Coming today to Answers to Questions: Paul Tredoux reviews Dragon NaturallySpeaking and shares several tips for using it successfully, Miriam Jacobson explains how she uses retainers to improve collections and client satisfaction plus she also reviews the Steelcase AirTouch desk, Roger Massengale reviews the Olympus DS-5000 with the StartStop transcription system, and Lisa Peterson explains how she avoids paying for an expensive dedicated fax line for her home office. Don't miss this issue.
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The iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre, and other smartphones have conquered the legal world. Originally embraced by salespeople, adoption among lawyers has skyrocketed in recent years. In fact, the iPhone has emerged as the new attorney status symbol — even though it's not really targeted at the enterprise market. (Some iPhone-toting lawyers I know don't even know how to use their iPhone for email.) Given this smartphone ubiquity, I knew it was time to get rid of mine. Yes, you read that right.
I deactivated my well-used BlackBerry 8703e, and "upgraded" my Verizon data plan to a MiFi 2200, officially called the "MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot." Developed by Novatel, the MiFi 2200 is about the size of a credit card though thicker. It provides simultaneous Internet access to five computers — without having to be plugged into any of them. Your computer (invariably a notebook or a netbook) connects to the MiFi 2200 using WiFi (802.11g or 802.11n) over Verizon's cellular network (Sprint also offers the MiFi).
The technical specifications and reviews of the MiFi 2200 are well chronicled elsewhere. From a small firm perspective, how does the MiFi facilitate our work, as compared to other alternatives?
A Small Firm Lawyer's Perspective on the MiFi
I am no longer instantly accessible to everyone who sends me an email. This is a good thing. In the past, I checked my email on the BlackBerry all the time, even when I was (Shock! Horrors!) sitting in a courtroom. But I could almost never provide a complete response, because I invariably needed information that the BlackBerry could not access. The BlackBerry would only add items to my "to do" list, not remove them.
Now, I tote my notebook computer almost everywhere during the business day, and when I sit down wherever I might be, fire up the notebook, I have everything available, courtesy of our shared Exchange account (Outlook) and a LogMeIn Hamachi VPN or LogMeIn Pro remote access (for documents and everything else). Moreover, everything coming in or going out of my office winds up in a PDF file, so I don't even need to carry physical files.
The connection speed is slower than your wired network, and even slower than an office wireless network or other WiFi hotspots (many courthouses in New Jersey have public WiFi), but the 3G (third generation) cellular access is faster than you may think. Take care of any heavy downloading when connected to a "real" network.
A USB modem, PC Card or netbook or notebook with an embedded cellular modem offers the same functionality, but the MiFi 2200 is more convenient since you can share it among multiple computers just like a wireless router, and because you can start it and slip it in your pocket or briefcase rather than inserting it in your notebook computer every time. It's also helpful if you own a WiFi-equipped PDA such as Apple's iPod touch, or even if you own a WiFi-equipped smartphone and find yourself in a location where Verizon (or Sprint) offers better service.
The Cost and Other Factors
The monthly cost for the 5 GB data plan (a lot of data as long as you are not watching videos) is approximately $60 right now. The MiFi 2200 with a contract costs approximately $100. While the plan costs a little bit more than the data-only plan for my BlackBerry, I no longer pay the $10 monthly fee for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) charged by my shared Exchange provider, so the price is a wash. Sprint's pricing is similar.
I don't have clients or partners who require a 30-second response time. With the MiFi 2200, my laptop, and our firm's VPN, remote terminal access, and shared Exchange system, I can check in evenings and weekends, at home or any other place. During business hours, I am never more than three hours away from being able to check my email even if I am in court all day.
If I can make a cellular phone call, I can use the MiFi 2200. For, me, and I suspect for many small firm lawyers, this setup provides an alternative that no smartphone — not even the iPhone — can touch.
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Coming today to Answers to Questions: Jason Grimes explains what sets LexisNexis and Westlaw apart from their competitors, Andrea Cannavina shares her thoughts on Olympus' DS2 file format and reviews the Philips Pocket Memo 9600 and Grundig Digta 420 digital dictation recorders, Sean LaRoque discusses the security of email fax services, Randy Gold reviews Dell's onsite laptop repair service, and Steven McNichols reviews Snagit for capturing Web pages. Don't miss this issue.
