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

Virtually everyone knows that Keynote is a fantastic presentation program, far superior to PowerPoint.  However, some people have questions about the best way to create handouts from their Keynote presentation.  Macworld recently explained the process, which I have illustrated below:

1.  After you have created your presentation, go to the print options via File > Print or ⌘P

2.  Select Layout from the pop-up menu

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There has been a great deal of discussion and debate lately regarding the position that Apple has taken with regard to Adobe Flash.  Steve Jobs posted an article yesterday which clearly sets out the basis for Apple's decision not to allow Flash on iPhones, iPods, and iPads.

He listed the following six reasons as the basis for Apple's position:

1. "Open"  ::  While Adobe’s Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system. Apple strongly believes that all standards pertaining to the web should be open, and rather than using Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards. 
2. “Full Web”  ::  Adobe’s claim that Apple mobile devices cannot access “the full web” because 75% of video on the web is in Flash doesn’t consider that all this video is also available in a more modern format, H.264, and viewable on iPhones, iPods and iPads. For instance, YouTube has an estimated 40% of the web’s video, and it shines in an app bundled on all Apple mobile devices. While Adobe’s claim that Apple devices cannot play Flash games ignores the fact that there are over 50,000 games and entertainment titles on the App Store, and that there are more games and entertainment titles available for iPhone, iPod and iPad than for any other platform in the world.
3. Reliability, Security and Performance :: Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. Flash is also the number one reason Macs crash, and these problems have persisted for several years despite Apple’s efforts to work with Adobe to fix them. Apple doesn’t want to reduce the reliability and security of its iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash. What’s more, Flash has not performed well on any mobile devices, regardless of manufacturer. 
4. Battery Life :: To achieve long battery life when playing video, mobile devices must decode the video in hardware, as decoding it in software uses too much power. Many of the chips used in modern mobile devices contain a decoder called H.264. While Flash has recently added support for H.264, the video on almost all Flash websites currently requires an older generation decoder that is not implemented in mobile chips and must be run in software, which can cut battery life by 50% or more. When websites re-encode their videos using H.264, they can offer them without using Flash at all. 
5. Touch :: Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers. For example, many Flash websites rely on “rollovers”, which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot. Because Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface doesn’t use a mouse, there is no concept of a rollover. Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript? 
6. Independence ::  Adobe also wants developers to adopt Flash to create apps that run on our mobile devices, but Apple believes that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. Apple does not want to be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make ots enhancements available to its developers. 

Source:  "Thoughts on Flash" by Steve Jobs, posted at Apple.com. 

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I am pleased to publish the following Guest Post from Jim Martin, and I hope that my readers find it to be helpful:

I have drafted many legal forms in my law practice and have published many of them in book form through West Publishing. Back in the days of standalone word processors and WordPerfect DOS, we could easily set the forms up to merge specific client information to generate documents for clients. Not so with Microsoft Word. We had to use Hot Docs for Word.

I switched my law practice from PC to Mac in October 2009. Alas, there is no Hot Docs for Mac. Then I switched my word processor from Microsoft Word to Apples Pages in February 2010. Alas alas, there is no Hot Docs for Pages. So, I have been hunting for software that searches and replaces multiple variables of text in an Apple Pages document in one pass. And I found it…from Apple. It’s built in. You just use Numbers to hold the client’s variable text, and you use Pages to generate the documents. Both Pages and Numbers are included in Apple iWork ’09. Pages is Apple’s answer to Word, and Numbers is its answer to Excel.

Apple Pages mail merge can merge variable text from an Apple Numbers document into an Apple Pages document. You usually think of mail merge as creating letters and envelopes. That’s how it works with Word, and that’s how it works with Pages, too. But Pages also lets you merge your own variables from a Numbers document into a Pages document.

The instructions for merging with your own variables, instead of just Address Book variables, are on page 236 of the Apple Pages ’09 User Guide. It’s really easy since it involves just two files, but I will walk you through the steps I go through to create legal form documents for merging with Apple Pages. Here goes:

1. Find the legal form. Texas lawyer J. Harris Morgan taught lawyers years ago to throw copies of legal documents into whiskey boxes next to our desks. So, go to the whiskey box and pull out the form you want to “mergify”. Let’s assume it’s a deed. Print it on page for convenience.
2. Mark through the variable text. Now, go through the deed and strike through all the variable text, like the grantor name, grantor address, grantee name, grantee address, property address, property legal description, county, etc. Take your time. You don’t want Client A’s name to be on Client B’s deed.
3. Create the form document in Pages. Open Apple Pages and type that legal form document into it, or cut and paste it from an actual client file. This is your template. Save it with a name like “Deed template 2010.03.27.pages”. Note that I always put the date in the file name so that I know when I created it. Also note that you don’t need to save the file as a template. Saving it as a .pages file works just fine.
4. Create the fill-in document in Numbers. Now open Apple Numbers and create a blank spreadsheet and save it with a name like “Deed fillin 2010.03.27”. This will hold the specifics for your client. This is the variable text.
5. Enter the variable names in Numbers. In the first row type a variable name in each column. For example, in row 1 column A type the variable name “grantor name”, and in column B type “grantor address”, etc. Enter a column name for every variable text item in the deed (property address, property legal description, county, etc.) Each name must be different. Save this file for future use. The second row will contain the client’s specific information in each column for those variables.
6. Enter the variables in the form document in Pages. Go back to your legal form document in Pages. Using your paper mark-up of the legal form as a guide, go to the first variable text item that you struck out and rename it with its variable name. I add 3 asterisks around it for ease in viewing. So, the first variable might be ***grantor name***. Then select that variable name and do the following in this order:
   1. In the form document in Pages, select the variable name including the asterisks so that it is highlighted;
   2. Click on the Inspector at the top of the Pages document’s bar;
   3. Click on the Merge button;
   4. Click the radio button for Numbers document;
   5. Navigate to your saved Numbers fill-in file and select it;
   6. Click the plus sign in the lower left of the Inspector window;
   7. Click Add Merge Field;
   8. Pages will insert your highlighted text into the window under the Merge Field column;
   9. The Target Name to the right is probably not the correct variable name that appears as a column in your Numbers file, so in the Inspector window click to the right of the Target Name that Pages inserted for your Merge Field and a drop down list will appear with all of the variable names you entered in the first row of your Numbers file; just select the correct Target Name for the variable text you are trying to insert in the form at that point (e.g., ***grantor name*** Merge Field should have “grantor name” as the Target Name if that is what you typed as the column heading).
   10. Do the above for every variable text entry in your legal form in Pages.
   11. Save your Pages document file for future use.
7. Enter client’s variable text in Numbers. The hard part is done. Open the Numbers fill in document. Enter the client’s information in row 2 of each column. So, under the grantor name column you would enter “John T. Jones”. Do this column by column. Save the Numbers file to your desktop or other location you can find.
8. Merge in Pages to create the client’s document. Now go back to your form document in Pages and do the following:
   1. Click Edit;
   2. Click Mail Merge;
   3. Click Numbers Document and choose your fill-in Numbers document by clicking Choose and navigating to it if not already shown;
   4. Select Merge to New Document;
   5. Click Merge, and Pages creates a new Pages document by merging the client’s variable information into the Pages form.

So, this worked for me. I just discovered it today. So these instructions are still in beta, even if Pages and Numbers are not. Let me know if this works for you or if you have any tips or tricks of your own to make this work better. Thanks.

Jim Martin
St. Petersburg, Florida
March 27, 2010 

This article was originally published by James W. Martin at his Florida Lawyer Blog and is published here with his permission.

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One question that I am frequently asked is "What's the best word processing program for the Mac?"  Niki Black published an article last week giving her thoughts about Scrivener, which is described on its website as a "word processor and project management tool created specifically for writers of long texts." 

Niki wrote that she finds Scrivener to be an invaluable tool that helps make the process of writing and organizing the information she collects so much simpler and streamlined, and she explained how this might benefit attorneys.  For instance, each portion of a legal document could be treated as a “chapter,” which is simply a folder within the document that can have the supportive documentation (exhibits, cases, etc.) alongside and able to be opened with a click. The associated files could be text files, image files, websites, audio files, or even video files, and they can be linked, or associated, with different sections to be referenced more than once.

Of course, as my readers already know, I am a big fan of Pages (which I use in my practice) and I dislike Word (because I try to avoid all things Microsoft).  However, it sounds as though Scrivener could be useful in certain types of cases – particularly if an iPad compatible version becomes available.  If you're still undecided about which word processing program is best for you, you may want to check out Scrivener.

Source:  "Using Scrivener for Legal Writing" by Niki Black, published at Lawyerist.com.

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The Mac Lawyer would like to wish a happy anniversary to my good friends at Rocket Matter, as it has been two years since their public launch.  My firm has been using Rocket Matter from almost the very beginning, and we believe it to be one of the premier online case management systems for attorneys.

As part of their anniversary celebration, Rocket Matter has launched Rocket Matter Professional Services, which can help minimize downtime as firms migrate from their old software to this Software as a Service (SaaS) platform.  If you want to know more about Rocket Matter, you can visit their website or visit with them in person at Virtual LegalTech, LegalTech New York, or the ABA Tech Show.

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There are a number of ready-to-go applications for lawyers and law firms adopting the Macintosh platform. Here’s a snapshot of some favorite ones you can put to use in your daily practice.

If there is one consistent thing about law firms, and the lawyers in them, it is that they resist change. Whether it is a solo practice or a large national firm, that resistance seems to be ingrained in most lawyers’ psyches. Yet, surprisingly, we are now seeing greater numbers of lawyers and firms abandoning this stagnation when it comes to their computing platforms, as more and more lawyers adopt Apple Macs into their practices. This change seems to be going viral, and thus lawyers are more frequently asking what Mac programs they can put to use in their practices on a daily basis.

The following covers some of my favorites. Note that, since most converts to Macs are often embedded in a Windows law firm environment, I include, where possible, applications that allow transportability of information between the “two worlds.”

Daylite and Bento

Every law practice requires a good case management solution, and two affordable options stand out for the Mac. For the solo to small firm office, Bento, which requires a small amount of work to set up, does a great job of providing a networked custom client and case database. Created by FileMaker, Bento is truly just a personal database application. It allows the inclusion of media files such as video depositions or deposition transcripts and encryption for the entire database. While not as powerful as FileMaker, it also is not as expensive at only $49 retail.

More specific to the law practice is MarketCircle's Daylite. Daylite offers full integration with e-mail, a fully functioning iPhone app, networkable rules-based calendaring and delegation of tasks. Daylite has even provided a sample work flow with tips on how to customize Daylite to a personal injury, divorce, estate planning and general litigation practice. A great many lawyers already use this program in their practices, and it seems Daylite offers excellent customer support and is always looking to polish its amazing product.

TrialSmart and DepoSmart

Perhaps one of the true necessities for any litigator is the ability to display exhibits or depositions to a jury. Windows users who are familiar with Sanction or Verdical will find that two programs – TrialSmart and DepoSmart, both from Clarity Legal Software – offer the same functions as their Windows counterparts for displaying nonlinear presentations. DepoSmart covers annotations and links within depositions, preparing them for display in TrialSmart. Together, these two programs can tag portions of depositions with issue tags for later reference, synchronize video with transcripts and create links from a deposition to an exhibit. Furthermore, networkability is much easier than it is with their PC brethren, with full access and movement of database files a breeze.

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Ultimately, you, the user, will have to determine if this “working in the cloud” is for you. Legitimate and less-legitimate concerns about the safety of your data and the security of your confidential information will be a topic for debate in another article. Consider, though, how much of your confidential life is already online—banks, insurance information, credit cards—and realize that security is generally as good as your passwords are. The tools for breaking free of the desktop--safely, securely, inexpensively, and collaboratively—are all there. The question is, do we want to use them.

Paul Meyerson has been a Macintosh consultant in the NYC area for more years than he wants to admit. His new company, www.macsupport.com, aims to take care of any and all Macintosh issues for the home or small business users. Using a combination of telephone support and remote control software, Macsupport.com is able to deal with a variety of home users’ issues quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.

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Finally, for all the data flotsam and jetsam we accumulate, there’s an application to make your online life searchable. Evernote gives you a central database to keep accounts, passwords, bookmarks, notes, recipes or whatever you want. It stores them securely and keeps it all easily accessible in numerous ways. Evernote is an application you install on whatever platform you’re on (Mac, PC, iPhone, or access it via the web) and, using a free account, synchronize it all together.

Of the three Cloud applications I’ve discussed here, this is the one I use all day, every day. Although there is a free version (ad sponsored), the inexpensive pay account ($45/year) is a must if you intend to use this to its fullest extent. Evernote wants to consider itself your searchable filing cabinet, and its tools do exactly that. Tag notes with tags that you make up on the fly and then sort the whole system via those tags, or search for any text you might have in a note.

Many online applications have the ability to store notes and search them, there are two things that set Evernote apart: Integration into a browser and the ability to take pictures of anything and OCR it automatically. The picture part, although it’s very cool, I don’t use much. You use your iSight or iPhone camera to photograph nearly anything and save it to Evernote. When the item gets to Evernote’s servers they perform some impressive OCR voodoo to make those photos searchable. If there’s text, a general search of all your normal text documents will also find the photos with the text somewhere in them. For example, a picture of a map that had the words “New York” on it would show if you chose to search for the term “New York.”

The second exceptional feature of Evernote puts a small Elephant-shaped button right into your browser bar. Come across a page you want to have available to you later? Click this button and the entire page—pictures, text, whatever (not flash or other embedded things) as well as most of the formatting will pop right into a new Evernote note, along with the Title of the page and the link to the original. Unlike simply bookmarking a page in a browser, doing it this way makes that page completely searchable. Bookmarks are one thing, but this is far beyond.

Paul Meyerson has been a Macintosh consultant in the NYC area for more years than he wants to admit. His new company, www.macsupport.com, aims to take care of any and all Macintosh issues for the home or small business users. Using a combination of telephone support and remote control software, Macsupport.com is able to deal with a variety of home users’ issues quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.

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If viewing the changes after a document is saved is not fast enough for you, how about an application where people can share a document and see the changes AS THEY HAPPEN? This, among many other things, is a killer feature of Google Documents. Some of the features of this indispensible tool are:

• Totally free.
• Work on the same document at the same time in real-time collaboration.
• Replicate all of the expensive Microsoft Office applications for free with Google versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Save the documents locally if you need to (as either Word, HTML, PDF, or many other formats with no conversion necessary), or leave them in the cloud.
• Give access to any document to anyone you choose, and decide whether they can read/write or delete each document.
• Use a built-in revision history to keep track of multiple versions of the same documents.

Trust me, you haven’t worked on a spreadsheet until you’ve seen the cursor moving around on its own as you’re editing other cells and colleagues are editing their own info at the same time. It’s almost creepy (but in a good way!)

Paul Meyerson has been a Macintosh consultant in the NYC area for more years than he wants to admit. His new company, www.macsupport.com, aims to take care of any and all Macintosh issues for the home or small business users. Using a combination of telephone support and remote control software, Macsupport.com is able to deal with a variety of home users’ issues quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.

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Dropbox, completely free for 2 GB of space, a pay service if you need more space ($10/month for 50 GB), appears just like any other folder on your local computer. However, the folder is actually a live, shared folder on the dropbox servers. With the help of an integrated menu bar application, you can give read only or read/write access to anything that’s in the box, be it folders or individual files. You can access your own dropbox through the web, iPhone, desktop or laptop, via Mac or PC. Others can access it in the same way if you’ve given them access.

Think of it as file sharing without having to set up the server. Working on a collaborative project? Share out that folder with people and give granular access to files and folders in the project. The folder automatically checks to see what’s been updated locally and updates the folder accordingly. Need to get someone changes to a document or a series of documents? Don’t email them—just work out of the drop box and everyone will see your changes immediately after you save the file.

Paul Meyerson has been a Macintosh consultant in the NYC area for more years than he wants to admit. His new company, www.macsupport.com, aims to take care of any and all Macintosh issues for the home or small business users. Using a combination of telephone support and remote control software, Macsupport.com is able to deal with a variety of home users’ issues quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.

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The typical model of how people store and access documents is changing as “cloud computing” makes its way to the Mac environment. Basically, cloud computing means that software is stored not on the user’s desktop, but on a server or many servers somewhere on the Internet (hence, “cloud.”)

Alternately referred to as SaaS (“Software as a Service”), the basic concept is the same—you don’t buy your software, you subscribe to it. In many cases, this is a paid service. In some cases, most notably through Google, it’s free. In all cases of Cloud Computing, though, it’s using the tools we’ve taken for granted on the desktop and moved them onto the Internet.

Economically, this makes good sense. Why spend big chunks of money on databases or word processors when the same software is available online for a nominal monthly fee (or, for free!)? Perhaps more importantly, why deal with the headaches that come with locally stored applications, including installation and upgrades when you could just open your browser and do about 98% of what you normally do?

However, with all of these good reasons for using cloud computing, I’d like to discuss a different one: Functionality that is ONLY available in a “cloud.” Three applications specifically exemplify this: Dropbox, Evernote and Google Docs, and each will be addressed in a series of posts over the next week. Stay tuned...

Paul Meyerson has been a Macintosh consultant in the NYC area for more years than he wants to admit. His new company, www.macsupport.com, aims to take care of any and all Macintosh issues for the home or small business users. Using a combination of telephone support and remote control software, Macsupport.com is able to deal with a variety of home users’ issues quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.

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If you are new to the iPhone or an iPod Touch, you should visit Macworld's recently published guide to getting started at Apple's App Store.  Considering that there are 100,000 or so apps available, this guide can help you get a jump start in determining which apps are (or aren't) for you in the following categories:

• Productivity tools
• Companion apps
• E-readers
• Navigation tools
• Photo-friendly apps
• Fitness helpers
• Utilities
• Games

Source: "Getting started at the App Store" by Philip Michaels, published at Macworld.com.

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Last week, I blogged about my presentation from ABA TechShow 2009, "Got Apple Envy? Macs in a PC World".  Yesterday, Jeffrey Kabbe of Apple Briefs published the following article, which set forth his thoughts regarding what should be added to my article:

I just finished reading through the materials for the presentation by Ben Stevens and David Sparks at the 2009 ABA TechShow called “Got Apple Envy? Macs in a PC World.” It’s a great introduction to using Macs in any business, but with a special emphasis on the business of law.

Since I missed it the first time around (the tech show was in April), I thought I would add my input. What has changed since April? There’s new software, of course. And I also have seven months of additional experience to draw on. So here is what I would add to “Got Apple Envy?” given the chance.

Office Suites

Ben and David did a good job of laying out the office suite options. But there are plenty of good word processing options outside of the suites.

One of my favorites is Nisus Writer Pro. I love the interface. Nisus Writer Pro makes it very easy to work with styles. It’s much better than Pages’ combination of styles drawer and inspector.

I’ll also give a shout out to AbiWord. It has the advantage of being free. But the real reason it’s valuable is because it does a good job of opening Word Perfect files. The PC version of Microsoft Word can do this, but Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac OS X doesn’t appear to have this capability. So I keep a copy of AbiWord around for those occasional Word Perfect files (yes, firms still use Word Perfect).

Task Management

People using Entourage probably use its built-in task management tools. But anyone using Mail has to choose between iCal’s tiny capabilities and using a third-party solution. The good news is that there are plenty of good Mac applications for task management (aka Getting Things Done – GTD). My current favorite is The Hit List. But I have also used Omni Focus and Things at various times. I plan to make a final decision sometime in the next six months, but it’s difficult. They all have their strong points!

Databases

I have to disagree that Bento has limited usefulness for a law practice. For a hypothetical firm that has a large budget for database design (or purchase) and someone experienced in charge of processes? Yes, Bento has limited usefulness because it just isn’t very powerful.

But many firms are still using pen-and-paper or Excel spreadsheets to track client work. Bento could absolutely help these firms if someone with just a little knowledge helped them set something up. Bento would definitely be a step up for countless small firms.

Research Tools

Another category of software that might be useful to attorneys are the research tools. Applications like Yojimbo, DEVONthink, and Together come to mind. I don’t have much to say on these other than that I know they exist.

I have used each of them, but I just prefer keeping my research data in a folder hierarchy rather than a single application. Ok, there is one exception. I have taken a liking to Little Snapper. I find myself using it much more than Paparrazi.

Anything Else?

I’d love to expand on the existing topics into the other kinds of applications that I use. But I doubt that most attorneys enjoy dabbling in law / marketing / design / programming like I do. Still, if there is a category of application that you want an opinion on, all you have to do is ask.

Source:  "Apple Envy Redux: Using Macs In Your Law Firm" by Jeffrey Kabbe, published at Apple Briefs.

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It only takes you one time to experience a data loss without a current backup to make you understand just how important they are.  I learned that lesson the hard way several years ago.  The following article from Mac Tricks & Tips discusses the backup options for Macs:

Backup’s are very important. You should always have more than one backup if you are serious about making sure your data stays in one piece. Its ok backing them up to disk but what happens if you lost that disk or it doesn’t work. This post will hopefully explain some of the different ways in which you can back up your data. I recommend you pick two different options to make sure you don’t lose everything.

1) Time Machine

The first option you should have in place (I think by default) is Time Machine, you are given the option of data backup service installed by default so I recommend you use it. In essence Time Machine will backup files all of your file on your disk. Then as you change files and add files Time Machine will add them to the backup. This way you can go back in time and view how a file has changed as you have worked on it, you can pick a file from a specific period and restore it as necessary.

I think Time Machine is a great consumer backup system. Its simple to use, works and allows me to pick and choose files I want to restore. I have only used it a couple of times when I have wanted to restore a file, but it was a life saver when it was there. You do need a second hard disk for it to work effectively which is an added cost, however hard drives are getting cheaper all of the time. If you want to read more about using Time Machine read the Noob2Pro post I did a while ago.

