Jenny Stevens, Author at The Mac Lawyer

The Best Swag from ABA TECHSHOW 2015

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous, Technology 1 Comment

ABA TECHSHOW, the world’s leading legal technology conference, is presented annually by the ABA Law Practice Division. This year was my third year attending with my husband/law partner, Ben Stevens, who has been a presenter at ABA TECHSHOW for the last 8 years (and, hopefully, many more to come). This year, our new associate, Jonathan W. Lounsberry also joined us. You see, ABA TECHSHOW is one of those events that needs to be “conquered” and the only way to truly to do is with a team of folks who can divvy up the massive session schedule and attend as much as possible every hour of the day.

As always, I knew we would gain more knowledge in three days about legal technology than we could almost take in, but I am always surprised by the sheer volume of “freebies” or “swag” available from the plethora of legal technology vendors and service providers who exhibit every year. With another wonderful experience at ABA TECHSHOW behind me, I find myself not only reviewing pages of notes on new apps, software, products and techniques for using the products and apps I already own, I am also surveying the landscape of swag which surrounds me.

So without any further adieu, here’s the third annual installment of the Top 10 Best Swag from ABA TECHSHOW 2015:

1. Cell Phone Card Holders from Practical Law, LogRhythm, and Summary Judgment

2. Mobile Office by MindShift

3. Konica Minolta mini 4-Port USB Hub

4. Midco Systems pocket nail files

5. Comcast Business Insulated Travel Coffee Mug

6. Legaler iDevice stand

7. CDW Mini Power Charger

8. Smokeball Self-Laminating Business Card Luggage Tag & Logo Hot Wheels Car

9. Thompson Reuters USB Tree

10. LexisNexis Portable Stylus

Honorable Non-Expo Floor Mention:

The Rocket Matter Chattering Teeth were, by far, the most unique toy found off the Expo Hall floor. The ABA Law Practice Division was also giving away free selfie sticks at the Concierge Desk this year, though I wasn’t lucky enough to snag one, you can still check out all the “selfie fun” that was had by searching #ABATECHSHOW on Twitter. ABA TECHSHOW Board member Randy Juip was donned the “Selfie King of 2015” within .2534 seconds of his acquiring said item.

Transferring Data from a Mobile Device or Digital Camera

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Jenny Stevens Posted in How Do I ...?

In today’s world where it seems everyone over the age of ten years old has a smartphone of some kind, it becomes ever more likely that much of your evidence in a family law case will come directly from a mobile device owned by your client, the opposing client, the parties’ children, or another witness. Transferring data is therefore an important skill for attorneys to possess.

In some cases, it will make sense to hire a computer or technology expert to create an image of the entire device in order to gather the evidence, but what about the routine photos, videos, and audio files that your client brings to your office on his or her phone? You want to preserve that information to avoid inadvertent deletions, but your client may not want to send such sensitive information by email – or maybe the files are too large to easily send via email.

If your office uses Apple computers, the process is very easy, as these machines have native software included which allows you to easily transfer these files from just about any device your client may have, as long as it has the ability to connect to your Mac’s USB port. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Connect the device to your computer.

2. Using the Spotlight feature on your Mac, open the Image Capture app. You should see the connected device listed in the menu along the left side.

3. Click on the device. A listing of all transferrable files on the device should populate in the main app window.

4. To import all of the files, simply click the “Import All” button after choosing the download file location. To import only certain files, select each individual file you wish to import and click “Import”.

5. Once the import is complete, simply disconnect the device from the computer.

If you still use a PC, you can obtain the data using the Windows Import Utility, as follows:

1. Connect the device to your computer.

2. Select “Import pictures and videos using Windows”

3. Click “Import Settings” link to set several options such as the file names and tags you wish to assign upon downloading and whether or not you wish to delete the files from the device after importing.

4. Click “Import” once all the settings have been designated.

5. Once the import is complete, simply disconnect the device from the computer.

Solo & Small Firm Conference Is Coming to Greenville

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Office Management, Presentations, Switching to Macs, Technology

Each year the Solo & Small Firm Conference is the place to be for all SC attorneys who are solo practitioners or practice in the small firm setting. From networking to marketing to picking up tips on how to incorporate the latest technology into your practice, you’ll find it at the Solo & Small Firm Conference.

This year’s theme is “Reinventing Your Small Firm Practice: Strategies & Solutions” and it will feature three tracks of programs allowing you to completely customize your conference experience. With topics such as “Cloud Computing: The Good, The Bad, and The Ethics”; “A Systems Approach to Small Firm Practice”; “Are You Mac-Curious? If Not, You Should Be!” and “Essential Skills & Strategies for Legal Research” (as a sampling) – it is sure to be an information-packed day which will measurably improve your practice.

The special guest speaker, a friend of our firm, and a nationally known author and speaker, Nerino Petro, is a regular contributor to local, state and national publications and has a wealth of knowledge to share with all SSF Conference attendees. He will be presenting three separate sessions, as well as joining the always popular Tech Tips & Practice Pointers panel at the end of the day along with other featured speakers, Courtney Kennaday, Dave Maxfield, Ed Walters, and our own, Ben Stevens.

The early bird registration for this fantastic seminar starts at $205 for Section Members and $230 for Non-Section Members, but this special rate ends September 5, so register now (Click Here for Registration Information).

Review of SkinIt’s InkFusion iPhone Case

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Product Reviews

SkinIt was generous enough to allow us to create an InkFusion custom iPhone case to test and review. As my husband Ben (TheMacLawyer) has said before, he prefers his iPhone to go “naked”, so I was the lucky one to get to design a cover just for me.

