TechnoLawyer: TL NewsWire

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a task management program (see article below), new practice management software for small firms, two new eDiscovery management applications, and court docketing software. Don't miss the next issue.

The Wizard of Workflow

No matter your preferred working style, you probably rely on some type of task management strategy. From old-fashioned pen-and-paper lists to modern iPhone apps, task management systems remain a perennial imperative for lawyers. Over the years, you've probably sampled several programs and scrutinized this newsletter hoping to find a task management talisman to whip your workflow into shape. Do you believe in magic?

TaskMerlin 3.1 … in One Sentence
Interfathom's TaskMerlin 3.1 is project management application.

The Killer Feature
Do you ever wish your task management software was as flexible as those etherial gymnasts in Cirque du Soleil shows? Unlike some project management tools that lock you into a fixed format, TaskMerlin 3.1 adapts to your organizational style, enabling you to customize the software as you see fit.

You can use it to manage and schedule simple projects that you perform on your own as well as as complex, long-term ongoing projects involving large teams comprised of colleagues and clients. Among the customization options, you can configure columns, create task filters, create task types, and change the look and feel of the home screen.

Other Notable Features
TaskMerlin 3.1 supports David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) task management system. Devotees of the organizational guru's workflow method can use the TaskMerlin inbox as a filter to sort tasks in accordance with GTD principals.

Interfathom designed TaskMerlin 3.1 with an eye for efficiency, speed, and ease of use, enabling you to drag-and-drop tasks into project folders, edit multiple tasks at once, create or complete tasks with a single click, and modify tasks without opening additional windows or navigating drop-down menus. Version 3.1 adds an Outlook-style calendar and customizable toolbars.

What Else Should You Know?
TaskMerlin 3.1 runs on most versions of Windows. You can try it for free, and choose from two editions if you buy it — Personal ($49) or Professional ($99). The latter offers multiuser functions. Learn more about TaskMerlin.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new tablet computer with two screens (see article below), a fireproof and waterproof external hard drive, an Outlook plug-in, an email archiving and monitoring tool, and an iOS text editor. Don't miss the next issue.

The Next Small Thing in Tablets

Two is often better than one. It takes two to kiss. The two car garage has practically become a birthright. Many lawyers love having a partner and could not imagine practicing solo. TechnoLawyer subscribers have waxed poetic about two monitors. And many of the latest smartphones have two cameras. What next for duality? Toshiba claims to have the answer.

Libretto W100 … in One Sentence
Released this week, Toshiba's Libretto W100 is a Windows 7 tablet with two screens.

The Killer Feature
What's the use case for two screens on a tablet? The same as for dual monitors — write a document while monitoring email, watch a movie in a hotel room while monitoring your nannycam, etc.

The Libretto's two screens measure 7 inches diagonally and close against each other in clamshell fashion. Both screens offer a 1024x600 pixel resolution and feature multitouch technology and a virtual keyboard. An accompanying virtual trackpad enables you to move and position the cursor. The screens toggle between landscape and portrait depending on how you hold the Libretto.

Other Notable Features
The Libretto W100 weighs 1.8 pounds. You'll find an array of wireless technologies, including 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. It also includes a Webcam, USB port, and memory card reader. It comes equipped with a 62 GB solid state drive for storage and 2 GB of RAM.

What Else Should You Know?
The Libretto W100 is powered by a Pentium U5400 processor and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. Toshiba has not released specifications for the removable battery yet. Pricing starts at $1,099. Learn more about the Libretto W100.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an eDiscovery archiving service for blogs and social media (see article below), an online service for legal holds, a multifunction inkjet printer, electronic discovery document review software, and a voice control app for Android smartphones. Don't miss the next issue.

Reining in the Cloud

The childhood rhyme "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" may have once applied to life on the playground. But as in-house counsel and litigators know, words can result in dire consequences, particularly in today's increasingly wired world. For corporations, the rising use of social media — blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and the like — represent an explosive new area of electronic data to manage and for your adversaries to mine in the event of litigation. But until now electronic discovery tools have focused almost exclusively on archiving email messages as opposed to social media. Fortunately, help has finally arrived.

Cloud Preservation … in One Sentence
Nextpoint's Cloud Preservation is an online eDiscovery service that archives and preserves content from Web sites, blogs, and social media.

The Killer Feature
The people who work at your company (your clients for those of you who serve as outside counsel) continually add to, delete from, update, and refine your corporate Web sites, blogs, Facebook fan pages, Twitter accounts, and more. Nextpoint designed Cloud Preservation to automatically crawl these online properties at predefined intervals, creating a comprehensive and searchable archive of this content, including HTML source code and images.