Time Machine isn’t a proper backup tool, in that it doesn’t backup system files. If you ever do a full system restore it combines it with a fresh install from your installation disk. As a result you can’t make full backups to take a machine to a certain point and use this disk on a second computer. This is where option number two comes in.

2) Disk Cloners

There are a variety of disk cloners out there on the market. In essence they copy the entire contents of you disk and place it on a second drive. This enables you to quickly restore a backup by plugging the hard drive into your Mac or copying the DVD’s contents onto a your Mac. The advantage of this is that you can create a bootable backup, so you can boot directly from the back up. You can’t do this with Time Machine or other similar software.

There are two decent pieces of software out there which you can use for this sort of thing. SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner. They are very similar in the feature set. If you want to look into this type of back up software take a look at the feature set and try the pieces of software out. I prefer the Time Machine backup as it is a lot simpler. I don’t need to have a lot of full backups. I just need to keep my personal files intact.

3) Online Backup

I mentioned in the opening paragraph that you ideally need two types of backup. The second option I prefer is an online backup. The reason for this is that it acts as an off site backup. The best backup systems are ones where the first backup is next to your computer for easy access, then a second off site to protect against fire, theft etc. This is where online backups come into play.

There are a variety of different online backup systems. Most do the same basic thing. You upload the files to there server, you let them sit around, then when you need them you re-download them. There are lots of different options which such as using Amazon file cloud or a dedicated service which works on the same level. One service I have been trying out over the last couple of days is Backblaze. Its cheap, offers a lot of space and works well. If you want a second method which is cheap and reliable the online method would probably work well, there are plenty around so have a quick google and see what you can find.

Conclusion

Hopefully I have opened your eyes to different ways you can backup your files. The automated methods which I have listed are the best, this is because you don’t need to think about backing up every day, it does it automatically. You can of course burn files to disk using a DVD burner and select the files you want. This however needs a lot of disks and it takes a lot of time (plus burnable DVD’s break down and become useless after a while). Using hard drives, I think, is more valuable for money. 

Source:  "Backup Solutions For The Mac" published at Mac Tricks & Tips.

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Do you know whether your e-mail client uses POP (Post Office Protocol) or IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)?  You should, because IMAP is vastly superior to POP, and you should consider the following reasons that you should switch today:

1. Avoid webmail outages :: Users who connected to their web-based email accounts (such as Gmail) using IMAP can continue to retrieve their mail as usual even if the web-based email platform goes down.
2. Switch clients or platforms painlessly :: You can move effortless from one program to another without having to export / import messages and risk losing messages or the metadata attached to them.
3. Read all your mail on multiple devices :: For people who must use a variety of devices or operating systems, IMAP lets you see exactly the same data – including saved, filed, and sent messages – on every device.
4. Keep an extra copy of your messages :: The fact that IMAP gives you both local and server-based copies of each message can help you avoid data loss.

Source:  "Four reasons to switch to IMAP" by Joe Kissell, published at Macworld.com.

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Last week, I published explained how "The Paperless Law Office" is possible and the ways that it can benefit your firm.  Does it make a difference if your firm uses a web-based (SaaS) case management program?  The short answer is no, as explained in a recent article by Larry Port.

The process of quickly scanning, storing, and accessing your documents is explained step-by-step (with illustrations) in Mr. Port's article.  If you use Rocket Matter (like my firm does), then simply follow these steps:

1. Choose Scan to Folder using the ScanSnap Quick Menu.
2. Name the file appropriately and store in an easy location.
3. Open Rocket Matter and navigate to the file you wish to work with.
4. Click “Add Document”, click on the “Add File” link, and select your recently scanned item.
5. If desired, you can enter notes about your file or describe it with a title and tags, and you can also add billable time if appropriate.
6. To access the document, simply click on the link to download it when needed.

Source:  "How Can I Use My ScanSnap with a Legal Software as a Service Tool Like Rocket Matter?" by Larry Port of Rocket Matter, published at ScanSnap's "Ask the Expert" forum.

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Microsoft announced that it intends to finally include Outlook in its updated Mac:Office suite, scheduled to be released in late 2010.  Until now, it has included Entourage, "a sort-of-like-Outlook, sort-of-different application that got great reviews when it debuted but which has also suffered from iffy compatibility with Outlook and Exchange."

Of course, Mac users already have excellent email options, including Apple's Mail, which now is more compatible with Microsoft’s Exchange server under the new OS X Snow Leopard.  Therefore, while I anticipate this announcement may create some buzz for PC users still considering the switch and for larger firms who are tied to an Exchange based system, I don't believe that it will have much impact on smaller firms, as many of them (like my firm) have completely broken free and no longer suckle at the Microsoft teat.

What impact, if any, do you think that Microsoft's bringing Outlook to the Mac will have on law firms?  Please submit your comments below, as I look forward to reading them.

Source:  "Outlook is Coming to the Mac in 2010" by Harry McCracken, published at Technologizer.

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Adobe Acrobat is a great product, but one of its "problems" is that there are so many different versions.  Not only are people still using Acrobats 7, 8, and 9, but then there's also Reader, Standard, Pro and Pro Extended to consider.

It's almost enough to cause a headache.  Fortunately, Rick Borstein has made it extremely easy to distinguish the differences between these products and versions, using the following charts, which you can download for free using the links below:

• Acrobat 9 Legal Feature Matrix :: Shows the differences between Adobe Reader, Standard, Pro and Pro Extended
• Acrobat 7-8-9 Comparison for Legal Professionals :: Shows new features added in Acrobat 8 and 9.

Rick's blog is a tremendous (and free) resource for any attorneys, paralegals, or other legal professionals that work with *.pdf documents.  If you haven't checked it out before, do yourself a favor and visit it now.

Source:  "What's the difference between Acrobat versions?" by Rick Borstein, published at his Acrobat for Legal Professionals blog.

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Rocket Matter, one of the premier web-based case management program for attorneys, has now integrated Skype functionality into its program.  As you probably know, Skype is an Internet phone and messaging service, and Rocket Matter users can now easily initiate click-to-dial Skype calls directly from Rocket Matter contact records.  You can learn much more about this new feature by clicking here.

Source:  "Make Skype calls from Rocket Matter" by Larry Port, published at RocketMatter.com.

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The following Guest Post is from Joey Heape, Director of Media & Tech for the South Carolina Bar:

At South Carolina Bar, I normally work in a Windows environment and use Remote Desktop that comes as a part of Windows XP Pro to access workstations, administer our local servers and our web server. While I use a PC at the office I use a MacBook Pro or a Mac Pro when I’m at home or on the road. So how do I do this? Well, I use Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection for the Mac. Microsoft has had this product for a number of years and it works quite well. It’s a free download and works great if you are using a Mac to control a PC.

South Carolina Bar is mostly a Windows environment. However, we have eight Mac workstations and three Mac laptops in our environment too. Those that work from home using Macs have to be able to access their Mac workstations with a Mac from home. There are many companies that offer remote control products like GoToMyPC , MobileMe or some subscription based model where you access your destination computer through a third-party. While these are easy to do they cost you a monthly subscription.

Enter Apple Remote Desktop. Since I’m the system administrator at South Carolina Bar, we have purchased Apple’s Remote Desktop product to manage the Macs on our network. We can update software and do many administrative tasks with this program. But did you know there is a scaled down version of Apple Remote Desktop that comes with Mac OS X? It’s called Screen Sharing.

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If you need to create a time lapse video, you should check out the video below from Macworld.com, which details two methods for doing so. You can create a very basic time lapse moving using Gawker, a free program, or you can use Evocam ($30) and QuickTime Pro ($30) if you need or want more options.

Source:  "Make a Time-Lapse Video" by Rob Griffiths, published at Macworld.com.

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One of the questions that I get asked from time to time is "What's the Mac equivalent of Casemap?"  While there is not a program that exactly corresponds on the Mac side, one of the most viable options is MacJournal.  There is a good review of MacJournal at the MacLitigator blog which analyzes its pros and cons and explains why he prefers it over Journler.  You can check it out here.

Source: "MacJournal and Replacing Journler" by Peter Summerill, published at his MacLitigator blog.

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A few weeks ago, I reposted a review of MacSpeech Dictate by Finis Price.  David Sparks, has also reviewed this software, and I have reposted his review below.  While I do not use speech recognition software myself, I realize that many attorneys do.  I highly respect the opinions of my two good friends, and I hope that you have found their reviews helpful.  Here's what David thinks about MacSpeech Dictate:

It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed MacSpeech Dictate version 1. At the time I concluded it was the best dictation application on the Mac but is still wanting against the DragonDictate on the PC.

Because MacSpeech Dictate uses the Dragon speech recognition engine, I’ve always felt it is only a question of time before MacSpeech catches up with the feature list on the more mature PC application. Recently, MacSpeech Dictate came out with version 1.5 that takes several important steps on that path.

Since the original release of MacSpeech Dictate, the Dragon engine has been updated to version 10 on the PC. MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 brings that Dragon version 10 engine over to the Mac. It is both faster and more accurate than the Dragon 9 engine in the prior version. The developer states the accuracy improved “up to 20%.” Even using the prior version, my accuracy was very good. Having used speech recognition software (off and on) for over 10 years, I simply cannot understate the accuracy of the Dragon engine if you spend a little time and are careful with your dictdion. Frankly, my biggest accuracy problems are not the software but my occasional sloppy dictation habits. While difficult to quantify, the improved accuracy and speed with the new version is noticeable. Indeed, the engine upgrade is, in my opinion, the most important reason to move to version 1.5.

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Several weeks ago, I posted an article which described how to create custom iPhone ringtones for free.  Yes, that method works, but there is a better way – a much better way.  RingtoneStudio for iPhone from PocketMac allows you to create your own ringtones in seconds.  Now, I mean that literally – as in you can create your own rington faster than you can read this sentence!  No joking.

You simply (1) select the media file (from iTunes or anywhere on your Mac), (2) drag it into RingtoneStudio, (3) use the slider to select the portion you want on your ringtone, and (4) click create.  RingtoneStudio then creates the ringtone and automatically places it in the "Ringtones" section of your iTunes Library.

This program sells for $29.95, and it comes with a 90 day money back guarantee.  In the time it took you to read this post, you could have created several ringtones without breaking a sweat.  I use this program myself, and I absolutely love it.  You can learn more or purchase your own copy by clicking HERE.

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Macworld published an article today reviewing some of the top Twitter apps for the iPhone.  I have listed each of the reviewed ones below.  If you're a Twitterer or want to be, check these out:

• Tweetie 1.3.2 from atebits (4.5 mice, $3)
• Twitterrific 2.0.2 from The Iconfactory (4.0 mice, Free)
• Twitterrific Premium 2.0.2 from The Iconfactory (4.0 mice, $4)
• Twittelator Pro 3.0 from Big Stone Phone (3.0 mice, $5)
• TwitterFon Pro 1.5.2 from naan studio (3.0 mice, $5)
• SimplyTweet 1.7 from MotionObj (2.5 mice, $4)
• SimplyTweet Lite 1.2 from MotionObj (2.5 mice, Free)
• TwitterFon 1.5.3 from naan studio (2.0 mice, Free)

Source:  "Twitter Clients for the iPhone" by Lex Friedman, published at Macworld.com.

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If you are considering using Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) in your practice or if you are just interested in learning more about it, you should check out the following “10 Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Legal SaaS”:

1. What is Software-as-a-Service? A discussion of what exactly Software-as-a-Service is, and how it compares to the more traditional desktop computing model.
2. Why (Or Why Not) Choose a SaaS Solution? Why SaaS offers compelling advantages over traditional desktop software solutions, and some of the compromises that have to be considered.
3. Why Web-Based Practice Management? Why Software-as-a-Service is a perfect fit for practice management, particularly for solos and small firms.
4. Security. An outline key concepts and terminology for web-based security, including SSL, server security, client security, and password security.
5. Privacy. What you should be looking for in a web site’s privacy policies.
6. Data Availability. An outline of the answers you want to be hearing when you ask your SaaS provider “What are you doing to ensure that my data remains available, even in the event of a natural- or human-induced disaster?“
7. Total Cost of Ownership. An explanation of how to compare costs of SaaS to traditional desktop software via a Total Cost of Ownership calculation.
8. Terms of Service. What to look for in the legal agreement describing the services your SaaS provider will provide you.
9. Data Migration. How you can migrate your data from existing desktop software application to the web.
10. Offline Access. Why offline access is important, and an outline of some of the technologies that make offline access to SaaS applications possible.

This series was published by the folks at Clio, and it is available via e-book, Word doc, or PDF doc (thanks to JD Supra),

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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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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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This month's MacNotes column in the ABA GP|Solo's Technology eReport webzine describes what it means to be an "Appophile," and it takes a look at how to find and manage the appropriate Apps for your iPhone.  I recommend that you check it out HERE.

Source:  "On Becoming an Appophile" by Jeffrey Allen, published in the ABA GP|Solo's Technology eReport webzine.

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Today, I conclude my look back at the big news items announced at Monday's WWDC with a closer look at OS X 10.6, better known as Snow Leopard.  Some of its key features include:

• The installation process has been streamlined – installing 45% faster and occuping 6 GB less space than Leopard
• Exposé is now integrated in the Dock, and by simply clicking and holding an application icon in the Dock, all the windows for that application become visible.
• Snow Leopard makes Time Machine backups up to 50 percent faster.
• Your Mac will wake from sleep up to twice as quickly, shut down up to 75 percent faster, and join wireless networks is up to 55 percent faster.
• Microsoft Exchange support is built into Mail, Calendar and Address Book in Snow Leopard, and you can search for Exchange messages located on the server using Spotlight.
• QuickTime X includes a completely new QuickTime Player with a new trimming interface, easy uploads to YouTube and MobileMe, HTTP-based live streaming, and greater color accuracy.
• The multitouch trackpad now allows handwriting recognition, enabling users to write words and letters with their fingers.

Snow Leopard is scheduled to be released in September, and it will be very reasonably priced, with the upgrade being only $29 for Leopard users and $49 for a five user family pack.

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As expected, the WWDC was full of exciting news about the iPhone and its 3.0 software.  The new iPhone 3G-S boasts many new features, including:

• A faster processor that will launch most apps and load web pages much faster than the previously 3G model.  It also features more storage capacity, up to 32GB.
• Shoot, edit, and share video right on the iPhone, including the ability to email the video and/or post it to the internet.
• A new 3-megapixel camera (up from 2 megapixels) that has built-in autofocus, which allows you to focus on anything by simply tapping on it.
• Built-in voice control now allows you to start calls, find songs, and locate other information on the iPhone using only your voice.
• Cut, copy, and paste items between applications and from the internet.
• Rotate the iPhone and type on a larger keyboard in Mail, Messages, Notes, and Safari.
• Search all your contacts, email, calendars, notes, and iPod from one convenient place using Spotlight.
• Record your own voice or any audio with the new Voice Memos application.
• Internet tethering will soon allow you to share the 3G connection on your iPhone with your laptop computer.

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Safari 4 was officially released yesterday at the WWDC.  Apple claims that it is now "the world's fastest browser" and it boasts 150 new features, many of which look to be helpful to attorneys.  

I installed it yesterday, and I agree that it is noticeably faster than Firefox or the prior generation of Safari.  If you haven't checked it out, I recommend that you should do so.  You can download a free copy (for Mac or Windows) HERE.

Some of the other exciting new features include:

• Top Sites ::  Safari 4 tracks the sites you browse, ranks your favorites, and presents up to 24 thumbnails on a single page. You can customize the display by pinning a favorite site to a specific location in the grid.  Sites with a star in the upper-right corner have new content, and a single click opens the page and updates its thumbnail.
• Cover Flow :: You can review your site history and bookmarked sites by viewing a full-page preview of each website that looks exactly as it did on your last visit.  Simply flip through website previews in Cover Flow the same way you flip through album art in iTunes. Of course, when you find the site you want, simply click to open it.
• Nitro Engine :: Safari executes JavaScript nearly 8 times faster than Internet Explorer 8 and more than 4 times faster than Firefox 3 based on performance in leading industry benchmark tests: iBench and SunSpider.  In addition, Safari offers top-flight HTML performance, loading pages 3 times faster than Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3.  Safari 4 will run as a 64-bit application under OS X Snow Leopard, which will further boost the performance of the Nitro JavaScript engine.
• Other :: Safari 4 also includes HTML 5 support for offline technologies as well as support for advanced CSS Effects. It is also the first web browser to pass the Web Standards Project’s Acid3 Browser Test, which looks at how well a browser adheres to CSS, JavaScript, XML, and SVG standards designed specifically for dynamic Web applications.

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Do you need (or want) to find out what is being typed on a particular computer?  No, I'm not encouraging you to become a stalker, as there are some legitimate reasons to collect this information.  For instance, do you suspect that your employees are goofing off at work or stealing company secrets?  Maybe you want to know what are your minor children really doing on the internet?  Of course, you might also want to know if your spouse is cheating on you (see note below).

eBlaster | Mac 2009 allows you to secretly record all the keystrokes on a computer and surreptitiously send those keystrokes via e-mail to another one.  Once installed, it loads in the background, and it isn't visible in the Applications folder or via Spotlight search.  When activated, it can monitor and provide reports on a wide range of computer activity, including instant messages sent, Web sites visited, e-mails sent, keystrokes typed, online searches made, and applications used.  You can read a full review of eBlaster | Mac here.

Note:  Before using any program of this type, you should first determine whether obtaining such information if legal under state and federal law.  This article does not provide any opinion on the legality of same, and it should not be construed as such.  You should also consider that these types of programs are capable of capturing user IDs and passwords typed into banking or other secure sites, and thus make it easy to expose very sensitive information.

Source: "eBlaster 2009: Surreptitious Key-Logging Software Sees and Reports All" by Jeffery Battersby, published at Macworld.

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The following post is from Jeff Richardson's excellent blog, iPhone J.D.:

Above the Law (ATL) is a website that accurately describes itself as a "legal tabloid." A large number of the posts relate to law firm gossip, but the site tackles just about anything of interest to lawyers at large law firms. It was voted the top news website on the 2008 ABA Journal Blawg 100.

Yesterday, ATL Associate Editor Kashmir Hill asked me to name the top ten iPhone apps for lawyers, a topic that has been covered before on this website. My response led to this post on the ATL website. The ABA Journal picked up on the story here, adding a note that the number of iPhone-using attorneys has soared in the latest ABA Technology Survey.

Here are some additional thoughts on the ten great third party apps that I mentioned in the ATL post:

1. QuickOffice. My full thoughts on QuickOffice are in these posts: 1, 2 and 3. I don't have much more to add except to note that the app works very well, and I especially like the new ability to have the app show up as a virtual hard drive on my Mac or PC so I can drag and drop documents. Of course, I am still very curious to see what DataViz's Documents To Go will look like, which DataViz says is due "early to mid May" and which I presume means very soon.
2. Cliff Maier reference apps. I've posted about these apps here: 1, 2, 3 and 4. I continue to use these great apps all of the time.
3. DaysFrom. I also like DateCalcPro, but most of the time I find myself using DaysFrom to calculate days, for the reasons I previously posted here.
4. Wikipanion. My review is here.
5. Google Mobile App. My review is here.
6. Various weather apps. I like The Weather Channel and AccuWeather apps, but I really love the version of the Weather Underground website that is formatted for the iPhone web browser. Just go to i.wund.com using Safari on your iPhone. Even better, once you are there, enter your zip code to see your local weather and then hit the + sign in Safari to "Add to Home Screen." That will give you an icon that you can easily tap to get your latest local weather. One nice new feature is an iPhone version of the "Interactive Wundermap" which I can only describe as sort of a cross between a weather radar and the Google Maps app. (Clickhere to see the Interactive Wundermap on a computer.) You can double-tap to zoom in and easily pan and scan on an iPhone to see the weather conditions. Very impressive stuff.
   
7. Twitterific. My first Twitter client on the iPhone was the 1.0 version of Twitterific. But that app had limitations, and the free TwitterFon app (which I mentioned here) soon became my favorite Twitter client. Earlier this month, TheIconfactory released Twitterific 2.0, and wow, what a difference a 2.0 makes. This app includes tons of advanced features, has a great interface, and is really a joy to use. I'm currently using the free version, and it is now my favorite iPhone Twitter app. It has ads, but the ads are unobtrusive, and for only $3.99 you can get a version without ads. If you use Twitter, I strongly encourage you to check it out. Click here to get Twitterific (free).
8. Facebook. I haven't posted a review of this app (although I mentioned it here) but this is a really useful app. If you use Facebook, you have no excuse not to get this free app.
   
9. Black's Law Dictionary. My review is here. There have been some minor tweaks and bug fixes since I posted my review. One large change (that I noted in my review was going to happen soon) is that if you now try to go to Westlaw on your iPhone by going to www.westlaw.com, you are redirected to wireless.westlaw.com. I understand the thinking here; wireless.westlaw.com is certainly much faster. Even so, I prefer the full Westlaw on my iPhone, and if you do too, you now need to go to web2.westlaw.com to get the "real" Westlaw on your iPhone.
   
10. NetNewsWire. I don't believe that I've mentioned this app before, but it is a great, free RSS reader on the iPhone. Click here to get NetNewsWire (free).
    

Thanks to ATL and the ABA Journal for these two posts and for recognizing the growing number of attorneys using iPhones.

Source: "Top Ten iPhone Apps for Lawyers (Above the Law)" by Jeff Richardson, posted at his iPhone J.D. blog.

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This month's The Legal Mac column from Law Practice Today, the ABA Law Practice Management Section's webzine, features an excellent discussion of the options available to those Mac-using attorneys who want or need to use Windows programs. I am pleased to present "Using Windows on Your Mac" by David Sparks:

One of the excuses that attorneys give for their reluctance to switch from PCs to Macs is that they "need" Windows for one reason or another. The good news is that Macs can run other operating systems, including Windows, whenever needed.

