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Top 10 Categories of Useless Gadgets, Games, Gewgaws, and Gizmos for Wasting Your Valuable Time

By Neil J. Squillante | Friday, April 7, 2006

Coming April 11, 2006 to TechnoFeature: Face it — technology is not just for work. The more comfortable you become with technology, the higher your productivity level, right? So why not have some fun? In this article, technology consultant Seth Rowland reviews today's best gadgets, toys, and entertainment software designed to appeal to the kid in us all. Be warned — you may soon have to record some unbillable time!

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.

Topics: Coming Attractions | Computer Accessories | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Entertainment/Hobbies/Recreation | Gadgets/Shredders/Office Gear | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | TechnoFeature

Lost Password Recovery; DeltaView and Worldox; PCLaw Review; Cheap Law Firm Web Sites; Public Records; Plus 10 Archive Posts

By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 7, 2006

Coming April 14, 2006 to Fat Friday: Mark Lieb reviews a handy password recovery program for use in e-discovery, Grady Thrasher discusses a workaround for integrating DeltaView PE with Worldox, David Hudgens reviews his experience with PCLaw, Michael Bates reviews the Web hosting and design company he used to build his firm's Web site, and Corey Rich discusses the convenience and cost of online public records. In addition, this issue features links to 10 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture | Coming Attractions | Document Management | Fat Friday | Graphic Design/Photography/Video | Legal Research | Litigation/Discovery/Trials | Online/Cloud | Practice Management/Calendars | Technology Industry/Legal Profession | Utilities

Dragon Tip and Review; Contingency Fee Restrictions; Averatec Review; Acronix Review; Plus 9 Archive Posts

By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 7, 2006

Coming April 13, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Robert Bass reviews his recent Dragon NaturallySpeaking upgrade attempt, including how TechnoLawyer came to his rescue, Clint Pullin discusses the ability to charge additional fees in a contingency case (in Texas at least), Nicholas Paczkowski reviews his Averatec 3150H laptop, Jason Ochsner reviews Acronis' True Image (and provides a few MS Backup tips), and Edward Poll reviews Dragon NaturallySpeaking. In addition, this issue features links to 9 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a 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.

Topics: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture | Backup/Media/Storage | Coming Attractions | Dictation/OCR/Speech Recognition | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | Law Office Management | TL Answers

Podcast Reviews: Coast to Coast; BusinessWeek Cover Story; This Week in Tech; Security Now; It's Jerry Time

By Neil J. Squillante | Thursday, April 6, 2006

A podcast is nothing more than an audio or video file to which you can subscribe using iTunes or another podcast-enabled media player. If you have an iPod, take a listen, particularly since all podcasts are free and most are commercial-free. Below I've collected a few of my favorites.

Coast to Coast: Hosted by J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, both of whom are lawyers, this podcast explores a hot legal topic using an interview format. For example, recent shows have explored first year associate salaries, public defenders, law firm diversity, etc. If you like NPR, you'll like this show.

BusinessWeek Cover Story: A perfect complement to the magazine, this podcast takes you behind the scenes of each week's cover story by having the editor interview the journalist who researched and wrote the story. Because print magazines are notorious for their space constraints, this podcast always brings more information to light that didn't make the cut.

This Week in Tech / Security Now: This Week in Tech consists of a roundtable discussion with a cast of regulars (some better than others) and special guests (ditto) hosted by Leo Laporte of Tech TV fame. This podcast runs far too long, but it's still the best of its breed. Let's hope Leo tightens the reins soon. A much better podcast is Security Now, co-hosted by Leo Laporte and security expert Steve Gibson. If you manage your firm's network security, this podcast is a must.

It's Jerry Time: For a glimpse at some next-generation entertainment, check out this high-definition video podcast featuring the most incredible animation this side of Pixar. Unfortunately, the writing is not on par with the animation.

