Category Archives: Mobile Computing

Posted on

Using a ScanSnap to Go Paperless

by

Anyone familiar with my blog knows that I am a big proponent of storing every document in every file electronically. When I talk about this, one question that many people ask is what kind of scanner to get. One of the most popular scanners is the Fujitsu ScanSnap. This scanner is reasonably priced, works well, and is easy to operate. Three qualities that I am sure have helped its popularity.

Knowing the right hardware to use, however, is only part of the battle. You also have to know how to integrate that hardware into your workflow. Recently Rick Borstein posted a tutotial on how to best integrate a ScanSnap with Adobe Acrobat.

As with many of Rick’s posts, he takes you step-by-step (including handy pictures) through how to best set the scanner up to use it with Adobe Acrobat. If you are considering adding a ScanSnap to your desktop, you definately want to check out Rick’s post.

Posted on

Another Benefit of Being Paperless

by

Yesterday I was reminded once again of the benefit of keeping all of my documents electronically.* I received an email from a former client with a question about a case that has been over for more than four years. If I had to resort to the paper file, I would have had to retrieve the file from storage and manually sort through the file to find the documents I needed to answer his question.

Because I had stored my documents electronically, however, with just a couple of mouse clicks I was able to open the relevant documents, review them, and send an email in response that both answered my former client’s question and included the relevant documents as attachments.

My former client was very pleased with my quick response (even if the answer may not have been what he wanted). If I had to retrieve and dig through the paper file, it would have taken 24 to 48 hours to answer his question, and it would have cost my staff time to retrieve the file and myself time to find what I needed.

Here, I answered my client’s question shortly after I got back to office and it took me less than five minutes to read his email, find the relevant documents and send him a response.

____________

*Please note that, although I use the term paperless in the title of this piece, that does not mean that you must jestion all of your paper. Saving all of your document electronically does not preclude you from also maintaining paper files. Do that if you either want to or beleive that you have to. Instead, saving your files electronically means that you have every document on every file stored electronically for easy retrival and review.

Posted on

The Mobile Practice of Law

by

I sometimes get asked why I scan every document on every case that I have. Or, why do I think an attorney should have a laptop computer. Or, why do I suggest that an attorney needs conveniences such as a virtual fax service or a smartphone. This is the answer to all of those questions:

Ocean Shores Beach

This picture is what I saw out my window this morning while working. My wife is on the Pacific Coast on business and I decided to travel with her. While she is off doing her business-type stuff, I can work from our hotel room, with the sound of waves crashing against the beach to keep me company. When she gets done with her stuff, we can go out together and do touristy stuff.

This is a great time for us to do things together, yet it still allows me to effectively use the downtime I have while she is off working. Because I have all of my documents on all of my cases with me. I can work on whatever needs work without worrying about making sure I took the right files with me.

Posted on

Acrobat.com Presentations

by

Recently I had the opportunity to preview a newly released product from Acrobat.com. This product, which is called Presentations, is probably best described as an online version of PowerPoint that is powered by flash. The product is still in development. Thus, it is not yet fully mature. However, I like what I see so far.

First, it works simply. If you know how to use PowerPoint, you will easily be able to handle this. What makes this product so great, however, is that it is part of Adobe’s online collaboration suite, which includes applications such as Buzzword (word processor), ConnectNow (online meetings). This means that Presentations is perfectly designed to allows people in different locations to work together to create a presentation, without having to email PowerPoint files back and forth.

I am quite excited about the possibilities that are being offered here. The ability to collaborate easily, and seamlessly with others in creating presentations is something that could be used by many people.

On the flip side, a couple of words of caution are in order. First the application is still under development, thus it does not have all of its features yet. Significantly, although you can display your presentation from Acrobat.com, the only way to display it when you are not connected to the internet, is to print it to PDF. Adobe has said that, in the future, they plan to have the ability to export to PowerPoint. That functionality is not here yet, however.

Additionally, you can work on the Presentation only when connected to Acrobat.com. Again, Adobe has said that they plan to add an offline feature (maybe something like Google Gears), however, that is not yet here.

