The Mac Lawyer : The Mac Lawyer : Ben Stevens : Using Macs In The Practice Of Law

I picked up my new iPhone 3G-S yesterday, and I love it.  Of course, I really like its faster speed and its improved camera and video recording capabilities.  I have also been playing around with the Voice Control feature, and it seems to work pretty well thus far.

Ernie The Attorney published his thoughts on the iPhone 3G-S yesterday, and he paid particular attention to the Voice Control functions, which he calls "the killer upgrade feature."  Some of the things you can do with this new feature are:

• "Call [name of person]"
• "Dial [phone number that you say, slowly]
• "Play music"
• "Play songs by [name of artist, spoken clearly and carefully]
• "What is this song?"

Ernie also praises the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic.  If you already have the 3G-S or are considering getting one, you should read his article, as I agree with his thoughts on the Voice Control functionality.

Source: "The New iPhone 3G|s| - Voice Commands Rock!" by Ernest Svenson, published at Ernie The Attorney.

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I'm pleased to repost the following "MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 Review for Lawyers" by my friend, Finis Price, from his superb TechnoEsq blog:

As most of you know, TechnoEsq posted a review by Victor Medina of the early version of MacSpeech back in March 2008. That review has now become the most read post on TechnoEsq, probably due to the overwhelming demand by attorneys and law firms for dictation software. Earlier this year, MacSpeech released the latest version of MacSpeech Dictate version 1.0. As most of you know, MacSpeech’s Dictate program is powered by the same dictation engine as the windows application Dragon NaturallySpeaking produced by Nuance.

Unfortunately, MacSpeech Dictate uses the Dragon NaturallySpeaking dictation engine number 9.0 instead of the latest 10.0 Dragon NaturallySpeaking users are raving about. As a result of this, it can be said that MacSpeech Dictate in some respects lags behind the Windows version of the dictation software. However within the past month and a half, MacSpeech has released version 1.5 which is a major update to Dictate. This update, costing upgrade users $55 and $199 for new users, is perhaps the greatest update in an application without moving to the 2.0 version of software ever seen. As a result of this, I highly recommend paying for this nominal upgrade fee.

What makes this new upgrade worth $55 is the update of MacSpeech Dictate’s speech recognition engine to the 10.0 engine. This engine is the same one utilized by our Windows brethren running Dragon NaturallySpeaking. As a result of this upgrade, MacSpeech claims an improved speech recognition of 20%, however I feel this is probably an understatement as I have seen an almost 50% increase in speech recognition. As well as improved accuracy, many of the insufferable bugs which were previously present in version 1.0 of Dictate have completely disappeared. These include random letters being generated at the end of sentences, problems in going back through dictation for editing as well as an improved speed difference which is very welcome.

As a practicing attorney, I do utilize a legal transcriptionist for dictation. When using Dictate 1.0 I was growing increasingly irritated with the bugs mentioned above and found myself going back to my transcriptionist because it was just too hard to deal with these issues. However after the upgrade to dictate 1.5 I have gone back dictating to my transcription less and less. This is directly correlated to the improvements with the new speech recognition engine and the bug fixes.

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If you are a Mac-using attorney (or if you want to become one), then you should attend MILO Fest 2009, the Mac-focused conference for attorneys.  After weeks of anticipation and speculation, details have just been announced this week about this exciting seminar.

I am excited to be one of the speakers, and I think that this seminar will be one that is discussed for years.  You should make plans now so that you don't miss out.  Topics announced to date:  SaaS Roundtable, Branding with your Mac, Running Your Practice in the Cloud, Social Media Business Development, Stupid iPhone Lawyer Tricks, Creating Kick-Butt Legal Presentations.

If you want to find out more about MILO Fest, you can click HERE for dates, location, pricing, and much more, and if you're ready to register, you can click HERE.  If you want to learn more about MILO or join, simply click HERE.  I hope to see you all at MILO Fest later this year.

