by Brian Focht | Jun 1, 2016
Download this Episode: Download Audio Summer is nearly upon us! As Memorial Day passes into the rear-view, let’s take stock of what an amazing month May was for a lot of apps that will fit quite well into your law practice. Here are the best new apps for lawyers released or updated in May 2016: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (4:19) mark of the podcast. Docs (iOS, Android), Sheets (iOS, Android) & Slides (iOS, Android) by Google, Inc., free (Update). To start things off, let’s look at some major updates to Google’s Holy Trinity of Free Productivity Systems: Docs, Sheets, and Slides. First, all users will now have their most recent entries for all three systems automatically saved for off-line viewing. Sure, you could do this on your own before, but just like auto-recover is almost always more recent than the last time you saved your file, always downloaded is better than available when you remembered to download. Users of Google Sheets, on both iOS and Android, will now be able to view images and drawings within the spreadsheets. For those giving presentations in the near future, Slides has a couple pretty awesome upgrades too. First, “Slides Q&A” is now available on mobile. Q&A allows the audience to post questions to you without interrupting your presentation, and then allows others attending the presentation to up- or down-vote the question. For iOS users, you’ll be happy to know that ALL THREE of the apps are now 3D Touch enabled, allowing you to open your recent files directly from the home screen. ProtonMail by Proton Technologies AG, free (iOS, Android) (Update). If you’re using ProtonMail, odds are... read more
by Brian Focht | May 3, 2016
Download this Episode: Download Audio Whew! Wow, how was your April? Mine was pretty damn busy! Then, as I go looking through my sources for the best new apps this month, I have to say I found an embarrassment of riches. While this was a particularly strong month for solid updates to existing platforms, there’s still plenty of new stuff too. Here are the best new apps for lawyers released or updated in April 2016: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (1:02) mark of the podcast. Outlook by Microsoft Corp., free (iOS, Android) (Update). The flagship email platform of Microsoft, I not too long ago declared that Outlook was the winner of my review of the best overall email apps for mobile devices. Even then, Microsoft has been aggressive at pushing updates, making it even better. This update is no different. Ever since Microsoft purchased the Sunrise Calendar app in 2014, many wondered when the integrations that are a favorite feature on Sunrise would start to make their way to the Outlook app. Wait no longer, as this month Microsoft announced integration with Evernote, Wunderlist, and Facebook. Users of those platforms can now expect reminders in Evernote and Wunderlist to appear in your Outlook calendar, complete with a link to the native reminder. Facebook now links your birthday reminders right into your calendar. Additionally, Android Wear users now join Apple Watch users in being able to operate their Outlook – Dick Tracy style. WhatsApp Messenger by WhatsApp, Inc., free (iOS, Android) (Update). The big news in April among security enthusiasts was the announcement that WhatsApp, the ephemeral messaging service purchased by Facebook,... read more
by Brian Focht | Apr 5, 2016
Download this Episode: Download Audio Spring has sprung… unless you live in the northeast, where it’s apparently shrunk back into its cave, awaiting better weather. Regardless, with the flipping of the calendar page we go from March to April, as the most exciting month in sports – March – gives way to the sleepy, almost punch-drunk beginning of baseball. March was fun in other ways too, most notably for ABA TECHSHOW. I was honored to join Jeff Richardson of iPhone JD, Tom Mighell and Natalie Kelly. It was a great time and a well-received presentation: Take a moment to appreciate the clean slide design & easy animations in the #ABATECHSHOW iOS/Android Apps session. pic.twitter.com/e4IFpqDlcD — Randall A. Juip (@rajuip) March 19, 2016 Excited to see how VR might help law students practice for trial classes or moot court in the future. #ABATECHSHOW https://t.co/CbQTk0lRGF — Will Harrelson (@willharrelson) March 19, 2016 Anyway, enough about my month, here are my best new apps for lawyers released in March 2016: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (1:48) mark of the podcast. ProtonMail by Proton Technologies, AG, free (iOS, Android). Even before the Apple v. FBI issue brought the security of mobile devices to the top of the news cycle, this year’s ABA TECHSHOW was already planning on making sure that security and encryption were front and center. As it should – we lawyers have an ethical duty to preserve our clients’ confidential information, and encryption is one of the best ways to do so. However, one of the things that has been roundly lamented is the lack of a good email client containing end-to-end encryption.... read more
by Brian Focht | Mar 8, 2016