As a Mac-using attorney, I often raise eyebrows when people look over my shoulder to see Windows on my screen. They are even more surprised when they found out how easy it is to run Windows on a Mac.

In 2006, Apple moved the entire Macintosh line to Intel processors. This is the same hardware used by most PC manufacturers. While there are some small differences, Macs and PCs are all using compatible hardware. Almost immediately after this transition, Apple and third party software developers found ways to run Windows on Apple hardware. There are currently three primary methods:

Apple Boot Camp - One Operating System at a Time

Boot Camp is Apple's own free virtualization application built into every new Macintosh computer. It allows you to make two separate partitions on your hard drive, one for Windows and one for the Apple OS X operating system. Once you enable Boot Camp, you are presented a choice when you boot up, Windows or OS X? You simply click the desired operating system and away it goes.

If you choose Windows, your installed Windows partition will load no differently than if it were a Dell or Lenovo. You can run any Windows application your hardware will support. If you click the button for Apple OS X, your computer boots into the Macintosh operating system. This, in essence, gives you two computers in one.

One of the biggest advantages of Boot Camp is that it allows you to devote the entire resources of your computer to whichever operating system you choose. If you load Windows, the entire processor, memory, and operating components are driving Windows. People who operate graphics intensive video software often prefer to use Boot Camp for this reason.

The fact that Boot Camp only runs one operating system at a time is also its biggest detriment. A lot of Mac users want to have the benefits of Windows and Mac OS X at the same time. That is not possible with Boot Camp. This leads to the second method, third party virtualization solutions.

Third Party Virtualization - Peaceful Coexistence

While Boot Camp provides a free and easy solution to run Windows on your Mac, some users prefer to run both Windows and OS X at the same time. Using virtualization applications such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion, both of which cost $70, you can install Windows (or Linux) to run as its own OS X application. These applications support any version of Windows from Windows 95 up through the recently released Windows 7 beta.

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The following Guest Post is from one of my readers, Marissa Clake, who is an International Business Management major at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China:

Watching movies is an essential part of my leisure life on weekends. Having tons of DVDs, I had been using DVD Hunter to organize them on my Mac.  Unfortunately, this program required me to insert each DVD disc every time I wanted to watch it.

Fortunately, I discovered a terrific program called DVD-Library for Mac which enables me to backup my commercial DVDs.  It is a beta version, so it is not perfectly stable, but its main functions work quite well and it is free.  

I use it to make ISO file for all my encrypted DVDs, and because it doesn’t remove the protection, I don’t worry about breaking the law.  With only a few clicks, I can watch the backup movies on my Mac conveniently, and the quality of the ISO image is as good as the original DVDs.

This software has enabled me to built a virtual library for my DVDs on my Mac.  Because it records the information about each movie, I can easily find the movie I want to watch. It’s really cool software. You can find out more about it and/or download it for yourself by clicking HERE. 

Below is a quick tutorial for this software, but you can find a more detailed tutorial at the developer’s website.

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EasyTime [ + & - ] by Mark K. Funke

About two months ago I entered PC hell. My four year old XP machine started giving me random memory access error messages that just didn't sound good, most of the attachments coming into my email inbox ended up corrupted, and to top it all off, the server no longer recognized any of the tape drives. That was it. I needed a new system. My office-mate had updgraded all his machines to Vista with the usual horror stories. I instead blew $4,000 at the Apple Store, and I was up and running fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, I had not researched the question of billing software for Macs. With my XP machines dead or dying, I really didn't have much time to think about it. I did about 4 hours of research and concluded that EasyTime from Bright Light Software looked the best for me. I downloaded it, spent perhaps 30 minutes with it, and immediately paid the $99.00 registration fee. I didn't have much of a choice, as billable work was stacking up.

After one month of using EasyTime, I have listed my current thoughts below, mostly in comparison to Billings from Marketcircle, which I also briefly thought about purchasing.

Positives about Easytime:

1. I love the simple interface. It's easy and fast to enter time and a description. One of my complaints with Billings is that it seems cumbersome to quickly add new billed time and new lengthy descriptions in your slips. With Billings there are too many "clicks" required to finalize the slip - not so with Easytime. This was probably my biggest selling point. I have a habit of meticulously and quickly tracking my time.
   
2. Similarly, the setup with new cases, and clients and the general layout of the program is easy to use, and IMHO better than Billings. I like the idea of the color coded invoice tracking.
   
3. As a law specific application, the Retainer billing function makes more sense than Billings.
   
4. The developer is extremely responsive and helpful in fixing any problems you may have. That's just absolutely awesome!
   
5. I like the report function and the simplicity of many of the reports; similarly I like the way it saves PDFs of your past invoices in the support directory.

Negatives about Easytime:

1. Starting with the website where you download the program and all the way through the general interface of the program - it's not as, shall we say "refined" as Billings or as pretty. Mac users like pretty; I want pretty.
2. Some of the program functions, such as postage tracking, organizing files for individual clients, etc. appear useless to me. They aren't well-refined enough to use. For example, I doubt anyone uses the "schedule phone call" function. I believe that it's way easier just to use iCal. I suppose those functions are slightly beta, and I am waiting for a more comprehensive approach in version 2.0.
3. The the simple and the standard invoice form is just fine, but the customization is somewhat lacking. It would be nice to have 5-10 sample invoice forms that come with the program. In general, I like the concept of "pretty invoices" as Billings has, but the Billings invoices are a little too childlike for me. I would like better designed invoices, but with a professional look. Perhaps it would make sense for the developer to hire a graphic designer to design a few invoices.
4. The user manual is not complete. The program is very intuitive, which is good. It's easy to use, but the user manual could be more specific. There are several buttons and functions that I have no idea what they do or where to even look up that info.

If you are a current or past EasyTime user I would love to hear your thoughts on the software. I can be reached at mark@funkelaw.com.

Mark K. Funke is an attorney in Seattle, Washington, whose practice emphasizes commercial real estate transactions.

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What happens when four lawyers from diverse practices and backgrounds get together to discuss how each uses their iPhone to improve their productivity and reduce a few of life's frustrations?  You get a great list of iPhone apps that are sure to help you too! Apple reports over 25,000 apps are now available via the iTunes store, making it a daunting task to sift through to find the best.

So here are some of the favorite picks from David Sparks of the MacSparky website, Ben Stevens of The Mac Lawyer website and Reid Trautz of Reid My Blog! (who are presenting on this topic at this year's TECHSHOW, which is taking place right now in Chicago) and Jeff Richardson who runs iPhone J.D., a site dedicated to attorneys using iPhones.

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The Connecticut Law Tribune published an article yesterday about the evolution and history of Rocket Matter, the premier web-based law practice management software.  This article explains how and why this program was developed, and it provides some key insight from its co-founders, Larry Port and Ariel Jatib, as well as from other legal technology experts, including Grant Griffiths.

My firm has used Rocket Matter to manage our law practice, and we are very pleased with it, with regard to both its customer service and as a product itself. Rocket Matter will have en exhibition booth at the ABA TECHSHOW this week in Chicago (where I'll be speaking on Friday and Saturday), so if you're in town please stop by and check it out.

Source:  "Software That’s Taking Off Like A Rocket" by Douglas S. Malan, published in the Connecticut Law Tribune.

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My friend and noted legal technologist, David Bilinsky, recently posted a review of a task management program called Things Mac.  He prefers this program to Entourage for "looking after To-Do’s, errands, repeating appointments and matters that need to be done."  If you're looking for an excellent task management program, you should check out David's review here.

Source:  "A Good Thing…" by David J. Bilinsky, published at his Thoughtful Legal Management blog.

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One of the better Mac legal technology blogs is the Esquire | Mac blog, which recently published a great analysis of the ways to record audio while taking notes.  This skill can benefit almost every attorney, particularly those with an active trial practice.  The article is well worth a read, as it examines the following programs/topics:

• Audio Notes in Microsoft Word
• Voice Annotating in Circus Ponies Notebook
• Paper and Pen with the Pulse Smart Pen from LiveScribe

Source:  "Practice Tip: Record Audio While Taking Notes" by Adam Greivell, published at his Esquire | Mac blog.

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The Legal Mac section of the January 2009 Law Practice Today features the article "Outlining Options for Macs" by Stephen D. Chakwin, Jr.:

PCs no longer hold the lion's share of outlining and information-organizing tools. In this article by Stephen Chakwin, learn about the large variety of tools available for Mac users.

The Mac world is rich in dedicated outliners and other information-organizing applications. (In Mac lingo, the word application is used where PC users use the word program. There’s probably some esoteric explanation for the different usage, but I don’t know it.) There’s a detailed and interesting survey of them in a series of columns by Ted Goranson that you can find here. Ted lists capabilities, does comparisons between similar products, and explains some of the design philosophy underlying these differences. You will come away from these articles with new appreciation for things you can do with your computer. You will also want to get and learn all the applications that he writes about.

The first type of outliner I will discuss is what most people think of when they hear the term: a dedicated application that works in standard headline / subhead / subsubhead / note fashion. Most word processors have some similar function built into them, but a dedicated outliner is able to reorganize entries and move information around in a way that makes the outlining function of word processors seem clumsy.

There are two main uses I’ve found in my practice for this type of outliner.  What I call a “catching” outline is a way of capturing and organizing incoming information. Since outliners are so flexible, I am not committed to a particular hierarchy or structure of the information. (One of the subtle traps in understanding information is the tendency of the structure of how information is presented to us – or stored by us – to influence how we understand its meaning, even if the structure is random.) I can assign a tentative structure (or none at all, just creating a list) and then go back later and see what I really have in the outline.

The other is a “throwing” outline, one that I use to prepare for a situation in which I am going to be presenting or eliciting information: a witness examination, an argument, a lecture. I can create an overall shape for the event by building a sequence of topics (headlines) and then, within each of these, a subsidiary sequence of sub, subsub, or deeper components, anchored to notes if I need them. With this type of outliner, I can display only the headlines (and key them to presentation slides in PowerPoint or Keynote, Mac’s superior presentation application, or to trial or deposition exhibits, or to anything else I choose). I can reorder the headlines easily and rapidly and test different sequences for effectiveness. I can also focus in on any single headline by “hoisting” it so that it is the only thing on my screen. If you prepare your witness examinations in advance (almost always a good idea), this outlining function is a powerful tool.

There are two main dedicated outliners for Mac.  One of them – the most commonly used – is Omni Outliner. The Omni Group makes fine products, and they both work well and look good on the screen. Outliner is a mature product, as it’s up to Version 3.7 as I write this, with Version 4 on the horizon. It is full of features but is easy to learn on a basic level. There are also video tutorials on the Omni web site. The two missing features that are most asked-for – a zoom ability to make up for aging or tired eyes and small screens and cloning (the ability to insert a specific heading in more than one spot in an outline and have it change in all places to track modifications you make any one) are alleged to be on the way in Version 4.

The other main contender in this category is called Tao. Tao has a few features that the Omni product does not – most notably cloning. It also has an extensive set of keyboard commands that I have found idiosyncratic. The appearance of Tao on the screen is spare and functional, and it looks more like a Windows program than a Mac application to some users.

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Today, Rocket Matter launched version 1.0 of its web-based legal practice management and time and billing solution for small to mid-sized law firms.  Although this product has been around in beta form since February 2008, it has matured and developed thanks to the feedback of legal technology experts and pilot customers located all over North America.  Version 1.0 includes the following features:

• Contact and Matter Management :: makes current and past case and client information available immediately.
• Calendaring :: lets users track important dates and deadlines in the context of matters.
• Mobile Access :: enables customers to view an optimized version on a smart phone.
• Batch Billing :: allows users to spend their time billing, not generating bills.
• Expense Tracking :: captures costs, easily and quickly.
• Reporting :: helps increase efficiency and profit with reporting functions available.
• Offline Access :: maintains backup copies of firms’ data locally.
• Messages :: provides a powerful message taking and inter-office communication tool.

My law firm, Stevens • MacPhail, P.A., has used Rocket Matter exclusively since mid-2008 as our firm's case management / time and billing solution.  We have monitored all of the products on the market, and we believe that Rocket Matter is the best option for our firm's needs.  We have been very pleased with it, and we congratulate Larry, Ariel, and all the folks at Rocket Matter on their "official" launch today.

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The Legal Mac section of this month's Law Practice Today was published today, featuring the article "Online Legal Practice Management Software Predictions for 2009" by Larry Port: 

Innovations in the use and development of online software have created new opportunities for law firms, and can present cost-effective methods for adoption.

The year 2008 was a transformational one for legal practice management. After years of minimal new product development, the field broke wide open with the arrival of an exciting new option: Online, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for law firms.

For some time now, SaaS has been successfully applied to sales force automation, HR and payroll, project management, and other mission critical businesses. The legal industry, traditionally slow to adopt technology, was ready for this new option for several reasons. For one, new web technologies, commonly labeled Web 2.0, now allow for a desktop-like experience over a web browser. Also, day-to-day exposure to web applications has become a common and accepted practice, whether via Social Media sites like Facebook or through online banking. And, an increasingly mobile workforce is looking for ways to connect from any location, from any type of computer.

The impact SaaS solutions can have on the majority of legal software consumers, small law firms, can be profound. Before the emergence of SaaS practice management tools, a small firm could: 1) Purchase software directly from the manufacturer and spend time to install it independently, 2) Purchase the software, installation, and training through a value-added reseller, or 3) Forego dedicated legal practice management software in favor of a home-grown solution, typically cobbled together from Outlook, Word, and Quickbooks. However, SaaS applications are zero-install solutions that are simple to use and allow users to eliminate high-overhead setups in favor on monthly subscription fees. In other words, this fourth option greatly expanded choices for the legal technology consumer.

As transformational as 2008 was for legal practice management, it was still mostly a year of “dipping the toes in the water”, so to speak, and beginning a dialog about online options. But as 2009 draws near, web-based legal practice management will no longer be a brand new concept. So what's in store for the coming year? Here are my thoughts:

1. Expect more features.
What you'll most likely see over the course of the next year is increased feature parity among the online legal practice management and time and billing providers. As the online applications begin to approach the functionality of their desktop counterparts, watch for a trend toward standard features, such as document storage and management and increased integration with standard apps. You will also see web-only features gain prominence, such as integration with other online applications (i.e. Google Maps ) and client portals.
One particular challenge for legal SaaS providers is how to maintain a simple, intuitive interface while continually adding more features. A primary goal for online practice management providers will be to enrich their applications while at the same time, avoiding bloat and “feature-itis”.

2. Watch for increased adoption and growth.
Though web-based legal practice management is new, it's no longer cutting-edge. An increasing number of lawyers are comfortable with the concept, and plenty of attorneys know people in other industries who are using a SaaS solution. By one McKinsey & Company study , a majority of companies would consider purchasing an online solution over a locally-installed solution. The higher comfort level with legal SaaS, word-of-mouth, and an increased awareness of products like Rocket Matter will result in tremendous growth in this industry in 2009.

3. Count on more mobility.
Smartphones with full web-browsing capabilities continue to gain market share. Apple's iPhone and Google's Android OS contain browsers capable of providing a full Rocket Matter experience. Full browsers such as Opera Mini and Skyfire continue to open up capabilities on Windows Pocket PC and Blackberry platforms. You may also see the beginning of dedicated mobile applications, fostered by the introduction of strong software development kits (SDKs) from Apple and Google.

4. Expect economic conditions to favor monthly subscription models.
The year 2009 will likely shape up to be a tumultuous one economically, to say the least. Although some law firms may see an uptick in business, other firms may suffer. Such difficult economic conditions may give firms pause when considering the overhead involved in a server-based solution. SaaS products will be an easier pill to swallow because they eliminate up-front costs in favor of monthly fees.

5. Watch for expectations to change.
Online applications are month-to-month subscriptions. Therefore we, as the provider, must keep our customers happy and wanting to use the software. Unlike desktop application vendors, we can't rely on customers who buy a license and then never use the software (which happens surprisingly often). Our products must be easy-to-learn and easy-to-use. Anyone who has either seen cluttered interfaces for existing legal practice management apps or forked over cash for training understands the value of simplicity in legal software.

I think a big change will be how people expect to use their software. Their considerations won’t just focus on features, but in addition: How fast is the application? How simple is it to get started? How intuitive is it to use? How easy and inexpensive is it to train the folks in reception? How quickly can I find information? How easy is it to enter billable information and print an invoice? Does it make our firm more efficient and profitable? How quickly can I get an issue resolved?

So those are my thoughts on 2009 and Online Legal Practice Management. It promises to be an even more exhilarating year than 2008, which was a truly exciting.

Source:  "Online Legal Practice Management Software Predictions for 2009" by Larry Port, published in Law Practice Today.

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What a year for web-based legal practice management!  After so many years of the same desktop-based options, in 2008 the field was broken wide open by Rocket Matter and other new online, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for law firms.

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Today, I am pleased to present the following Guest Post from Marnï "The MacAngel" Melrose, which she discusses Marketcircle's outstanding productivity suite, Daylite:

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There has been a flurry of Apple rumors over the last week or so, and I thought that I'd list a few of the more interesting ones here for my readers:

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After reading last week's Guest Post by Todd Juneau, Paul Meyerson submitted a comment suggesting some additional ways to get the most out of Boot Camp.  I asked him to expand his thoughts into a Guest Post, which I am now pleased to share with you:

As a Mac consultant in New York City for Templeton & Associates, I have a number of clients around the city that occasionally require Mac-PC interactivity.  If at all possible, we try to keep our users on the Mac side, but occasionally there is an application or two that just need Windows.  For those clients, I had been recommending Parallels, as Todd mentioned, although VM Ware's newest offering, Fusion v. 2.0, has me seriously leaning towards that application.  I've found in personal use that VM Ware is MUCH faster to boot, takes less of the Mac's resources (Parallels can slow the Mac to a crawl while it's trying to load up), and is just more compatible than is Parallels on a wide range of Windows applications.  However, ultimately, both are emulation software, and as a result are much slower than even an entry level PC -- even if that PC was running the languid Vista!  

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As my readers are aware, I presented two seminars at the ABA TechShow 2008 this past March in Chicago.  One was "How Lawyers Practice Law and Serve Clients with Macs -- Really!" which I co=presented with Jeff Richardson.  Our written materials from that session were recently republished in the September 2008 Law Practice Today webzine, as follows:

While most lawyers are wedded to the PC, these two lawyers enumerate the advantages of the Mac, for work, for home, and for the pure enjoyment of it.

For over a decade, every one of the hundreds of press releases issued by Apple has ended by noting that "Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh." Apple's critical role in the early days of personal computers is beyond debate, but for a period of time in the 1990s, Apple seemed to have lost its way. Its computer lineup was confusing, its market share reached an all time low, the company's stock price fell to $5 a share (in current share prices), and Dell CEO Michael Dell famously quipped that if he owned Apple, "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders." 

Since then, the company has had a resurgence. Apple's computers and software have received rave reviews, its market share is at the highest point since the Mac was first introduced in 1984, Apple has taken over the digital music market with the ubiquitous iPod, the company is already a formidable presence in the cell phone market with the iPhone introduced just last year, and at the time of this writing (January of 2008) Apple's stock price has risen to over $200 a share.

With a record number of people now switching from PCs to Macs, the question for lawyers is: should you switch too? And if you do, should you maybe just switch for your home computer, or also for your office as well? Most importantly, what do you gain and what do you lose by making the switch?

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The following Guest Post is from William A. Jackson, M.D., a Radiologist with Beaufort Medical Imaging at Beaufort Memorial Hospital:

Why is a physician writing on an attorney's blog?  First, I have been a Mac user for fourteen years, and this blog is about Mac use.  The inspiration for this particular post came from a discussion with a fellow physician who is currently involved in a medical malpractice case.  He was asked for the medical images involved in the case, which he provided on a CD.  The requesting attorney was unfamiliar with the viewing software on the CD, and he did not realize all of the images were there but needed to be scrolled through.  Accusations were then made that information was deliberately withheld, which had its own set of hearings and unnecessarily increased the cost, time and stress for all involved.  As an impartial party, I saw an opportunity to contribute information that could have prevented this misunderstanding and offer an advantage to fellow Mac users.

Modern digital medical images are stored in DICOM format.  DICOM (Digital Imaging and COmmunications in Medicine) is a standardized format based on a lossless JPEG format that can carry additional medical data about the images.  The data identifies the type of study, patient name and date, much like the metadata tags that people are now applying to their digital photos.  In order to view the DICOM images, you must have a DICOM viewer.  At the hospital (or office) that took the images, they will have PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System).  These systems can stores thousands of images and allow for viewing of the images at multiple locations.  The images can be printed on conventional film or burned onto a CD or DVD.  Due to cost savings and convenience, the CD/DVD format is preferred.  Most CD/DVD's will include a copy of a free DICOM viewer; however, most assume that a Windows PC will be used and that Internet Explorer will be the default browser, often with ActiveX turned on.

So what are Mac users to do?  Of course, they can opt to use Boot camp, virtualization or a spare PC, but they can still have problems based on the assumptions already mentioned.  The best option for Mac users is OsiriX.  OsiriX is an open source DICOM viewer for Mac OS X.  It can open CD's and DVD's that contain DICOM images.  This allows you to view the images just as a radiologist or other physician would view them on a PACS.  The settings can be adjusted and areas of interest measured if desired.  OsiriX has the capability if working as a 3-D work station which is likely well above the needs of most attorneys.  The most important aspect, I feel, is the ability to view the images in a familiar format.  If you rely on the software included on the CD/DVD, each will have its own user interface.  This means that you must learn multiple ways of doing the same thing, often with contradictory results for the same action on different viewers.  This consistent user interface will make you more efficient at handling the images and less likely to over look some of the images.