In sum, I don’t think that the current iteration of Presentations is a game changer. However, if Adobe includes the full functionality that they are describing, it would not surprise me that, in the near future, many of us will be creating our presenetations on Adobe Presentations and meeting to talk about it on AdobeConnect.

At PDF for Lawyers, Ernie the Attorney also has some kind words about Presentations. Check out his thoughts here.

Posted on

Synchronization Programs

by

For the last several years, one of my favorite programs has been Network Unplugged. Not long after I started using Network Unplugged, Mobiliti, the company that made it was acquired by Packeteer. At that time, the name was changed from Network Unplugged to Mobiliti.

Regardless the program was still the same. The aspect of this program that I really loved was that it replicated the network folders I designated onto my local drive. Thus, when I was away from the office, I could still access my files. In addition to replicating the files, however, it also replicated the drive path. Thus, accessing a file when I am sitting on my back deck is the same as accessing one when I am in the office. When I return to the office, I simply synchronize the files and I am all set.

Unfortunately, last year Packeteer was acquired by Blue Coat Systems. As a consequence, Mobiliti is no longer being sold. Thus, I have started looking for a possible replacement, in the event that I will have to make a switch in the future. Right now Mobiliti is still working fine for me. However, I want to be preapred in case I develop a problem with it or if it comes time to upgrade to a new computer.

One program that I have stumbled across is BeInSync. It looks promising. However, I am curious if there is anyone who has tried it who doesn’t mind sharing their experiences. I am also open to other suggestions. The key features I am looking for are preserving the file paths and good synchronization.  I am also not interested in a solution that requires me to have an internet connection.

Although I am connected to high speed internet much of the time, there are places I visit regularly where I have no reliable internet connection.

Posted on

Palm Pre Presentation

by

I just finished watching the presentation that Palm made at CES when it introduced the Pre. Like many others, I have feared that Palm was dead. However, I am really excited about what Palm is doing with the Pre. I like the sound of the new OS as well as their emphasis on synergy. If you are at all interested in smartphones, I urge you to watch the presentation.

Posted on

Virtual Fax Services

by

Recently someone asked me about virtual fax services. I have written before about virtual faxes and why I would not go back to a regular fax machine. However, I have not talked about the different options available. In spending just a little time poking around the Internet today, I found several different services that are available. Below, I discuss the ones that I discovered. If anyone else has experience with any other services, I would be interested in hearing about them. As a point of reference, I think that it is essential that you can receive your faxes as PDFs rather than some proprietary fax format. All of the services listed below allow you to receive your faxes as PDFs.

  • Venali. This is the service I use. Overall I have been pleased with the service. Although I would like to see better integration with MS Office 2007. Also, I have found that their tech support people often do not understand or cannot answer my questions on the first try. It looks like for $9.95 a month you can get 100 inbound pages and 100 outbound pages. For $19.95, you can get 300 inbound pages and 200 outbound pages. Additional pages are $0.05 per page inbound and $0.08 per page outbound (the per page rate is one cent lower on the $19.95 a month plan).
  • MaxEmail. I have not used MaxEmail, but I have heard good things about it from others. The cheapest plan that allows you to have a local number is $9.95 a month (discounts are available for quarterly or yearly payments). This plan includes 250 inbound pages and 100 outbound pages. Additional inbound pages are $0.05 a page. Additional outbound pages are $0.05 per 30 seconds of transmission time.
  • MyFax. I don’t know anyone who has used MyFax. However, looking at the list of available features, this is a service I might be tempted to check out if I were signing up for a new service. With the $10 a month plan, you recieve 200 pages and send 100. For $20 a month, you can receive 200 pages and send 200 pages. Additional pages are $0.10 a page.
  • GreenFax. I had never heard of this service before today. However, it seems like a reasonable service. For $12.95 per month, you get 250 inbound pages and 100 outbound pages. Additional inbound pages are $0.03 per page. Additional outbound pages are $0.07 for the first page of a fax and $0.05 for each additional page. GreenFax also has a send-only pay-as-you-go plan that has no monthly service fee and charges $0.07 for the first page of a fax and $0.05 for each additional page of any fax you send.
  • Packetel. Packetel has a great deal, especially if you will be receiving a large number of faxes. For $3.95 per month, you can recieve an unlimited number of faxes. Local numbers are available for many, but not all areas.
  • Faxaway. This is another economical solution. You can set up an account to receive faxes for $1 per month. Sending faxes is $0.10 per minute of transmission. The thing I don’t like about this service is that you are limited to a Seattle area code.
  • eFax. eFax has been around for a long time and claims to be the world’s #1 internet fax service. I have never liked eFax because their faxes are sent in a propriety format rather than as a PDF. The service now allows you to convert them to PDF, however I don’t think you should have to go through an additional step to do this. Additionally, their pricing seems less competitive than the other services. For $16.95 a month you get 130 inbound pages and 30 outbound pages. Additional pages are $0.15 per page inbound and $0.10 per page outbound. For $19.95 a month, you get 200 inbound pages and no outbound pages. Additional inbound pages and all outbound pages are $0.10 per page. Update: As indicated in the comment below, eFax does allow you to receive your faxes in PDF format.

