Futurelawyer

#TBT - What Tech Was The FutureLawyer Rockin' In 2006?

Wow. In gadget time, 14 years is an eon. Here is a post I wrote in 2006 about the awesome "new" Palm Treo, which combined a modem with the Palm PDA functions. I used it for Calendar, email, Contacts, and Notes and was never without it:

The Palm Treo 700w (aka Treo 670) - Exclusive first look! - Engadget

Link: The Palm Treo 700w (aka Treo 670) -  Engadget. Love is blind. I fell in love with the slim, sexy good looks of the Motorola Q. I loved the big, beautiful screen and huge keyboard of the T-Mobile MDA. But, like the teenage boy with a crush on the prom queen, I was blind to the charms of the average looking, quiet, intelligent soul sitting on the periphery of the room. My bad. I had forgotten how capable the Treo 650 was, and is, since it is my backup machine. I had been seduced by the tales of Windows-based Treos being buggy and resetting at odd times. The software has been fixed, and the operation is no longer buggy. The Treo 700w has a one-handed operational keyboard, with great keys, and a solid feel. On top of the Treo feel, the unit runs Windows Mobile 5 PPC software, and gets email via the fastest wireless tech out there, EVDO from Verizon. All in all, this is a no compromises machine that I have traded the slimmer, sexier Q in for. Sometimes, solid and capable are virtues worth dumping slim and sexy for."

Link: The Palm Treo 700w (aka Treo 670) -  Engadget. Love is blind. I fell in love with the slim, sexy good looks of the Motorola Q. I loved the big, beautiful screen and huge keyboard of the T-Mobile MDA. But, like the teenage boy with a crush on the prom queen, I was blind to the charms of the average looking, quiet, intelligent soul sitting on the periphery of the room. My bad. I had forgotten how capable the Treo 650 was, and is, since it is my backup machine. I had been seduced by the tales of Windows-based Treos being buggy and resetting at odd times. The software has been fixed, and the operation is no longer buggy. The Treo 700w has a one-handed operational keyboard, with great keys, and a solid feel. On top of the Treo feel, the unit runs Windows Mobile 5 PPC software, and gets email via the fastest wireless tech out there, EVDO from Verizon. All in all, this is a no compromises machine that I have traded the slimmer, sexier Q in for. Sometimes, solid and capable are virtues worth dumping slim and sexy for."

Samsung DeX And The NexDock - Leave The Notebook Computer At Home.

With the addition of a $10 stick on bracket on the new NeXDock, I can attach my spare Galaxy Note 10+ to the side of the dock, and use my phone as the brain of a portable computing solution. Smartphones have had the smarts to be portable computers for some time. This ingenious device adds screen, trackpad and keyboard in a mobile package that is great for mobile use. Most of what we do is online these days anyway. The photos show the setup in desktop and mirroring mode.

Saturday Morning In The Bat Cave.

I get it. This isn't everyone's cup of tea. A Saturday morning spent: 1) Updating the tablet apps on the Samsung S5e, while attached to its keyboard. 2) Putting the new  Nexdock through its paces while updating the Android apps on the backup Galaxy Note 10+, and 3) Updating the blog, checking emails, and browsing the world on my Microsoft Book 2. There are other things going on; but, you get the picture. I can travel, if I ever travel again, with the NexDock and smartphone, and leave the notebook at home. Unless, I need to do law work on the road, in which case I would need the Book 2 to run my Windows productivity apps. How are you spending this wonderful Saturday?

So Many Fun Gadgets...So Little Time.

Review of Oculus Quest 2. The FutureLawyer got an early birthday present yesterday; two, actually. I bought myself the NexDock, which came simultaneously with the Quest 2 VR headset, a gift from the lovely Diane. She has my sense of the frailty of life, both of us having experienced the death of loved ones in the past. It is never too early to enjoy a moment or an hour or a day of life. This is a learned response. Many of us wish we had learned it earlier. However, since the Rays were losing yesterday, I took some time to crack open the Quest 2, and it is true. Thinner, lighter, faster, and sharper are better. Some users are not happy with the ownership of Oculus by Facebook, as an active Facebook account is required to use it; and, Facebook's sometimes Draconian seeming usage policies, administered by "learning robots", can block an account for seemingly innocuous reasons. But, most of us can still get the fun out of the machine, and it is really cool. My prescription lenses, purchased online for the original Quest (which I still have, and which can now be offered to the guests who demand to see what the fuss is about) popped right on top of the movable new lenses in the Quest 2. The lenses can be manually adjusted from side to side to accommodate each user; but, you still need a prescription lens to avoid wearing glasses. The headset is light and comfortable, and my 30 some apps automatically downloaded from my Facebook-Oculus account. I will post more reviews as I go, and the NexDock will get a run through later in the week. But, if Memento Mori strikes before then, I'll always have yesterday. Live virtually. Have fun. Do it now, while you can.