"We are very excited to bring this product to the marketplace," CEO Rakesh Madhava told us. "We heard from our customers there was a need for a simple archiving solution for their intellectual assets on the Web and we are pleased to provide them with the progressive technology and expertise to fill this need."

Other Notable Features
Cloud Preservation is Web-based, requiring no installation. Sign up, identify what you want preserved, and set a weekly, monthly, semi-monthly, or annual crawling schedule to begin building your archive. The search engine facilitates Boolean queries. You can add filters to your searches such as date range as well as conduct account-specific or crawl-specific searches.

Cloud Preservation supports multiple levels of data exportation, ranging from PDF files of any page to comprehensive batch exporting into popular file formats such as Concordance and Summation load files, EDRM XML, Trial Director, and more.

Nextpoint offers several other SaaS products such as Discovery Cloud and Trial Cloud, all of which integrate with Cloud Preservation for a comprehensive eDiscovery solution from preservation through trial.

What Else Should You Know?
Monthly pricing plans for Cloud Preservation begin at $9 for five feeds and up to 1 GB of storage. Companies with more complex needs can obtain a customized quote. Learn more about Cloud Preservation.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new smartphone (see article below), an online meeting appliance, a Web analytics service, eDiscovery software for early case assessment, legal holds, and document review, and an iPhone/iPad app for remote control of your computer. Don't miss the next issue.

Light My Fire

Just look around the restaurant during your next power lunch. Judging by the number of diners hunched over glowing touchscreens, lawyers and other professionals have abandoned the once-ubiquitous "CrackBerry" in favor of iPhones and Android smartphones. Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry, is painfully aware of this trend. While RIM still maintains the lion's share of the smartphone marketplace, analysts estimate Apple could bypass RIM as early as next year. Yesterday, RIM unveiled its master plan.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 … in One Sentence
Shipping on August 12, 2010, RIM's BlackBerry Torch 9800 is a touchscreen smartphone.

The Killer Feature
With the Torch, RIM aims to play upon the BlackBerry's core strengths (user-friendly email and physical keyboard) while integrating the touchscreen capabilities of its competitors — an approach RIM executives summed up at a recent press conference with the catchphrase "fresh but familiar."

The BlackBerry Torch is the first BlackBerry to feature both a touchscreen (fresh) and a physical slideout QWERTY keyboard (familiar). The design enables you to switch between the 3.2 inch 360x480 capacitive "multitouch" display (which supports pinching and zooming), and a vertical keyboard that slides out from underneath the touchscreen featuring BlackBerry's signature sculpted keys.

Other Notable Features
The BlackBerry Torch marks another first — the first BlackBerry that will run OS 6. This new operating system features higher resolution graphics and icons, new shortcuts, social networking and instant message integration, and universal search. But its standout feature is the WebKit-based browser, incorporating the same technology behind the Web browsers in the iPhone and Android smartphones.

The Torch's camera sports five megapixels, flash, autofocus, image stabilization, and geo-tagging. RIM is also actively courting outside app developers by opening up the Torch to apps made with simple Web technologies like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5 as opposed to the Java-based tools required for earlier BlackBerry operating systems.

What Else Should You Know?
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 will retail for $199 exclusively (for now) from AT&T with a two-year contract. Learn more about BlackBerry Torch 9800.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a task management tool for multiple users (see article below), a trackpad that supports gestures, a utility for splitting PDF files by size for e-filing purposes, eDiscovery processing and review software, and an iOS app for a popular eDiscovery review platform. Don't miss the next issue.

Just Do It

Many lawyers complain that task management tools often require more time than the tasks themselves. It's like having to build a hammer before you can drive a nail. Lawyers just want a hammer, preferably one that doesn't require much training. "Hold it here and aim for the nail." Does such a task management tool exist?

Stacks … in One Sentence
Imulus' Stacks is a Web-based group task management system.

The Killer Feature
Many task managers live in isolation, but lawyers don't. Stacks is designed for use by everyone in your firm. You tag each task with a project (matter) and assign it to yourself or someone else. You can use the filters to view your tasks or check on the tasks you've assigned to others. Stacks gives you a good idea of who among your staff is busy and who has free time. You can organize employees into groups (e.g., paralegals) so that you assign tasks to several people with one click such as attending training sessions.

Other Notable Features
A graph at the top of the dashboard provides a visual time line of tasks, including overdue tasks. You can click on a day or the overdue stack to see only those tasks. The table listing tasks has a number of headers that you can click to sort — client, project, task, urgency, actionable, due date, assigned to, and status.