If you are looking for a full-featured single fax solution, I think any of the solutions offered by Venali, MaxEmail, MyFax, or GreenFax would be just fine. If cost is a big concern, or if you receive a lot of faxes and don’t send many, you might consider a mixed solution in which you receive your faxes through Packetel and then send your faxes through GreenFax’s pay-as-you-go plan.

Given the low cost of Packetel’s plan, and the limitations of Faxaway’s, I would likely avoid Faxaway. Simiarly, I would be inclined to avoid eFax because of their reliance on their proprietary software as well as the fact that the other services are more attractively priced.

Posted on

A Great Offer from Log Me In

by

I am a big fan of Log Me In. I use it to access my home computer remotely. In fact, my ancient monitor on my home desktop (which I use mostly as a server type machine) recently died and I have just been using Log Me In to control it rather than replacing the monitor right now. Because I use Log Me In, I receive emails from them periodically, The last one I received, I thought it was great marketing.

The email started by emphasizing that you can use Log Me In to access your computer while you are traveling, it then went right for those of use who serve as tech support for our friends and family:

If you’re spending time with your parents during the holidays, be sure to install LogMeIn Pro on their PCs so you can help them out remotely next time they call with a computer problem.

I thought that this was a great point. In fact, I have recently installed Log Me In on a couple of computers that I support and it works great to to fix simple problems from my home or office.

If you have never tried Log Me In, give it a whirl. Also, during the holidays, they are selling Log Me In Pro at a 50% discount ($34.95 per year).

I know that GoToMyPC is the popular remote access solution. I have heard many stories about how much people like GoToMyPC. I prefer LogMeIn because it works well for me and it is less expensive than GoToMyPC. Additonally, Log Me In offers a free solution that allows you to remotely control your computer. Log Me In Pro includes more features and I use it for my main computer. However, it is great to be able to install the free version and gain remote access to a computer that you need to work on.

Posted on

Meeting Clients at a Location Other than your Office

by

One of the great benefits of incorporating technology into your practice is that you can practice anywhere. For many people, this means that they have foregone the expense of an office and are working only from home. Chuck Newton recently posted about Where to Meet Clients When You Work from Home.

Chuck makes several suggestions for locations to meet. Some of these suggestions are common, such as your home, the library, and the client’s home or place of business. Chuck makes several other suggestions that I hadn’t considered such as:

Meet at the clubhouse. Many apartments, HOAs and communities have what many refer to as “clubhouses” for their communities.  I know of a couple of lawyers than have houses in these communities.  They reserve small rooms at these clubhouses to meet with clients, to schedule depositions, and the like.

Meet at the local credit union. A few credit unions want to provide services to members.  They also have meeting space they let other use.  They may not care for you much if you practice bankruptcy law, but otherwise I have met a few who make arrangements with their local credit unions to use a small space to meet with potential clients.  You might have to have an account there, but what is wrong with with having access to low interest loans by being a member of a credit union.