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Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 63 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
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Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new eBook reader (see article below), courtroom presentation software, a utility for accessing FTP servers and Amazon S3, email encryption software, and an iPhone app for analyzing data from Google Analytics, Twitter and other services. Don't miss the next issue.
The World's Thinnest Bookshelf Just Got Bigger
Gutenberg, your days are numbered. You had one heck of a run though. Printed books will easily outlive everyone reading this article. But another 570 years? Highly doubtful. Will anyone miss the phrase "dog-eared"? Will students miss weighty backpacks or frequent trips to their lockers? Many people have already moved on thanks to PCs, smartphones, and a very interesting company in Washington state named after another place where it rains a lot.
Kindle DX … in One Sentence
Released today, Amazon's Kindle DX is a larger version of its wireless Kindle eBook reading device.
The Killer Feature
The original Kindle took a lot of heat for its industrial design or lack thereof, but it was a groundbreaking device. Its successor, introduced earlier this year, is much thinner, but reviewers criticized its small screen size and overly large keyboard.
With the Kindle DX, Amazon may silence the critics. The display measures 9.7 inches diagonally and sports 16 shades of gray. The screen rotates from portrait to landscape to better view spreadsheets, Web pages, etc. The entire device measures 10.4 x 7.2 x 0.38 inches and weighs 18.9 ounces
Other Notable Features
Like its smaller sibling, the Kindle DX includes a free 3G wireless connection courtesy of Sprint that you can use to surf the Web or shop at Amazon for books, magazines, and newspapers. Most books sell for $9.99, including new releases and bestsellers. For many books, you can download sample chapters for free. The Kindle DX also supports Audible audio books.
You don't need a PC to use the Kindle DX, but you can use a PC to load your own documents via the USB 2.0 port. The Kindle DX supports DOC, RTF, and PDF files, and has a 4 GB capacity. With the Read-to-Me feature, the Kindle DX can read your content out loud to you.
A 5-way controller enables you to turn "pages" and look up selected words in the built-in dictionary and encyclopedia (Wikipedia naturally). Thanks to the special "electronic ink display," Amazon claims you can read the Kindle DX in sunlight. When indoors, you'll need a light source as you would with a paper book.
What Else Should You Know?
Amazon claims that a full battery lasts for four days with the wireless connection on, and up to two weeks when you turn it off. Amazon offers a one year warranty. The Kindle DX costs $489 (the smaller Kindle costs $359). Learn more about the Kindle DX.
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Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 47 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
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Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a pen that records your handwriting and any accompanying audio (see article below), two Web-based litigation support applications, an extranet built atop Microsoft SharePoint, and a device for securely downloading data from popular cell phones for discovery purposes. Don't miss the next issue.
A Backup System for Your Handwritten Notes
By Neil J. Squillante
Evolve or die, right? That's pretty much our only choice. It also applies to gadgets. Typewriters couldn't evolve so they died. Cars have evolved (though some of the companies that make them have not.) What about the pen? Supposedly mightier than the sword, we still use them, but for how much longer without a leap in functionality? After all, yesterday's sword is today's chef's knife.
Pulse Smartpen ... in One Sentence
Livescribe's Pulse Smartpen is a pen that captures your handwriting and can also record any accompanying sound associated with your note-taking.
The Killer Feature
How does every case start? With a client interview. Did you ever take notes during such an interview only to realize later that you missed something?
The Pulse Smartpen uses special Dot Paper that activates its functions via infrared. When you start taking notes, tapping the record button starts recording any accompanying audio using two built-in noise-canceling microphones.
When reviewing your notes later you can tap a line of notes to play back the audio at the moment you wrote those particular words.
Other Notable Features
Originally you had to purchase the Dot Paper (and you still can), but you can now print your own as well. The paper features a row of buttons along the bottom that you activate with the tip of the Pulse Smartpen — record, pause, stop, jump back or next, and bookmark.