OsiriX can allow you to store a copy of the images so you will still have them if the CD/DVD is damaged or lost.  You can make your own discs to distribute to your colleagues or witnesses.  You can store the images on a hard drive, locally or networked.  You can then export the images in a variety of formats.  You can burn CD's or DVD's.  You can also export to other drives or iPods.  They can be upload to web servers or iDisks.  Images can be exported in standard JPEG for incorporation into presentations.

As a radiologist, I find OsiriX useful even though I work at a hospital with a good PACS.  OsiriX is better at finding the DICOM images than our PACS, although some of that is due to protective settings on the PACS.  OsiriX opens nearly every disc that comes in.  There is one office that formats the disc in such a way that I have to manually find and load the images, which is fortunately the rare exception.  In fact OsiriX is so powerful, that there have even been a couple of times when it saved the day.  A referring physician wanted the outside images loaded onto our PACS and even with a $150,000 imaging work station designed to import images,  I had to extract the images from the disc, burn a new one using OsiriX, and then we could load the images onto PACS through the work station.  Not bad for free software!

William A. Jackson, M.D.
Beaufort Medical Imaging
Beaufort Memorial Hospital

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One of the questions that I am asked most often is "What software is available for time & billing on a Mac?"  In answering that question, I try to explain that this is often a very personal decision for attorneys, because not everyone has the same "wants" and "needs" when it comes to time and billing software.

My firm recently switched from LawStream Pro (which we have used for the last several years) to Rocket Matter for our time & billing needs, and we are very pleased with the change.  Rocket Matter is very easy to setup and use, and it is available from anywhere since it's web-based.  Even better, it tightly integrates its time & billing functionality with its case management features (contacts, calendar, to-do's, etc.), which enables you to maximize the amount of time you can capture and bill.

As for the other time and billing options that are available for Macs, you might want to check The Unofficial Apple Weblog's "App Roundup: Timekeeping and Billing" (Part One and Part Two).  While I believe that most of these programs are overly simplistic and not adequate for the time and billing needs of a lawfirm, you may disagree and find the "perfect" program for you, your practice, or your other business.

Thanks to Pete Summerill of the MacLitigator blog for his post about the TUAW series.

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One of the programs mentioned on the MILO Podcast published earlier this week is Levelator.  This program adjusts the audio levels within your podcast or other audio file to compensate for variations from one speaker to the next.  It is cross-platform (OS X, Windows, or Linux), and it's free from The Conversations Network.  Macworld gave version 1.4.0 of this program 4 mice (out of 5), and my co-hosts swear by it.  You can check it out by clicking HERE.

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Macworld recently published an article on "Mac Gems" in which it mentions the program Narrator (v. 2.0.2) from Dejal.  This program utilizes speech synthesis to read out marked passages using specified voice attributes.  These voices can include not only OS X's built-in voices, but also a variety of others that can be downloaded.

Because the completed audio file can be exported to iTunes, you can listen to it on an iPod or iPhone, no matter where you are.  For attorneys, I believe that this program could be used in several ways, including speaking depositions.  You can quickly and easily assign voices for the attorney(s) and the deponent and listen to your depositions while away from the office.

Narrator earned 3.5 mice (out of 5) from Macworld, and you can learn much more about this product and even download a demo version by clicking HERE.

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Benson Varghese of the Res Ipsa Blog has published a "Top 10" list of programs that make switching to Macs a breeze.  I have listed his recommended programs below along with a short summary of each.  However, you should read his post to get more information about each of these programs.

1. Quicksilver  ::  Uses simple commands to rapidly launch any program, file, folder, or website.
2. Anxiety  ::  Brings the iCal task list to your desktop without opening your full calendar.
3. Caffeine  ::  Turns OS X's built-in automatic screen dimming on and off with a single click.
4. Growl  ::  Provides unobtrusive notification messages from various OS X programs.
5. Adium  ::  Allows you to send/receive instant messages using various protocols.
6. Smultron  ::  Allows you to edit multiple documents in an easy-to-use tabbed interface. (See also TextWrangler and Bean)
7. Skim  ::  Offers enhanced markup capabilities with PDF documents and presentations.
8. VLC  ::  Plays most modern digital video formats.
9. iStat Menu  ::  Shows a calendar and other helpful information by clicking on the time in the taskbar.
10. Rachota  ::  Allows users to track the time spent on various projects.

Source:  "Ten Free Mac OS X Programs that Make the PC to Mac Switch a Breeze" by Benson Varghese, published at his Res Ipsa Blog.

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For some time, I have had both VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop for Mac on my MacBook.  As part of my Mac "diet" to slim down the data on my hard drive, I decided that I would only have one virtualization program on the MacBook Air, so that meant that one had to go.

I have used both programs, and there are things that I like about each of them.  They offer very simliar features and options across the board.  However, I have used Parallels more frequently and for a longer period of time.  Nonetheless, I wanted to give Fusion a fair opportunity before making my final decision.

I used the VMWare Importer Tool to pull a copy of my Parallels "virtual pc" into Fusion so that I could compare apples to apples (no pun intended). It did a pretty good job, after about 40 minutes, of pulling all of the programs, etc. into a Fusion virtual machine.  I installed the "Tools" functionality in Fusion, and I then began my comparison.

Both virtual machines used approximately the same amount of disk space (21 GB).  Both took approximately the same amount of time to start up and allow me to begin using the Windows programs, and the programs themselves seemed to run at a comparable speed on both virtual machines. 

Unfortunately, the VMWare Importer did not bring my print settings into Fusion, which proved to be a huge problem.  In fact, I tried for over an hour to configure the settlngs to be able use our network printer at the office, but in the end I gave up.  To be fair to Fusion, I also tried to print from another Fusion virtual machine I had previously installed, and it wouldn't allow me to print either.

So in the end, I decided to stick with Parallels and not install Fusion on the MacBook Air.  It should not be so difficult to set up printing in Fusion, and that ultimately proved to be the tie-breaker for me.  I invite you to submit comments as to which virtualization option you prefer and why.

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Since switching to Macs over three years ago, my firm has continued to use Microsoft Word.  Why?  Well, for no reason other than it is what we were used to, since we had used it back in our PC days.  Honestly, doing something a certain way because "it's always been done that way" is not a good enough reason.

I have wanted to switch our firm over to Apple's Pages for quite some time.  In fact, I had intended to do so before the end of 2007, but I simply didn't have time to do so between working on my clients' cases and my speaking engagements.  Not that I'm complaining, as being too busy is a wonderful "problem" to have.

Yesterday, I was completing a long document to fax to another attorney on a pressing matter.  Just as I finished it, #%&@ Word locked up on me and caused me to lose the whole document. As a result, I had to redo it at double-speed to meet the deadline, which is less than ideal.  I decided that was the straw that broke the camel's back, and I made the decision that we were making the move to Pages right now!

For quite some time, I have used Pages for my non-work writing, including both my personal correspondence and seminar presentation materials.  Simply put, it is an outstanding program.  It is very intuitive and easy to use, yet is has very powerful features.  Best of all, it is stable and has never locked up or frozen on me.  After all, if the best software program in the world isn't dependable, how useful is it?

I will keep you posted over the coming weeks as to how our transition goes, but I fully anticipate that it will be very smooth.  My assistant has never used Pages before, but I am confident that she will pick it up and master it in no time.  After all, she had never used a Mac until I replaced her PC with one, and within a day she was extremely comfortable with it.  Stay tuned ...

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TechnoLawyer issued a TechnoRelease last Friday featuring Rocket Matter, the premier web-based legal case management and time/billing program.  This article highlighted the following features that Rocket Matter offers:

• Designed to be simple to use
• Calendar, contacts, to-do's, and time/billing are integrated
• 'Bill as you Work'™ technology captures more billable time
• Easy to implement and maintain
• Cross-platform compatibility (Mac, PC, Linux, iPhone, etc.)

I believe that this article gives a great glimpse into the many benefits that Rocket Matter offers, and you can view it by clicking HERE.  If you haven't yet looked into Rocket Matter, I believe that you owe it to yourself to do so now.

Source:  "Introducing Rocket Matter -- The Web Generation of Legal Software," published by TechnoLawyer.

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The Connected Lawyer  published an informative interview with Larry Port from Rocket Matter, which is a web-based practice management and time and billing solution.  Since I am a big fan of Rocket Matter, I have published excerpts / highlights from that interview below for my readers.  However, I urge you to click the link below to read the entire interview for yourself.

What is Rocket Matter?

Rocket Matter is an easy-to-use web-based legal practice management and time and billing solution. It's designed from the ground up to facilitate the practice of law in small and solo firms.  Rocket Matter allows law firms to manage calendars, to-do lists, contacts, matters, and time and billing in one integrated and simple solution.

We created a technology we call "Bill as you Work", which traps billable time as lawyers and paralegals go about their day. The net result is a product that allows firms to operate more efficiently and reduces the amount of time that gets lost for invoicing.  Since we host Rocket Matter on our servers and it's accessed via the Internet, users have ubiquitous access to their information while never having to spend money or time on software installations or upgrades.

Tell me more about Bill as you Work. How does it work? What does it capture?

The whole idea behind "Bill as you Work" is to capture time as you go about your day to day activities, so that at the end of the month when it comes time to bill you don't end up losing all of your precious hours. For example, when you schedule a deposition in your calendar, you can choose to bill for the time spent when you create the appointment. Likewise, your to-do items can be instantly converted from simple reminders into billable items that can end up on your invoice. The application also contains its own stopwatch, so you can time any activity you work on and funnel that directly into billing.

What size of firm is your product ideal for?

Our ideal firm is small, consisting of 1 to 25 total employees. We can scale our application to much larger firms, but we want to focus on the solo and small firm segment of the market, which has been under-served for too long.

What type of security do you use to make sure that the information remains secure?

The security measures we included in Rocket Matter are comprehensive. Every request is encrypted with 128-bit secure SSL, the same encryption used by many major banks and financial institutions. Passwords are hashed (stored in an encrypted format) and known only by you. Threat Modeling, which is the practice of identifying and countering attacks, is a fundamental part of our development process. There are a host of other security measures we have taken to lock down and isolate a firms data, and we'll be conducting ongoing audits with independent security specialist firms.

What type of computer system do I need to access my data?

Rocket Matter runs in an Internet browser, freeing you from the constraints of any particular operating system. Macs, PC's, and Linux systems can all be used, as long as they have a modern browser (Firefox, IE 6 or above, and Safari). Now that full-fledged mobile browsers have been introduced, iPhones and Pocket PC's with SkyFire can be used to access Rocket Matter.

Can I access my data in any way if I cannot reach your servers, (e.g., I can't get to the internet)?

Currently, access to Rocket Matter requires an Internet connection. Of course, if you need to access some piece of crucial information and you find yourself without access, you can always call our customer support line.

What happens to my data if I chose to stop using your service?

In the sad circumstance that we part ways, Rocket Matter will offer you a full copy of your data at no charge. Your contacts and calendar data will be exported to industry standard formats, such as vCard and iCalendar, which can be read by applications such as Outlook, iCal, and Address Book. Your matter and time and billing information will be exported to a navigable HTML format, so that you can view and make sense of your information.

Can I backup my data from your servers to a local hard drive?

Rocket Matter is developing an enhanced service plan, in which customers can obtain regular backups of their information. Users participating in this plan will have the option of downloading their data or having it sent to them on a DVD.

Do your offer training with your product? If so, what kind?

Rocket Matter users enjoy free training called CRE, or Continuing Rocket Education. These are live webinars hosted every week, open to all Rocket Matter customers at no additional cost. Furthermore, we offer Online CRE courses, which allow users at any time to watch guided instructional videos on the various features of the program.

What is the pricing for Rocket Matter?

During our Pilot Program, we are charging $50 USD per attorney per month and $15 USD per support staff per month.  Customer support is included for Pilot Program participants. Phone support is available from 9am to 6pm EST. Phone support is handled in the United States and conducted by a native English speaker.

What makes Rocket Matter different from other similar programs?

Rocket Matter's big differentiator is the simple yet comprehensive nature of its features. Simplicity, paired with great customer support and training, will enable our customers to actually use our product and enjoy doing so.

Compared to traditional legal practice management tools, Rocket Matter is a leap forward in ease-of-use. We eliminated the confusing "bloatware", or features people don't require. We've taken the elements that most firms need: calendaring, contact management, matter management, and invoicing, and rolled them into one integrated product.

By creating a web-based solution, we have created another differentiator with existing legal products: there is no need to purchase additional hardware, and no IT consultant required for an install or upgrade. We handle backups, security, and all of the other technical issues so that attorneys and their staffs can focus on the practice of law.

Source:  "An Interview with Larry Port from Rocket Matter" by Bryan Sims, published at The Connected Lawyer.

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This is the final installment about Macworld's recent series of articles comparing Apple's iWork '08 and Microsoft Office 2008 to determine which is superior.  Here, we will take a look at Keynote '08 and PowerPoint 2008, as reviewed by Franklin Tessler.

Mr. Tessler found that Keynote's workflow and overall feature set remain superior to PowerPoint.  However, he did note that PowerPoint has caught up to Keynote in many areas and surpassed it in some.  Personally, I have used both and I believe that Keynote is one of those programs that makes it worth getting a Mac to be able to use.

Source:  "PowerPoint 2008 vs. Keynote '08" by Franklin N. Tessler, published at Macworld.

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This is the second article about Macworld's series of articles that comparing Apple's iWork '08 programs with their Microsoft Office 2008 programs to determine which is better.  Rob Griffiths conducted this analysis of Numbers '08 versus Excel 2008.

Mr. Griffiths concluded that while Numbers can create a prettier spreadsheet, Excel is simpler to use.  Specifically, he found that Excel offers more formulas, features, and tools to help with actually building the spreadsheet. 

He specifically cited the following concerns about Numbers:  its inability to simply show a formula's variables as you enter it; its lack of keyboard support in selecting ranges when you're entering formulas; its lack of custom number and date formats; and its limited conditional formatting abilities.

Source:  "Excel 2008 vs. Numbers '08" by Rob Griffiths, published at Macworld.

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Macworld recently published a series of articles that compared Apple's iWork '08 products with their Microsoft Office 2008 counterparts to determine which was better. In the word processing segment, it was Jeffrey Battersby's analysis of Pages vs. Word.

Mr. Battersby concluded that unless you are changing the way a text document looks (where Word's document themes offer a distinct advantage), Pages is equal to or better than Word for everything from basic word processing files to sophisticated page layouts.

Source:  "Word 2008 vs. Pages '08" by Jeffrey Battersby, published at Macworld.

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This week's eNewsletter from the ABA Section of Family Law contained the following article of tips for better presentations.  I posted this article on my South Carolina Family Law blog, but I believe that these tips can assist any lawyer in making more effective presentations.  Note:  The article focuses on PowerPoint, but I believe that Apple's Keynote is far superior in every way (and most experts seem to agree).

The practice of law is regarded as a writing profession, but many attorneys find that their key professional moments come not in front of a keyboard, but in front of a live audience. Whether presenting an opening argument at an important trial, leading parties through a mediation session, or teaching a continuing legal education course, lawyers are frequently called upon to take a complex subject and compress it into a concise and coherent narrative. To accomplish this, many attorneys turn to Microsoft PowerPoint, the ubiquitous presentation software.

While a well-crafted set of PowerPoint slides can help build and strengthen a presentation, a poorly crafted PowerPoint can leave your audience confused and frustrated. Here are a few tips to make PowerPoint a more effective communication tool in your practice:

• Ditch the bullet points. Slide after slide of bullet points will lead to an audience that's either ignoring the slides or reading the slides and ignoring you. If you need to use text, stick to short words and phrases in large, clear print.
• Avoid overly complex graphics, charts, and screen shots. Even on a large screen, it's unlikely that your audience will be able to decipher and digest the image in the brief time it is shown. If the image is vital, supply a printout.
• Do use relevant photographs or simple graphics. Good, memorable images will help your audience retain what you're saying after they leave the presentation.
• Know your audience. Avoid legal jargon if you're speaking to a lay audience, and avoid over-simplification with an audience of attorneys.
• Know when not to use PowerPoint. PowerPoint creates very linear presentations which can quickly become confusing if the presentation elicits discussion or questions. Also, PowerPoint can seem a bit too polished for some situations; avoid it when you want your presentation to feel unscripted.
• Consider upgrading your software. PowerPoint 2007 (2008 on OS X) is a significant improvement over previous versions of the software, and it will allow you to produce more visually appealing presentations. If you're a Mac user, also consider Apple's Keynote software.
• Most importantly: have something meaningful to say. If a slide isn't meaningful, don't use it.

Source: ABA Legal Technology Resource Center by Joshua Poje, Research Specialist

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A few weeks ago, I posted about Rocket Matter, the recently released web-based case management and time & billing program.  Aaron Pelley has published a more in-depth review of Rocket Matter, and it is well worth a look.  You can read Mr. Pelley's thoughts on this exciting new program by clicking HERE.

Source:  "A Quick Look at Rocket Matter" by Aaron Pelley, published at his Criminal Defense Law with an Apple blog.

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Yesterday, an exciting new product was formally announced, and it could change the way you practice law.  Rocket Matter has now been launched and is available for you to come aboard.  This product is a Web 2.0 case management and time/billing program, and it looks fantastic. 

Because it is web-based, there is no software to install or load, and it is accessible from anywhere -- including your iPhone.  In my discussions with the developers over the past several months, it is clear to me that (a) they intend to cater to the legal community, (b) they aim to offer the premier legal software possible, and (c) they love the Mac.

I urge you to visit their website at RocketMatter.com, where you can see a preview of their product, or their new blog, where you can monitor the updates to it.  You can also click HERE to view their press release, which contains more details and specifics.  I welcome your feedback about Rocket Matter after you've had a chance to view it.

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One of the key components of the anti-Mac propaganda arsenal is the allegation that "there are no programs for the Mac."  Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, and I enjoy the opportunities that I have to dispel this falsehood.  The interesting new Mac Tricks And Tips blog has an article which discusses 100 helpful applications for the Mac.  Check it out by clicking HERE.

Source:  "Top 100 Essential Mac Applications" by James Powell, posted at his Mac Tricks And Tips blog.

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Two significant items were released this week:

• SuperDuper! v. 2.5  :: One of the best Mac backup programs is now OS X Leopard compatible.  I use this program myself, and it is fantastic.  SuperDuper! allows you to make a fully bootable clone backup of your hard drive.  If you've ever experienced a hard drive failure, you know how important and invaluable this can be. 
• 16 GB iPhone  :: Apple released the larger capacity version this week, priced at $499, which holds twice as much data as the 8 GB version, priced at $399.  If you like to store movies, tv shows, or just a bunch of music, this larger version may be for you.  I have the 8 GB version, and while it's great, it would be nice to have the extra room.

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One of my favorite Mac legal bloggers, David Sparks, attended this year's Macworld Conference & Expo, and he recently published the following thoughts about it at MacSparky:

In addition to being an affirmed Mac geek, I am also a lawyer.  So as I spent the last several days talking to developers and roaming the halls of Macworld, a few things in particular got me excited about practicing law with my Mac.

Macbook Air

Apple's new machine is a real eye catcher.  It is just three pounds and manages to keep a 13 inch monitor.  While this would be really nice for the roadwarrior or running around in depositions and trial, the $1800 price tag makes me look twice.  If you really need thin and are willing to sacrifice a bit of functionality (no ethernet or firewire) you may want to check it out.  I'm sticking with my Macbook Pro for the time being.

MacSpeech

For those of you former PC users who miss having DragonDictate in your toolbelt, fret no more.  I was never a big fan of iListen, but the folks at at iListen recently acquired the license for the Dragon recognition engine for use on the Mac.  Their new product, MacSpeech Dictate will be releasing next month and looks fantastic.  I spent about an hour at their booth and am very impressed.  I also watched David Pogue fawn over it as it produced very accurate and quick results.

I wasn't alone in my opinion that this product will change things.  It was one of the "Best of Show" award winners by several publications.  Put this one at the top of your list for productivity boosters.

OmniFocus

I'm a big fan of the Omni Group applications.  I use OmniOutline, OmniPlan, and OmniGraffle to manage much of my caseload.  I got in early on the beta of their OmniFocus task management application and it was just released as a 1.0.  This application is fantastic for keeping all the plates in the air.  I did an extended review of it at Macsparky.com.

I talked to the folks at Omni and they are going to do everything in their power to get these applications on the iPhone once the iPhone SDK releases.

BusySync

For the small offices that don't need the expense of a server but want to sync iCal calendars between multiple desks, there is a great little application called BusySync.  For a cost of $20 per computer, you get seamless bonjour and net syncing between machines.  They have a new version due out soon that will also allow for Google calendar syncing.

Bento

FileMaker is the best application for database intensive solutions.  If you are running a small practice, FileMaker's smaller application, Bento, looks really robust.

Billings and Daylite

Marketcircle continues its place at the top of small office management software.  They had a nice booth and made regular presentations.  I was unaware of some of their interesting add-on products like Daylite Delivery and the FileMaker connector.  These guys fill a very particular niche.

Fujitsu ScanSnap

I love my Fujitsu ScanSnap.  It is a reliable, fast scanner with a small footprint.  Now they have a portable version, the S300M, that retails at $295 and looks perfect for those depositions on the other side of the country.

Smart Board

Smart Technologies has a very impressive device you install over your LCD television that allows you to create a virtual white board like you are John Madden.  The price point is steep.  I was told "around $5,000" but it sure is nice.

Storage - Drobo and TimeCapsule

While TimeCapsule is aimed as a consumer device, 1TB storage with a built in wireless "N" router is a pretty attractive product.

I was also impressed with the Drobo that allows you to drop up to four swappable drives in with no headache.  Interestingly, if you pull out a drive while it is running (or if the drive dies), Drobo automatically moves the data around to protect its integrity.  The Drobo device costs $500 without any drives.

For all of you Mac lawyers, I highly recommend visiting Macworld sometime when you get a chance.  Not only will you find some great tools for your practice, you'll probably have a good time while you are at it.

