Futurelawyer

Best Buy launches $249.99 laptop - This Isn't Your Daddy's Apple

Best Buy launches $249.99 laptop : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech. Okay, Apple computers are slick, pretty, and cool. But, Apple, I have a message for you from the great, unvarnished masses. Unless you can produce a competent, working notebook computer that has a 15 inch screen, 160 Gigabyte hard drive, 2 gigabytes of RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium, an 802.11n wireless adapter, a DVD writable drive, for UNDER $250, don't come around talking trash to me. Windows 7 is a great OS, and the specs on this computer are better than most lawyers or staff will ever need. The Acer Extensa is a really competent computer. I even bought one last year for She Who Must Be Obeyed, and she is a tough audience. If you spend $1,500 and up for a logo, I don't even want to talk to you. You aren't of my tribe.

Face It - You Want Facebook On The iPhone

Facebook iPhone App Dev Quits Over App Store Policies | iPhonefreak. Apple had better get a clue. When one of the highest profile app developers, Joe Hewitt, who created the Facebook app for iPhone and other platforms, quits being an Apple developer over the ridiculous Apple restrictions, you are in trouble. If you are an iPhone user, you need to wake up. Most of us using iPhones and iPod Touches have had no trouble finding useful apps among the many available. Apple's restrictive policies are a pain; but, there are many useful apps. Now, Android looms large as a huge open source threat. If more developers figure out that they don't need Apple to sell software, Apple really is going to have a problem.

Hey, AT&T - It's The Network, Stupid!

Editorial: Hey, AT&T -- drop lawsuits, not calls. Far be it from me to suggest that there should be fewer lawsuits. We lawyers need litigation to survive, and I am happy for the cadre of lawyers who are finding full employment in the AT&T versus Verizon ad litigation. However, if AT&T spent as much money fixing their substandard 3G network, as they are on lawyers and litigation, they might have a chance against Verizon. As this article accurately points out, Verizon has a better network, a more compreshensive coverage browser, a faster real life download experience, FAR greater 3G coverage, which is essential for modern smart phones, and is going to have the next generation LTE networks available in 30 markets next year, which is 30 more than AT&T. So, AT&T should start competing on service and capability, and not advertising savvy. And, Apple, unless you want the coming Android onslaught to make the iPhone a lot less popular, you might want to consider another network.

Now,Where Did I Leave The Car Keys?

Dell unveils Android-based Mini 3 smartphone - in China!

Dell unveils Android-based Mini 3 smartphone | Crave - CNET. Apparently, Dell, a Texas company, has decided to enter the smart phone wars with an increasingly popular Android phone. The Mini 3 is a candy bar phone like the Palm Pixi, and the Motorola Eris, and will run Android. However, the U.S. market isn't the place Dell will begin the rollout, with China and Brazil getting the phone first. No word on when, or if, Dell will sell the Mini 3 in the U.S. However, until then, I am perfectly happy with the Motorola Droid. Apparently, Texas isn't a big enough market.

iPhone App: LexisNexis Get Cases & Shepardize�

iPhone App: LexisNexis Get Cases & Shepardize�. Just because I have replaced my Palm Centro with the Motorola Droid does not mean I have relegated my iPod Touch to the scrap heap. While most of my mobile computing can now be done with the Droid, there are still some things the Touch and iPhone do that you can't (yet) do on the Droid. Most notable is SlingBox TV viewing and remote server maintenance with LogMeIn. If I had a Lexis subscription, this new app that permits the insertion of any citation, and the ability to do a Shepard's search from the iPhone or Touch would be very cool. It isn't worth the price of admission to Lexis, since legal research on the net is more cheaply done at Versuslaw and similar sites; however, if Lexis would sell the service inexpensively, I might consider buying it. As time passes, and  more Droids and Android phones hit the market, I anticipate even these advantages for the iPhone and  Touch will disappear. Until then, if you have an iPhone,and your firm subscribes to Lexis, this app looks like a winner.

Free Resources To Create Your Own Website

Injury Lawyer Houston 50 Free Resources for Lawyers to Create Their Own Websites. Anyone who regularly reads the FutureLawyer knows that I like free. I also like cheap; but, I prefer free. So, when Adrienne Carlson sent me an email seeking readers for her Personal Injury blog, I took a look at this list of 50 free resources for creating your own website. Some of them will require a lot of time and effort; in effect, to do real website building, you need to learn HTML code and CSS and a lot of other acronyms. However, you can get the job done and not do much coding at all with a blog. I am a proud user of Typepad; but, there are a lot of resources out there if you want to get started. You could do worse than to start with Adrienne's links.

Here's A Modest Proposal - Let's Require A License To Twitter!

Judge Says No Twittering From The Courtroom | Techdirt.  It makes sense that Judges don't want twittering and blogging going on in courtrooms during trial. One lawyer's client has already been disciplined for coaching a witness with twitter while the witness was testifying. There are too many opportunities for such communication to bypass the rules of evidence, and trials need to be conducted totally on the record and in the clear. However, the real problem, it seems to me, is that unqualified whackos are doing a lot of useless twittering, and we need to regulate them. We require a license to do many things in life that can be dangerous; not the least of which is to practice law. So, why not require a license, and a battery of psychological tests, for anyone who wants a twitter account? Perhaps we could require a year of therapy, and the certification of a psychiatrist that the person who wishes to twitter is not a twit. While we are at it, if I get one more twitter message from someone who says I need help marketing my law practice, I will scream. Just another day in the neighborhood.

Merry Xmas From Google - Free WiFi!

Google Makes Airport Wi-Fi Free During the Holidays - Wi-Fi - Lifehacker. Of course, now that the economy has made air travel a too expensive option for many of us, this Christmas present from Google seems to be less attractive. However, if you travel, and use airports, (many lawyers do), this might appeal to you. Of course, Wifi is already free in many places; but, check this list, and you might find a free holiday wifi location that suits you. Hey, you don't see Microsoft doing this, do you?

I Say We Eat Them