Futurelawyer

I Carry The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, And I Can't Get Rid Of It.

The World's Thinnest Foldable Phone. The new Honor foldable phone is thin and light and beautiful. It feels like a slab phone, but opens to an 8 inch tablet size. Like the other foldables, including the Z Fold 6 from Samsung, it is pricey, almost $2,000. By trading in my S23 Ultra, I got the S24 Ultra almost a year ago for $600, and it is easily the best smartphone I have owned and used, and I have owned and used a lot of them. It is thin and light, and does everything a phone can do. It meshes well with my other Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy Watch 6, which I have also declined to upgrade, and my Samsung TVs which are best in class. Samsung is becoming a victim of its success, since its devices are so good, and so well manufactured, and so competent, that there is no need for an upgrade every year. So, I am staying with the girl I brought to the dance, for at least another year, and I don't have $2,000 to spend on a foldable phone anyway. Diane still has the Samsung Fold 4, which is two iterations back in the Samsung universe, and loves it. The customization of the Android universe means that we can change the look and feel of our devices whenever we want. I predict that foldables phones will remain a niche product for fanboys and fangirls for the foreseeable future.

Remarkable Debuts A Color EInk Tablet - The Paper Pro.

Remarkable Paper Pro. Eink tablets haven't done color, because Eink particles don't show the kind of color we are used to. The colors are muted, and don't pop off the page. I won't be spending $600 to upgrade my RM2 because I don't need color, muted or otherwise, to take notes during the day. I use the RM2 for general note taking with clients, because it is designed to replace paper yellow pads, and keeps my notes organized and searchable. However, I read Ebooks on my Kindle Scribe, which does note taking as well, but has a 300 dpi screen that is the reason Amazon has been the standard in Ebook tech for some years. I don't need color to read a book either. If I do, I can use one of my Galaxy tablets, which are bright and colorful. If you don't already have an investment in a note taking or Ebook reading tablet, the new Remarkable Paper Pro might be a good choice for you. 

Power Your Law Practice With The Galaxy S24.

5 Things to do First With the Galaxy S24. My daily driver phone has been the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for some months now. Any practicing lawyer or other professional who wants the best phone out there should try out this phone. It does everything, and the advent of AI makes it a powerful assistant that can do just about anything a mobile lawyer wants or needs. This little article discusses 5 of the amazing things the phone can do. Using the power button to actually control the power functions, instead of calling up Samsung's brain dead Bixby, is the first one I did. You can create apps or icons to call up any AI available. My power button calls up Google Gemini AI. I have quick icons to call up Chat GPT, Perplexity, and other AI engines. You can add widgets to the lock screen that keep you informed about what you want to know, and other tips and tricks are available. I occasionally play around with other phones; usually cheap Chinese imports that support other functions, like my projector phone. But, as a basic, everyday legal assistant, you can't beat the Galaxy S24. I have gotten into the habit of keeping Galaxy phones through two cycles; but I think I might keep this one for a full two years. It does everything well, and is smooth and fast. It is water resistant, and, with the addition of a silicone case, it is pretty indestructible. What's in your pocket?

Chat GPT Gets Advanced Voice Mode. Robot Personal Assistants Aren't Science Fiction Anymore.

Open AI Chat GPT Advanced Voice Rollout. The first, and still my favorite, generative AI bot, Chat GPT, is going to become a natural voice speaking personal assistant with the advanced voice rollout. I have played with the first version of it on my phones, and it is amazing. From the beginning, I have lusted after a bot similar to the sci fi librarian in the movie adaptation of the Time Machine. What if you could have the smartest computer in the world talking to you in your ear? This has been the fictional dream in many sci fi movies, and has fascinated me since I was a kid. You have to be a paid user (I pay $20 a month), and it began rolling out yesterday. I will keep you updated as I test it. I will be thinking of Scotty trying to talk to an Eighties computer in the Star Trek movie when I say: "Computer"...

