Affinity Law Office Technology Blog

Law office technology deals for the week of April 29 - May 5

If you missed one of the best-ever deals on a 19" wide-screen LCD computer monitor last week at Staples, the good news is that the sale has been continued this week as well.  The monitor from Acer is still only $149.98.  I was at my local Staples yesterday to have a couple of lengthy appeal briefs copied.  While there, I checked out this monitor.  From what I could observe in the store, the display was bright, sharp, and without any significant flaws.  If you are still struggling with an old CRT monitor, or an aging 15" LCD, this is a great upgrade.  There is plenty of room to see two documents on screen side-by-side. 

So you want to add a color laser printer to your office network, but don't want to spend a ton of money?  Also at Staples is the HP Color LaserJet 2600n for $299.98, a savings of $100.  The "n" at the end of the model number means the printer is network ready.  Just plug it into your router or network switch  using a standard ethernet cable.  No need to connect it to a specific computer with a USB cable and then "share" it over the network.

If you need massive storage to hold your downloaded video files or a huge music collection (or tons of scanned discovery material), Staples has the Maxtor 500 GB external USB hard drive on sale for $149.98, a savings of $100. 

From the "smart ideas" department at Office Depot comes the Ativa USB flash card adapter for only $9.99.  This adapter lets you insert the SD flash memory card from your digital camera, Treo smart phone and then connect it to your PC's USB port.  Very convenient if your PC lacks a dedicated card reader or if you travel and can't be sure that the PC's you will be using on the trip have a compatible card reader.      

Beware Windows Live OneCare?

Testing by AV-Comparatives.org reveals that only one leading anti-virus program failed to score a high-enough virus detection rate to be certified.  Sadly, it was the new subscription security offering from Microsoft, Windows Live OneCare.  Although the new Microsoft offering is very convenient, you may get better protection with separate products from other vendors such as Norton, AVG, Kaspersky, Avast, etc. (assuming your are diligent enough to keep everything updated!) 

Wireless n - Is now the time?

We've been reluctant to recommend that law offices upgrade to wireless "n" hardware.  First, the 802.11n standard is only in draft form.  The final standard will not be approved until next year.  Second, early wireless n equipment offered little performance advantage over much cheaper wireless g networking hardware. 

Now PC Magazine (May 8, 2007 issue) has tested the latest batch of "draft-n" wireless routers.  The results suggest that you can improve wireless network performance significantly for only a little more than the cost of 802.11g hardware.  The real improvements occur when you mate a draft n network adapter connected to your PC with a draft n router.  But improvements in draft n routers are significant enough that range and speed is likely to improve even if you continue to use the wireless g network card built into your laptop or connected to your desktop PC. 

Also important are the new QoS (Quality of Service) features of draft-n routers.  They let you prioritize real-time Internet traffic such as VoIP telephone calls and video streaming.  For small firms wanting to save a bundle on telephone costs by switching to VoIP, this capability could be the deal-maker.   

Law office tech bargains for the week of April 22 - 28, 2007

In keeping with our practice of finding tech bargains in unusual places, head to Kmart this week for a Polaroid 2 GB Secure Digital (SD) flash memory card.  This card will work in a Treo smart phone and most digital cameras.  This week it is $19.99 after a $5 mail-in rebate. 

If you've been waiting to upgrade to a larger LCD computer monitor, now is the time to act.  Staples has the Acer 19" wide-screen LCD on sale for just $149.98 after instant savings.  It would be hard to imagine a name-brand 19" wide-screen for less than this.  A 19" wide-screen lets you view two full document pages side-by-side on your screen.  This is great for research, writing briefs, and editing, etc.  Or step up to the mammoth 22" Acer wide-screen LCD monitor for only $269.98. 

While at Staples, if you still don't have a large capacity USB flash drive, the very nice Sony Micro Vault 2 GB USB flash drive is on sale for just $19.98 after instant savings.  This drive has a retractable USB connector.  There is no cap to lose.  For the same capacity, but an even smaller size, Staples is offering Sony's 2GB Micro Vault Tiny USB Flash Drive for only $19.98 after instant savings.   

