Futurelawyer

Keeping Ahead Of The Joneses - Firefox 3.6

Mozilla releases first beta of Firefox 3.6 | Deep Tech - CNET News. Mozilla keeps moving the bar; the beta 3.6 version of the best browser is even better. It is pretty easy to create improvements to the browser, since it is open source. No bureaucrats, executives, and other hoops to go through, unlike the corporate world of Microsoft. This article lists all of the new changes. Get familiar with the cutting edge. Get Firefox.

Sorry Tom-Tom - Google Nav Is Free

Google Nav System Shakes up GPS - PC World. The new Droid, with its big, beautiful screen, Android 2.0 OS, tactile keyboard, SD Card slot (it comes with a free 16 Gigabyte SD card), the Verizon network, 5.0 megapixel camera with flash, HD video, multi-tasking apps, and Lord knows what else, has one great feature that will make sure you never lose your way to the Courthouse. Google Nav is another of the many free Google apps that will come standard on the Droid. That means you can throw away the TomTom or other dedicated GPS device that is hanging around. Even Verizon, which has the subscription based VZNavigator software for its other phones, didn't even bother to provide it for the Droid. The Droid may not be the iPhone killer; but it certainly is the anti-iPhone. You know, anti-proprietary software, anti-arrogant, anti-no removable battery, anti-anything that is good for the consumer we are against, mentality.

Grasping At Straws - Attacking Android

3 attacks on Android; enough to stop a runaway success on Verizon?. Now that open source Android (that means FREE) has a device worthy of it (Verizon Droid), the iPhone army is attacking it by touting the thousands of iPhone apps in the Apple app store. But, I believe they are missing the point. For many of us, we can get any of the apps we want for the iPod Touch. The Apple interface is great, the thousands of apps are great, and the ones that need Internet access can be handled with WiFi, which seems to be everywhere nowadays. In fact, for those of us with a portable router, and a Verizon USB stick modem, or for those of us with a MiFi portable router, it is. So, the Droid isn't an iPhone replacement. It is a replacement for whatever cell phone or smart phone we have been carrying. I may not wait for the Pre. Droid looks like a winner, and the apps will come, they will come. Remember, you don't need permission from Apple to develop an application for Android. Look for Google apps to be available on the Droid from Day One.

Palm Pixi on sale November 15 for $100

Palm Pixi on sale November 15 exclusively at Sprint for $100 on contract. There is always a catch. Along with every piece of good news, why is there always a piece of bad news? Just before my birthday, the Palm Pixi goes on sale. What a cool little phone. About the size of the Centro, running Palm's new Web OS, and, for only $100. She Who Must Be Obeyed And They Who Must Be Fed could certainly afford such a paltry sum to give to the man who has everything. But, no, there is a catch. You have to agree to a two year contract with Sprint, ugh. Double ugh. Sprint claims to have 42 million customers. Of course, that is a lot more than the customers who WANT to be with Sprint. This is truly the potential birthday present from Hell. Don't go there.

Wouldn't It Be Nice? Verizon iPhone?

Verizon chief says offering the iPhone is Apple's call. Even though it looks like Verizon is going to be marketing the Droid like crazy, there is a glimmer of hope that Apple will see the light, and make the iPhone a two network phone. Okay, maybe not. Big Red really doesn't need the iPhone, although it would be nice to have the benefits of the best network to go along with the best phone. Until that day, if it ever comes, I will get my apps on the iPod Touch. Apple makes a lot of money as it is, so they probably don't care. Verizon is big, the best, and it knows it. So, it doesn't really care. We consumers will care less when the Droid becomes available. Open source phones are going to be the biggest part of the market as Android 2.0 deploys. Which phone is best will always remain a matter of opinion.

Taking A Bite Out Of Apple - Toshiba Satellite 17 inch laptop for $389

Toshiba Satellite L355-S7915 Celeron 900 2.2GHz 3GB 250GB DVD�RW DL 17" Vista Home Basic Toshiba PSLD8U-0U9033B Satellite L355-S7915. Psst. Hey, buddy! Want a laptop cheap? This Toshiba 17 inch laptop with a 250 GB drive, and Vista Home Premium, and 3 Gigabytes of memory is on sale at Computergeeks.com for under $400. It has a Celeron processor, which isn't flashy, but gets the job done. And, for another $119, you can upgrade it to Windows 7. Under $500, and more computer than your kid, or your spouse, or even you, will need for a long time. Does wearing a designer label mean that much to you?