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Web-based software is continuing to gain in popularity and usage among attorneys.  My firm uses several of these in our daily practice, including Rocket Matter (case management / time & billing), gMail (firm email), and Evernote (electronic filing / storage system).  If you hear the terms "the cloud" and "SaaS" but aren't quite sure what all the fuss is about, you can find out everything you need to know in the following article:  

Understanding "The Cloud": The Pros and Cons of Web-based Software for Attorneys

If you've attended a technology CLE or read a technology publication over the last year, chances are good you've at least heard of "the cloud" or cloud computing. Cloud computing is a term that's used to describe a spectrum of services, software, and infrastructure delivered over the web rather than installed on a user's computer or server.

One of the better-known forms of cloud computing is software as a service (or "SaaS"). SaaS aims to mirror (or even improve on) the experience of traditional software without requiring the user to buy expensive software licenses, struggle with complicated installations, or manage upgrades and updates.

SaaS has proven both popular and controversial among attorneys. While some have adopted it wholeheartedly and swear they'd never go back, others have chosen to steer clear, claiming the risks outweigh the benefits.

To help you better understand SaaS and to decide whether it has a place in your practice, here are a few of the pros and cons:

The Pros:

• It "just works." With SaaS, you avoid the headaches of installation and maintenance. As long as you have an Internet connection and a web browser (like Internet Explorer), using your software is as simple as logging in. Furthermore, most SaaS products have been built with usability as a high priority, making them easy to learn and use.
• Mac friendly. Because SaaS products operate through the web browser, they usually run just as well on a Mac as they do on Windows.

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Apple Stores are known for their knowledgeable personnel and excellent customer service.  Not coincidentally, those are also the hallmarks of outstanding lawfirms.  Jay Shepherd has written an article which questions what it would be like if these stores were run like law firms – and by extension, why law firms can't be run more like Apple Stores.  It is a very thought-provoking article, and I recommend it to attorneys everywhere.

Source:  "What if the Apple Store Billed by the Hour?" by Jay Shepherd, published at The Client Revolution.

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There are many good iPhone Apps out there – maybe so many that you're overwhelmed and unsure where to start looking at them.  If that applies to you, consider the following list of "Top 20 iPhone Apps for Busy Attorneys" as a starting point and see if any of these will be helpful to you:

1. CardLasso:: This program lets you take a photo of any business card with the iPhone camera, scan the info on the card, and automatically convert it into pertinent data, such as contact information. For lawyers on the go, this can be the ultimate time-saver.
2. DocScanner :: If you need to scan on the go, this legal-friendly app is for you. It lets you take a photo of any document with your iPhone camera and automatically convert it to a PDF document.
3. SmartTime Schedule Organizer :: This app is an organizer with the edge you need. Using advanced logic, this program schedules times for meetings and tasks, combines your various task and appointments into a single view, and re-organizes everything on the fly, as needed.
4. Conference Call :: This app lets you schedule your legal conference calls with the click of a button. Your iPhone, in turn, will automatically call your contacts and connect them to the conference call.
5. Take Me Back to the Office! :: This simple program lets you program in a location (such as your law office), and this program will give you directions back there, no matter where your work has taken you.
6. Documents Free (Mobile Office Suite) :: This easy-to-use mobile office suite lets you keep track of spreadsheets and text files, as well as sync up to Google Docs to take the law wherever you go.
7. Remote Desktop Lite :: The only problem of being on the go is, of course, not having access to your Desktop PC. This app lets you access your XP professional PC, meaning all of your important documents are just a click away.
8. PDF Reader Pro :: This short and simple program lets you read your PDF documents on the go. With easy document management, wi-fi synchronization and a cool landscape view, this has all your PDF needs.

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Macworld published answers to many Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the new iPhone 3G-S, including the following:

• How is this iPhone different from the iPhone 3G?
• How did Apple boost performance?
• What are the new features in the iPhone 3G-S that aren’t in the iPhone 3G?
• I’ve heard that the camera is better in the iPhone 3G-S. Is that true?
• So can this iPhone finally shoot video?
• How much does the iPhone 3G-S cost?
• I’ve already got an iPhone. Should I upgrade to this one?
• Will existing accessories and cases for the iPhone 3G fit the iPhone 3G-S?
• When will the AT&T network support the new high-speed 7.2 HSPA network that the iPhone 3G-S supports?
• I bought an iPhone 3G on May 9. Can I turn it back in for an iPhone 3G S?
• How does the battery life compare to the iPhone 3G?
• Can we stream live video?
• Will the iPhone video recorder be on par with the Flip-type cameras?
• Will my old, deactivated iPhone 3G still work without AT&T service as an iPod touch?