Are You Careful About How You Connect To The Internet?

This FBI Warning Could Spoil Your Working Remotely At A Hotel Plan. Apparently, some workers aren't enjoying working remotely from home. Perhaps it is the constant family interruptions of young children. Whatever it is, some workers are going to hotels, and using the hotel WiFi. Most hotels are upfront about the security risk. They tout their "WiFi available" status; but, they fail to adequately secure the network. My only solid travel rule has been "never use Hotel WiFi". I have always contracted with a cell phone provider to access the Internet over an encrypted phone connection. I connect to it and bypass the free WiFi provided by the hotel. It is one thing to expose yourself to having your personal and banking information hijacked over an insecure hotel WiFi connection. It is quite another to have your confidential client information exposed. Be careful out there.

Windows YourPhone App Now Runs Android Apps On PC.

YourPhone App On Windows. If you want to run your Android apps on the big screen, you can plug in to the HDMI port on the screen with Samsung recent phones. But, you can also now do it over your WiFi network. Just connect your PC and your phone to your local WiFi network. Then, install and run the YourPhone app from Windows Store. Once connected, you can do phone calls, transfer files, view photos, and generally run your phone on the PC. It is very cool to run an Android game on the big screen. But, this app is a "business" tool.

DocuSign Can Survive Pandemics, Floods And Earthquakes.

DocuSign. As a technologist, I have always loved digital solutions to real world problems. As a lawyer, I have always appreciated tech that makes my job as a lawyer, easier. But, before the Pandemic, I considered DocuSign as a method of reducing delay in getting signatures on documents from around the country and the world. However, my eyes are now wide open, and Docusign is now my preferred way of getting things done. Remote lawyering requires the use of remote tools, and the ability to sign a legal document over the Internet is essential to such a practice. These days I really can practice law from my den at home. I can communicate with anyone in the world face to face using Zoom. I can send any document anywhere in the world, and it returns with a legally enforceable digital signature in the blink of an eye. Cool.

It's A Laptop! No, It Isn't! Yes, It Is! It's Definitely Not A Bird Or An Airplane! If It Only Had A Brain!

Once upon a time, there was a little metal box with a screen and keys and a touch pad. But, it was sad, like the Tin Man, because it didn't have a brain. Oh, poor Tin Man. What will we do? Then, the Wizard said, I have a brain that you can use. It's called a Smartphone, and it is very, very smart. Over the years, it has become bigger, stronger, and has a longer memory. But, it has a tiny little screen, and no keyboard. I think a marriage is in order. So, the Wizard got the Smartphone and the metal box together, and the rest will be history, if anyone gets it. You don't need a Chromebook. You are already carrying in your pocket. 

True Happiness Lies In A New Tech Gadget

Hey, we all have our predilections. Diane likes giraffes and knick knacks. I like computers and gadgets. She completes me. But, I digress. I just got an email that my NexDock is on its way, and DHL will be delivering it next week. If you recall, I have posted some videos about using external monitors to turn the new Samsung phones into usable computers. Plug in a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and the phone can be used as an Android computer, with the DeX software from Samsung. But, what if you took a notebook computer shell, and plugged in a smartphone as the brain? What a cool gadget that would be. Welcome to the NexDock. Here is a little video that shows it in action.

Constant Medical Monitoring - The Gift Of Modern Technology

Galaxy Watch 3. I have often felt like a voice crying in the wilderness these past 7 or 8 years. While I shouted about the future of wearable computers that looked like wristwatches, my colleagues kept spending thousands of dollars for wrist machines that said only one thing. I have enough money to throw away on a wrist watch that only tells the time. In the hundreds of years since their invention, wristwatches have only managed to be differentiated by the development of better timing technology, and outward embellishments and designer labels that only increased their cost. But, I knew from the beginning that wrist computers could be so much more. When I did a medical grade ECG on my self this morning just by touching my index finger to the button on the side of my Galaxy Watch 3, and saw a message that I had a normal sinus rhythm, I realized that there is no limit to the future of these magical devices. I can monitor my blood oxygen, heart rate, heart rhythm, and much more on a continuous basis. This is just the tip of the iceberg. One day, wearable computers will be a standard accessory for every human being. If I have an arrythmia, I will be the first to know, and hopefully can call 911 before my next heart attack. These things, in addition to being productive in law practice and business, and fun when we want it, and weather and news monitors, and communication devices, can be life saving devices. This technology is available for less than $500 right now. What's on your wrist?