Futurelawyer

The Best 8 New Features in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

The Best 8 New Features in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean - How-To Geek. I have been using Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean on my Galaxy Nexus for a few weeks now; and, other than the smooth, fast interface improvements of Project Butter, my favorite new feature is the Google Now service, with the improved voice recognition. The female voice of Google Now voice search is matter of fact, and perfect. No attitude. No pictures of a person talking. No jokes. Just information, efficiently delivered. When connected to the Internet, the system uses a huge voice recognition database to get close to perfect accuracy. Not 100%, but you can ask questions in a normal voice. It is cool when the voice answers the question; but, even when there isn't a voice reply, Google gives you links to websites that can answer the question. There is no way to adequately describe the improvement other than to try it yourself. If you want a refresher about the other new features, check out this post at How-To Geek. 

How About Bigger Than Note With QuadCore?

Samsung Updates Galaxy Note Phablet - Personal-tech/smart-phones - Smart Phones - BYTE. Samsung REALLY doesn't want anyone claiming its smart phones are similar to the iPhone. How about a quad core processor, a 5.5" screen (that's 2 inches bigger than iPhone), and the latest Jelly Bean iteration of Android? The Note II is one big phone, and has even spawned a new class of handheld. It is the "phablet", thank you very much, and it is awesome. Come and get one.

Every Day, And In Some Way, The Paths Must Be Cleared

Execupundit.com. Where does he find this stuff? Michael Wade's post this morning about not allowing problems to fester by ignoring them could have been aimed right at most of us lawyers. The file we don't want to deal with sits on top of the desk, ignored, until it becomes a much bigger problem. The employee who is always creating problems is ignored until a lawsuit is filed. The computer system that needs to be upgraded is allowed to sit, through inaction, until it creates a bigger problem. Mao said it best, perhaps: "Seize the Day!" Don't procrastinate. Git 'R Done.

Be Careful Out There

Attackers Pounce On Java Exploit  A new Java exploit has security researchers suggesting that users of Java enabled sites immediately disable Java in their browsers until a patch can be offered. While the exploit appears to be targeted for now, it is being included in Blackhat software kits and made available to hackers as this is written. You must make a decision whether you can live without your Java enabled sites for a while until the exploit is patched, or take your chances. If you decide to turn it off, the researchers suggest that you use an alternative browser for your Java sites for now. Read the article, which links to another article showing how to turn it off or limit it. I will post more as I learn more.

 

Apple, Be Careful What You Wish For

Why Apple Actually Lost to Samsung | John C. Dvorak | PCMag.com. Dvorak has written a very rational article explaining why Apple may wish they had never opened the can of worms known as Apple versus Samsung. Other than highlighting the superiority of Samsung phones (they are identical to iPhones at half the price), the lawsuit will likely have the opposite of the intended effect. The phones that will likely be banned in the U.S. aren't even the current line of phones. Second, most consumers now have negative feelings towards Apple, and don't think the patents are defensible. In the mind of the average consumer, Apple sued because somebody came out with a better product. Read the whole article and you will see what I mean. John Dvorak has been around computers for many years, and has a common sense approach to the business. As Dvorak points out, Samsung actually makes many of the iPhone components. Hello? Unless the two companies figure out that they are both losing face, and reach a global settlement, it could get uglier. 

Browse Your Windows Machine With Tabs!

Clover Brings Chrome-Style Tabs to Windows Explorer. You know you love the tabbed browsing in Google Chrome. I pin my most used tabs to the browser bar so that they open automatically when I open Chrome. It is most useful to go to and from web pages with a click. Clover is a free app that brings tabbed browsing to your Windows Explorer file system. You can create tabs for your most used folders, and move back and forth as easily as you do web pages in Chrome. Very useful.

Apple Destroys The Enterprise

Okay, Apple, now you''ve gone too far. Your patent demands and ownership claims have destroyed the Enterprise. Star Trek fans, will you let this indignity stand?

DropBox Adds Two-Step Authentication

Week in Geek: Dropbox Rolls Out 2-Step Authentication Feature in Experimental Desktop Client Build - How-To Geek. Many lawyers are using cloud services for the storage and transmission of documents. However, recent exploits that take advantage of simple user name and password security have prompted some to restrict their access to cloud services that provide better security. For instance, if you use Google Apps, you certainly should be using the two step authentication process that requires a user name and a password generated by a separate process, that sends it to your smart phone. This requires a hacker to have access both to your user name and password and to your physical phone. Much more secure. Now, DropBox is rolling out a two step system that every lawyer needs to use if confidential documents are uploaded to the DropBox cloud. Do it now.

Enough About Apple And Samsung - I Want A Microsoft Surface Tablet

Microsoft to build more than 3 million Surface tablets, says IDC | Microsoft - CNET News. No, I don't want this tablet in the Windows 8 RT, ARM processor version. I will gladly pay more for the Windows 8 Pro version that will run all of my legacy Windows software. It it is this thin and beautiful, of course. The trick will be getting an SSD drive big enough to hold all my stuff. How will it connect to a big screen or a keyboard or extra drives? It will be fun to watch the evolution of the new great thing. At least it doesn't have rounded corners. 

She Who Must Be Obeyed's Tablet Is Safe

Samsung infringed on Apple iPhone design patents, but not iPad design patents, jury rules | The Verge. I haven't got a clue what the Apple Samsung jury was thinking, when they decided that Samsung's phones infringed the iPhone design patents; but that the Samsung tablets didn't infringe the iPad design patents. Huh? But, SWMBO is happy that her Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 with its 4G LTE radio is safe from Apple; and, my Galaxy 7.7 and my Google Nexus tablets are also safe. Of course, expect a cross appeal from Apple, along with the appeal by Samsung of the phone patent verdict. Consumers who already own Samsung phones are okay; but, the next crop of Samsung phones will have some design changes; bet on it. Of course, that might be a good thing. Samsung has already gone with a stylus in its new phablets. If Apple guts the phone market, I predict a lot of tablets will start being used as WiFi phones; and, we might even see some phone functions placed in tablets.