Originally published in our free TL NewsWire newsletter. Instead of reading TL NewsWire here, sign up now to receive future issues via email.
In this issue of TL NewsWire, Oklahoma personal injury attorney and publisher of The Droid Lawyer Jeffrey Taylor (pictured above with his Android tablet) rebuts TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante's recent TL NewsWire article about about tablets in the legal industry.
Imagine my surprise while reading Neil Squillante's recent TL NewsWire article, A Special Report on Tablets in the Legal Industry: iPad, iPad mini, and Surface With Windows RT.
There towards the end of the article, Neil called me out for my stance on lawyer-related Android apps in my article on The Droid Lawyer, What About the Lawyer Apps for Android?
Or as Neil termed it, my "downplay [of] the importance of legal apps."
TechnoLawyer's newsletters (including this one) comprise a powerhouse of lawyer-tech information. The TechnoLawyer team does a fantastic job of providing current legal technology information and tips in a compact summary for easy perusing. Most of the time I agree with the commentary. Unless of course you take me to task and downplay the role of Android tablets in the legal industry.
Hence my rebuttal, including why Android should be included in the discussion of tablets in the legal industry, and most importantly why legal apps don't matter.
Most Legal Tablet Work Is Mundane
First and foremost, legal apps don't matter because you're more likely to need a PDF editor than a high-tech and fancy jury selection tool. I didn't purchase my Android tablet to erase my Windows 7 desktop. No, I purchased it to co-exist with my desktop.
When we talk of "legal apps," we're talking about such a narrow category or classification that there's not even a blip of excitement from developers. Sure, fantasizing about the perfect legal app is nice. Heck, somewhere deep in the place I never think about, in that crevice where my first crush broke my heart, I longingly wish Android had a TrialPad equivalent. The truth is though, more often than not, I'm reading and editing a PDF document than I am preparing for trial.
Regardless of what the iPad-lawyer-fanboys tell you, users want productivity, usability, and easy integration with other tools. If the device provides those remedies, users gets hooked and don't particularly care which platform they use.
While we all aspire to use great apps like TrialPad or JuryStar, the truth is, we need apps like Evernote, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office to run our law practices on a daily basis. Despite my hype and joyfulness over Depose, I've actually only used it once. Ask me how many times I've used my PDF editor though, and I couldn't count them all.
Neil correctly points out that the overwhelming majority of law firms depend on Microsoft Office. That means Android, like iPad and Windows, can satisfy the demand to its fullest potential. Similarly, the latest and greatest iPad will surely be brushed into oblivion by the vast number of Android devices coming to market each month, each more powerful than its predecessor.
Paper Replacement
Neil states that "[n]ote-taking on a tablet is currently a niche activity," and "by paper replacement I refer not to note-taking, but to the far more popular activity of storing documents on a tablet that would otherwise reside on paper for reading and sometimes editing or marking up."
Conveniently, Neil praises the wonders of iPad and the Surface, while failing to recognize Android hardware as the king and reigning ruler of storage capacity.
For instance, my Asus Transformer Pad Infinity packs a whopping 32 GB (or 64 GB) of on-board storage, with the option to add additional storage via Micro SD or USB (I currently have an additional 32 GB). Now that's storage. I get to play with my apps and store my files too. Neither Apple nor Microsoft have cornered that market.
I won't even tussle over the display or design specs, except to state it's hard to beat the 598 gram weight.
As for the document editing/creation apps, Google Play has plenty too, including my favorite, OfficeSuite Pro ($14.99). Read, write, and edit Word documents.
Remote Control of Your Mac or PC
Neil seems to think that Apple has cornered the remote desktop protocol market, but again Android's playing the game too. All of the Apple and Windows big boys such as LogMeIn Ignition are available on Android, and each functions substantially similar to their iOS and Windows counterparts.
Additionally, there's nothing special about the display or connectivity of the iPad that isn't featured on a number of Android devices. Using the LogMeIn app to connect remotely to my desktop is fast via a tethered or WiFi connection. As for LTE connectivity, I get that through my phone. No problems there, and I don't have to pay extra for a part-time use device.
Laptop Replacement
My Asus Transformer Pad Infinity includes an optional docking keyboard. It's awesome. It won't replace my desktop, but I often use the keyboard attachment to write posts for The Droid Lawyer.
Google recently announced its Nexus 10, which follows its popular Nexus 7 tablet. The 7 inch tablet is perfect for carrying around, though I think that the smaller size makes actual productivity more difficult than a 10 inch counterpart. Let's not even mention the overwhelming success of the Amazon Kindle Fire. It's no surprise that Apple is following the leader with its smaller-form iPad mini.
No, Android isn't scared of iOS. iOS is scared of Android. With Android, I'm already doing some of the things Neil aspires to without sacrificing any of the benefits of a smaller device.
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.