Also included with the Pulse Smartpen is Livescribe Desktop, software for storing, reviewing, and sharing your notes and accompanying audio. You can also search your handwritten notes thanks to Livescribe Desktop's handwriting recognition software. Livescribe Desktop is currently available for Windows XP and Vista with a Mac version en route (you can use the public beta in the meantime).
What Else Should You Know?
A 1 GB Pulse Smartpen costs $149.95. The 2 GB model costs $199.95. For an additional $29.95 you can buy MyScript, which converts your handwritten notes into text that you can transfer into email, documents, etc. Learn more about Pulse Smartpen.
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Walk one block west from our office and you'll arrive at Ground Zero. Walk two blocks east and you might see Ben Bernanke entering the Federal Reserve. These two sites remind me every day about the challenges we face.
However, even closer to our office — right in our building in fact — resides Century 21, an outlet department store that remains as mobbed as ever. Notwithstanding the credit crisis and recession, it would seem that the holidays will not be canceled. Therefore, I thought I'd share with you five techno-gift suggestions that I consider a good bargain.
Make Someone's Smartphone Smarter ...
Apple and RIM devote virtually all their engineering resources to their respective smartphones. As a result, the earphones that ship with BlackBerrys and iPhones don't sound good and don't block external noise, encouraging people to crank the volume to dangerous levels.
Show someone you care by giving them quality in-ear earphones that block external noise.
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 vi, which I use with my iPhone. With a list price of $420, I wouldn't dare recommend them this year — not even at the $371 price I paid.
However, Ultimate Ears just shipped a less expensive model with the same feature set — the super.fi 5 vi. These earphones enable you to control music playback and answer and talk on the phone without having to fish your BlackBerry or iPhone out of your pocket. They sell for $190.
Enlighten Someone About Espresso Economics ...
If all espresso drinkers brewed their own coffee and invested the money they would save by doing so, we could eliminate the credit crisis without a bailout.
You think I'm joking?
A single shot of espresso at home using a capsule-based machine costs about 50 cents per cup versus $1.90 at Starbucks and other cafes. That's a $1.40 difference for the most basic espresso drink. Get fancier and the gap widens.
So why don't people make their own espresso?
Some people don't think they can make as good a cup at home when in fact the opposite is true. While a professional barista can certainly best a home machine, how many of these people do you think work at Starbucks? Yet Starbucks still uses machines that require skill. By contrast, capsule-based home machines eliminate all the guesswork.
Others balk at the up front price of buying a machine. Clearly, they have never crunched the numbers. Assuming two espressos per day, even a $1,000 machine would pay for itself in about one year (357 days to be exact).
By purchasing a machine for your favorite espresso lover, you could make these savings immediate. And you need not spend $1,000.
The Nespresso Essenza C100 and D100, which sell for $250, make the exact same cup of espresso as much more expensive Nespresso models, but lack the ability to make milk-based espresso drinks. If the person you have in mind likes cappuccinos or lattes, Nespresso will sell you a milk frother for $50 if you order it with a C100 (the frother sells for $100 if purchased separately).
How good is a Nespresso espresso? Very good. Here in Manhattan we have the only Nespresso cafe in the country. Despite charging $3.50 for a shot of espresso, the place is always packed. And the baristas use the C100.
Encourage Someone to Not Run With the Pack ...
Convergence is good when it solves a problem. Otherwise, not so much.
You may have heard about Nike+iPod, which enables you to capture the distance, pace, calories, and time of your runs and walks. You place a sensor in your Nike+ sneakers (or fasten it to your non-Nike sneakers), and use your iPod nano or iPod touch (2008 model only) to view your progress, pause your workout, etc. You then upload each workout to your Nike+ Web account so that you can view your statistics by day, week, month, etc.
It's all very cool and makes workouts addictive or at least more fun.
However, even if you use one of those armbands to hold your iPod, fiddling with it during your workout will slow you down. Plus, not everyone has an iPod. Some have iPhones and others have iPod alternatives or simply don't play music.
Realizing that Nike+iPod doesn't suit everyone, Nike recently released Nike+SportBand, which offers the same functionality in a wristwatch with just two buttons. Press the large button to check your distance, pace, calories, and elapsed time, and the small button to pause. It sells for $59.
A Good Time to Give Someone a Plasma TV ...