Meet at a real estate broker’s office. I heard from an attorney that figured out that many of these 100% real estate brokerages partially finance their operations by leasing office space to real estate agents.  Many Realtor really work at home or from their cars, but want a place to meet with potential clients.  So, these real estate brokerages provide a bank of computers, beverages, printers, copies and the like that a Realtor can use while on site and meeting rooms in which to meet, even if the Realtor does not rent an office suite.  These so-called “desk fees” often run as low as $90 a month.  The lawyer persuaded a couple of these real estate offices on either side of a large metro area to allow him the same deal.  His pitch was that it would probably be beneficial for their agents to have more immediate access to an attorney when he was around.  So for less than a couple hundred dollars a month he has all of the meeting space he needed.  Many of these offices have hundreds of Realtor that use these facilities from time to time.  That can be a built in source for referrals in and of itself, even if you do not directly practice real estate.

Meet at the community center. Many towns have community centers, mainly for more elderly people to meet, eat and have group activities.  They have spare offices and space.  Look into it.  This might be especially good if you practice elder care.

Chuck actually suggests 20 different locations for meeting places. You should click through and see all of his suggestions.

One of my favorite suggestions was:

Meet at a fast food restaurant. This is probably more challenging for most of us than meeting at a coffee shop.  Maybe it just is not as casual as a coffee house.  But, I knew an attorney that practices in the area of will contest along the entire eastern side of Texas.  He would almost always travel to meet his clients.  He figured that every small town had a McDonald’s, and he liked McDonald’s. First, he could find a booth after breakfast or lunch time that was reasonably quiet.  McDonald’s are generally clean and well maintained.  He could buy his client’s a beverage of their choice.  Many families brought their children and they could play when the parents and attorney talked.  I thought at one point that this is just not professional looking enough.  But, it almost always worked.  His standard retainer was $10,000.00.  I personally saw him walk away from these meetings with $10,000.00 checks a number of times, and this was the first time he had met the clients.

After reviewing these suggestions, I realized that they apply to those of us who still have our traditional offices. I have a suburban practice that requires me to practice law in a multi-county area. My office is conveniently located for me. However, that does not mean that it is conveniently located for my clients.

I often travel to other courthouses and while there or on the trip to or from, I may be in a convienent location to meet with my clients. This sounds like a great way to build client relations if you can schedule a client meeting close to them when you will be in the area anyway. Obviously, your schedule as well as a need for a meeting will not always matach up. However, this may be an idea to keep in mind.

Posted on

Tips for Using Google Docs

by

Google Docs is becoming more popular as people realize the advantage of having documents accessible to them anywhere they have internet access. Recently Digital Inspiration posted a “practical guide to Google Docs.” The post includes tips such as the following:

Q: How do I upload all my Microsoft Office documents from the desktop on to Google Docs?

A: List Uploader is a Windows utility that enables you to bulk upload files to Google Docs via drag-n-drop or through the right click menu.

Mac OS X users can upload documents through GDocsUploader – simply drag-n-drop the document onto the uploader icon. Another option is GDocsBar – just drag your files in the Firefox sidebar and they’ll automatically get uploaded to Google Docs.

Q: How do I associate the common Office file extensions like doc/xls/ppt with Google Docs so that desktop documents open directly in the web browser?

A: Get the Google Toolbar for Firefox and select the ‘Google Docs’ checkbox from Toolbar options. This will let you open Office documents directly in the browser bypassing Microsoft Office.

Q: I am worried that someone may hack into my Google Account and delete the important files. To play safe, I want to download all documents from Google Docs locally and burn them on to a CD. Is it possible?

A: To download a copy of all your Google Docs documents on to the hard drive, get this Grease Monkey script. It will create a list of all your online documents that you can download in one step using the DownloadThemAll add-on.

Click here to see the remainder of the tips. If you use Google Docs, you definitely want to read this post.

Thanks to Dumb Little Man for pointing me in the direction of this post.