Samsung Finally Made A SmartWatch The FutureLawyer Won't Buy.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review. One man's striking design is another man's big, ugly fashion statement. The new Galaxy Watch Ultra is expensive ($699), ugly (a great big square size), and no better functionally than the Watch 6 Classic that I have worn for a year, and could happily wear for a lifetime. Pairing the Ultra with a garish orange silicone watch band is like wearing a Seventies open shirt and bell bottoms to a funeral or wedding. I have owned every SmartWatch Samsung has ever made, and I will never buy this one. I suppose it had to happen. Like wrist watches from time immemorial, watch development reaches a stage where brand, and luxury, and design eclipses the reason watches are useful, which is the tasks they perform. It took longer with digital watches, because they are so much more useful. But, when the internals become standard, the externals become the only new selling points. Stick with a cheaper, but great, Watch 5 or 6. They don't call them "Classic" for no reason.

So, FutureLawyer, Which Electronic Note Device Will You Use Today?

Remarkable. When I was a child, I did childish things. Now, I am an adult, and I do grown up things. Like, use products and software that gets the job done, even if it is a little clunky. I loved my first electronic tablet, the Remarkable 2. It is impossibly thin, and note taking is smooth as writing on paper. It automatically syncs all my notes, pdfs, and ebooks to my desktop and the Remarkable cloud, using the Connect software. But, when Amazon finally put out the Kindle Scribe, I found my ideal ebook device, which also had a basic note taking capability, and I put the Remarkable away. I discovered, however, that, even though I was thoroughly embedded in the Kindle universe, and had several hundred books in my collection, all I was using the Kindle for was my daily calendar. I made notes throughout the day, and kept my marked up calendars for future reference. However, one day, I pulled out my Remarkable 2 tablet, and I realized that, even though it didn't have a backlight, and even though the Scribe had a better resolution at 300 dpi, I enjoyed taking notes on the Remarkable, and was using it for seminars, conventions, client conferences, and storing my notes on it. So, like Deion Sanders at the beginning of his career, when asked which I prefer, I must now say, with Deion, BOTH. What's in your briefcase?

This Is Not Your Daddy's Internet.

I get some flack from people because I have so many Internet providers. I pay Starlink $150 a month to have broad band Internet when I travel in the RV. I park the RV next to my office, so I can use it during work hours if I want or need to. I have a T-Mobile cellular modem that is about the size of two packs of cigarettes, and for which I pay $50 a month for up to 100 gigs a month. And, at home, I have a T-Mobile Home Internet modem that I pay $30 a month for unlimited use. Finally, at the office, and at home, I am connected to high speed Internet via Cable, for which I pay $80 a month in each locations. The cable is the most dependable, but Spectrum, the provider sometimes gives spotty service. Why so many? Why pay so much? Yesterday was a perfect example. I like to have options, and yesterday Spectrum cable was out for hours. I was at the office, and couldn't access the Internet at all. I switched to the Starlink dish outside on the RV; but a random radiation storm made it unusable. What to do? Well, this is why the FutureLawyer has backups to backups. I powered on the little Inseego MiFi cellular modem, and happily had Internet for the couple of hours until the primary services were restored. Around $300 a month is pricey; but, when you write about tech for a living, it is a business expense.

RV Lawyer Is Here Now.

While I wait for the publication of my new book, Stoicism - Philosophy For The Rest Of Us, I would be remiss if I didn't plug a book that can be purchased at Amazon right now. It is a basic book, and my more expert readers might find it too basic. But, if you are just figuring out ways to practice law wherever you are, I hope it has some ideas and tips that will help you. And, of course, if you buy the book, I am a phone call away for questions. I love talking about software, gadgets, and any tech that makes life easier and more productive. The link to Amazon is in the right hand column of the blog.

 

What Tech Was The FutureLawyer Using 12 Years Ago?