Download this Episode: Download Audio So we’ve made it through February and into March. Hopefully yours came in like a lamb, and not like the angst-filled El Nino, raging drunk and coked out of his goard, that we’ve been hearing about! Anyway, this is ABA TECHSHOW month. Next week, I have the distinct honor of joining some of the best in legal technology – all of whom are much smarter than I am – to talk about a number of tech-related issues… including the best mobile apps for lawyers! Hope to see you there! Until then… Here are my best new apps for lawyers released in February 2016: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (2:29) mark of the podcast. Hound by SoundHound, Inc., free (iOS, Android). Do you remember the scene from Back to the Future 2 when Marty shows a couple of kids how amazing he is at a Quick-Draw arcade game? After his “Crack Shot” display, one of the unimpressed kids responds: “You mean you have to use your hands? That’s like a baby’s toy!” So, that’s just one of several predictions that Spielberg’s vision of 2015 might have missed on slightly. But only slightly. The advent of the smartphone has brought hands-free digital assistants into the regular lives of millions. “Hey Siri” has become a part of the American vernacular, despite growing pains. However, competition in the digital assistant area has generally been limited to the services offered by your phone’s OS – Siri, Google Now, and Cortana. Hound is a new digital assistant app that might just signal a changing of the guards in this area.... read more
by Brian Focht | Feb 10, 2016
Download this Episode: Download Audio Well, what a crazy month January has been! Hopefully everyone made it through ok! This month wasn’t quite as much of a blockbuster month for apps, but there are still plenty of good ones to talk about. Here are my best new apps for lawyers released in January 2016: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (1:28) mark of the podcast. Outlook by Microsoft Corp., free (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) (Update). Ok, the updates to Outlook across all platforms last month are so significant, I’m not going to waste any space with chit-chat: On iOS and Android devices, you can now schedule or join a Skype call directly from the Outlook app. Your calendar description will automatically include a link to the event, and can access the call directly via the link in their app. Navigation improvements and the three-day view have also been added. Don’t like Outlook’s contacts? You can push your contacts directly to your device’s native contacts app. iOS users are able to create an Outlook calendar widget in the Notification center, so scheduling doesn’t necessarily require opening the app. Additionally, users can now print directly using AirPrint printers, and Outlook is officially 3D Touch compatible. Android users are now able to save files and attachments directly from your inbox and cloud services to your device’s local storage. Even Windows Phone users don’t miss out, with a new Year view and improved email rendering via better image scaling. Google Docs (iOS, Android), Sheets (iOS, Android), Slides (iOS, Android) by Google, Inc., free (Update). Yep, I had to pile these apps all in together. It’s becoming trendy for... read more
by Brian Focht | Jan 13, 2016
Download this Episode: Download Audio Well, we’ve passed through the “holiday season,” and on into the new year. While much time has been spent recapping the events of 2015 (usually through about December 1 – seriously, do these people think December didn’t happen?!?) and predicting 2016, it’s time to look back on what happened while you were busy shopping. On the apps front, two important things: First, there were some new ones released, which I’ll get to in a minute. Second, I was invited to speak at the 2016 ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago. And amazingly enough, I’ve been asked to talk about apps alongside established experts Tom Mighell, Jeff Taylor and Jeff Richardson. I’m truly honored to be included on such an amazing panel, and I hope you’ll attend! Here are my best new apps for lawyers released in December 2015: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (1:49) mark of the podcast. Google Calendar by Google, Inc., free (iOS, Android) (Update). Much like the smartphone industry in the US, the use of office productivity systems by lawyers seems to be split into two main camps: those who use Microsoft Office (the majority), and those who use Google Docs (a growing minority). This, obviously, is for those in the second group. One of the biggest problems with Google Calendar was that, unlike Microsoft Outlook, users were unable to combine task and calendar management on one screen. No longer. The Google Calendar app now lets you add Reminders to your calendar, and allows you to create and view tasks alongside your calendar. You also get the other, lesser discussed benefits of using Google Docs – the power... read more
by Brian Focht | Dec 8, 2015
Download this Episode: Download Audio As the food coma from Thanksgiving wore off, I glanced at my collected research for the best new apps from this past November. Holy crap, we’ve returned to what happened in August and September – a TON of new apps with applications for lawyers! Well, I was about to set upon my task, when a case of walking pneumonia – a silly name for an illness that makes walking a wobbly experience – came to visit. However, the illness has mostly passed, so it’s time to get to work! Here are my best new apps for lawyers released in November 2015: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (1:06) mark of the podcast. Dragon Anywhere by Nuance Communications, Inc., $15/month or $150/year (iOS, Android). There are a few companies that are going to be mentioned on this list anytime they create a new app, simply because of how important the company’s product is to lawyers. LinkedIn is one of those companies (see the next entry on this list), and so is Dragon Dictation. Although not because of how used it is (quite a lot), but because of how much more it needs to be used! Dragon Anywhere is a mobile add-on to your Dragon tools. Provided you have a stable internet connection, Dragon Anywhere gives you cloud-based adaptive speech recognition right on your smartphone. (Translation: You can dictate, and your phone will actually know what the hell you’re saying!) There are a lot of cool tricks you can do with this app that I discuss in greater detail in the podcast. Suffice it to say, if you’re... read more