Source:  "A Lawyer's Take on Macworld" by David Sparks, published at MacSparky.

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Several weeks ago, I published a post from Todd Vachon about working with RealLegal's .ptx files on Macs.  Mr. Vachon has updated his article on this subject, and I urge you to check it out if you work with these types of files.  You can read his updated article by clicking HERE.

Source:  "Working with RealLegal .ptx Files on the Mac" by Todd Vachon, published at his Todd Vachon Photography blog.

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If you have an interest in or need for a timeline program, you should check out MacSparky's review of Timeline v.2.0 from Bee Documents.  His review gives this program an enthusiastic "thumbs up" and he includes step-by-step directions to create your own timeline in a flash, and he also has made the review available by audio on The Mac ReviewCast Episode 139.

If you like what you see, you can download a trial of Timeline from the developer's website by clicking HERE.  The developer's website also has a very nice (and short) video demonstration.  A full license costs $40, but if you use the discount code "MACSPARKY" during checkout, you can get 15% off through the end of January 2008.

Source:  "Review - BeeDocs Timeline" by David Sparks, published at MacSparky.com.

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Mac-using attorneys who work with RealLegal's .ptx files will find the following article by Todd Vachon very helpful:

Recently, while doing some research on producing video depositions, I came across RealLegal's .ptx files. Those in the legal profession will recognize this format is the method not a few court reporters use to deliver deposition transcripts. This can present a challenge for Mac users because the .ptx file is a proprietary encrypted file, only readable with RealLegal's software which is not well supported for the Mac.

It's true that RealLegal offers free readers for both the PC and Mac, but if you look at the fine print you'll realize that the Mac version is written to run in 'classic' mode. Classic mode is not supported under OS 10.5 'Leopard' or on any Intel Mac. In other words, RealLegal isn't really interested in continuing to support the Mac market. If you have a PowerPC Mac running OSX.4 or prior, this solution may work for you for now. If not, read on...

Since I was interested in producing synchronized video depositions, I needed to find a way to easily access these files. Here are some of my initial findings:

For producing synchronized video depositions, Clarity Legal Software makes DepoSmart which it claims can read RealLegal e-Transcript XML files. I haven't tested it out yet, but it sounds promising. Clarity also produces free cross platform viewer software. All Clarity's is available for either platform (and really supported by the look of it).

What if you just want to be able to read .ptx files on you mac? I use Codeweaver's Crossover software to run a PC only program that I need to use. Crossover is a commercial application of the opensource Wine project, which is dedicated to running Windows application on Intel chips without the need for Windows. If you have an Intel Mac this is your ticket. Crossover is available as a free 30-day trial version.

I found that the PC version of RealLegal's free reader ran perfectly well in Crossover. If you want to give Crossover a try, here's some details on how I set it up that should save you some time: After installing Crossover for Mac and running it, click on the 'manage bottles' link and create a new Windows 2000 'bottle'. When Crossover is done setting up the bottle, click on the applications button and then the install software button. Choose the 'install unsupported software' option - don't panic, this just means it's not on the limited list of tested software - not surprising since there isn't a big market for it outside of the legal profession. Navigate to the envsetup.exe file you downloaded from the RealLegal site and choose it. Follow the installation directions. When it's done you should get a finder window with the viewer's program icon. Open the viewer application and use it like you would any other app.

What if you want to convert your transcript into a universal format that anyone can read, like a potential expert witness? Select the entire transcript (I found I needed to click and drag the whole document to do this - see what I mean about junky proprietary software?). Remember that it thinks it is running under windows, so the copy command is Control-C instead of the Mac's Command-C (Pasting on the Mac side is still Command-V). Next I opened Pages [Apple's word processor] and pasted the text in. From there choose File>Print and choose the 'Save as PDF' option and you'll have a cross-platform shareable PDF. [Note: other word processors, such as Word for Mac or even TextEdit may work for this, but I haven't tested them.]

If you own Adobe Acrobat Professional, you can take this a step further. [Note: I found I couldn't paste a transcript of 20 or more pages directly into a blank Acrobat PDF. My test file was 50 pages long. So I used Pages to create the initial PDF file, then opened it in Acrobat to index it.] Acrobat will allow you to index the file so you can search it for any word and quickly locate each usage. Open your PDf in Acrobat and choose Advanced>Document Processing>Manage Embedded Index. Click the 'Embed Index' button and Acrobat will index the entire document. The nice thing about this is that the index can be searched by anyone with the latest free Adobe Acrobat reader software. Adobe by the way has a very good track record at maintaining cross platform compatibility.

I hope this helps you if you've found yourself in the same boat. I'd love to hear some feedback on these workarounds or other ideas if you have them. Let me know of your experience with this issue.

Source:  "Working with RealLegal .ptx Files on the Mac" by Todd Vachon, published at his Todd Vachon Photography blog.

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It is no secret that I have been a big fan of Marketcircle's Daylite for quite some time.  In fact, I have posted several articles (here, here, and here) promoting Daylite as a viable option for other attorneys.  I have used Daylite as our office's case management program for almost two years, and it has done a great job during that time.  It is easy to learn, easy to use, and it just works without problems ... until now, that is.

I downloaded Daylite's new update  (v. 3.5.1) last Thursday, and since doing so I have had problems, which worsened on Friday.  These problems are of the type that make it very difficult to impossible to do any of my daily tasks/functions in Daylite.  When you have any software that becomes the part of the backbone of your practice, any problems quickly become major problems.

Daylite offers free technical support by email, but they state that they "aim to answer your emails within 2 - 4 business days."  I emailed tech support on Friday afternoon explaining the problems that we are having and to request assistance.  I received a somewhat generic email response within a few hours, but it seemed that the person that sent the email did not understand the problem I had described.  At least it asked me to supply additional information, which I promptly did.  I have not yet received any additional contact from Marketcircle.

I am posting this information to keep my readers informed as to how well Marketcircle's tech support resolves these issues and enables us to resume working at full speed.  Hopefully, I will be able to post very soon that all problems have been resolved and how well their tech support people handled these problems. Either way, I will let you keep you posted on how things develop -- good, bad, or other.

Update  ::  10.1.07

I received an email from Marketcircle Tech Support late this morning ago with some proposed solutions to the problems that we are having.  I have implemented the steps that they have recommended, and the results have been mixed.  It initially seemed that one of the main problems was fixed to the point that we could resume working in our database, but the problem has since returned.  I have updated Marketcircle as to the mixed results and ongoing problems, and I hope to get further updates and fixes from them.  Either way, I will keep updating this post as things develop.

Update  ::  10.2.07

I was not able to update the status again yesterday for two reasons:  (1) Mondays are always very busy in a family law practice, with yesterday being unusually so; and (2) these technical problems have hindered my efficiency, and it's taking a lot longer to do virtually everything than it was before these problems began.

Marketcircle's tech support called me a few times yesterday afternoon to have me attempt several possible resolutions and to get some additional information from me.  To their credit, they seem to be working hard to resolve these problems.  In fact, the tech support person that I spoke with stayed at his office until after 6:00 p.m. working on this problem.

The last thing I did last night was upload our entire Daylite database to Marketcircle so that they could try to get a better handle on the problems and come up with a solution.  I am simultaneously very appreciative of their efforts and very ready to have these problems behind me so that I can get my office back up to working at full speed.  I will update again later today after I hear back from Marketcircle.

Update  ::  10.3.07

Over the course of yesterday, two things happened:  (1) our problems got worse, to the point that we were not able to do anything in Daylite for a period of a few hours, and (2) Marketcircle's tech support and software engineers worked steadily and diligently to find a resolution to these problems.

I am thrilled to announced that early yesterday evening, Marketcircle found a way to resolve the problems we were having, and we're now back up to full speed as of last night.  I am not sure exactly what happened to cause the problems, and frankly I'm not sure that they are either, as my situation was apparently unique.  I am not so much concerned as the "why" it happened as I am glad that it is behind us.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to the folks at Marketcircle (particularly Matthew) for all of their hard work to solve this problem.  They stayed after hours on several days to find a resolution, and they even checked with me afterward to make sure that everything was working as it should.  Support like that is hard to come by in today's world, and I want them to know how much I appreciate all of their efforts.

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If you need to send multiple attachments to an email, you should check out Attaché, an AppleScript droplet by Martin Michel.  This add-in quickly creates an new email with all the attachments included and listed.  You can put Attaché anywhere you like, though the Desktop and Dock seem the most logical locations, and then simply select the files you want to send and drop them onto it.  Best of all, Attaché is free and can be downloaded by clicking here.

Source: "Attaché: Droplet for Quick Mail.app Attachment Lists" by Tim Gaden, published at his excellent Hawk Wings blog.

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I have previously posted about Keynote being vastly superior to PowerPoint.   There is a detailed comparison of these two programs at The Trial Technologist's View blog, which includes insightful analysis and videos highlighting the differences in the following areas:  layout, graphics engine, slide transitions, image transitions, image manipulation, charts/tables, video importing, and exporting. This blog is written by a trial presentation and litigation support company, and it contains excellent, practical, and if you haven't checked it out yet, you owe it to yourself to do so. 

Source:  "Differences Between PowerPoint and Keynote [video]" by Blake Boyd, published at The Trial Technologist's View blog.

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The Apple Blog published the following list of thirty Mac business applications:

Time Tracking & Invoicing

On The Job - If simple time tracking an invoicing is all you need, On The Job is the app for you. It purposefully has less features than some of the competition and that is something it definitely has going for it.  

Studiometry - Full-featured time tracking, invoice, and client management.

Billings - Billings is a newer player in the full-featured time tracking and invoicing market but they've made a solid splash.

QuickBooks - While QuickBooks does not have any real time tracking abilities, it does have a fairly stout invoicing system that can be very convenient if you use QuickBooks to manage your business finances.

Blinksale - Straightforward invoicing at its best.

Harvest - Solid time tracking (OS X Widget included).

Money Managment

QuickBooks - The industry standard for business finance management. The Mac version of QuicKBooks is frequently chastised for its clunky interface compared to its Windows counterpart.

Cha-Ching - Arguably one of the best looking applications on the Mac, Cha-Ching has somehow managed to make a boring financial application hip and fun. Class OS X features like smart folders and iSight integration make this a fairly easy application to learn and use.

iFinance - Fairly simple interface.

iBank - Pretty full-featured with things like report and chart creation and budget tracking.

Money 2 - Jumsoft's Money has recently seen a major upgrade to Money 2. The new feature set in Money 2 really is extremely solid though some may find the extra features as a little overkill.

DimeWise - Super cheap.

Wesabe - Includes a helpful community for tips and suggestions.

Communication

Mail - This pretty much goes without saying. Apple's own Mail.app really is the best mail application, and it is included with OS X.

Skype - One of the best tools for phone communication.

Adium - Whether you think chatting is productive or not, it's great for hitting up co-workers or clients for quick questions.

Mailroom - Mailroom is a fairly niche mail application in that it's mainly built for customer support teams.

Campfire - Perfect for group chats with co-workers and clients with features such as file attachments and chat logging.

Project Management

Daylite Productivity Suite - An incredibly full-featured project management application, Daylite is one of the most useful applications on the Mac today. The full suite includes some killer features such a Mail integration, shared calendars, contact management, and more.

OmniPlan - One of the newer Omni Group applications, OmniPlan makes heavy use of Gantt charts to help schedule out any project you have.

Basecamp - 37signals' flagship product, Basecamp has become the standard for project management in many offices (especially small/home businesses).

Contact Management

Address Book - Enables you to keep up with all my contacts, and it is included free with OS X.

Daylite - In addition to being a great project management app (as mentioned above), Daylite also does a killer job of managing contacts.

SOHO Organizer - SOHO Organizer is a bit less business focused than Daylite. In addition to helping you organize contacts, it also helps lets you attach everything under the sun to those contacts as well as group them together however you wish.

Redlien Account Executive - Redlien is almost exclusively for people who are in sales. With features such as email logging and opportunity management, I can't imagine this not helping you increase your sales to other people.

Highrise - The newest application from the 37signals crew, Highrise is contact management in the usual 37signals style. Simple, straightforward, no feature-bloat. It has just the tools you need to customize it to your workflow.

Miscellaneous Tools

Yep - Yep is an application for organizing your documents.

VMware Fusion - This virtualization software enables you to easily run Windows on your Mac.

OmniGraffle - Enables you to create a flow chart for any type of information.

MailTemplate - You create custom mail templates for either new mail or replies that will ultimately save you tons of time on responding to certain types of email.

Source:  "30 Apps to Run your Business By" by Josh Pigford, published at The Apple Blog.

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Last week, I posted  David Sparks' review of Keynote '08.  Today, he posted the following insightful review of Pages '08 at MacSparky.com:

I was not a fan of Pages 06. I'm sure it was perfectly fine for making brochures and flyers, but unfortunately I never had much need for brochures and pamphlets so there it sat on my hard drive, unused and neglected. That being said, I wasn't particularly happy with any other of the word processors on my Mac either. I played a bit with Bean and NeoOffice but when it came down to it, I usually ended up in Microsoft Word. Word reminds me of one of those RV's you see driving down the road. The kind with bicycles tied on the back, a boat bolted to the roof, and spare luggage falling out the window. Like the old RV, Word has every possible feature bolted on and wedged into the various menus. While it has everything you could possibly need (and quite a few you will never need) it drinks system resources and is a real chore to use. Nevertheless, I, like many others, have been using Microsoft Word for more than 15 years and anything else I try will be compared to it.

So Steve Jobs announced the new Pages 08 and explained that now it is a word processor in addition to being a page layout tool. It is in this new word processing mode that I spent most of my time kicking the tires on Pages 08.

All word processors are fundamentally the same. From the days of my 8-bit Atari computer to sitting here with my fancy MacBook Pro, I still am forced to put the words together and get them onto the screen. When it comes to word processing, the devil is in details.

The details in Pages 08 are very nice indeed. There is a contextual format bar that monitors your activity and puts the applicable tools in easy reach. Whether you are typing text, working in a table, or inserting shapes and diagrams, Pages puts the related tools in the top bar.

Pages also incorporates several of the graphical tools added with iWork 08 to this Pages program. This allows for Instant alpha, customizable frames and other graphic tools. They work just as slick as in Keynote. I don't think I'll have a lot of need for these tools in a word processor but it is nice to know they are there.

Change tracking has also been added. This is a very important feature for my work. I often exchange documents with others where change tracking is critical. The implementation of change tracking in Pages is both easy and slick. Even more important, it has worked flawlessly with Microsoft Word. Since most of the people I am working with are using Word, this is critical.

Another new feature is automatic lists. This, of course, has been the bane of existence to all Microsoft Word users for years. Apple's implementation of this feature is a bit more forgiving. It actually adopts your formatting instead of imposing its own. For instance if you type a number 1 and then period and two spaces, it will apply the same with the autoformatting.

The compatibility with Microsoft Word is generally good but not perfect. I put some format heavy contracts into it and made several adjustments while tracking changes. I then exported them to Word format and viewed them in Mac Word 04 and and Windows Office 2003. They looked fine and my windows colleagues were none the wiser. I also tried this with a legal pleading document and the conversion was a mess. Legal pleadings have a very specific format with lines down the left side, line numbering and a variety of other formatting requirements that don't make a lot of sense but hey .. its the world I live in. Anyway, while the Word pleadings imported just fine into Pages, they did not export to Word properly after changes in Pages. The page formatting, font sizes, line numbering, and just about everything else were screwy and unusable without plenty of work. So for me that means I need to do pleading work in Word or just do it as a text file and send it to others for formatting.

Another issue I never quite sorted out was exporting to different versions of Word. Apple beat Microsoft to the punch with compatibility with Office 2007 but I don't run Office 2007 so I can't report on that issue. I tried to figure out if there is a setting to export to Office 2007 or Office 2003. Perhaps if I could sort that out it would solve the problem of exporting pleadings properly but after spending an hour trying to figure it out on the internet, I'm officially kerfluffled on that issue. In short, if you need to work with Word files and use complicated formatting make sure to give it a test run before you commit.

Pages 08 runs much cleaner than Microsoft Word in OS X. It loads quickly and happily exists far down in my activity monitor. As I typed this review in Pages, it ranged between one and ten percent of the total system resources. When I clicked out of Pages it pleasingly dropped to zero percent.

The included templates are very well designed and cover just about any need. It is telling of just how much of a stranglehold Microsoft has on the word processor market that my biggest problems with Pages are not its own feature set but its ability to play nicely with Word. Separating that issue, running Pages is easier and less intrusive than Word. It allows me to think less about the program and more about the words on the screen. While the feature set is more limited, it has everything I need. While Word still remains on my hard drive, I'm quite pleased to leave the Winnebago in the garage.

You can listen to this review on Surfbits MacReviewCast Episode #122.

Source:  "Review - Pages 08 " by David Sparks, published at MacSparky.com.

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I was a big fan of Apple's Keynote, even before the newest version was released a few weeks ago.  I believe that comparing Keynote to PowerPoint gives one a good synopsis of why Macs are superior to PC's overall.  Don't just take my word for it, consider the following review from my blogging friend, David Sparks, at MacSparky.com:

Presentations and word processing are my bread and butter. That is, I earn my living writing and presenting. I have been writing PowerPoint presentations for years. I'm actually very good at them and occasionally freelance for my geek challenged colleagues. It is with those years of experience in mind that I was initially skeptical about using Apple's presentation software, Keynote. That was, at least, until the first time I saw a Keynote presentation.

I think Keynote (even before this recent update) is superior to PowerPoint in both ease of use and final product. With the release of Keynote '08, the gap has just grown larger. For the purpose of this review, I'm going to skip over a lot of the features that already existed in Keynote and focus on the new additions. If you are not familiar with Keynote, even before the upgrade it was full of stellar templates, transitions, and text effects that made producing convincing presentations a breeze. Indeed there are even more new transitions and effects but that is just the start of some fantastic changes and additional features.

With the new point to point animation you can tell an object where to go on the screen and how to get there. For example, if you have a map of the forest and want to show exactly how the wolf went to the three little pigs homes, you can plot the motion paths with a one click procedure for each stop and Keynote does the rest. With each click during your presentation the wolf will move across the screen at the speed, acceleration, and motion path that you set. The way I used to accomplish this was a very convoluted procedure involving Final Cut's Motion program and a lot of praying. Now its a breeze.

Another new feature is one I didn't even realize I needed but now I couldn't live without. Its called "Instant Alpha". It allows me to incorporate picture, pdfs, and other objects and remove the background. I've talked about how much I like using OmniGraffle but what I've never posted on is the frustration of making a beautiful diagram in OmniGraffle and then having to look at that ugly white background when I import it into Keynote. I guess I could have removed the background all along in Photoshop Elements, but to be honest I never really thought of it. Regardless, with the new Keynote, you just tap the "Instant Alpha" button and then put the mouse inside the color you want to remove. You click and drag and it removes the background on screen for you. When you get it just right, you hit the enter key and its done. It is really easy and extremely useful.

Inevitably, every slideshow I prepare has a run of pictures. A lot of my work involves construction projects and buildings and pictures are essential for demonstrating particular issues. The new keynote has an excellent feature called "Smart Build" that lets you put an entire series of pictures into one slide and easily pick a transition that is flashy or subtle.

Keynote will also now insert a frame around a picture or text box. This is really nice for setting a picture or highlighting text I pull out of a document image. In powerpoint this took two separate images and it was an absolute pain. No more "send to back". No more resizing and moving multiple objects. Just one clicky. Thanks Apple.

Navigating and sorting also got easier with adjustable sizes and new views. Formatting and auto-correcting also got a lot easier with new tools to make production of your keynote faster and more efficient.

Apple also improved the movie import and export function. You can now key a quicktime movie on a mouse click instead of it starting automatically on the slide transition. It also allows you to export your presentation to Quicktime. This export is not, however, just a static movie but you can actually set it to advance on clicks just as if you are viewing it in Keynote. Are you getting this? That means you can take your Keynote and play it on any machine that has Quicktime. Even a beige box that has requires Norton and is covered with stickers that say "Intel inside". This feature will be extremely useful to me when I have to give a presentation using somebody else's windows rig. It will also leave them all wondering, "How did he do that?" And that is a wonderful thing.

So in case you haven't figured it out I'm giving the new Keynote two big thumbs up. You can purchase it as part of the iWork suite for just $79 or $99 for the family pack. Next week I'll be following up this review with my look at Pages '08.

You can listen to this review on the Surfbits MacReview Cast Episode 121.

Source:  "Review - Keynote '08" by David Sparks, published at MacSparky.com.

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At a press conference yesterday, Apple announced several significant improvements to its hardware and software offerings.  Several of these are significant for attorneys interested in or already using Macs in their offices. 

Software  ::  Apple's office suite, iWork '08, is new and greatly improved, and it may now be a viable alternative to Microsoft Office. 

• Numbers '08  ::  iWork now features a spreadsheet program.  It is not as fancy as Excel, but it looks as though it will do everything that most attorneys will need, and it does them very simply and easily.
• Pages '08  ::  Apple's word processor received many updates, including the addition of change tracking.  This program not only does word processing, but it also serves handles page layouts well.
• Keynote '08  ::  I believe that Keynote was already vastly superior to PowerPoint before this update.  Not only are there new templates, but Apple has included fantastic new text and transition effects and voice casting.

Hardware:

• iMacs  ::  The revised iMac features a thinner body, faster chips, a new keyboard layout, and lower prices.
• Mac mini  ::  Despite rumors that it was being discontinued, the Mac mini lives on.  It received a small speed bump and Core 2 Duo chip.

Other:

• Apple introduced improvements to its iLife '08 suite, primarily in iMovie and iPhoto.
• .Mac now features 10 GB of web storage and a Web Gallery.

Sources:  "Apple's iWork '08: The Office For The Rest Of Us" by Ron McElfresh, published at Mac360 and "Apple's August Announcements - What Was Really Important" by Chris Kerins, published at My First Mac.