The Frugal Lawyer - Party Like It's 2007

Alt Text: New Cult Spares Members From Early Adopters%u2019 Pain | Underwire | Wired.com. Using the cult metaphor, this author postulates that we can decrease our budgets by half, just by using two year old technology. For instance, don't be in a hurry to buy every new piece of tech or new software that comes out. The FutureLawyer has to; but, often, I get to try things out for free, since proponents of new tech need publicity. On the other hand, in tech, sometimes new is bad. New means bugs, new means hassles, new means you have to be the guinea pig. Resist the urge to buy the newest Apple Mac computer for $2,000. Buy a two year old ultralight PC instead. You will save $1,500, and you will still get your work done. Rather than buy the latest version of Word, get a two year old copy of an older version. You will be surprised at what you can do for little money. I got along with an eight year old copy of Microsoft Word 2002 for years, until I finally bought Word 2007. It will be mid next decade before I buy another. I am still using WordPerfect 11 that I got for peanuts, even though new versions have been out for several years. Early adopters get the worm, and the bugs. Be patient, grasshopper.

Uh, Oh. Windows 7 upgrade paralyzes some PCs with endless reboots

Windows 7 upgrade paralyzes some PCs with endless reboots. Hopefully, this is not a trend. Some users are having trouble upgrading Vista to Windows 7. Endless reboots are not fun. This is why I installed Windows 7 on my backup machine first. If you are upgrading your system, and you downloaded 7 from the Internet, or even if you have an upgrade DVD, FIRST, do a complete backup of your system to a USB hard drive. Then, create a ghost image with Norton Ghost or one of the similar programs. That way, if you have this problem, you can restore the old system from the ghost image. Then, do a clean install, and take the time to reinstall your old programs and data. Be careful out there. By the way, I am still of the opinion that the switch will ultimately be worth it. I am thoroughly enjoying the new OS. It is fast as a bunny rabbit, stable so far, and takes care of most problems automatically. And, as my readers know, I am tough to convince. I am still going to gradually add stuff to the new system, and run it as a shadow to my current system until I make the switch permanent. And, I may wait until I buy a new system to do it on all the machines. The good news is that Microsoft has a $29 upgrade path for students and schools, and the rest of the family are students and teachers. For those of you in large law firms affected by the economy, that is yet another reason to be a solo.

Lab Rats And Windows 7 Cool Features

In this Saturday video, the LabRats discuss the coolest new features of Windows 7. Watch and learn before you buy.

Windows 7 - It's Not The OS, Stupid

Technology News: Operating Systems: Selling Windows 7: The Good, the Bad and the Tragically Hip. As this article points out, the days of waiting in line at the computer store for a new operating system from Microsoft are over. Not even Apple heads wait in line for a new version of Mac OSx (at least, I hope they don't). As I have said before, an OS is like auto tires; they need to be reliable, and they need to do their job. They don't need to be pretty. That said, Windows 7 is pretty, and fast, and efficient, and works great. Whether it is reliable remains to be seen. However, early reports are that you won't be sorry if you buy and install it. On the other hand, however, even at upgrade prices, plan to spend a couple of hundred dollars per machine, and, if you are coming from XP, because you were smart enough not to buy Vista, plan on a few hours reinstalling software and data. I bought an upgrade copy yesterday online, just because it is my job to know what is going on, and I installed it on my backup machine. The install was flawless; no hiccups, and I spent several hours reinstalling software. Everything I was using with XP worked fine, with some minor exceptions. I will need to follow up with some updated drivers, and will have to switch to newer versions of some software; but, know this. Windows 7 is faster, cleaner, and prettier. You can't go wrong if you decide to buy and install it now, rather than wait for the purchase of a new machine with 7 preinstalled. Get Windows 7  Professional if you are coming from XP. It costs more, but it has the XP mode that will be required for compatibility with some older software. In the end, however, know that there will be a sizable hole in your pocket, and some hours you can't get back.