When creating tasks, you can attach files and create alerts. You can also write notes to provide more detail about the status. If someone has a conflict or cannot otherwise complete an assigned task, they can respond through tasks. Each task has a history log that shows you all associated activity, including who viewed it and when.

What Else Should You Know?
You can choose from four plans for Stacks — Small ($20/month), Medium ($40/month), Large ($60/month), and Ginormous ($80/month). The plans differ by number of users and storage. Every plan offers unlimited clients and projects. Learn more about Stacks.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new word processor (see article below), an Exchange-compatible Android mail client, backup software, and two personalized news apps for the iPad. Don't miss the next issue.

Word Up

Notwithstanding all the software innovation this century, the word processor remains at the heart of every law practice. Only email has challenged its dominance — and email was invented last century. Because lawyers essentially sell their analysis in written form, it's unlikely any other innovation will surpass the word processor in popularity. So when a new version of the most popular word processor in the legal world hits the street it's worth some investigation.

Word 2010 … in One Sentence
Microsoft's Word 2010 is a word processor.

The Killer Feature
Vendors that offer Web-based word processors tout the superiority of their collaboration features. For example, you and your colleagues can work on these documents simultaneously, and you can view an audit trail showing who changed what when. By contrast, using a traditional word processor typically results in multiple files that require document comparison software to manage.

Word 2010 supports co-authoring via either SharePoint or Windows Live, the latter of which is free. You can initiate instant messaging sessions or phone calls with your co-authors from within Word.

Other Notable Features
With Word 2010, you can work on your documents even when you don't have them with you. Microsoft Word Web App is an online word processor that integrates with Word 2010. Also, later this year you can use Microsoft Word Mobile 2010 to edit documents on Windows Phone smartphones.

In the last version of Word, Microsoft replaced the toolbar with the ribbon. In Word 2010, the File menu contains Microsoft's Backstage technology with improved document management functions.

Other new features include recovery of documents you close without saving, photo editing and screenshot tools, and enhanced document searching.

What Else Should You Know?
Microsoft sells Word 2010 alone or as part of its Office suite. Word 2010 by itself costs $150. The suites range in price from $150 to $500. Word 2010 runs on Windows XP or later. Learn more about Word 2010.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an Outlook alternative (see article below), a Facebook plug-in, a time-billing application, an eDiscovery review tool, and a Facebook defriended tracker for iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.

An Outlook Alternative

Microsoft Outlook still dominates the corporate world, which means it constantly has a target on its back. A cottage industry of Outlook alternatives exists thanks largely to small businesses like law firms that want Exchange-like functionality without having to buy, install, and manage Exchange.

Pimero … in One Sentence
Soft Evolution's Pimero 2010 is a program for calendar, contacts, email.

The Killer Feature
Many people still send email newsletters and other email broadcasts by placing a bunch of email addresses in the BCC field. Or worse by placing everyone in the TO field. It's not their fault. When these people think email, they think Outlook. They don't realize specialized broadcast email software exists.

Pimero includes broadcast email functionality in addition to a traditional email client. With the Serial Mailer, you can create up to 30 placeholders for conditional content such as names to personalize your messages. You can also save your recipient lists for repeated use. Rounding out the features, you can preview your message and also send a test message before unleashing your email on your recipients.

Other Notable Features
Pimero pretty much duplicates what Outlook offers without the need for Microsoft Exchange. You can use it standalone or set it up to work across your network, which enables you to benefit from group calendars and shared address books. Also, you can set up Pimero so that you and you colleagues can access it from any standard Web browser and smartphone Web browser.

The Scheduler (calendar) enables you to show your free time and offers automatic reminders. The email client offers three different views and the ability to create contacts from a signature. The Task Manager also provides three different views, including a timeline. The Contact Manager includes label printing and Skype integration.

Other features include QuickView for seeing your schedule in a small floating window, Chat for intra-office instant messaging, Agenda for seeing all appointments, tasks, and birthdays on one page, Notes, and an RSS newsreader.

What Else Should You Know?
You can choose from three editions — Free, Standard, and Professional. Pricing starts at $68 for Standard and $94 for Professional with discounts for volume purchases. Pimero runs on Windows. The Web functionality requires Microsoft Webserver IIS. Learn more about Pimero

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a remote control app for smartphones and tablets (see article below), an inkjet printer that circumvents traditional drivers, an online research service, an iOS calendar and task management app, and a multi-platform eBook reader and store. Don't miss the next issue.

Mobile Remote Control

Physicists have conducted teleportation experiments with photons, but we remain a long way off from instantly beaming down to Paris from New York for a croissant. Fortunately, when everything resides in the electronic realm, teleportation actually exists — and it's not expensive. In the world of PCs, we refer to teleportation as "remote control." The latest breakthrough in this area? Smartphones and tablets.