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As many media outlets are reporting, Microsoft announced yesterday on its MacMojo blog that it would not release Office 2008 for Mac until January of 2008 instead of its previously announced target of the second half of 2007.   However, it plans to begin releasing series of "sneak peeks" in September to reveal some of the features and functionality of this release.

Wow, I'm shocked!  Who would have ever thought that Microsoft would be tardy in releasing one of its software products.  As my blogging friend David Sparks recently posted, if MICROSOFT thinks it is not ready for release ... it must be really ugly."  Amen, brother!

Source:  "Office 2008 Coming January 2008" posted at the MacMojo blog.

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As you probably know, Mac OS X comes with a built-in *.pdf viewer, Preview.  However, as great as that program is, it has one flaw -- it won't combine multiple *.pdf files into one.  Fear not though, a free program called Combine PDFs does this just fine.  It allows you to drag and drop *.pdf files into its interface, where you can then rearrange and rotate files as necessary or desired.  I have used this program, and it performs its tasks quickly and easily -- just like Mac software should!

Source:  "Merge Multiple PDF's with Combine PDFs 2.1" by Gina Trapani, published at Lifehacker.com.

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Wired.com published an article earlier this week which examined the web applications currently available for the iPhone.  As you may be aware, at this time, users cannot download and install applications directly onto their iPhones.  However, developers have already been quite busy developing applications which can run on the web.

Some of the web applications featured in this article include:

• iChat for iPhone  ::  Web-based chat client for AIM users.
• Meebo.com  ::  Web-based chat service that supports all the major protocols, including AIM, MSN, Yahoo and ICQ.
• iZoho  ::  iPhone-optimized version of the its online office suite, which offers access to Zoho Writer, Sheet, Show and Creator.
• Google Reader  ::  Allows you to read RSS news feeds on your iPhone.

Source:  "Chess, Chat and Cheap Gas: The IPhone's Best Web Apps Reviewed" by Scott Gilbertson, published at Wired.com.

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This week's posts have featured the iPhone.  Thus far, I have featured reviews by other lawyers.  Today, we will look at software applications already available for the iPhone (less than two weeks after its release).  I have found two websites that are worth noting:

• iPhone Atlas  ::  A resource for Apple's iPhone, containing guides to usage, troubleshooting information, pertinent news and more.
• BarCamp's iPhoneDevCampApps  ::  Making the web a better place for iPhone.

Some of the applications that look most helpful (or at least promising) for attorneys are:

• gOffice: Word Processor  ::  Basic word processor for the iPhone that outputs .doc-formatted documents.  Allows you to save templates and bits of text and to display previews of documents on the iPhone as *.png images.
• TinyBuddy Web IM  ::  Web-based instant messaging application for the iPhone.
• Telekinesis  ::  Remotely access your Mac through a collection of mini web apps on your iPhone.
• iPheed  ::  Notebook, To Do List, and Technorati Tag Tracker.
• Mojits: Application Launcher ::  Organizes links to iPhone Web apps and allows you to login for saved sets of apps and offers keyword, ratings, and comment capabilities.
• iPhone Tip of the Day  ::  Daily tips for maximizing your iPhone experience.

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From this week's MacUser blog:

Joining the ranks of Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion and CrossOver is a new addition to the Mac virtualization market: VirtualBox. A few days ago, innotek released a Mac beta version of the software, in addition to its existing Windows and Linux editions.

What differentiates VirtualBox from its competitors is its price: $0 for personal use. Not only that, it's completely open-source. It runs various flavors of both Linux and Windows (including Vista). A few notable features include a modular design, Remote Desktop Protocol support, and shared folders. Overall, it sounds like VirtualBox is somewhat on the geeky side.

Judging by the lone Mac screenshot on VirtualBox's site, the product lacks Parallels Desktop's polish, but early user reports sent to MacWindows suggest the speed is impressive. There's price to pay for the "beta" label, though: among other things, expect USB support to be flaky.

Anyone want to try it out and report back? The beta is downloadable from VirtualBox's website.

Source:  "VirtualBox, Yet Another Virtualization Option" by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen, published at the MacUser blog.

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If you've ever used iChat, you already know what a great messaging program it is.  If your company has blocked your messaging access to the internet, this tip from MacOSXHints might be the solution you've been waiting for:

Many companies block the default port used by most IM clients. However, you can change iChat's port from 5190 to 80, which is the same port your browser uses. Open iChat, then go to Preferences » Accounts » Server Settings, and change the port number from 5190 to 80. You must be offline (iChat: Log out of AIM) before you can make this change. This will allow iChat to connect to the IM servers, and off to text messaging you go. I'm pretty sure this tip will only work for text messaging, since voice and video chat use ports that are not changable in iChat.

Source: "Use iChat Behind a Company Firewall" published at MacOSXHints.com.

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I am pleased to present the following post from my friend, Grant Griffiths, on his ten "must-have" applications for solo practitioners using Macs.  Of his designated applications, I personally use four myself and have taken close looks at three others.  Kudos to Grant for compiling his list, as follows:

My blogging friend, Rick Georges of the Future Lawyer had a recent article at Law.com. He wrote about Ten apps for the solo practitioner. I know Rick does this just to cause me to write up an answer to his post. As he mentions in his post, he stuck to Windoze based stuff. And like Rick, I am going to stick to what I know and that would be applications I use in my own solo practice.

1. First and foremost on my list is Mac OSX itself. Now, I know what you are thinking, that is an operating system and not an application. However consider for a moment building an office and where you should start. The foundation and it should be as stable, strong and reliable as possible. Mac OSX gives you that. But it also gives you more. Not only is it a wonderful OS, it provides four of the applications I use everyday in my solo practice.

• iChat
• iCal
• Mail
• Address Book

I use each one every single day and would not want to operate my practice without them. Best of all, all four will integrate into other programs which I will discuss in future posts.

2. Second is my word processor of choice, NeoOffice.

NeoOffice is a fully-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and drawing programs) for Mac OS X. Based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, NeoOffice has integrated dozens of native Mac features and can import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office.

Released as free, open source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL), NeoOffice is fully functional and stable enough for everyday use. The software is actively developed, so improvements and small updates are made available on a regular basis.

3. Next, and one that I have discussed before is Circus Ponies Notebook. It's a combination outliner and free-form database that lets you clip, annotate, and share unstructured information. Organize your information using a familiar notebook interface complete with pages and tabs. Best of all you can organize a case in a way that makes sense to you. Not the way the software company believes it should be done. You can import photos, images, film clips, and sounds directly into Notebook from ay source. Display embedded media in your Notebook in Media Frames that give you control over the media item. Import any kind of content from the web or from other Mac apps using NoteBook's built-in Clipping Services. Copy text and other content directly into your Notebooks without leaving whatever app you are working in. You can even pre-edit clippings before sending them to your Notebook.

Notebook includes tabs on the right side just like a trial notebook. I set mine up like a Bindertek trial notebook. Labeled and color coded just like a hardcopy notebook. However, with Notebook, I can assure you one thing, I can find my information faster than an attorney using a hard copy, like a trial notebook. And I can use my Notebook version to present information and exhibits in court.

Notebook also works with iCal where you can set and manage alarms and to do's for your case.

4. Like Rick, I too use Skype. It truly is a great tool for the law office. I bought the SkypeOut service for just over $29.00 per year. I can call unlimited nationwide numbers all I want. I have it set up so that my BT ear piece connects to the calls I make and receive on Skype. And actually, Rick and I have visited often using Skype. Get it, you won't be sorry you did.

5. Pagesender is my built in fax service. It is a great software that sits on my file/fax server, Mac Mini. I use the same phone line that I use for my DSL service so I only have to tie up one line for both those useful tools. All faxes come into my office as PDF's which I than store directly to my clients virtual file folder. If I am out of the office, my faxes are emailed to me no matter where I am at. And when I need to sign something that comes in as a fax, I don't even print it. I sign it with the next application listed below.

6. With PDFpenPro I can Fill out PDF forms and edit PDFs easily. Split, combine, reorder, sign and augment PDFs with text, image overlays & watermarks. Signing is as easy as inserting my signature which is saved to my desktop onto any document I want. In my humble opinion, I just don't see how you could have a paperLESS office without this application.

7. Keynote 3 is not a replacement for PowerPoint. But a better solution for those presentations we might make as a lawyer.

Cinema-quality presentations for everyone -- with ease. Keynote puts you in the director's chair and gives you complete control over how you build and deliver your presentation.

8. For postage I no longer go to the post office to get my stamps. I use endicia for Mac. You can print mailing labels, envelopes and InstaPostage labels with ease. Print real postage from your Mac. No more standing in long lines at the post office. It works with Apple's Address Book and the next program I discuss below.

9. EasyTime billing program is my billing program of choice now. It is written by a Mac using developer for the Mac using attorney.

• easily manage clients and cases
• address book integration
• retainer billing
• multiple rates per timekeeper
• unlimited task & case notes
• task timer
• user shortcuts
• fully customizable invoices and reports
• batch invoice printing with automatic email option
• postage printing via Endicia (US customers only)
• link external documents to client & case
• assign persons (attorneys, witnesses, adjusters, etc.)
• contact overview and phone call reminder

EasyTime will develop into a full time billing, case and document managing system.

10. Finally, Basecamp is a must have practice tool. In my own practice, Basecamp is used to manage cases and clients. Each client has access to their own case. By using Basecamp, each has access too all the documents in their case and also know when important court dates are. They can leave comments or questions about their case and they can keep up on the progress of their case. It keeps clients more involved in the process.

There you have it, ten of the must have apps for the Mac using solo practitioner. I would love to have as many of you post comments here telling me what applications you feel are a must have. Lets keep the conversation going.

Oh and by the way Ben Cowgill do you have a list for the windoze using attorney? And you thought us Mac using attorneys did not have any software. I actually had to stop at ten. There is a ton more and if enough interest is expressed, I will do a follow up to this post in the near future.

Source:  "10 Must-Have Apps for the Mac Using Solo Practitioner" by Grant Griffiths, posted at his Home Office Lawyer blog. 

 

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The following article, published last month in USA Today, takes a look at the two main virtualization options available to Mac users:

Reluctant to switch to a Macintosh because so much of your favorite software requires Microsoft Windows? Now you don't have to hold back.

Apple's free Boot Camp beta software can also make your Intel-based Mac a screaming-fast Windows machine. But when you turn your computer on, you must choose to work in either Windows or Mac's OS X Tiger.

That's why I've been more intrigued by Parallels Desktop for Mac. The $80 "virtualization" software lets you run the Mac's operating system and Windows side-by-side. Alas, compared with Boot Camp, Parallels was poky and buggy when I first tried it last year.

Last week, the Seattle-area start-up behind Parallels unveiled a less-geeky update that addresses many of its shortcomings, including plug-and-play support for USB 2.0 devices. Moreover, Parallels piles on new features, the neatest of which makes it look like you are running Windows programs right on your Mac desktop, along with other Mac programs.

It's still not for beginners. And I got off to a tough start testing the latest version of Parallels with Windows XP on an iMac. Windows couldn't recognize my Hewlett-Packard USB printer or Seagate USB storage device. I encountered the lingering hourglass, bizarre "fatal error" messages and the dreaded "blue screen of death" that sometimes precedes a PC meltdown.

Parallels said the snags had more to do with a corrupted copy of XP rather than its own software. Seems so. The glitches disappeared when I loaded a fresh retail copy of XP Professional.

Let's dive into the Parallels universe.

•The basics. Think of a virtual machine as a stand-alone computer on your Mac. It behaves as if it has a Pentium processor (though the Intel chip inside the Mac is something different). It works best on Macs with a lot of memory -- Parallels recommends at least 1 gigabyte -- because the software can put a strain on the system.

Parallels does more than just Windows. It works with Linux, OS/2, MS-DOS and other operating systems. You choose a guest operating system during installation.

In most cases, you'll have to buy a new copy of Windows (not an upgrade) and activate or authorize the software online or over the phone. It's Microsoft's way of making sure your copy of Windows is legit.

The XP Pro version I used for testing cost $300. Ouch. However, if you already have a version of Windows loaded on the Mac and are using Boot Camp, you need not reinstall it for Parallels. Microsoft will make you reactivate, however, since it now thinks you are running Windows on a different computer.

If you just bought a Mac and are retiring an old PC, you can transfer Windows (plus programs and data) from that old computer to the Mac using a new migration tool called Parallels Transporter. You'll have to connect a cable to both machines. Parallels says to check licensing agreements to make sure you can legally transfer the PC's version of Windows to another machine.

• Parallels or Boot Camp? I was impressed with the speed at which basic Windows programs such as Internet Explorer and Quicken ran in Parallels. But when Parallels is running, trying to do things such as open iTunes or iPhoto on the Mac side is noticeably slower.

Indeed, Boot Camp outshines Parallels in a few ways. It's free. Unlike Parallels, it works with camcorders and other devices you connect via a FireWire cable. It's superior if you work with heavy-duty graphics or play 3D games. Though you can run Windows Vista in Parallels, you cannot take advantage of the new operating system's lovely Aero graphics.

• Virtualization reality. Parallels is much friendlier than it used to be. As before, you click on simple VCR-like icons to control the virtual machine. Click "play" and a configuration window flips around to show XP in its own window.

You can move your mouse pointer at will between operating systems and easily share an Internet connection. You can drag and drop files between the Mac and Windows, too, or drag an entire file folder onto a "Shared Folders" icon in Windows. I used a picture in my Mac's iPhoto library as the background in Windows. It was oddly out of focus on the Windows side. Not so on the Mac side.

The most dramatic enhancement in Parallels is called Coherence, a feature that lets you run Windows applications (Outlook, Internet Explorer, etc.) directly on the Mac desktop. Windows icons appear on the strip of programs on the Mac known as the Dock. If seeing the Windows taskbar above the Dock is disconcerting, you can switch to a full-screen Windows view.

Windows wrests control of the CD/DVD-ROM player from OS X when Parallels is running. I successfully copied music off a CD in Windows Media Player but couldn't play a DVD because I lacked a compatible DVD decoder in my copy of Windows. A second software DVD player in Windows called InterActual failed to play my discs because of a confusing video problem.

Windows is as vulnerable inside a Mac to viruses as any PC. Parallels comes with a six-month trial version of Internet security anti-virus software from a small company called Kaspersky Lab. It wasn't bug-free. After scanning Windows for viruses with the program, I received a funky error message indicating that a previous launch of the Kaspersky program had failed.

For mainstream users who need to run a Windows app or two on their Mac, Parallels is a fine program that has come a long way.

Source: "Windows, Macs Co-Exist" by Edward C. Baig, published in USA Today.

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Last week, Google released its search program, Google Desktop for Mac.  This program enables you to search your drives for applications, files, emails, folders and your Gmail messages and web browsing history.  You can read more about the features of this program at these blogs:

• "Google Desktop for Mac" by Mike Pinkerton, published at the Official Google Mac Blog
• "Google Desktop for Mac: Gmail, MailTags" by Tim Gaden, published at his Hawk Wings blog

However, the news may not all be good.  Many people have expressed concerns about how intrusive it actually is.  Like its PC cousin, the program gathers the statistics on your searches and reports this back to Google.  It claims that you can turn the reporting feature off, but can you really do so?  You can read more about this security concern at these blogs:

• "How Intrusive is Google Desktop for Mac" by Mike Sivcevic, published at his Silver Mac blog
• "Mac Google Desktop ... Unfortunately Rather Intrusive" published at Ansemond.com

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As you may recall, I published a guest post from David Sparks several months ago, in which he discussed his first few weeks as a Mac convert after being a PC user for over 20 years.  Today, Mr. Sparks discussues a problem that he encountered and solved related to his calendar:

Well its been a few months now since I chucked my PC laptop and bought my shiny Macbook Pro.  One problem that continued to pester me is one that is near and dear to the heart of all attorneys, the calendar.  My office uses a PC Network with a specialized legal application called "Timematters" which performs pretty well with one exception (*cough* regular email crashes *cough).  Timematters is a PC only application and one of the things it does well is sync with my Treo 650.  This way my secretary and staff is entering contacts, appointments, and task items which sync into my Treo.  This is very helpful to me.  The problem is when I want to look at my calendar at home on something other than the tiny Treo screen.  So therein lies the challenge -- sync my Treo with my Mac without screwing up the data when I return to my office.  (It would not be fun explaining to my colleagues how I managed to wipe out the contact database)  As an aside I was never able to successfully do this on my old PC laptop either.

This is not as easy at it should seem.  The Palm desktop may be the worst program ever written in both its PC and Mac variants.  But I think the Mac version is particularly loathsome.  I try to sync with it and it takes FOREVER.  Furthermore, it doesn't always grab all the data and worse yet it seems to corrupt data when I send it back at work.   I also tried "The Missing Sync" to no avail (although a lot people swear by it). 

The good news is I've found a solution using Google Calendar and GooSync.  GooSync can be found at www.goosync.com and is made by a UK based company, Toffa International.  GooSync allows you to sync your Google Calendar with just about any cell phone that has a calendar app.  If you go to their site they have a list of supported phones.  With my Treo it actually installed a small palm application that, with a press of a button, allows me to sync my treo to my google calendar.  GooSync talks to my google calendar and sync's all changes on both the phone and those on google.  When I go back to the office it then integrates those changes straight into my windows based calendar software without a hiccup.

One nice feature of this is there are no cables.  You can sync your phone from anywhere.  I usually hit the GooSync button on my Treo as I drive home from the office and again in the morning as I head back in.  The free version of GooSync will synchronize for 30 days.  If you purchase a 1 year subscription at 20 pounds (which ended up costing me about $40, it will sync an entire year.

If you really want to go crazy, you can also buy Spanning Sync.  This program installs a system preference tool that works very similar to the .mac synchronization.  When you first set it up you can attach each of your google calendars to a separately created calendar in Apple iCal.  I've had it running on my MacBook Pro now for 2 weeks with no problem whatsoever.  Because it allows you to sync multiple calendars I can pull down my office calendar (uploaded with GooSync), my wife's calendar, the Google US holiday calendar, and any other public google calendar.   I can make adjustments to both calendars and the sync process puts it all together on both systems.

I've been very pleased with this program.  My wife still works on a PC and it allows her and I to keep up with each other.  This also lets me see my calendar, via google calendar, even when I'm away from my mac.  It also works fine on multiple macs.  I bought my daughter an iMac and the program works fine on my user account on her computer.  If you don't believe me then go to the website, SpanningSync.com.  They have a very nice video demonstration.

They offer a trial demonstration of 15 days.  They have an interesting license schedule, its $25 a year or a one-time fee of $65.  I bought the one year license.  I highly recommend this program if you have need of viewing and editing your calendar from other computers, or share calendar data with other users (especially cross platform).  It is a great little application that quietly does exactly what you expect it to every time.

The net result for me with these two programs is that my secretary, my wife, and I can all be looking at and changing my calendar from multiple locations and multiple platforms and at the end of the day everything syncs up flawlessly.  Since my calendar is constantly changing, this is a very good thing.

David W. Sparks is an attorney with George & Shields LLP in Irvine, California. He specializes in litigation and transactional practice.  He is described as a "creative thinker focused on precision, detail-oriented litigation preparation and strategic business planning to obtain the best possible outcome for clients."  David can be reached via email by clicking HERE.  My thanks are extended to David for his great guest post.

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Apple's Boot Camp software has just been updated, and it now officially supports the 32-bit version of Windows Vista. The offical list of improvements includes:

• Support for Windows Vista (32-bit)
• Updated drivers, including but not limited to trackpad, AppleTime (synch), audio, graphics, modem, iSight camera
• Support the Apple Remote (works with iTunes and Windows Media Player)
• A Windows system tray icon for easy access to Boot Camp information and actions
• Improved keyboard support for Korean, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, and French Canadian
• Improved Windows driver installation experience
• Updated documentation and Boot Camp on-line help in Windows
• Apple Software Update (for Windows XP and Vista)

The new software can be downloaded HERE.

Source:  "Boot Camp 1.2 Released, Includes Vista Support" by Alex Oughton, published at InsanelyMac.

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If you only want to include a portion of an email in a new email (such as a reply or forwarded message), you can simply select the part of the text you want to include in your response before clicking "Reply" or "Forward".  Your new email message contains only the text you have selected and omits the other portions of the prior email. 

This tip comes in very handy in a legal setting.  There are frequently occasions where I want to forward certain information to a client or when I want to forward a portion of a client's email to my assistant.

Source:  "Selective Quoting in Mail.app" by Mike Sivcevic, published at his Silver Mac blog.

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If you are interested in learning one easy way to control your Mac remotely, visit the Murphy Mac blog and read his post about Chicken of the VNC.  Using this program, you can control a computer on your same network or a machine from across the Internet.  Murphy provides step-by-step instructions for both as well as providing a screencast to illustrate the processes.

Source:  "Chicken of the VNC" published at Murphy Mac.

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We all know and love Apple's Preview program as an image viewer extraordinaire', but did you know that it can also be used to create image files?  Best of all, the creation process is quick and easy -- in other words, very Mac-like -- the way things should be.

If you have an image file on your clipboard (by using the "copy" command from virtually any program), you can simply use preview Preview and press Command-N.  A new image file is created using the graphics on the clipboard, and you can then use File --> Save to save the image in a format and location of your choosing.

Source:  "Use Preview to Create Image Files" by Rob Griffiths, published at Macworld.

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LifeHacker recently published the following list of its Top 10 free downloads for the Mac:

1. Quicksilver  ::  keyboard interface
2. TextWrangler  ::  text editor
3. SilverKeeper  ::  backup utility
4. Adium  ::  instant messenger
5. Handbrake  ::  DVD ripper
6. iSquint  ::  video file to iPod converter
7. VirtueDesktops  ::  virtual desktop manager
8. The Unarchiver  ::  archive extractor
9. VLC  ::  media player
10. iTerm  ::  tabbed terminal

Source:  "LH Top 10: Free Mac Downloads" by Gina Trapani, published at LifeHacker.

