Futurelawyer

Samsung A14 5G - Almost A Flagship And $200.

Wired Review Of Samsung Galaxy A14 5G. Smartphones have entered an era in which improvements in new phones are incremental, and today's wow feature seeps down to budget phones. A usable phone with advanced features, this thing only costs $200. For the features, it is an amazing feat, and anyone could use this phone and get through their day without a hiccup. It has a big, beautiful Samsung screen, lasts two days on a single charge, has a better than average camera, is unlocked and accesses 5G service, and the only downside is the mono speaker, and the fact that it isn't water resistant. For me, the killer feature is the inclusion of a phone jack. Yes, Virginia, you can dust off your old headset and plug it in. I already have 4 or 5 working phones, so this would be really overkill for me; but, if you are in the market for a phone, you can't do better than this.

 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 - It's Smooth, Functional, And A Joy To Use.

Wear OS 3 Fixes Android Watch Problems. I am much more excited about the Galaxy Watch 5 than this reviewer; but, I agree with his assessment. The Watch 5 is the best Android watch ever. It is fast, buttery smooth, and can do things that no watch ever could. From opening garage doors to doing voice dictation and summoning Google Assistant, this thing is a computer on my wrist. You can get the same feel from the Pixel watch; but, my daily favorite has to be the Watch 5. It's a new world out there. Put it on your wrist.

 

Florida Bar Annual Tech Symposium Taking Shape.

Annual Convention Tech Symposium Taking Shape. Kevin Johnson, the Chair of the Standing Committee on Technology of the Florida Bar, of which I am a member, is sponsoring the annual tech symposium at this year's coming Convention in Boca Raton. There will be some great presentations, covering cybersecurity, and other subjects. I will be presenting about the new technology allowing remote access, including the satellite and cellular technology I am using to post this from Walt Disney World in Orlando today. I have been experimenting for decades with the use of technology to free the lawyer from her desk, and practicing law from wherever I happen to be in a given moment. Tech has risks as well as rewards, and the Committee has been providing Florida lawyers with help using it for a long time. I will also be speaking about Eink, and the current tablets that make lawyer note taking and document use a paperless process. As we predicted years ago, technology competence has become essential to the practice of law. Florida lawyers can learn more about it from the lawyers who are using it. 

Yes, Virginia, You Can Get Broadband In The Forest.

In the middle of a pine forest at Ft. Wilderness in Disney World and still getting 25 mbpswith Starlink. Not super broadband due to pine trees but works fine for the two of us. If we need it I can power up the TMobile hotspot.

Luxury Watches Are Pretty; But, What Exactly Do They Do?

Prufrock says: "I grow old, I grow old. I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled". Eliot's poem captures the angst of old age, and the fear of dying. But, as I grow old, I am conscious of the fragility of the short time I have left, and I have cast off childish things. Luxury watches are one of those things. This used Rolex Submariner is on sale for $12,500. Many years ago, I got one from a client in the jewelry business for $2,500, and I thought it was beautiful. But, a couple of years later, I sold for the same price, and used the money to make a couple of mortgage payments. I realized, even then, that a luxury timepiece is pretty; but, overkill for what it does. I have written before about my collection of Smartwatches, which are also attractive; but, they do so much more. My current Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, tells time, gives the date, and much, much more. It shows me my email, text messages, weather, blood pressure, heart rate, does a competent ECG, measures my steps, and my blood oxygen levels. It sends texts, makes phone calls, keeps my calendar, acts as a compass, plays music, can serve as a flashlight, and many other functions. It cost $400. It is truly a mobile computer on my wrist. I have certainly cast off childish things, and am no longer in my salad days. 

CES 2023 - The Phone/Tablet Is Finally Here.

Tablets suck, but the Fold doesn't. One of the most important developments at this year's CES 2023 in Las Vegas, was Samsung's showing of the coming folding phones and tablets. It has long been a dream to have a smartphone that can also serve as a tablet computer. The largest phones used to be called small tablets; but the maxed out 6 inch screens were too small to give a tablet computer experience, which requires at least an 8 inch screen. This year, however, the new Folds allow a folding smartphone to unfold into a usable tablet that provides a larger screen for viewing content and working on content. There are also folding notebook computers coming that unfold into huge tablets. Would you like to put the tablet away, and just carry one device?

There Is No Fear And Loathing In My Las Vegas.

Why There Won't Be A Robot Lawyer In Our Lifetimes...And Maybe Never.

Robots Behaving Badly. AI has a wonderful ability to mimic human thought; but, it will never actually compare to human thought. So, while AI will enhance human lawyers' ability to draw conclusions, and measure probabilities, and make arguments, robots will never be able to match human judgment. Human imperfections are what makes us human. Our social, legal and other interactions with other humans is not a scientific equation, or a massing of all human knowledge. In any event, robot lawyers will never grace a courtroom in our lifetimes.

 

Christmas Week - What Will You Do With The Time Off?

I love Christmas. I love having a long holiday to spend with my hobbies and interests. One of my favorite things is to delve into the many aspects of my technology that I don't have the time to deal with normally. Today, I updated all of my Virtual Reality apps, and played a game of chess with the computer. It is very cool to be transported into a virtual world in which you move pieces around the board with virtual hands. Once you suspend your disbelief, you can actually feel a part of the environment. I tend to set the computer on "dumber than dumb", so that I can pretend I am the best chess player in the world. Hey, I am in a pretend environment. Why not? But, another favorite thing is to try out all of the complications that modern smartwatches provide. You won't believe some of the things these marvelous wrist computers can do. I love that I can set a chime for every hour on the hour, and flip the screen so that the watch controls are on the left. Since I am left handed, I wear my watch on my right wrist, and I can use the functions on the left side of the screen. Check out this great video that highlights some of the magic.

 

A Tale Of Two Kindles

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He brought the FutureLawyer a Kindle Scribe for Christmas, and he has been having fun tweaking it to take daily calendar notes, client conference notes, general get through the day notes, and switching to read his hundreds of Kindle books collection whenever he feels like it. But, he still loves his tiny Kindle Paperwhite, which he can put in his pocket and take anywhere with him, and which is water resistant. He can actually now read any note, any book, and any calendar entry while sitting in his backyard pool, sipping Scotch, and living the Florida lifestyle. Since both Kindles are registered to his Amazon account, any addition he makes to either Kindle is automatically synced to the other. Everything has a purpose, and a purpose gives everything life. Merry Xmas.