Sync your Palm device with multiple calendars and more

Palm devices, including the Treo smart phones, are nearly indispensable for lawyers who spend much time outside the office.  If you are syncing your Palm device with practice management software such as Amicus Attorney, you can stop reading here. 

But if you have been using the Palm Desktop to keep your calendar and contacts, you are well aware of its shortcomings for use in a law office.  First, the Palm Desktop it was not designed for use on multiple PC's over a network.  Also, it was not designed to display multiple user calendars.

We think the best option is to implement a practice management system such as Amicus Attorney, PCLaw, Time Matters, Juris, etc.  However, if are not going to use such a program, Take a look at ClearSync 2.

Here is a description of how ClearSync 2 might benefit a busy lawyer (from the ClearSync web site):

As soon as Dave Williams, a lawyer in Miami, Florida, gets a notification of the new court appearance, he uses ClearSync instantly to update court appearance schedule for his fellow lawyers, his secretary, and his wife. As he finds out about the next court case he is to be involved in, he immediately creates an event on his Palm handheld and performs a Wireless Refresh function in order for all to see the new event either on the Desktop Viewer if they happen to be on the computer or on their Palm handheld if they are elsewhere. An administrative secretary for Dave manages a separate calendar for his son's extracurricular activities. Dave would like to see all of his son's games if he is able. With a side-by-side view, the secretary can instantly see if there is a conflict between his son's game and his court appearance.

The features of the software/service package (again, from the ClearSync web site) are:

Create and Edit

• Multiple calendars, shared and private.
• Contacts with name and contact info.
• From PC or Palm handheld PDA.

Share

• Our calendar and contacts with others.
• Selectively, controlling who can view and who can edit your calendars and contacts.

View

• Calendars one at a time, side-by-side at the same time, or merged for an integrated view.
• Calendars by day, week, or month.
• Contacts organized by category.
• On your Windows PC
• On your Palm handheld
• On any platform with a web browser (e.g. Mac, Linux)

Sync

• Updates all members' calendars and contacts on all their devices, no matter where the edits were done.
• Using your one-button Palm sync, the way you always have.
• From PC using one-mouse-click sync.

Access

• Calendars and contacts from office or home.
• Using wireless laptop or wireless Palm handheld to sync changes while around town or on the road.

Backup

• Of calendars and contacts means if you have a PC failure or lose your handheld, you lose no data.

ClearSync is a subscription service.  The full "Gold" plan is $59.95 per year for the first user and $29.95 for each additional user (when purchased with first user). 

Law office tech bargains for the week of April 14-21, 2007

Even if you are too young to remember Kmart's legendary Blue Light Specials, here is a deal that will make you smile.  Kmart has a Sony 1 GB USB Flash Drive on sale for just $14.99.  This model has the retractable USB connector.  There is no cap to lose.  Few devices are so useful and so cheap as a USB flash drive.  USB Flash drives can be used to transfer files from home to office, make temporary backups, etc.

And few technology purchases will make you more productive than a larger wide-screen monitor that lets you have two full pages on screen simultaneously.  Get at least a 19" wide-screen.  Best Buy has the Envision 19" LCD wide-screen monitor on sale for $179.99.  If you prefer an Acer monitor, Office Depot has the Acer 19" LCD wide-screen monitor for only $10 more at $189.99.  If you want an even larger view, the ViewSonic 22" LCD wide-screen monitor is on sale at Office Depot for $319.99 after a $30 mail-in rebate.  For a cheaper 22" wide-screen, head to Staples for the Envision 22" LCD wide-screen monitor on sale for just $249.98 (no rebate needed). 

If you need a reasonably large capacity, but small form-factor, portable backup drive, Office Depot has the tiny (for a 2.5" hard drive) I/OMagic 40 GB USB portable hard drive on sale for only $49.99 after a $25 mail-in rebate.  This drive measures only 4 1/2 inches by 2 3/4 inches.   

