It can be tough to keep up with the newest offerings in the world of apps these days. So this will be my first installment of what I hope will be a monthly series to help keep you updated on the newest apps to assist you in your law practice, for both iOS and Android. This month has been packed to the gills with product announcements all over the tech industry, not least of which was Apple’s iPad event.
Without further delay, here are the Best New Apps for Lawyers from October 2013:
iOS
TweetBot 3 by Tapbots, $2.99 for a limited time, $4.99 regular price.
For attorneys who rely on Twitter as part of their social media strategy, or just as part of their daily routine, Tweetbot was already a valuable tool. Tweetbot’s best feature, though, was that it always made using your Twitter account less tedious and, dare I say, a lot more fun.
Functionality may have come after form for Tweetbot, but this complete redesign makes Tweetbot 3 an incredibly functional way to enjoy using Twitter. Rebuilt from the ground up, Tweetbot 3 incorporates a new interface design that closely resembles the slick new artistry of iOS 7. Additionally, you are now able to mute Tweets from certain people, hashtags or keywords (as Gizmodo suggests, potentially to ignore things like spoilers for TV shows) without having to unfollow anyone. Extra functionality has also been added to allow you to sync your activity between your phone, tablet and computer.
Cannonball eMail by Cannonball Corp., free.
Why would we need another email client, you might ask? Well, if you feel that email clients got their general design right from day one, then you don’t. However, if you think that maybe, just maybe, email could be done better if done differently, then you certainly want to check out Cannonball eMail.
Looking to approach the concept of email organization a little bit differently, the designers of Cannonball believe that most users don’t want to have zero emails in their inbox. The true goal, Cannonball’s designers believe, is to have zero unread emails. To help address this problem, Cannonball actually adds an additional category to the traditional way emails are grouped: by sender. Now, as you scroll through your emails, a thumbnail of the sender appears next to each email. This feature also allow users to group emails from third party vendors and other undesirable emails together to be, as one commentator says, “deleted in bulk.”
Additional features for streamlining composing new messages and searching for old messages, with a tablet experience in mind (as opposed to most email clients who still use an interface optimized for a user with a mouse) dramatically improve both the user experience and the efficiency of emailing.
Square Cash by Square, Inc., free.
A good portion of the time I spend writing in this blog deals with the ethical use of technology in the practice of law. Therefore, as a disclaimer, I want to emphasize that my inclusion of this app on my list in no way endorses its use, given the recent debate.
Square just recently opened its Pay-Pal-esque insta-payment system for everyone to use, and have released this mobile app on both iOS and Android to make its use easily available. Through the app, all you have to do is enter an amount to be paid, and Square will send the bill directly to the email address of your creditor. Tied directly to your debit card, Square Cash allows you to send or receive money directly from your bank account, and to do so without paying any additional fees. If only bank ATMs were operated with such generosity!
Recur! by Grailr LLC, $0.99.
So, with Cannonball we’ve seen what can happen when app designers decide to challenge the existing paradigm for a particular type of app. Recur! actually goes further, resisting not just the way you organize your to-do list, but by asking why you’re recording the things you have yet to do. The concept is simple: keep track of the things you’ve done instead of the things you intend to do!
Designed by the developer of the CARROT To-Do list, Recur! lets users track tasks they have completed, such as exercises or movies that you’ve seen, and even allows you to add a counter every time you complete a task, just so you know how long it’s been. With the option to add an alarm to a task to remind you when you need to complete the task again, Recur! completely challenges the way you approach your to-do lists.
Although basic in its features, Recur! integrates into the CARROT To-Do list, making it a must-have for any users of that program.
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Android:
CaseManager by GoodCase Apps, Ltd., $20.00
One of my first goals when I started exploring the idea of integrating new technology into the practice of law was to find a way to make case or matter management more mobile. That’s exactly what CaseManager does for your Android device. The newest entry into the field of matter management, CaseManager allows you to track your law practice on the go, including those all-too-frequent times when your phone isn’t able to fully connect to the internet.
Why is it important to be able to operate while “off the grid?” Most of the available options for cloud-based matter management require an internet connection to function at all. Lose signal and you can forget about reviewing that document or adding a client to your database. CaseManager, on the other hand, lets you continue being productive.
A fully-functional matter management system, CaseManager allows you to track all of your open cases, manage your calendar and to-do list, and keep track of your contacts. Additionally, CaseManager gives you access to important case documents, a time-tracking and billing application, and even allows you to hand-write notes for individual cases. However, simplicity of use may be CaseManager’s greatest asset.
Square Cash by Square, Inc., free.
A good portion of the time I spend writing in this blog deals with the ethical use of technology in the practice of law. Therefore, as a disclaimer, I want to emphasize that my inclusion of this app on my list in no way endorses its use, given the recent debate.
Square just recently opened its Pay-Pal-esque insta-payment system for everyone to use, and have released this mobile app on both iOS and Android to make its use easily available. Through the app, all you have to do is enter an amount to be paid, and Square will send the bill directly to the email address of your creditor. Tied directly to your debit card, Square Cash allows you to send or receive money directly from your bank account, and to do so without paying any additional fees. If only bank ATMs were operated with such generosity!
Aviate by ThumbsUp Labs, free.
Ever looked at your home screen and thought: “Why are you always the same, regardless of condition or time of day?” Do you believe that there is home-screen information more appropriate to when you wake up than to sitting down to dinner? If so, then you really need to check out Aviate, by ThumbsUp Labs.
Aviate allows you to customize five different home screens – Morning, Going Somewhere, Work, Restaurants, and Nighttime – that generate automatically based on time and your activity (or when selected manually). For each particular screen, information relevant to that particular activity automatically populates, such as the weather, your daily agenda, important news apps, and even Kindle when it’s time for bed. Additionally, each screen has a swipe-up drawer containing your 10 most used apps. Ideal for an attorney who likes to have different information ready at a moments notice for different situations.
Tresorit by Tresorit, free.
Since we’re officially in the middle of Cybersecurity Awareness Month (I know, I wasn’t aware either), what better way to end my list than with a new security app!
Tresorit is an end-to-end encryption app that is designed to make sure that your information is secure. Any file that you send from your Android device is encrypted before it leaves, and is then decrypted after it is downloaded, dramatically limiting the threat to your data from evil-doers. Importantly, no server (even Google’s) has access to an unencrypted file. The app includes a collaboration feature that allows you to set different access levels for different users, and limits the ability of certain users to re-share an unencrypted version of the document.
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