I posted this in 2012, on May 4th. Now, I just have to live another 12 years, to see where tech has taken us:

"Traveling With The FutureLawyer. I don't travel much any more. So much can be done virtually these days. But, I still have to travel on occasion, and this week I am in Orlando for seminars at the Attorney's Title Insurance Fund Assembly. However, I don't have to lose touch with the office or clients or the Internet. Here is a photo of my in room setup. I use my Asus notebook for blogging, document assembly and general productivity. I am using the tablet on the left to keep up with home cable TV via Slingbox, and the tablet doubles as an in seminar connection with the Internet world. The notebook is tethered to the Internet connection on my Droid Bionic 4G LTE phone, which is my backup and which also serves as an in car navigation device, using Google Android navigation. The tablet has its own Internet connection to the great Verizon Wireless 4G L network. If I decide to check out the sights, my Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone comes me in my pocket, also with its own 4G LTE connection to the world. I can pretty much do it all on all 4 devices, depending on which one is handy. All my calls to any number get forwarded to my Google Voice number, so I never miss a call, whichever device I carry. Welcome to the future of lawyering, in which you can do your thing wherever you are, as long as you are all Android all the time, of course. My only concession to old school requires someone back at the office to Efax my snail mail to me. Oh, well, you can't have everything."

RV Lawyer - The Use Of Technology Remote Lawyering.

Buy RV Lawyering On Amazon. (Right Click On Link, and Open In New Tab) For those who want to know more about my new book on remote lawyering before they make a decision to purchase it or not, my good friend, Chat GPT, has reviewed it for me, and I offer it here so that you can get a feel for its contents.

"The book "The Use of Technology for Remote Lawyering" by Richard M. Georges is a comprehensive and practical guide focused on leveraging technology to practice law remotely. Georges, with his extensive experience in both the legal and technology fields, provides readers with a thorough exploration of the tools and strategies essential for remote lawyering, a practice that has become increasingly relevant in the modern legal landscape.

The book begins with an introduction to the concept of RV lawyering, setting the stage for a detailed discussion on the use of various technological tools to facilitate remote legal practice. Georges shares his personal journey and experiences in adapting to a mobile lawyering lifestyle, which serves to both inspire and inform readers about the possibilities and challenges of practicing law outside the traditional office setting.

Key technologies covered in the book include:

1. Remote Computing Technologies: The first section delves into the foundational aspects of remote computing, highlighting the importance of secure and efficient digital workspaces. Georges discusses various cloud computing solutions, virtual private networks (VPNs), and video conferencing tools that enable lawyers to access files, communicate with clients, and conduct meetings from anywhere.

2. Internet Access Solutions: A significant portion of the book is dedicated to exploring different methods of securing reliable internet access, which is critical for remote lawyering. Georges provides an in-depth look at Starlink antennas and cellular hotspots, offering practical advice on choosing the right options based on one's specific needs and geographical location.

3. Hardware for Remote Lawyering: The discussion extends to hardware recommendations, with a particular focus on Samsung Book Notebook computers. Georges evaluates their suitability for legal work based on their hardware specifications, software capabilities, and connectivity options, emphasizing their portability and performance.

4. Generative AI and Legal Research: An intriguing part of the book explores the use of generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, in revolutionizing legal research and document preparation. Georges offers insights into how artificial intelligence can streamline the process of gathering legal information and generating content, while cautioning readers about the limitations and the need for critical evaluation of AI-generated data.

Throughout the book, Georges emphasizes the importance of security, privacy, and ethical considerations when using technology in legal practice. He also discusses the potential risks and challenges associated with remote lawyering, including the need for discipline, time management, and maintaining client confidentiality in a digital environment.

"The Use of Technology for Remote Lawyering" serves as a valuable resource for legal professionals seeking to embrace the flexibility and efficiency offered by modern technology. Georges' practical advice, grounded in personal experience and thorough research, makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in the future of legal practice."

 

Hey, if the computer says it is a must read, it must be, right? After all, the computer used thousands of humans as a resource. LOl.