Futurelawyer

The Real Courtroom Of The Future?

If you want a look at the REAL Courtroom of the future, check out the practice courtroom and deposition room of this Utah law firm. Thanks for the link to Lynn Packer.

But Will It Leap Tall Buildings In A Single Bound?

Link: Treo 800w Coming To Sprint In July? - Treonauts. What's as thin as a Centro, but with a screen as large as a Treo, which runs Windows Mobile 6, and runs on the CDMA networks of Sprint and Verizon? Why, the new Treo 800W of course, and it might be at a retailer near you this summer. I don't particularly like Windows Mobile, and I am happy with the smaller form factor of the Centro; however, for those of you who want a bigger picture, and who like Windows Mobile, this is your mobile law office. In addition to the built-in, lightning fast EvDO Internet access we have come to love, this smartphone will have built-in WiFi and GPS. If you have an Enterprise, and you need to roll out standard mobile tech with built-in Microsoft Exchange compatibility, this is the one. Wait for it.

Mozilla to release Firefox 3 Final in June - Gadgetell

Link: Mozilla to release Firefox 3 Final in June - Gadgetell. The best web browser keeps getting better. The new Firefox 3 is scheduled for release in June, and reports of users of Beta 4 are that it is pretty stable already. There are 160 million Firefox users now, and the promise of a new version will just make the best better.

BlackBerry service outages keeping your weekend interesting? - Engadget

Link: BlackBerry service outages keeping your weekend interesting? - Engadget. And, here we go again. This weekend finds some BlackBerry users reporting more outages and lack of service. RIM has had sporadic problems with outages over the past year, and the problems are highlighting the difficulties faced by messaging services that route through a single host location. Standard email services run through many hosts, and a problem can be fixed by alternative locations. Of course, the counter argument is that there are so many BlackBerry users that outages are magnified. We report, you decide.

The MacBook Air has no clothes | The Apple Core | ZDNet.com

Link: The MacBook Air has no clothes | The Apple Core | ZDNet.com. The MacBook Air is just not having a good day. First, it gets hacked at a security convention; and, now, a high profile Apple reviewer pans it. The reviewer complains about the slow performance of the notebook, and the slow performance of Parallels. He has to have Windows XP (here's a thought, buy a Dell), and it is a no brainer that you should buy hardware last, and the software you want to use first. In any event, the MacBook Air lacks enough ports, has an underpowered CPU, and is limited to an 80 gig hard drive. What's to like?

Gone in 2 minutes: Mac gets hacked first in contest

Link: security.itworld.com - Gone in 2 minutes: Mac gets hacked first in contest. For all of you who still claim that the Apple computers are more secure than Windows, tell that to the hackers at the CanSecWest Security conference. The MacBook Air was hacked in two minutes, and, as of this writing, the Windows and Linux boxes are still secure. I have long argued that ANY computer is hackable, given enough time and effort. All of the arguments about Apple being more secure than Windows is just a matter of the lack of interest, due to Apple's small market share. The Apple hack used software pre-installed on the machine; speculation is centering on the Safari browser. The rules will be relaxed today to give the hackers a better chance at the Linux and Vista boxes.

I Don't Want My Phone To Auto-Check Email!

Link: Reader Poll: Does Your Phone Auto-Check Email?. If you are in a law firm that requires you to carry a BlackBerry and be available at all times for push email (email is "pushed" to your phone whether you like it or not), you need to get politically active, and cancel the rule. I never could understand why some lawyers expose themselves to being buzzed whenever a new email comes in. Just because somebody feels the need to contact you does not mean that you have to answer. Push email is like a ringing telephone. The urge to answer it is overwhelming. I prefer to be in control. When I carry my Centro around, I wait until I feel like it to check email and messages. I even set the phone on silent ring most of the time. Not too much in law practice is such an emergency that it can't wait an hour or so. If you have such a practice, think long and hard about getting a life.

Free Web Version of Photoshop Launches

Link: Excite News - Free Web Version of Photoshop Launches. Web 2.0 is a descriptive term that broadly defines interactive websites that allow the user to do real work or play on the net. SaaS (Software as a Service) is a descriptive term that permits applications to reside on a hosted server, and used over the net. In either case, I have always been suspicious of them, to the extent that they require mission critical or client confidential data to be stored on a remote server somewhere. I have always been more comfortable licensing or buying software that I control locally, and keeping my data secure locally. Both methods have risk; however, I have always preferred to be in control of the risk. Just because I don't want to store my client billing information on a server somewhere else, however, does not mean I am not willing to use the power of the net for other applications. Adobe's new version of Photoshop that runs in any web browser is a good example. Just remember to save a local copy of your favorite photos.

Geek First Date

Subscription Based OS - I Can't Wait...

Link: Slashdot | Windows 7 Likely Going Modular, Subscription-based. Unable to convince consumers to buy Vista at obscene prices, Microsoft has plans to modularize Windows 7 in a few years; allowing users to pick and choose the OS services on a subscription basis. Gee, I can't wait for Microsoft to hit me for a few dollars every month so that I can use email, or browse the web. Hey, if you want your OS to look pretty, send us $19.95 a month. If you miss a payment, the OS will stop working. Anyone who signs up for this should have their computing privileges taken away.