Futurelawyer

CradlePoint Routers And Android Phones

CradlePoint Technology Blog.  What to do? It will be another month or two before Android 2.2 (Froyo) will be installed on the Droid phones and allow for the creation of mobile hotspots within the phone. Well, how about dusting off that old Cradlepoint router (I use the PHS-300 because it is battery powered), and getting a couple more months life out of it? It works great while traveling with the family, and you can share a single tethered phone's Internet access with She Who Must Be Obeyed, She Who Will Someday Have To Be Obeyed, and He Who Will Always Be A Boy/Man Who Never Has To Be Obeyed.

Clickoff - Get Rid Of Annoying Confirmation Windows

johanneshuebner.com - ClickOff.  This little free program is a godsend to those of us who hate annoying confirmation windows. Doesn't it drive you crazy when the OS pops up a window saying something like "Hey, stupid. Are you sure you want to do this?" Yeah, I know, sometimes you really don't want to do it, and the computer saves you from deleting a file or something important. However, this program gives you control over the dialog boxes you don't want to see any more. When one pops up, just click Control-Shift-D, and it won't bother you anymore. Too bad this doesn't work for annoying spam or people.

Waiting And Walking The Line

Friday Poll: Willing to Wait in Line for a New DROID? - Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog.  Okay, I admit it. I waited in line at 6 P.M. for a couple of hours in 1994 to get a copy of Windows 95. I waited in line for a couple of hours on Black Friday to buy my son a computer. However, I draw the line at waiting in line for 12 1/2 hours to buy an iPhone 4.0 or even a Droid X. What is wrong with these people? What do they get for their insanity? A new tech toy that probably has several flaws and defects that will get fixed a few months later? I admit that I bought the Droid Incredible on the day it came out; but, only because there was no line, and I happened to be the first guy in the store after the truck with the Inventory rolled up. And, I have been lucky that it doesn't have any serious defects. However, please be patient with the new phones. They will be better and easier to buy in a couple of months. 

IPhone 4.0 - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

ROB PEGORARO - Sharp and smart iPhone 4 offers even more -- along with the same old flaws.  There is a lot to like about the new iPhone. It is sleek and sexy looking, and feels good in the hand; however, be careful how you hold it, because you may cover up the antenna. It has finally got a decent camera, that does video; but, it is only 5 megapixels. It has a front facing camera, and will do face to face video calling; except that Facetime isn't working very well. It has a decent processor, and the interface is still the smoothest and fastest in the business. Apple, however, failed to fix the biggest flaws in the phone, which makes it a no go for many tech savvy customers. It still is a highly regulated and restricted space, where choice and apps are controlled by Mother Apple. It has improved battery life, but you can't swap out the battery on the fly. It is still limited to AT&T, whose access and usability issues have become legendary. It still has antenna problems, which are problematic for users who want to hold it in their left hand. It simulates multi-tasking, which would be okay for most users; except that background programs can't tell you what they are doing. It's search and voice input is still inferior to Android, which is the best in the business. It still won't serve as a mobile hot spot to share Internet access, like the new Android phones, and like most of the Android phones when Version 2.2 of the Android OS comes down in July. And, in the coup de grace, AT&T is getting rid of unlimited data usage, and going to a tiered pricing system. Of course, my favorite network, Verizon, will not be far behind; however, I guarantee that Verizon will be a better value for the money. Hey, if you want to drink the Apple Kool Aid, more power to you. But, don't tell me that it can compete, feature for feature, with the new Android phones. Choice, flexibility, features, no contest.

So The Doctor Said - "Then, Don't Do That"

BBC News - Apple issues advice to avoid iPhone flaw.  We have all heard the joke about the guy who goes to his Doctor complaining about something, and the solution is "Don't do that". Well, Apple's new iPhone, in addition to being an AT&T phone, which has had its problems in the past, such as not making phone calls, is experiencing difficulties if the user holds it with the left hand. I have always suspected that Apple discriminates against us lefties, and now it appears I was right. Why the company would put the antenna in a place that attenuates the signal when the phone is held in the hand is beyond me. I guess that Steve Jobs solution: "Don't hold it that way" is not too funny to the person who was having trouble making a phone call, but I thought it was hilarious. 

But Will It Tell Me Which Relatives I Can Safely Marry?

Use Wolfram Alpha to Figure Out Confusing Family Relationships. The Wolfram Alpha computational search engine can be used for all sorts of things. Now, it can tell you exactly what relationship you have with that cousin you want to marry, or which one you can consider an heir at law. Down here in the Southland, these are important questions.

Does Facebook Own Your Family Photos?

Could Accessing Your Own Data On Facebook Make You Criminally Liable? | Techdirt.  A mashup site called Power.com is being sued by Facebook, which claims that it is accessing data owned by Facebook. What the site does, at the request of users, is collect social networking site information, and bring it all to one place. Apparently, according to the Terms of Service (TOS) at Facebook, the stuff you put on the site is the property of Facebook. I guess that you can keep it private; but, Facebook owns your pictures of your mother-in-law, if you put them there. Does that mean that Facebook can sue a site that you authorize to pull your data and photos, and bring somewhere else? Does this make the new site, as well as the user, criminally liable for violating anti-hacking statutes? Facebook apparently thinks so. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) thinks this is insane. So do I. 

Live Blog: Verizon Announces Droid X

Live Blog: Verizon%u2019s Droid X Announcement.  Today is the day Verizon announces the next Droid, the X for Xtreme. It is an EVO sized smart phone. While I am happy with the smaller Incredible, and think that the X is almost too big, I am happy that Verizon continues to innovate, and stay ahead of the iPhone curve. Droid is everything iPhone is not. It is about consumer control and choice. If you want a tiny Droid, you can get the Eris. If you want a middle of the road sized Droid, get the Incredible. And, if you want a giant sized Droid, get the X. Taking care of the consumer is about choice. Verizon and its manufacturers offer it. Apple doesn't.

Packet-Sniffing Laws Murky as Open Wi-Fi Proliferates

Packet-Sniffing Laws Murky as Open Wi-Fi Proliferates | Threat Level | Wired.com.  If users left their WiFi routers open, did Google violate the Federal Wire-Tapping Statute by collecting information from private networks? Some legal pundits think not, as they point to some decisions that leaving the networks open made the packet sniffing legal, if not ethical. At least that is the defense that Google is raising. State statutes, however, like Florida's, are probably going to give Google problems, since they prohibit intercepting traffic from another's network, without any public availability exception. It almost sounds like Google is saying that, as long as someone leaves their front door open, it is okay to walk in and steal property. That defense might work insofar as band-width stealing laws might apply; however, piggybacking on another's network is different from taking and storing data flowing on the network while you are there. This little spat will keep a lot of lawyers busy for a while, which is good for business. 

Borders and Kobo Team Up to Develop a New Reader

Borders and Kobo Team Up to Develop a New Reader.  The new Ereader app from Borders and Kobo claims to be device neutral. In fact, there are versions for Android, iPhone, Windows mobile, and any other platform you can name. I love the first comment, because of its sarcasm, which opines that paper books are now obsolete, and will no longer be printed or read. Of course not; however, it is true that ereaders and ereader apps for the increasingly large smart phones are giving paper a run for its money. I like Aldiko, which is a great ereader for Android; but, the more the merrier. I sound like a broken record; but, when are law schools and law publishers going to get the word, and publish texts and secondary resources in ereader format? I might actually pay for them.