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Seven months ago, I wrote a post about OS X's built-in PDF functions.  One of the things that has somewhat frustrated me is that it is not easy to combine *.pdf files once they have been created -- until now!

Thanks to PDFMergeX, this process is now quick and easy.  Using this program, you simply select the desired *.pdf documents, put them in the correct order, and click "combine."  This program is the epitome' of Mac software -- intuitive, straightforward, and impeccible.

This program was created by Daniele Margutti in only one day, and it is donation-ware, with a suggested donation of only $5.  If you work with *.pdf documents, you owe it to yourself to check out and download PDFMergeX and put it to use today.

Thanks to Chris Howard of AppleMatters for his post, "PDFMergeX Makes Combining PDFs Simple," about this program.

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The following is a "guest post" by Erik Mazzone that was published on Rick Georges' Futurelawyer blog:

Confession:  I am a Mac dork.  I would say "Mac geek", but the term "geek" implies a little more tech-savvy than I bring to the table.  Dork it is.

I've been using a Mac for my home stuff, more or less consistently since I was a freshman in college in [date redacted].  I've also started using my Mac for work since going into business for myself.  It does very well for most of the stuff I use, with one glaring exception:  the office suite.

For word processing and spreadsheets, I've been stuck between a rock and a hard place:  either suffer through the ridiculous and hateable Appleworks, or pay Bill Gates a princely sum to buy MS Office 1995 For Mac.  I'm optimistic about Google Docs and Spreadsheets, but the Web 2.0 interface is not quite slick enough yet to become my primary office software.

Like I said, stuck.  Until yesterday.

Yesterday I opened my local newspaper (yes, I am one of the 11 people in the U.S. who still subscribes to a print newspaper) and read the technology column which featured an article on a software program called OpenOffice.  OpenOffice is a free software program that works on Windows, Linux or Mac, and looks and feels like Microsoft Office. Check it out here.  It has everything I want:  the look and feel of Microsoft Office without sliding Bill Gates any farther up the Forbes list.

So, I promptly sent an email to my favorite legal-technology blogger to update him on this breaking news.  Rick politely emailed back to say, uh yeah, he's blogged about OpenOffice since, like, last year. (Stupid newspaper breaking year-old stories.)  But if I wanted to write a guest post for those of us slightly more challenged by the innovation adoption curve, I could go right ahead.

Voila.  I have just downloaded OpenOffice and the early returns are promising.  If you, like me, missed out on the early adopter (or even early majority, perhaps) phase of checking this out, here's your chance to get in before the late majority and my personal favorite part of the innovation adoption curve, the laggards.

And if you are a Mac dork enthusiast, here's a chance to throw off the MS Office yoke and get past the fact that Steve Jobs doesn't care if you ever need to make a spreadsheet.

Enjoy!  Erik Mazzone

Source:  "OpenOffice" by Erik Mazzone, published by Rick Georges at his  Futurelawyer blog.

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To follow up on the issues addressed in Craig Poff's guest post yesterday, the Washington Post published an article last week that takes a look at the similarities and features of the big three virtualization programs:  Apple's BootCamp, Parallels Desktop for Mac, and CodeWeavers' CrossOver Mac.  After its in-depth analysis, the article concludes:  "For somebody who needs to run only one or two Windows programs, CrossOver can be a cheap, simple solution. Otherwise, Parallels easily justifies its higher cost and system requirements."

Better yet, the article concludes by saying that "Many new Mac users, however, may discover they don't need to run Windows programs after all -- for just about any task imaginable, a good Mac program can be found. The greatest feature of software like Parallels and CrossOver may be their existence alone. They constitute a cheap, easily exercised insurance policy that frees people to buy the computer they want without worry."  You can read the whole article by clicking HERE.

Source:  "Playing on Both Sides" by Rob Pegoraro, published in the Washington Post. 

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I am pleased to present the following guest post from Craig Poff, a Mac-using attorney in Beaufort, SC:

I switched to Parallels for Mac last Christmas, and I have enjoyed nothing but smooth sailing.  I downloaded it straight from the company's Web site, it installed easily (luckily I already had a copy of Windows XP Pro, as you need it), I installed Windows XP as my Guest Operating System (although you could install Linux, I am told or even old versions of Windows, if you have the disks) and haven't had a single problem.  So much easier to keep Windows open as merely another open application on Mac, rather than shutting down and rebooting, as  required by Apple's Boot Camp.

Indeed, Boot Camp made your Mac more like a total Windows PC (in terms of running the DVD, CD-ROM, the printer ports, etc.), but I am only using Windows for specialized applications (Bankruptcy and Quicken) and don't try to play movies, run 3D games or even go on line.  Indeed, when Windows is running on your Mac, being a Bill Gates product, it will seek to "take over" control of your printer, USB slots, etc.  If it does so, all you have to do is close Parallels and Mac regains full control of all functions of the computer.

Just a note to say that anybody interested in trying it should take the plunge.  The Web Site offers a free 14 day full-function trial of the software.  I was anxious to put my money down well before the 14 days were up ($80 or so).

Craig Joseph Poff, Esq.
Law Office of Craig Joseph Poff
605 Carteret Street
Beaufort, South Carolina 29901
843-521-0995
843-524-2354 (fax)
craig@craigpoff.com

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Rumors have surfaced that Apple may release its highly anticipated new operating system, OS 10.5 Leopard as early as next month.  Apple's planned release was in the "spring", but T3.com reports that date could be pushed up to the end of March, far earlier than initially expected.  Even better, Apple may release updated versions of iLife and iWork at that same time.

Source:  "Leopard Set For March" published at T3.com.

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The use of vCards (electronic business cards) can make exchange of one's personal information much easier and more efficient.  Including an option to download your vCard in your email signature line is a quick, easy option that you should consider.

Mail.app guru extraordinaire Tim Gaden has posted a great "how to" at his excellent Hawk Wings blog, which offers two ways to add a vCard with your contact information to a Mail.app signature.

• Option One  ::  Add it as a hyperlink to a remotely-stored vCard file, so that recipients can easily download it into their Address Books.  This is the method I recommend, and you simply follow these steps:
  
  • Select the desired text in your email signature;
  • Control-click on it;
  • Select the new Edit Link option; and
  • Enter the web address where your vCard is stored. 

• Option Two  ::  Export your card from Address Book and drag into the desired signature pane of Mail's preferences, which send your vCard with every signed email.  (Note: This method will make your emals larger and can slow their transmission.)

Here is my new and improved Mail.app signature:

J. Benjamin Stevens
Stevens - MacPhail, P.A.
1188 Asheville Highway
Spartanburg, SC 29303
(864) 598-9172 or (800) 897-8856
Email:  Ben@StevensFirm.com
Family Law blog:  www.SCFamilyLaw.com
Family Law website:  www.StevensFirm.com
Mac Legal Technology blog:  www.TheMacLawyer.com
Personal Injury blog:  www.SCPILaw.com
Download vCard

Source:  "Adding a vCard to a Mail.app Signature" by Tim Gaden, published at his Hawk Wings blog.

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AppleMatters recently published a review of Adium v. 1.0, which did a nice job of comparing and contrasting its features with Apple's iChat.  Here's a quick comparison of these two programs:

Adium:

• 16 Supported Chat Networks, including AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, MSN, .Mac, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, ICQ, LiveJournal, Lotus Sametime, Novel GroupWise, QQ, SIP, Yahoo Japan, and Zephyr.
• Ability to sign in with up to five different accounts at the same time.
• Flexible status management options give you the ability to preset length of time before Adium shows your status to "inactive" or "idle"
• Does not support video or Audio chat at this time.
• Many customization options, including ability to change your contact list themes, dock icons, emoticons, message styles, scripts, service icons, sound sets, status icons, etc.

iChat:

• 4 Supported Chat Networks:   .Mac, AIM, Jabber, and Bonjour.
• Ability to have different accounts, but you can only log in to one at a time.
• Allows you to manually set your status as "away".
• Does offer and enable video and/or audio chats.
• Some customiztion options, primarily relating to message appearance and sounds.

In my opinion, each program has a signficant drawback/flaw.  Adium allows you to basically chat with anyone, no matter what chat client they use, but it lacks audio and video capabilities.  iChat offers those options, but only for its supported platforms, which are limited.

I typically use Adium as my day-to-day chat client, and I switch over to iChat when I want to have a video chat with someone.  Admittedly, this is a little frustrating, but it allows me to come pretty close to having the best of both worlds.

Source:  "Review: Adium 1.0" by Tanner Godarzi, published at AppleMatters.

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At the Macworld Expo in San Francisco last week, Microsoft offered a sneak preview of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, which is expected to be relesed in the latter part of this year.  This version will come in Universal Binary format, which will run natively on both Apple's PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.

Among the highlights shown in this preview:

• Word will have a new user interface dubbed "Elements Gallery," which speeds up document creation by allowing users to drag-and-drop predefined templates for some of the most commonly used "Document Parts," such as headers, footers and tables of contents.
• The new version of Word features a "Publishing Layout View" that lets users create incredibly layout-rich documents such as newsletters, fliers and brochures by uncovering desktop publishing layout tools and providing text box entry.
• Microsoft also previewed My Day, which is a stand-alone widget-like application that allows users to track priorities and stay on top of daily activities no matter what application they're currently working in. It interfaces directly with Entourage -- another component of Microsoft Office -- offering at-a-glance schedule and task viewing without having to launch Entourage.
• The new version of Excel will add support for "Ledger Sheets," enabling anyone to use spreadsheet application to handle common financial management tasks.  According to Microsoft, home and small-business users can balance checkbooks, track accounts or manage investment portfolios more easily than ever.

For additional photos of Word 2008, you can visit AppleInsider's Office 2008 photo gallery.

Source: "Microsoft Previews Development Version of Office 2008 for Mac", published at AppleInsider.

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The following article was published last Friday at the Bankruptcy Practice Pro blog, and it is worth reading:

So you've finally done it. You bought a Mac. It's amazing because the tools you formerly used on a PC are all there on your Mac. Until one day when you realize that one of the most important programs you need for your bankruptcy practice is only available in a PC version. What do you do?

Since Apple's switch to the Intel chip last year, this is not as major a concern as it once was. For those who purchased a G4 or G5 PowerPC machine in the past, there was Microsoft's Virtual PC, a program that let you run Windows in an emulation window on the Mac. Using emulation, you would have a PC in a window and your PC programs ran within that window. Notice the past tense; the PowerPC processors and Virtual PC are history.

But don't panic, there are no less than three solutions to the problem and a fourth on the horizon. Some of these products are truly paradigm shifting.

First is Apple's own Boot Camp. A part of Apple's upcoming Leopard OS X update, this is a utility that, once installed, allows you boot to your Mac into Windows XP. Once you do that, your Mac is no different than any Windows PC. Windows is in control of the machine and any Windows program runs completely natively. According to some tests, in this mode the Mac runs faster than some high-end PC machines out there. The downside? You have no access to those wonderful Mac programs that caused you to buy the computer in the first place and you can only go back to the Mac side by restarting the computer. Oh yeah, while you are in Windows, your machine is just as susceptible to viruses and worms as any Windows PC because it is a Windows PC. Better get those prophylactics out.

Second is a program called Parallels. This lets you run Windows in emulation mode, just as Virtual PC did for Mac users in the past. You install Parallels, then your favorite flavor of Windows. Launch Parallels which starts Windows in a window and then you can run your Windows program of choice in that window. There is also a mode that hides the Windows desktop called Coherence which gives the illusion that you are actually running the program on the Mac. The advantage of this approach is that you do not need to restart the Mac into Windows and your Mac programs remain available to you at the same time. The program is subject to the same criticism as the old Virtual PC; it's a little pokey. You can also catch a virus or worm, but the effect of that pest is limited to the virtual environment, so restarting from a backup is relatively easy.

The third solution is provided by a company called CodeWeavers which has adapted an Open Source project called Wine. Called CrossOver Mac, this program provides a translation service for the Mac OS that takes Windows instructions and transfers them to the Mac OS. The advantage is that you don't need Windows at all! A PC program will run natively on an Intel Mac just as if it were a Mac program. Windows programs look like Windows programs, but you don't need to start Microsoft's product first. Double click on a program or document icon and it launches. So far, my testing shows that this environment may be less susceptible to viruses and worms because Windows is not running and so none of the security holes exist. The only disadvantage is that if the PC program has any legacy code or doesn't follow standard programming guidelines, it won't run. The company maintains an extensive list of compatible programs that is regularly updated by user reports.

Currently in beta test, Fusion by VMware is the final tool. Although the focus is to run emulation of the operating system in a windows, this program allows an Intel Mac to run all sorts of PC operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare, and Solaris all at the same time as the Mac OS. Again the disadvantage is that you are running Windows (or whatever) in an emulation window and your programs run inside that. Because you are running Windows, you are exposed to viruses and worms. I know nothing of the speed and being a beta product, functionality may also be a problem.

So if you buy a Mac, you don't need to worry about losing access to your favorite PC-based bankruptcy petition program. Just pick the solution that is compatible with your program and the approach you like the best and carry on. As time goes on, you'll wish for a Mac version, but that is the time to lobby your software company to make one.

Source:  "Want A Mac But Don't Want To Lose Your PC Programs? No Problem!" by Eugene Melchionne, published at Jay Fleischman's Bankruptcy Practice Pro blog.

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Clarity Legal Software LLC recently announced the release of the following legal software, which works on both Windows/PC and Apple/MacIntel operating systems: 

DepoSmart  ::  DepoSmart is Clarity's Legal Software's flagship product and is available for Windows PC or Apple Intel/Universal Binary operating systems. With DepoSmart, you can analyze, annotate, and print transcripts. Users can also connect to and import real-time transcripts from a court reporter during a deposition. Importing case materials like exhibits, image files, attachments, and synchronized video is easy. You can share transcripts with others by exporting *.dml files for use in our free Transcript Viewer (PC or Apple versions). The demo version allows for unlimited transcripts and case creation but does not allow printing, exporting, or real- time. Visit our website for a full list of features, screenshots, and tutorials. 

DepoSmart Transcript Viewer (Free)  ::  The Transcript Viewer is Clarity's Legal Software's free transcript viewer and is now available for Windows PC or Apple/Macintosh Universal Binary. This free viewer allows you to open DepoSmart *.dml files you receive from court reporters or from another party. DepoSmart's free viewer allows you to print and search easily. You can also print single page and condensed transcripts as well as word indices. DepoSmart Transcript Viewer files are created using DepoSmart or from our product for court reporters, Bundler. All *.dml exports are secure and encrypted. 

Bundler  ::  Clarity Legal Software's Bundler is designed for individual court reporters, court reporting firms, and law firms that want to distribute transcripts, exhibits, and video easily. Court reporters can send bundled transcripts, exhibits, and video regardless of platform and the transcripts are encrypted to ensure that the deposition transcript is tamper-proof. Court reporters will now be able to expand their client base even further. And the transcript integrates easily into Clarity Legal Software for maximum return on your investment and usefulness to your client. Bundler is a Windows PC product only.

TrialSmart  ::  You've seen the commercials, so you know that it's hard to beat an Apple/Mac when it comes to creating, editing, and showing video and graphics.  Released in 2005, TrialSmart is listed as one of the top specialized legal applications for the Mac, according to Apple.com.  Nothing compares to the look and feel of this program.  It's compatible with numerous video and image formats, including *.mpg and *.pdf.  And because it's easy enough for attorneys without much technical expertise to use, the software is helping counsel win trials.  Future versions of TrialSmart will integrate seamlessly with PC or Mac versions of DepoSmart and will be cross-platform.  A Universal Binary version of TrialSmart will be available in late January.

To learn more these products, you can visit Clarity Legal Software LLC's website or contact John Callis.

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This post is for those who may have gotten an iPod for Christmas and for those who maybe already have an iPod but never learned all the features of iTunes. If you fall into either category, you should check out the excellent tutorial provided by MacZealots.com, which covers the following topics:

• Getting Music on Your Computer
• Keeping Your Music Organized
• Using the Radio Feature
• Burning CDs
• Using the iTunes Music Store
• Sharing Your iTunes Music With Your Other Computers
• Discovering Podcasts

Source: "Learning iTunes, Organize Your Music" by Emily Hambidge, published at MacZealots.com.

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You may not know it, but many excellent plugins have been developed for Apple's Safari web browser. However, you now have a resource to track such extensions. Pimp My Safari is a collection of excellent plugins and apps to enhance Safari. Its emphasis is on plugins that work within Safari, but it also occasionally lists apps that are considered essential. Pimp My Safari considers the 3 essential extensions to be: Saft, PithHelmet, and SafariStand. If you use Safari as your browser, you may want to check out this site to find out how you can improve your internet experience.

Source: "Pimp Your Safari" by Adam Pash, published at LifeHacker.

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Face it, lawyers are paid to communicate. Our clients want us to be advocates (or gladiators) for their position, and we use language as our primary weapon. My children ask me what I do at work, and I tell them that I am a wordsmith, which always draws a chuckle from my wife.

Sometimes, we struggle to find just the right word to convey the meaning we intend. In such circumstances, most of us reach for our thesaurus of choice. I recently discovered a cool new type of thesaurus, the Visual Thesaurus.

With this product, you type in a term and watch as an interactive word map blossoms with meanings and branches to related words. You can drag words around and play with them visually to engage a different part of your brain.

You can try it out for free and even get a 14 day risk free trial, but the Visual Thesaurus is a subscription-based service. It costs $19.95 a year (or $2.95 a month) for the web version, or $39.95 for the desktop version on CD.

Thanks to the CreativeTechs blog for its post on this software.

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In response to my friend, David Swanner's recent post, "Programs to Help Lawyers be More Productive" at the South Carolina Trial Law Blog, Grant Griffiths published the following list of programs and hardware that lawyers can use on a Mac to be more productive:

• Dictation: Dave suggest Speak-Write to do dictation with. While this looks like a great system and its price is very reasonable. I already have a virtual paralegal that I like to use for such things. For me, I dictate to a digital recorder, download the files to my laptop and no matter where I am, I email them to my VP. Works great. She prepares the documents, emails them back to me, I review, make any changes that might need to be made, and than send them. I can send them either by snail mail, email or fax. And what is great, if I am sending them by email or fax, I don't even have to print them.

• Faxing: I use PageSender as my faxing tool in my practice. With PageSender you can fax or Email anything you can print. What is really great is that I can receive my faxes on my laptop when I am not even in the office. PageSender, if set right, will email me my faxes to my email address. I can than do what I need to with them and email them back to the sender. Or I can wait to fax them when I get back to the office. And, if I don't have my laptop with me, I can get them via email on my Treo 650. Either way, helps me to be more productive and enables me to keep up on what is going on in my practice.

• Timeline Graphing Tool: As Dave suggest, TimeMap is a great timeline graphing tool. When I was using windoze, I used Timemap. But, there is a program for the Mac for doing the same thing. Timeline is the program. Timeline software makes it easy to create beautiful timeline charts suitable for trial exhibits and more. Automatic layout means that you simply enter your events and the timeline software will handle the rest. The charts can be exported as PDF for use in your favorite presentation, page layout, or video editing software.

• Case Management: A program I would not be without is Circus Ponies Notebook. It's a combination outliner and free-form database that lets you clip, annotate, and share unstructured information. Organize your information using a familiar notebook interface complete with pages and tabs. Best of all you can organize a case in a way that makes sense to you. Not the way the software company believes it should be done. You can import photos, images, film clips, and sounds directly into Notebook from ay source. Display embedded media in your Notebook in Media Frames that give you control over the media item. Import any kind of content from the web or from other Mac apps using NoteBook's built-in Clipping Services. Copy text and other content directly into your Notebooks without leaving whatever app you are working in. You can even pre-edit clippings before sending them to your Notebook.

  Notebook includes tabs on the right side just like a trial notebook. I set mine up like a Bindertech trial notebook. Labeled and color coded just like a hardcopy notebook. However, with Notebook, I can assure you one thing, I can find my information faster than an attorney using a hard copy, like a trial notebook. And I can use my Notebook version to present information and exhibits in court. Notebook also works with Apple's popular iCal where you can set and manage alarms and to do's for your case.

• Mind Mapping: Dave mentions MindManager 5 which is the windoze version. What most don't realize, there is a Mac version too. MindManager 6 enables you to organize your ideas and information. However, it is very pricey.

  I have been looking at and trying NovaMind's mind mapping solution. The information stored in your mind map is compact and meaningful, allowing you to see the important issues, organize your thoughts, and solve problems quickly and effortlessly. The solutions are new and effective, and can easily be presented to others using graphical or text representations. NovaMind makes Mind Mapping intuitive and fun.

• Trial Presentation Software: TrialSmart is used to create, edit and show video and graphics. It allows you to present synchronized video to a jury using the presentation view. You can also synchronize transcript text to video testimony for later playback. All of its features can be seen HERE.

  With DepoSmart, you can analyze, annotate, and print transcripts. Users can also connect to and import realtime transcripts from a court reporter during a deposition. Importing case materials like exhibits, image files, attachments, and synchronized video is easy. You can share transcripts with others by exporting *.dml files for use in our Free Transcript Viewer. All of DepoSmart's features can be seen HERE.

• Practice Management Software: This is perhaps one of the areas that gets the most comments and questions from attorneys looking at using Macs in their law practice. As Dave states in his POST:

  There is no 'perfect' system out there. The important thing is to see which ones seem like a decent fit and then outline exactly what you are looking for and compare it to how well those programs provide it. Once you decide on the items that are important to you, put them in categories of how important they are. Have to have, would be nice to have and it's okay not to have. Then decide how good of a fit each program is for each of the items you have listed.

