advice, you won't get suckered by the carriers. Neil also has advice for families, and for power users who want a new smartphone every year. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week (newsletter only) for a new development regarding the ethics of using public WiFi hotspots.

GET SMART ABOUT YOUR SMARTPHONE CONTRACT

People often make unwise economic decisions not because they're stupid, but because they're too busy with their lives to analyze a situation. Ironically, lawyers also suffer from this syndrome. In this issue of SmallLaw, you'll learn how to avoid overpaying for your smartphone contract.

Before I begin, I acknowledge that T-Mobile and some mobile virtual network operators offer voice and data service without a contract or at least without as long of a contract. If these services work for you, then by all means get off the two-year contract treadmill. However, most of us agree to two-year contacts with AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon because they have the largest networks and widest select of smartphones (e.g., T-Mobile didnt offer the iPhone until this year) — and because of the psychological power of subsidized smartphones.

Why You Should Buy a New Smartphone Every Two Years

Many small firm lawyers and staff have tight budgets so it may seem presumptuous of me to tell you to buy a new smartphone every two years. However, even if you don't buy a new smartphone every two years, you still end up paying for one thanks to the way subsidization works.

Half of TechnoLawyer members use an iPhone so let's use the 16 GB iPhone 4s on Verizon to explain subsidization (the economics lesson below applies to other smartphones too though not as dramatically).

Two years ago in October 2011, you buy a 16 GB iPhone 4s for $200. Right?

Wrong! The actual cost of your iPhone is $650. That's how much Verizon pays Apple. Verizon is not a charity, which explains why you agree to a two-year contract. The $450 difference is a loan.

Over the next two years, you slowly pay Verizon the remaining $450 for your iPhone 4s after which you actually own your iPhone.

So far so good. But you then make a terrible economic decision — you continue using the same iPhone 4s after your contract expires.

If your monthly Verizon bill dropped by $18.75, this decision would be rational if you're on a tight budget and the iPhone 4s still serves you well.

The problem is that your monthly bill doesn't drop. It remains the same. This means you start paying Verizon another $450 for a new iPhone even though you don't actually have a new iPhone!

Now, if your contract expires in June, I can understand waiting two months because Apple ships a new iPhone every September. But once you get your contract to start in September, you should always buy a new iPhone every two years.

Not only will you have a much better iPhone, but you won't have to pay $200 up front for it, just the $450 baked into Verizon's monthly bills.

How so? Well, it involves two steps. First, you have to shell out $200 for your new 16 GB iPhone 5s. Second, you then resell your iPhone 4s on eBay for $200 or more. Remember, the original price of your iPhone 4s was $650. An enormous market exists for used iPhones since Apple doesn't officially support many carriers. Also, many people who cannot commit to a contract want an iPhone to use with prepaid plans or with WiFi only.

If you don't want to deal with the hassles of eBay, companies like Gazelle currently pay $160 to $170 for a functional iPhone 4s ($70 for a broken iPhone 4s). This means you actually pay just $30 to $40 up front for a new iPhone 5s. Your monthly bill remains the same as noted above.

So now that you understand iPhone economics, please don't make the mistake of failing to buy a new iPhone after your two-year contract expires. And again, now is the ideal time if your contract has expired because you'll align your contract expiration with Apple's iPhone release cycle.

I mentioned above that this same advice applies to other smartphones though not as dramatically. That's because other smartphones don't retain their value as well as an iPhone when you sell it after two years so you'll pay more up front for your new smartphone.

Additional Tips for Families and Power Users

If you and others in your household use smartphones, you should not only make sure you're on the same carrier but also take advantage of their shared plans. For example, after placing their two iPhones and two iPad minis on Verizon's Share Everything plan (all devices share the same data allotment), my father and stepmother dramatically reduced their monthly bill.

Power user often seems like a synonym for crazy person until you dig deeper. I purchase every new iPhone. Thus, every other year, I pay full price — $850 since I use the 64 GB model.

I started selling on eBay in 2001 so I have more than a decade of positive reviews from buyers. Furthermore, I sell one-year old iPhones, not two-year old iPhones. I also don't upgrade to the new version of iOS, which gives buyers a choice of operating systems. My iPhones remain in excellent condition even though I don't use a case (I'm surprised at how often people drop their iPhones). These factors mean I get top dollar for my auctions.

Additionally, I don't buy insurance or extended warranties such as AppleCare, a significant savings. I also don't have any other telephone service such as a land line. And I have a Share Everything plan (one iPhone and two iPad minis).

Finally, I'm too well-informed about the game to get suckered by power user plans such as AT&T Next, T-Mobile Jump, or Verizon Edge. Lawyer Nilay Patel explains why these plans overcharge you.

As a result of all of the above, I pay only a small premium if that to get a new iPhone every year. Crazy? Yes. Like a fox.

Neil J. Squillante is the publisher of TechnoLawyer.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, this newsletter provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to LitigationWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 76 articles from the past two weeks worthy of your attention. Below you'll find a sample article from each section of today's issue, including our LitigationWorld Pick of the Week.

Tips for Connecting to the Internet in Court

Can You Trust The Eyes of Witnesses? (Video)

A Cheat Sheet of Ediscovery Terms

Does a Small Production Imply Withheld Evidence?

Congratulations to Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm of Persuasive Litigator on winning our LitigationWorld Pick of the Week award: Review of The Perfect Witness for Deposition Preparation

How to Receive LitigationWorld
All practice areas evolve, but none faster than litigation. Written by successful litigators and other litigation experts, LitigationWorld provides you with practical tips related to electronic discovery, depositions, litigation strategy, litigation technology, and trial presentations. You'll also receive in-depth litigation product reviews as well as links to the most noteworthy articles in other online litigation publications so that you'll never miss anything. The LitigationWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 139 articles from the past week worthy of your attention. Below you'll find a sample article from each section of today's issue, including our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week.

A Law Firm's Favorite Legal Technology Products

Review: Top Five Haswell-Powered Notebooks

QuickBooks Tip: Setting Customer Credit Limits

Top Seven Tips for Landing Pages That Convert

Congratulations to Ali Kafel of TechZone360° on winning our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award: Top Eight Enterprise Features in iOS 7

Don't miss today's issue or any future issues of BlawgWorld.

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. BlawgWorld enables you to stay on top of all the noteworthy articles (and podcasts) published online without having to hire a research assistant. Even when you're busy, you won't want to miss each issue's Pick of the Week. The BlawgWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to LitigationWorld: Your expert witness isn't like a Navy Seal who drops in at the last minute to save the day. Instead, maximizing your expert's effectiveness, including gaining insights into your case, requires an early start and adhering to proven best practices. In this issue of LitigationWorld, Seattle litigator Kim Gunning discusses the five most important of these best practices. Also, don't miss the LitigationWorld Pick of the Week for eight reasons to feel optimistic about the litigation industry.

How to Receive LitigationWorld
All practice areas evolve, but none faster than litigation. Written by successful litigators and other litigation experts, LitigationWorld provides you with practical tips related to electronic discovery, depositions, litigation strategy, litigation technology, and trial presentations. LitigationWorld also features in-depth litigation product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings, as well as links to the most noteworthy litigation articles in other publications so that you'll never miss anything. The LitigationWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.