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Topics: CLE/News/References | Entertainment/Hobbies/Recreation | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Online/Cloud | Technology Industry/Legal Profession | TL Editorial

Helping New Orleans Lawyers; Google v. Microsoft; Law Firm Networks; Motion Denied

By Neil J. Squillante | Tuesday, April 4, 2006

You don't have time to track 100 business and technology magazines and blogs. We do. Below you'll find our latest discoveries.

Tech Seminar for New Orleans Area Attorneys

Ladies and Gents, in this Corner, Microsoft and in this Corner, Google

Law Firms Look for Success Through Networking

Motion Denied Because You're An Idiot

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Topics: CLE/News/References | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Technology Industry/Legal Profession | TL Editorial

How to Monitor Blawgs on a Daily Basis

By Neil J. Squillante | Monday, April 3, 2006

BlawgWorld 2006, our popular eBook (25,000+ downloads), features 51 of the best blawg Posts from 2005.

Like all books, it captures a moment in time. In fact, BushWorld, the best-selling collection of New York Times columns, inspired us to create BlawgWorld (we didn't actually read BushWorld, we just noticed its success). Clearly, people like the convenience of such collections.

But what happens if you want to monitor a blawg or group of blawgs daily in addition to reading the best selections annually? Several options exist.

If you just want to monitor a handful of blawgs, you can use browser bookmarks and check them every day. If you use Firefox, you can open each bookmark in its own tab simultaneously. Even better, you can use Firefox's Live Bookmarks feature to alert you when these blawgs have new content.

To track a larger group of blawgs, your best bet is to use an RSS newsreader. Personally, I recommend NewsGator's solutions, all of which I consider best of breed — FeedDemon (a standalone Windows application), NetNewsWire (a standalone Mac application), NewsGator Inbox (an Outlook plugin), and NewsGator Online.

If you have a Google or Yahoo account, you may want to use their free newsreaders — Google Reader and MyYahoo. I do not recommend Bloglines, which has a confusing interface.

If instead of tracking a group of blawgs, you instead want to track what all blawgs say about a topic you care about (e.g., e-discovery), you can use blog search engines such as Google Blog Search, Yahoo Blog Search, Feedster, and Technorati. Although you can save your searches, these search engines do not send e-mail alerts. Instead, you must use a newsreader to monitor your saved searches.

Finally, if you don't have a group of favorite blawgs or don't want to deal with newsreaders, but would like to stay in the loop (and don't mind spending some money), PinHawk recently began publishing Law on the Blogs NewzDigest, a daily e-mail newsletter with headlines and links to new content from about 50 blawgs (including TechnoLawyer Blog). This service comes at a price — $199/year. You can view a sample newsletter before subscribing, and try it for free for two weeks.

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Topics: Business Productivity/Word Processing | CLE/News/References | Collaboration/Knowledge Management | Entertainment/Hobbies/Recreation | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Online/Cloud | TL Editorial

Charging Extra Fees; GoToMyPC; LaserJet 4345; SMART Board; ProLaw; Plus 8 Archive Posts

By Sara Skiff | Friday, March 31, 2006

Coming April 6, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Steven Finell discusses the ethics of contingency fees, Kelly Lupo compares GoToMyPC to Windows Remote Desktop, Samuel Mandel reviews his firm's HP LaserJet 4345xmfp, Benjamin Martin reviews the SMART Board for a new training room, and Mark Sargis reviews his experience with ProLaw and ProLaw Ready. In addition, this issue features links to 8 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a 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.

Topics: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture | Coming Attractions | Copiers/Scanners/Printers | Law Office Management | Networking/Operating Systems | Presentations/Projectors | TL Answers

Starting a New Firm -- Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid and Top 10 Tips for Success

By Sara Skiff | Friday, March 31, 2006

Coming April 4, 2006 to TechnoFeature: Think you know everything about starting a new practice? Notwithstanding your legal talent, you also need business talent — a key ingredient in the launch of a successful law firm. In this article, legal coach and consultant Edward Poll differentiates business from law and explains how to create an environment in which both can thrive. In doing so, Ed lays down ten Do's and Don'ts.