LogMeIn Ignition … in One Sentence
LogMeIn Ignition for iPad and iPhone enables you to control any PC from any Apple iOS device.

The Killer Feature
Traditionally, remote control has required a computer. In certain situations, even a laptop can prove cumbersome so there's a demand for remote control for more portable devices.

LogMeIn has answered the call with Ignition, its new universal app for iOS devices — namely, Apple's iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The company added iPad support in April.

"Whether it's accessing an important file back in the office while you are camping in the woods, or showing off the latest picture of the kids you have at home, the iPad with LogMeIn Ignition is the perfect combination for keeping you productive at work and at play," said Andrew Burton, Vice President, Access and Management.

Other Notable Features
The app securely stores your login information so you need not remember your password. You can control an unlimited number of Macs and PCs. Ignition supports a number of common computer functions, including moving the mouse, clicking, scrolling, and dragging, zooming in and out, keyboard combinations, and switching between multiple monitors.

The new version of Ignition features improved rendering of the screens of the computers you access. It also takes advantage of the higher-resolution display of the iPad. You should also notice better performance over both 3G and WiFi networks.

What Else Should You Know?
LogMeIn Ignition costs $29.99 on the iTunes App Store. You can use it with either a LogMeIn Free or Pro account. Learn more about LogMeIn Ignition.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an online billing application (see article below), a new Android-based smartphone, an address book synchronization service, a time capture app for iPhone, and a free online storage service. Don't miss the next issue.

Easy Does It

Have you ever heard the expression "hopelessly complex." There's no such thing really. It just means someone is not trying hard enough. Take billing software. Much of it looks hopelessly complex, but perhaps a different approach could make it laughably simple — or at least relatively straightforward. That's the goal of an increasing number of companies building online financial applications.

Syncd … in One Sentence
Cerebris' Syncd is an online application for time and expense tracking and billing.

The Killer Feature
In The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dr. Evil clones himself — in miniature. We could all benefit from a clone of ourselves. A Mini Me might even prove more useful.

At least that's the case with Syncd. You can switch between Mini and Standard modes. Mini enables you to run timers unobtrusively while you work. Standard mode provides you with full access to all of Syncd's features.

In either mode, you can select and even create a new client and matter from the timer. In the Standard mode, you can adjust entries, and also enter time in bulk. You can also use Syncd with the companion iPhone app.

Other Notable Features
Syncd also tracks expenses. It stores vendors so that you need enter them only once. You can correlate expenses with a client and matter for cost recovery purposes.

If you need to track more details for billing or expenses than the standard template offers, you can customize Syncd. You can also assign billing rates, create access rights for various users, and more.

You create bills, expense reimbursement forms, etc. on Syncd's reports screen. Syncd remembers every report you run so that you can quickly recreate it.

What Else Should You Know?
Syncd costs $5 per user per month. The iPhone app is free. Learn more about Syncd.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire ccovers trial presentation software (see article below), an eBook reader and store, an eDiscovery suite, a marketing service for litigation support consultants, and a gadget that transforms your iPhone into an infrared remote control. Don't miss the next issue.

Trial Presentation for Dummies

Many litigators want to present their demonstrative evidence using a laptop, but few of them have the patience to learn how to do so. That's funny because many lawyers enjoy sinking their teeth into complex legal issues that require a good chunk of time to research and analyze. But give them more than five menu commands to learn and their attention will drift, or worse they'll break into a cold sweat. One company has attempted to address this problem with a simplified approach to trial presentation.

ExhibitView 3.0 … in One Sentence
ExhibitView 3.0 is a trial presentation program.

The Killer Feature
Although ExhibitView's creators designed ExhibitView for newbies, their more advanced customers clamored for additional functionality. Rather than add features and clutter the interface, the company created a plug-in architecture in version 3.0.

Version 3.0 ships with two plug-ins — Microsoft Viewer and SynchPro. The former displays Microsoft documents. SynchPro enables you to show synchronized video depositions using a closed captioning overlay or scrolling text mode. You can search for and bookmark the testimony you want to show, and adjust the start/stop points.

Other Notable Features
ExhibitView can show one slide at a time or two slides side by side. It supports common image and other file formats. The new WebViewer Tab enables you to save and display Web pages. You can also display live Web pages if you have an Internet connection.

ExhibitView's Projector button automatically detects a projector and configures Windows' video settings accordingly.

What Else Should You Know?
ExhibitView costs $699, which includes training. You can install it on two Windows computers. Learn more about ExhibitView.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.