Source: "iPhone 3G S: What You Need to Know" published at Macworld.com.

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For better or worse, ringtones are here to stay, and everyone seems to want to personalize them.  Fortunately, you can now create simple, free iPhone ringtones from your iTunes library.  I have made several for myself, and you can too by following these easy steps:

1. Open iTunes 8 and find the song you want to turn in to a ringtone
2. Right click on that song and select “Get Info”
3. On the “Options” tab, use the “Start Time” and “End Time” boxes to customize the start and end times for your ringtone
4. Make sure that your ringtone 40 seconds or less and click “ok”
5. With your selected song still highlighted, click on “Advanced” in your menu bar and select “Create AAC Version”
6. A duplicate copy of your song will then appear in iTunes.  It will have the same filename but shorter “time”
7. Go back to the original song and uncheck the “Start Time” and “End Time” boxes
8. Drag the duplicate song to your Desktop, right click on it and select "duplicate"
9. Once the duplicate song has been created on your Desktop, delete the duplicate file in iTunes
10. On your Desktop, rename the file's extension from "m4a" to “.m4r”.  This turns your song file into an iPhone ringtone file.
11. Drag the newly renamed .m4r (songname.m4r) file back into iTunes and you should see your new ringtone under “Ringtones” in iTunes
12. Sync your iPhone to get your new ringtone on it, and you're done!

Note: This process works with MP3, ACC, and AIFF files.  Only DRM-free songs can be used with this ringtone creation process.  Any song downloaded from iTunes Music Store will have DRM (Digital Rights Management), so don’t use those songs.  Any song ripped from a CD or downloaded from DRM-free sources (P2P, Amazon, your friend) will work just fine.

Source:  "iPhone Ringtones: Create FREE iPhone Ringtones Using iTunes 8" by Will Park, published at IntoMobile.com.

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Microsoft has begun an aggressive "laptop hunters" ad campaign to attempt to convince consumers to buy PCs instead of Macs.  In fact, the latest one actually shows one of their "hunters" standing outside of an Apple Store complaining about the high costs of Macs.

PC advocates claim that there is an "Apple tax" – defined as the supposed premium that Apple computers usually cost over comparably equipped PCs.  Mac advocates counter with the concept of the "Microsoft discount" – the theory that maybe PCs cost less because Windows is worth less.

For instance, PC World compared comparably equipped machines and found the following:

• MacBook Pro vs. Dell XPS 1330 :: When configured with similar features, the MacBook Pro was only $95 more ($1,399 vs. $1,304).  These machines included the following:  13.3" LED backlit screen, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard disk, Nvidia GE Force 9400M Graphics Card, 802.11n networking, integrated webcam, backlit keyboard, and Bluetooth. The Mac has a 2.26 GHz Intel processor with a 1066 MHz frontside bus, whereas the Dell XPS 1330 comes with 2.4 GHz and 800 MHz, respectively.
  
• MacBook Air vs. Dell Adamo ::  The starting price for the Air is $1,499, whereas the Adamo starts $500 higher at $1,999.  In its $1,799 configuration, the MacBook Air matches the 128GB Solid Stage Drive of the Adamo and bests its 1.2 GHz processor with one that clocks in at 2.13 GHz. Both come with 2GB of RAM and no optical drive. The Air weighs one full pound less than the Adamo at 3 lbs.  As it turns out, the Air is less expensive than the Dell.

When I give presentations on the benefits of using Macs in a law practice, the "cost" question is one of those that almost always comes up.  I have always pointed out that Macs hold their values much better than PCs, as can be easily seen by visiting eBay and looking at the resale prices of each.  Now, I can point to the articles below to help show that Macs don't cost much (if any) more on the front end either.

Sources:  "Reassessing the Apple Tax" by Michael Scalisi, published at PC World, and "The Microsoft Discount" by Dan Miller, published at Macworld.

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