  I use Daylite 3 to help me keep my office organized. What I like best about it is that I can set up a case, they call them projects, and have links to everyone and everything I need for that case in one location. No more hunting for phone numbers, addresses or even client files. It is all linked in one place. Daylite will also do basic document production with its merge feature. I have used it to do some simple task such as envelops and letters. The calendar and contact management is also great. And it sync's to my Treo 650.

  While Daylite is not perfect, it does a great job. But, no practice management software package is perfect. Be watching for something new coming in the very near future. What if you could get a case management/billing/document production tool all wrapped up in one suite?
  

Why this post? One thing that I get tired of when talking to those who are switching, thinking of switching or just don't know, is when they say there is no software for the Mac. Software that will allow you to be productive as a lawyer. As you can see from the programs mentioned above, there are some great programs available. Check them out, email your questions or comments to Grant or me so that so we can continue to visit about this.

Source: "Programs to Help the Mac Lawyer be More Productive" by Grant Griffiths, published at his Home Office Lawyer blog.

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MacMerc.com recently published its Best Freeware of 2006:

The Google Browser:

Browser Sync and Toolbar beta
Google grabs top web browser honors - without a browser. With tools to synchronize your data between computers and drag-to-window Word and Excel editing the Web OS is here.

Honorable mention: Firefox 2, Flock 0.7

Freeware Classic:

NeoOffice
OpenOffice.org meets Aqua. We know OpenOffice.org is working on a Mac native version, but for now count on NeoOffice to let OpenOffice.org 2.0 loose from X11.

Honorable mention: Abiword

System Extension:

Quicksilver
This free application has grown from a novelty to a whole new way to use your Mac. QuickSilver has a cult following and powerful time-saving features.

Honorable mention: YASU, rooSwitch lite

Best Plugin:

PodTube
This was the year of YouTube. Get PodTube and get all those dancing ninja clips off YouTube and on your iPod.

Honorable mention: Flip4Mac WMV, Growl

Best Cross-Platform:

Firefox 2
With 2.0 Firefox is fast and more Mac-native that 1.x. Hundreds of cross-platform extensions help Firefox deliver a great experience on both OS X and Windows.

Honorable Mention: YamiPod

Best Mac Switcher:

Skype
Skype introduced a feature-par version for the Mac, including support for video calling.

Honorable Mention: Google Earth

Best Web Service:

activeCollab
This web service is a do-it-yourselfer. The ability to enjoy Bascamp-like project management online for free is indispensable to the creative Mac professional.

Honorable Mention: Writely (now Google Docs), NetVibes

Best Mac-Only:

ImageWell 3
With version 3, ImageWell is only getting better. New features offer a better interface and more editing tools to know out and upload images easily.

Honorable Mention: iSquint, Xcast

Pro App:

Scribus
This Open Source page layout application runs without X11 support and includes powerful document management capabilities.

Honorable Mention: Google SketchUp

Road Warrior:

iStumbler
iStumbler sniffs out WiFi, Bluetooth and Bonjour. You won't find a free wireless detector with a more refined interface and feature set.

Honorable Mention: Chicken of the VNC, Hotspot Shield

Source: "Freeloader Friday Download of the Week: Best of 2006" by Brian Burnham, published at MacMerc.com.

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Both VMware and Parallels have released new betas of products that let users of Intel Macs run Microsoft's Windows operating system alongside Mac OS X. This process, known as virtualization, is generally preferred to Apple's Boot Camp, because it does not require users to reboot their Macs in order to switch between operating systems.

Parallels Desktop was the first virtualization product to hit the market earlier this year, and it has received many favorable reviews. Even Apple has openly praised the advantages offered by Parallels. With it's public "Beta 2" release of Desktop last week, Parallels introduced several new features including a new user interface, USB 2.0 support, an improved coherence mode, the ability to burn optical discs under Windows, and tight integration with Boot Camp partitions.

Also last week, VMware released the first public beta of a competing virtualization product that it calls "Fusion". VMware claims that Fusion can run any of the over 360 virtual appliances available at its Virtual Appliance Marketplace. Fusion's initial features include USB 2.0 support, drag-and-drop of files and folders between Mac OS X and Windows, and support for all Intel Mac hardware. However, Fusion also allows users to designate multiple virtual processors in order to leverage the dual-core Core Duo chips available in the latest Intel Macs.

Source: "VMware, Parallels Release New Virtualization Betas for Mac" by Prince McLean, published at AppleInsider.

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One of my favorite blogs is Tim Gaden's Hawk Wings, which is devoted primarily to Apple Mail. With it being the holiday season, Tim recently listed the following reasons to be thankful for Mail:

1. Lean and extendable

   Apple's design strategy for Mail has created a lean and efficient email client. Unlike other email clients for Mac, Mail.app is not packed full of features and bloat that you never use. While some missing features niggle (for example, the inability to adjust the timeout delay on server connections or to opt out of format=flowed quoting if you want to), the overall result is a pared-down focussed app that is second to none.

   Its power purrs away under the hood, yet it is simple enough that you can explain its workings to your mother-in-law. I know.

   Because of this restricted focus, developers have launched an amazing array of plugins and utilities that extend what Mail can do. You chose the plugins that you want to make the email client you need on top of the rock-solid base that Apple provides. It doesn't get much better than that.

2. Unified Inbox

   Since I use it all the time and familiarity breeds contempt, I often overlook things like the beauty of Apple Mail's Unified Inbox. You can with some jiggery and pokery create a unified inbox in other email clients, but right out of the box Apple gives you the single collection bucket you need to process and deal with everything in one place. Gotta love that.

3. Looks the part and does the job

   Some email clients look the part but can't do the job. GyazMail, for example, has a nice Mail-like interface, but doesn't support IMAP or manage other core functions quite as well.

   Some email clients can do the job but look (and feel) like a wildebeest's backside. Thunderbird, I salute you (from a distance).

   Mail.app has married looks and power like no other email client on the platform. That's something to be thankful for.

4. Integration with other iApps

   While Mail keeps its focus on just doing mail and doing it well, it opens its arms to iCal, Address Book and iPhoto in ways that make life easier and more productive. There is a hack to get iPhoto to send images to other email clients, but nothing like the native, two-way interaction Mail users enjoy.

5. Address Book pictures

   This might seem like a small thing, but I love it to death. As I wrote in one of the first posts on Hawk Wings (An Ode to Apple Mail):

   I love the way Apple Mail places pictures from my Address Book into the emails I receive.... I spend a lot of the day answering emails or shunting them from one place to another. It can be a dehumanising experience. With the pictures, it's easier for me to remember that the posters are real people and that this is real interaction (even if it's happening in the rather thin, ethereal realm of the internet). I finish the day with a better feeling of having dealt with real people with real problems. I love that.

Source: "Mail.app: Reasons to be Thankful" by Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings.

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Earlier this week, Adobe released the newest version of its ubiquitous *.pdf viewer, Adobe Reader 8. The interface has been redesigned, and it offers new options for viewing information more efficiently. Adobe says that the new version provides more security to your documents and even allows you to launch online meetings directly. Of course, Reader remains a free program, and there are both Mac and Windows versions. You can go to the Adobe Reader 8 download page by clicking HERE.

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If you are an attorney, you probably use email on a regular basis. If you lost your email, it would probably cause problems for you, which could range anywhere from inconvenience to disaster. Fortunately, there is an easy way to backup your email files - for free! The program that makes this possible is Email Backup. It allows you to backup email from several email applications, including Apple Mail, Entourage, Eudora, or Thunderbird.

The process works like this:

1. Specify which email application you use.
   
2. Select a location for the backup file to be stored.
   
3. Specify the day and time to perform the backup.
   
4. Save the configuration and breathe a sign of relief.

There is also an Email Backup Pro, which costs $9.95. The Pro version allows you to backup from more than one application and to keep more than one backup at a time. The restore process is also automatic in the Pro version, which come in handy if you have more than one application being backed up.

Source: "How To Back Up Mail On Mac OS X: Free" by Alexis Kayhill, published at Mac360.

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I have previously posted about Parallels, the software that enables Macs to run Windows under "virtualization." Last week, Parallels released a beta version of their next update, which includes the following new features:

• Totally new and redesigned interface
• Boot from BootCamp partition directly into Parallels Desktop for Mac
• Read/Write a Boot Camp partition
• Drag-and-drop filesharing between Windows and Mac OS X without the need for shared folders
• Parallels Transporter Beta - migrate a Windows PC image, VMWare or Microsoft Virtual PC VM to Parallels
• Make Windows applications in a VM appear like Mac ones via Coherency
• Convert Windows installations and VMWare VMs into Parallels VMs with Parallels Transporter

The Parallels Support Forum post detailing the many updates and a link to the download is HERE. From all reports, it looks as though these improvements will only help Parallels' already excellent product.

Source: "New Parallels Beta on The Street" published at The Unofficial Apple Weblog and "Parallels Beta Released Quietly, But With Loads of New Features" published at MacUser.

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When I discuss using Macs in my law office, one of the questions I am always asked is "what do you use for your case management software?" It certainly is no secret that busy attorneys are interested in the best ways to manage their clients and their caseload.

When I used PCs, I used Amicus Attorney for over eight years, and it worked pretty well for the most part. I then tried Time Matters and Billing Matters based on all the good things I heard about them, but I absolutely hated them. In fact, it was after using the Time Matters combo for a few months that I got so fed up with PCs and all the headaches that they cause that I decided to switch my firm to Macs in August of 2005.

Once we became a Mac firm, we tried several different options before finding the one that works for us. We initially used an amalgamation of Circus Ponies Notebook for case organization; Address Book for contact management; and iCal (and later Google Calendar) for scheduling. While Notebook worked great for compiling information about each file, it only allows one user to be in a given Notebook at a given time, which poses problems for a busy firm. The calendar solutions were less than perfect when it came to synching and staying current at all times.

We then turned to LawStream, which we initially used for both case management and time/billing purposes. We were able to import all of our data from our PC programs into LawStream, with assistance from Bill Pope at LawStream. That program is very comprehensive, and it has many great features. However, my staff balked at several aspects of LawStream and they never got comfortable using it for various reasons. We still use LawStream for billing purposes, and it performs well in that capacity with few complaints from us.

Earlier this year, I began using Daylite by Marketcircle for our case management, and we still use it to this day. All of our calendars, contacts, and tasks are handled well by Daylite. One of the best things about this program is how intuitive and easy to use it is. The "Daylite Productivity Suite" offers full integration with Apple Mail, and automatically links all emails to the appropriate person and/or file. In fact, the only "major" thing that Daylite doesn't do is time and billing. It is not perfect, but it is close enough for our firm.

Daylite just released Version 3.2 last week, and as part of the upgrade, I recently received an Overview which gave a detailed explanation of its features. If you are interested in learning more about Daylite, you can download this document by clicking HERE. Daylite offers a fully functional 30 day trial, which you can learn more about at its website.

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Matthew Hirsch has compiled a list of Extremely Useful Macbook Freeware. There are several interesting and useful programs here, including:

• Adium :: a cross-platform instant messaging program
• Check Off :: simple to-do list that sits in the menu bar
• iAlertU :: remote controlled motion sensitive alarm system for the MacBook Pro
• StuffIt Expander :: open compressed files from various formats

This is just a sampling, as he has approximately 50 different programs listed there. Take a look, and you'll most likely find something that is helpful, useful, or at least interesting to you.

Thanks to Wendy Boswell's post, "Journey To A Well-Optimized Macbook", at LifeHacker.com for finding this resource.

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Adobe Acrobat is a great program, used by many attorneys to prepare and organize exhibits for trial. Attorneys frequently need to insert Bates (numbering) stamps in their documents. Unfortunately, it is not easily apparent how to insert Bates stamps into a document in Acrobat.

Here is the step-by-step process explaining how to do so, courtesy of Mac enthusiast and fellow trial lawyer Kern Lewis of Foreman, Lewis & Hutchison:

1. Open the *.pdf document to be stamped
2. On the menu, select "Document > Add Headers & Footers..."
3. Click on "Footer" in the top of the window that appears
4. Select the pane in which you want the stamp placed (left, middle, or right)
5. Click the "Insert Page Number" drop down menu to select the desired number format
6. Click "Insert" button
7. (Optional) Go to pane and insert any desired text before or after number (i.e. "Plaintiff's Exhibit")
8. (Optional) You can also choose the font type and size, number at which to start, insert dates, etc. from the selection window if you so desire.
9. Click "OK" and you are done.

Note: This explains how to insert Bates stamps into a document in Adobe Acrobat Version 7, because like most users, I am still using Version 7 at this time. Since Adobe has recently introduced Version 8, the process may (or may not) be different in this new version.

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It appears that Microsoft is planning to charge a premium for Mac users wanting to run its upcoming Vista operating system using virtualization. AppleInsider reported earlier this week that Vista's licensing agreement states that its users "may not use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system."

Instead, Microsoft apparently plans to require users to purchase a Vista Business or Vista Ultimate license (expected retail prices of $299 and $399 respectively) in order to emulate the Windows environment. That type of license allows you to "use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on the licensed device."

While Apple's Boot Camp software allows Intel Macs to run Windows operating systems natively and without the need for emulation, most users appear to favor virtualization solutions, such as Parallels. Boot Camp allows users to run either Mac OS X or Windows when they start up their machines, but virtualization solutions allow both operating systems to run simultaneously.

It appears to me that while Apple is working to make its computers and operating systems more available to everyone, Microsoft is doing the opposite. Is this a case of Microsoft beginning to acknowlege the heat that Macs are putting on PCs, or is this simply a case of Microsoft trying to gouge as much money as it can at every turn?

Source: "Microsoft Seeks Premium to Allow Virtualization of Vista" published at AppleInsider.

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I previously posted about Using RSS Feeds in Your Law Practice. As I mentioned in that post, there are two excellent RSS readers for Mac OS X: NetNewsWire and NewsFire. These newsreaders offer the benefits of reading RSS feeds without requiring you to be connected to the internet to do so.

There is an excellent post at the Macintalk blog which gives an in-depth comparision of these two programs. This article compares the following areas: Aesthetics, Interface, Browsing, Importing and Exporting Feeds, and Podcasting.

The author concludes that the better newsreader for you "all depends on how you read feeds. If you're a hardcore RSS junky, NetNewsWire is for you. Personally I find that NewsFire is more effective in the way I read feeds, which is to scan the headlines and open the ones that interest me in Safari."

For what it's worth, I use NetNewsWire and I have been using it for quite some time. I like its ability to open posts and browse within its built-in web browser instead of being forced to use a separate program to do so. Also, it integrates with MarsEdit, a companion program from the same developer that is probably the premier weblog editor for Mac OS X.

Source: "NewsFire vs. NetNewsWire" published at the Macintalk blog. Thanks to The Unofficial Apple Weblog for its post on this article.

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You may not have known this, but the Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU) at Microsoft has a blog, Mac Mojo, which includes posts from a wide array of people in that unit.

When questions arise about Microsoft Office for Mac, where does the MacBU look for answers? According to this post, these are five of the top resources they report using:

• Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Resource Kit version 2
• Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Solutions Center
• Mactopia Resources
• The Entourage Help Page
• MacWindows.com

Source: "Mac Office Resource Links" by Brian Johnson, published at the Mac Mojo blog.

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StuffIt Deluxe v. 11 was released last week by Allume Systems. StuffIt is perhaps best known for its ability to expand anything, considering the fact that it gives users access to more that 20 different compression formats.

New to this release is support for StuffIt Collections, which let you group related files together -- such as photos or documents related to a particular. This version also features an archive manager that allows you to immediately display all the StuffIt, ZIP, TAR and RAR archives on your Mac. The software also has improved OS X integration with Automator workflows, JPEG preview image thumbnails, Universal binary support, and more.

The suggested retail price of StuffIt Deluxe v. 11 is $79.99, but it is available for download from Allume's website for $59.99 for a limited time. A free 30 day trial is also available. You can read about all of the features and capabilities of Version 11 by clicking HERE.

Thanks to News4Mac and MacCentral for their respective posts on this new release.

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You are probably familiar with Microsoft's PowerPoint presentation software. Can you imagine a similar product that can enable you to make Hollywood quality presentations -- and to do it today? With Apple's Keynote 3, you can.

The original version of Keynote was released in early January, 2003. The January 30, 2003 issue of Forbes asked: "How does Keynote stack up against PowerPoint? The snapshot summary of our head-to-head user test of the two programs is that they fundamentally do the same thing, and do it well, but Keynote does it with a superior elegance and simplicity of use that is Apple's design trademark."

Now, quickly imagine how much progress has been made in the three and a half years since that article was written. For instance, you have many more templates to choose from, and you have the option to: save Keynote presentations in cross-platform QuickTime movies; export them to Apple's iDVD, while preserving chapter breaks between slides; and even to export your Keynote presentation to the PowerPoint format.

If you make presentations of any kind, whether to a jury at trial, to a mediator in mediation, or to a potential client, you owe it to yourself (and your audience) to give Keynote 3 a look. Like all Apple software, it is very user-friendly, and you can literally create a stunning presentation in a short period of time -- though your audience won't know that you didn't spend hours working on it.

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There are many instances where an attorney might want to create a family tree. Such charts can be useful demonstrative evidence in family court cases and also in probate cases to illustrate the respective relationships within a particular family, and they can include names, pictures, birthdates, and/or any other necessary or relevant facts.

The following three templates can be used to create family trees:

• Family Tree Template (for Microsoft Excel)

• Family History Book (for Microsoft Word)

• Family History Template (for Microsoft Word)

If you just can't bear to use Microsoft software, these templates should work just fine using Zoho Writer, Writely, Zoho Sheet, or even Google Spreadsheet.

Source: "Create Family Tree Charts inside Microsoft Office" by Amit Agarwal published at the Digital Inspiration blog. Thanks also to Wendy Boswell of the LifeHacker blog for her post on this article.

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Attorneys practicing in many different areas of the law need to create timelines from time to time. In my family law practice, it is often helpful to make chronological timelines for demonstrative evidence.

You may not know that Microsoft Excel can be used to create nice looking timelines. The Microsoft Education Center makes this process easy with their lesson: Create a Timeline in Microsoft Excel.

Not only does this article have an easy to follow eleven step "how to" for this very purpose, but it also has several different sample timelines for your reference.

Thanks to LifeHacker for their post about this article.

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has published "Introduction to Apple Mail with IMAP," which is also called "Apple Mail Quick Start Guide v2." This free download is available to everyone, and it covers all the basics of this program, including screenshots and a listing of keyboard shortcuts. Whether you are new to Apple Mail or you just want a refresher course, this resource is worth downloading and reading. You can download this Guide by clicking HERE.

Source: "MIT's Apple Mail Manual" published by Tim Gaden at his excellent Hawk Wings blog.

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If there is one product that can best demonstrate the creative possibilities the Mac allows, it is without a doubt Circus Ponies Notebook. Yes, it is a strange name, but it is a fantastic program. Its website describes it as "a combination outliner and free-form database that lets you clip, annotate, and share unstructured information." Notebook takes advantage of the Mac's simplicity and intuitiveness. When you open the program, it looks like a blank notebook. You can organize and use this program any way you want to, and the best part is that it is so easy that anyone can use it.

Notebooks can contain outline pages, free-form pages, or any combination. Its pages can contain text, graphics, audio, video, imported data -- virtually anything you can imagine. You can copy and paste items into the pages, type information in directly, or even use "clipping services," which allow you to automatically insert data into a specified notebook page, even if you are not using Notebook at the time.

One of the best features of Notebook is its automatic indexing of all information. Yes, all information placed into a Notebook is automatically placed into 14 indexes for easy location and retrieval later. These indices include: text, capitalized words, numbers, web addresses, highlighting, keywords, creation date, due date, etc. There is even a "Super Find" feature, which lets you search using multiple criteria at once.

Notebook can be used to organize information in the office or for use at trial. All of a file's documents can be attached to a specified page, such as correspondence, pleadings, orders, etc. Witness outlines can include links to other pages or items (both within and outside Notebook). For instance, your notes on a given topic can include images, charts, audio clips, video deposition snippets, and other items for quick and easy retrieval. "NoteBook makes it easy to concentrate on what you need to present, rather than on how you should present it."

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I recently came across the following useful (and free) software:

• GIMP - This is an open source photo editing tool that is comparable to Photoshop, but without the cost.

• iClip - This program gives MacOSX multiple clipboards for copying and pasting.

• Carbon Copy Cloner - Invest in an external hard drive and use this to back up your entire hard drive. As the name implies it makes an exact copy of your hard drive onto a target drive.

• MacTheRipper - Enables you to get around most encryption and rip a copy of any DVD onto your harddrive, from which it can be inserted into presentations or backed up onto another DVD.

Source: "Crucial Mac Software: College Edition" plublished by Willie Morris at his blog, More Willie.

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• Create demonstrative presentations to give to insurance adjusters in personal injury cases to get more favorable settlement offers;
• Produce informational slideshow to display in your lobby to tell potential clients about yourself and/or your practice; or
• Design a case summary to give a mediator prior to mediation to provide him/her with an overview of your case.

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I believe that MarsEdit is the premier weblog editing software for Macs. Before beginning to use this program over a year ago, I did a good bit of research into all the available options and concluded that it best fit my needs.

One of the main things that I like about MarsEdit is that it resides on your harddrive, not online. This gives you the ability to draft and edit posts at your convenience, whether you are online or not. The other key features that appealed to me (then and now) are:

• Ease of use -- both novice and advanced users can use it without a steep learning curve.
  
• Importing -- easy importing of information from web browers and/or newsreaders to use in your posts.
  
• Uploading -- files and images can be easily uploaded to your blog.
  
• Preview -- ability to see in real time what your post will look like on your blog.
  
• Other -- assign one or mulitple categories and sends pings with each new post.

MarsEdit runs on Intel and PowerPC Macs, and a single license costs $24.95. The developer offers a fully functioning 30 day demo, and I urge you to check it out if you're interested in blogging software.

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