Timing is everything, especially when buying technology. Take TVs for example. Every January at the Consumer Electronics Show, companies unveil their new models for the year. As a result, you'll find discounts galore on this year's models right about now.
No doubt you've heard about the debate between LCD TVs and plasma TVs. Even though LCD TVs outsell plasma TVs, the latter offer a better picture. While I wouldn't place a plasma TV in a kitchen or an office, I prefer them for a typical den or living room except perhaps if the room has skylights.
Those in the know will tell you that Pioneer makes the best plasma TVs — with prices to match.
Panasonic offers a good alternative at recession-friendly prices. For a house, I like the 46 inch TH-46PZ80U, which originally sold for $1,700, but now sells for as little as $1,200. For an apartment, the smaller 42 inch TH-42PZ80U might make more sense. It now sells for about $900, reduced from its original $1,300 price.
Give an Apple to the Apple of Your Eye ...
In the introduction, I mentioned Century 21, an outlet store that sells irregular and overstocked designer clothes.
Outlet stores also exist in the technology world, including one operated by Apple, a company not known for discounting.
Apple offers both clearance items and refurbished products. Many good deals exist, but beware — Apple lists the original price of the product. In some cases, the newer version of a product sells for less than the old version did.
Of the iPod deals, I like two in particular — the 2007 8 GB nano, which sells for $99 and the 2007 160 GB iPod Classic, which sells for $249. The so-called "fat nano" sports the same screen as the new 8 GB 2008 model ($149), but in an orientation that seems more logical to me. Meanwhile, the old iPod Classic provides 33% more storage space than the current iPod Classic for the same price.
I also like two Mac deals — the previous generation 15 inch MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz laptop, which sells for $1,600 (new) or $1,349 (refurbished), and the 1 TB Time Capsule, which sells for $419 (refurbished). If you know someone like me who does not like glossy screens, the previous generation MacBook Pro is the last one with a matte screen.
On Second Thought ...
You know, maybe instead of exchanging gifts this year we should save our money and just enjoy each other's company.... Wait a second. For a moment there, I forgot that we Americans never save money. We would just end up spending more on ourselves. Never mind. Happy shopping!
Photo of Nike+ Sportband by Richard Roberson. All rights reserved.
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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. Please subscribe now.
TechnoScore: 4.6
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
Everyone likes extravagances, but not everyone agrees on which ones merit the cost and which ones don't. I consider high-end earphones critical whereas most people do not. You've been warned.
I favor so-called in-ear earphones because they're portable and block external noise (sound isolation), enabling you to protect your hearing by playing your music at low volume. If you don't like earplugs, you won't like in-ear earphones because they operate on the same principle.
(Yes, I know about the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, which many lawyers like, but they are not portable. I define portability as weighing less than 1 ounce and fitting in your pocket.)
Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro: An Overdue Apology
I initially purchased the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro in 2006 and complained about them in a blog post. I regret writing that post because the hum I complained about was caused by my iPod, not by the earphones.
Furthermore, given what lay ahead of me, I didn't realize how good I had it. I now believe Ultimate Ears makes the best in-ear earphones.
A Shure Thing?
The super.fi 5 pro served me well, but when I switched from an iPod to an iPhone in 2007, I began searching for a replacement so that I could take advantage of the iPhone's features — answering calls and changing tracks without having to fish the iPhone out of my pocket. iPhone-compatible earphones have a microphone and clicker in the cord to handle these functions.
My search lasted one year!
During that time, I continued to use the super.fi 5 pro, which proved remarkably durable. I wore them in the rain and snow. I wore them in 95 degree heat and in near-zero wind chills. I never used the protective case, but instead just stuffed them in my jacket or shirt pocket. Nothing fazed them. They are the Energizer Bunny of earphones.
When I purchased my iPhone, I also purchased the Shure SE210 earphones and Music Phone Adapter. I was excited because Shure makes the best foam eartips. They're incredibly comfortable.
But as I quickly learned, Shure also has a manufacturing problem. On two sets of these earphones, the eartips were fused onto the post and would not come off without shredding, leaving half the material on the post. The eartips are supposed to have a plastic sleeve inside that glides off, but these did not.