More Free Software

Hard on the heels of PC World's issue listing the best free software is a similar listing from Computer Shopper magazine.

Here are the best freebies in a few categories that may be of use to lawyers and law firm staff:

Productivity:  OpenOffice.org 2.2

Writing help:  WordWeb

Antivirus:  AVG Free

Spyware Detection:  Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner

Parental Internet Control:  ParentalControl Bar

Instant Messaging:  Trillian

Disk Cleaning Utility:  Advanced Disk Cleaner

Registry Scanner:  Regscanner

 

Best Free Software/Utilities

PC World magazine's May issue is out.  It contains a list of the top 101 free programs and utilities.

The most fabulous freebies in select categories are:

Desktop Search:  Google Desktop

Windows XP Tweaks:  Fresh UI

Instant Messaging:  Meebo

Antivirus:  Avast

Entertainment:  VLC Media Player

Image Editing:  Picasa

Email:  Gmail

Peer-to-Peer File Sharing:  AllPeers

Backup:  Mozy

Office Productivity:  Zoho

Project Management:  Backpack

Registry Cleaner:  TweakNow RegCleaner Standard

Hardware Utility:  Belarc Advisor

Personal Web Utility:  Pageflakes

Blogging Site:  Google Blogger

Web Video Site:  YouTube

Multimedia Tools:  Audacity

Business Productivity:  Google Apps for Your Domain

Not all of these will be useful in your law office (or your home office), but some will be. 

Treo voice dialing software on sale

On of the few features missing from the Palm Treo line of smart phones is the ability to voice dial someone in your contact list.  It can be done, but only with additional software. 

During April one of the best voice dialing programs for the Treo is on sale at Palm Gear.  It is called VoiceDialIt from VoiceIt Technologies.  Though April 30 the program is marked down to $18.95, a $6 savings. 

Law office tech bargains for the week of April 1-7, 2007

You can find tech bargains in unexpected places.  This week Target has the Western Digital 120 GB portable USB hard drive on sale for $99.88.  This is a nice high-capacity portable hard drive that would serve well to backup your documents and data.  Buy two and rotate them off-site on an odd-day/even-day basis.

Big Lots has a cheap digital audio player that will serve your needs if you just want something small to listen to at the beach or while exercising.  The SanDisk Sansa C140 1GB portable digital audio player on sale for $39.99.  This player also has an FM radio and digital voice recording.  Although 1 GB is not large by today's standards, it will hold approximately 20 CD's (250 songs) worth of music at a time.  If you don't want to drop $200 on an iPod, this is a budget alternative that will serve as a decent introduction to the benefits of portable digital audio.

If you want to upgrade from a smallish (say 15 " LCD) monitor to something that will increase your productivity at minimal cost, Staples has the Envision 19" widescreen LCD monitor on sale for $179.98.  This item does not appear on-line, but is featured in Staples' weekly print circular.  A 19" widescreen can display two full word processing (or Web) pages side-by-side for easy drafting or editing.  Until you have tried this, it is hard to believe how much easier and faster working on documents can be.  The only thing better is having two monitors. 

If you need an especially roomy Secure Digital (SD) flash memory card for your Treo or digital camera, Staples also has the SanDisk 2 GB SD card on sale for only $24.98.

Printer sharing over a network is a great idea, unless the computer to which the computer is physically connected is turned off or has lost its network connection.  This is a common problem in small office and home office settings.  The best answer is to use a printer that connects directly to the network (through an ethernet cable to your network router or switch) instead of via USB cable to a particular computer.  In the old days, such printers were much more expensive.  Today, not true.  Staples has two Brother network-ready monochrome laser printers on sale that would work well for a small-office or home-office network.  The HL 2070N is on sale for $99.98 after a $50 easy rebate.  It prints at 20 ppm.  For something faster and capable of larger print jobs, the HL 5250DN prints at 30 pages per minute and has automatic duplexing (prints on both sides of a page).  It is on sale for $199.98 after a $50 easy rebate.