by Brian Focht | Nov 10, 2015
Well, after what I can only describe as two amazing months for apps in August and September, it appears the world of app developers slowed down somewhat in October. Fine by me, since most of mine was occupied by my honeymoon in Italy (which was freaking awesome). However, that’s not to suggest that the month was a complete waste! Here are my best new apps for lawyers released in October 2015: Multi-Platform: Office Lens by Microsoft Corp., free (iOS, Android). (Update) Leading off the list of multi-platform apps this month (all of which are major updates of existing apps) is Office Lens, your mobile scanner by Microsoft. What’s most interesting about the updates this month is that they’re not universal. For iOS users, Office Lens now connects directly to your Microsoft 365 account, giving you the ability to directly scan in documents to your OneNote or OneDrive account. While this was probably a lot more interesting before Microsoft decided to completely back-out on their promise to provide unlimited storage in OneDrive, it’s still going to be a very effective way of making sure that your business-related documents get saved correctly. For Android users, Office Lens now boasts the capability (already available on iOS) to scan a business card, digitize the data, and add the information directly to your contacts list. Although not as effective as Evernote (according to this author), users of MS Office products likely want to keep their information in one ecosystem, which Android users are now able to do. Overall, Office Lens still falls short of Evernote in several ways. However, if you’re like the author... read more
by Brian Focht | Oct 6, 2015
Download this Episode: Download Audio First, please let me apologize for my absence over the past few weeks. A combination of major involvement in a large construction defect litigation case and my wife and I moving into our first new house kept me INSANELY BUSY over the last month. Hoping to rectify that in the next few weeks, though. More importantly, the apps. Well, June and July were actually relatively light for high-quality apps, so I wasn’t expecting too much from August. My mistake. Tons of great new apps have dropped, and sadly, I had to leave off plenty of good ones. Here are my best new apps for lawyers released in August 2015: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the (0:46) mark of the podcast. AdBlock Browser by Eyeo, free (iOS, Android) / Crystal by Dean Murphy, $0.99 (iOS only). Regardless which side of the Ad-Blocking Software vs. Online Publishers debate you are, there’s really no denying that the current state of online advertising is a mess. Ads pop up on every part of every site you visit (I really do try to minimize the intrusion!), and actually destroy performance in a lot of cases. In fact, I can think of too many sites whose content I love, but whose ads make me shudder at the thought of even visiting. Well, Apple has finally announced that it’s jumping on board and allowing developers to help everyone block ads. Two major new apps were released for mobile last month as part of that – AdBlock Browser and Crystal. They both do roughly the same thing… and they’re both potentially problematic for the same... read more
by Brian Focht | Sep 17, 2015
Download this Episode: Download Audio First, please let me apologize for my absence over the past few weeks. A combination of major involvement in a large construction defect litigation case and my wife and I moving into our first new house kept me INSANELY BUSY over the last month. Hoping to rectify that in the next few weeks, though. More importantly, the apps. Well, June and July were actually relatively light for high-quality apps, so I wasn’t expecting too much from August. My mistake. Tons of great new apps have dropped, and sadly, I had to leave off plenty of good ones. Here are my best new apps for lawyers released in August 2015: Multi-Platform: Multi-platform apps begin at the () mark of the podcast. Microsoft Translator by Microsoft Corp., free (iOS, Android). Have you ever tried to use an app that suggests it has the ability to translate what you’re saying into another language? There are good, bad, and… terrible. On the good end has been apps like Word Lens (if you don’t mind the apps size). Microsoft is helping to balance out the scales as well, with it’s new Translate app. For iOS, Android, Watch OS, and Android Wear, Translator can help you translate phrases in 50 different languages. It’ll even speak the phrases for you in case you’re worried that your terrible pronunciation is punishable by death in the country you’re visiting! Even better for attorneys, in a country that is becoming more and more multi-lingual, it’ll be nice to be able to communicate with your clients without being a total jackass! PushBullet/Portal by PushBullet, Inc., free (iOS, Android). Ok,... read more