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.

Topics: Coming Attractions | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Law Office Management | TechnoFeature

Zetafax 2006: Read Our Exclusive Report

By Sara Skiff | Wednesday, March 29, 2006

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers fax server software that enables you to send a fax as easily as an e-mail, an appliance that will protect your e-mail from enemy #1 — spam, and a hardware/software suite that integrates with your firm's copiers and scanners to bring you closer to a paperless office. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Bridging the Gap Between E-mail and Faxes
By Jill Bauerle
A fax consists of an image whereas e-mail consists of text. So, they're vastly different, right? Wrong. They both consist of bits. Bits are bits are bits. So then shouldn't faxes behave more like e-mail? That's the thinking behind Zetafax 2006, the new version of Equisys' popular fax server. Zetafax 2006 integrates with Exchange, which means you can send and receive faxes securely within Outlook. Faxes arrive in your choice of PDF or JPEG format. If you don't use Outlook, fear not — Zetafax 2006 works with virtually all other e-mail programs thanks to its SMTP Gateway. Alternatively, you can use the Zetafax 2006 client or a Web browser. Among its other e-mail-like features, Zetafax 2006 features a junk fax filter that can block faxes from designated telephone numbers. You can set up a firm-wide junk fax filter, and also give users the ability to set up their own personal filters. With e-mail, you can preview your message before sending. Equisys brings this same ability to Zetafax 2006 thanks to its "what you see is what you fax" technology. With e-mail, you can easily annotate and edit messages before forwarding them. Zetafax 2006 gives you the same power over faxes that you wish to send to someone else. E-mail's greatest strength lies in its distribution costs — none. Faxes still require telephone calls, but Zetafax 2006 enables you to distribute faxes via IP T.38 (fax over IP) or V.34 to reduce costs. You can even configure Zetafax 2006 to send non-urgent faxes and large distributions at night to take advantage of off-peak rates. Zetafax 2006 runs on Windows 2000 or later, and works with most class 1/class 2 fax modems as well intelligent fax boards by Brooktrout, Eicon, and Intel Dialogic. A Zetafax 2006 5-user, 2-line starter system sells for about $510. Learn more about Zetafax 2006.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Copiers/Scanners/Printers | Document Management | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Privacy/Security | TL NewsWire | Utilities

Review: Xerox Documate 252 Scanner

By Neil J. Squillante | Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Tony Geiger, Review: Xerox Documate 252 Scanner

TechnoLawyer member Michael W. Carroll asks:
"Can anyone recommend a good desktop-sized scanner?  I expect to scan 10-100 pages daily, (occasionally more) and will need a reliable, easy to use machine, with an ADF.  I am looking primarily at the Fujitsu ScanSnap FI-5110EOX (approximately $450), but also at the Xerox Documate 510 Flatbed Scanner (approximately $350).  Any guidance would be appreciated.  Thanks."

We recently purchased a Xerox Documate 252 (about $730) based on the recommendation of a legal technology consultant and are very pleased with it. It has an ADF. We use it for approximately the same volume referenced in the question.  It comes with OCR software and was easy to install. It has 9 programmable function keys which allow you to automate different scanning functions and results. It fits very comfortably on the secretary's work table. This is our first scanner and we are still learning the ins and outs of the PDF world, but the manual is pretty good. We looked at Fujitsu Scan Snap, but went with the Xerox based on the consultant's recommendation. You should do some research to understand the issue of TWAIN compliance, as that (apparently) affects the ability to do a word search of scanned documents, which may be important if you are going to archive a large amount of scanned documents.  As the budget will allow, I hope to be able to get another one for my desk.

Anthony L. Geiger
Law Director
City of Lima, Ohio
Lima, OH

[Publisher's Note: Learn more about the Xerox Documate 252. — Sara Skiff]

About Answers to Questions
Posts like the one above appear exclusively in Answers to Questions, a 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. You can subscribe here.

Topics: Copiers/Scanners/Printers | Post
 
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