A Shure executive acknoledged the problem, apologized, and sent me a third pair as well as a pair of higher-end SE420 earphones. I just couldn't stomach the possibility of another return so I sold both pairs on eBay and continued using my trusty super.fi 5 pro.
I let eight months pass, thinking that Shure would iron out its manufacturing problems. This time, I bought the SE530, Shure's top-of-the-line model.
Same defective eartips! I couldn't believe it. You know what they say about being twice burned. I returned them for a refund.
Back to the super.fi 5 pro.
007, Do Be Careful With These q-JAYS
I then delved into some research. Most earphones use only a single armature to produce the sound. Because the super.fi 5 pro uses two armatures, I felt I had to find a model with at least two. That ruled out most earphones, including the stylish Klipsch Image X10 (which I hope to try someday).
After reading countless reviews, I settled on Jays' q-JAYS. Though they didn't have an iPhone-compatible microphone and clicker, they addressed another drawback of the super.fi 5 pro — size. The super.fi 5 pro are among the larger in-ear earphones. They make you look like Frankenstein. The q-JAYS are tiny and virtually disappear into your ears. If it weren't for the cable, they could serve as one of Q's cool gizmos in a James Bond film.
But I quickly discovered that the q-JAYS have a drawback of their own. They use filters — as do a growing number of in-ear earphones. The filters protect the earphone mechanism by blocking earwax. But they also exist to separate you from more of your cash since you have to keep replacing them. I found it more difficult to replace filters than to clean my super.fi 5 pro.
I never really got a chance to audition the q-JAYS because they arrived with a defective left channel. At first it was weak and then it went completely silent.
While I awaited my replacement from Sweden, I returned to the super.fi 5 pro. Again.
Lo and behold — Ultimate Ears had just shipped its high-end triple.fi model in a special iPhone version. I pounced on the special offer and bought them for $371 (they usually sell for $419).
This was no impulse purchase. Remember, I had been searching for a year. The right product finally hit the market and I knew it immediately thanks to my previous experiences.
I finally put my super.fi 5 pro out to pasture.
My Review of the triple.fi 10 vi
The triple.fi 10 vi are even larger than the super.fi 5 pro, but I don't mind for two reasons. First, although they use the same eartips as the super.fi 5 pro, they seem to fit better because the housing is more ergonomic. The sound isolation is very good thanks to the fit. You have a choice of three silicone eartips (small, medium, large) or a foam eartip.
Second, as the name suggests, they have three armatures. I can best describe them with one word — wow! With good recordings, they sound much better than the super.fi 5 pro. They have noticeably better imaging and more punch. One day after listening to some music with the triple.fi 10 vi, I switched to the super.fi 5 pro. I couldn't believe how lifeless they sounded by comparison. Be warned — there's no going back. Do not try them unless you plan to buy them.
Back to the size issue, do I wish Ultimate Ears could package three armatures into a smaller package? Yes. But thanks to engineering hurdles, I don't think that's possible in 2008. Ask me again in 2011.
What else do I like? The cable. The length is perfect for those of us who carry our iPhone in a jacket or pants pocket. At the end of the cable you'll find a straight connector, which I prefer over the super.fi 5 pro's angled connector. And on an odd note, the triple.fi 10 vi cable behaves as you would expect a cable to behave. For example, if you wrap the cable to store the earphones, you don't have to straighten the cable when you use them again. By contrast, the super.fi 5 pro use a strange cable that retains its shape, often requiring re-straightening.
The build quality of the triple.fi 10 vi looks good, but I've had them for just a few weeks. We'll see how they hold up this winter. The clicker works like a charm to skip to the next or previous song or answer a call. Also, no filters!
If you have an iPhone, consider high-end earphones a worthy extravagance, want to take your earphones everywhere you go without weighing you down, and don't mind looking a little dorky, I highly recommend the triple.fi 10 vi.
That said, I'm keeping my super.fi 5 pro earphones as a backup.
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. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Corey Rich reviews the Firefox extension ScrapBook for capturing and saving Web pages, Jeff Schlueter discusses file format and device options for spoken audio as well as some thoughts on audio discovery, and Julian Garcia explains why you should avoid long file names. Don't miss this issue.
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