While reviewing the design and product specifics on SkinIt’s website, I was excited to read that these covers are printed with the highest resolution print technology available today. The print is then sealed with a smooth, glossy clear coat finish which helps prevent fading and chipping and also further protects your phone from scratching.

When designing your cover, you can choose from over 400 licensed brands or over 7,000 designs provided by SkinIt. Or, you can do what I did, and choose your own image in the SkinIt Customizer and add text and shapes to create your very own unique case. The cover offers “edge-to-edge color” and they are made of “tough, lightweight, high specification Amorphous Thermoplastic” (a.k.a. really good protective stuff to make sure your phone doesn’t get accidentally damaged).

They offer “Lite” and “Pro” versions, and the price points reflect the two levels of protective layers. Each version offers their ultra vivid and razor sharp color print technology. The cases are available for the iPhone series, some iPods, some iPads, and even the Galaxy S phones. I received my finished product, a “Pro” version for the iPhone 5, about 2 weeks ago and have been using it ever since. Here’s a quick run down of my thoughts:

Pros: Very slick design, easy to hold and just feels good to use. I haven’t dropped my phone on any truly hard surfaces, but when I have allowed my phone to slip out of my hand onto a desk or counter, the phone case seems to absorb the impact well. I get a lot of attention and questions about the case. No one can get over how sharp the image is and how professional the quality. It’s hard to tell it was custom and looks like any other image case you can buy with a mass produced stock image.

Cons: The one and only con I can find about this case is that having the second impact absorbing liner, which is part of the “Pro” package, makes it difficult to press the top button to put the phone to sleep.

You can get more information about SkinIt’s InkFusion cases and/or order one for yourself here.

Review of Aduro’s Rotata Rotating iPad Mini Case

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in iPad, Product Reviews 1 Comment

I first saw Aduro’s Rotata case on a friend’s iPad mini at a convention and decided I had to get one to review. The rotating screen feature was just too cool – and I could already think of a half-dozen ways that one feature could come in handy.

Luckily for me, I found a Groupon deal offering this case, and I snapped one up. I have been testing it thoroughly over the last week or so, and here’s my take on this unique product:

PROS

Colors, patterns, and designs, oh my! I absolutely love the array of choices in color and design with this product. Some of the product reviews I read online indicate that the colors wear off easily, but that has not been my experience thus far.

The rotating screen feature is very nice and makes it easy to switch between apps which may be landscape or portrait specific. The case allows for easy access to the device portals, though depending on which way you rotate the screen, the camera on the back of the iPad will lose visibility.

CONS

There are two grooves which allow for the iPad to sit at two different angles. The first one (the one which holds the iPad at the most upright position, is sturdy and deep enough to hold the iPad secure, however the lower position is much more shallow and therefore, the iPad can easily slip out if moved or pushed too hard.

As an avid reader, I like to be able to hold my iPad easily in one hand while reading an ebook or document. This case does not allow for that as the cover does not fold back behind itself as many cases are designed to do.

The Aduro Rotata iPad mini case retails for approximately $30.00, but by checking sites like Amazon, Ebay and Groupon, it is possible to get the case for as little as $10.00 – $12.00.

The Best Swag from ABA TECHSHOW 2014

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous, Technology 1 Comment

ABA TECHSHOW is the world’s leading legal technology conference, which is presented annually by the ABA Law Practice Division. Last year was my first time attending with my husband/law partner, Ben Stevens, who has been a presenter at TECHSHOW for the last 7 years (and, hopefully, many more to come).

While I knew I would gain more knowledge in three days about legal technology than I could ever imagine, I was not prepared for the sheer volume of “freebies” or “swag” one could also gain from the plethora of legal technology vendors and service providers who exhibit every year, also. When I came home last year, Ben asked me to pen a quick blog post about a First Time Attendee’s Experience, which included a section on my favorite swag.

With another wonderful experience at TECHSHOW behind me, I find myself not only reviewing pages of notes on new apps, software, products and techniques for using the products and apps I already own, I am also surveying the landscape of swag which surrounds me. As I was exploring the Expo Hall this year, I thought originally I could narrow down my favorites to the Top 5, but it’s just not possible with all the wonderful treats from this year’s conference, so I’ve listed my Top 10 below:

1. Mini Leatherman Tool from Viivo

2. Car Dash Phone Holder from UberConference

3. Back Massager from SurePayroll

4. Portable Power Bank from ABA Law Practice Division

5. iPhone Amplifier from eDepoze

6. Water Bottle & Retractible Multi-Charger from MyCase

7. Clock Man Card/Note Holder from MindShift

8. Wireless Mouse from CDW

9. Coffee Cup from Accellis

10. New “retro-style” T-Shirt & “Heroic Lawyering” Book from RocketMatter

3 Reasons Siri Is the Best On-The-Go Assistant

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Did You Know?, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Siri

Admit it, we all love Siri. Whether or not we’re using her to her fullest potential, we love having her on stand-by for a good laugh (just tell Siri “I love you” or “Why did the chicken cross the road?”) or for a confidence boost (tell Siri “thank you” and wait for her response), at the very least.

One of my favorite ways to use Siri, by far, is as my on-the-go assistant when I’m stuck in the car alone driving long distances. Putting Siri to work while I need both hands on the wheel is Productivity 101. Here are three ways she helps me stay ahead of the game:

Voicemail – In this day and age, I don’t get nearly the amount of voicemail I used to. The shear dominance of email and texting has rendered the standard voice message somewhat obsolete – at least in my life. However, despite the fact that I don’t get much of it, I typically like to return these calls when I’m driving between other appointments during my day. Siri makes that so simple. Ask Siri, “Do I have new voicemail?” or “Play my last voicemail.” When finished playing the message, she will ask “Would you like to call back or play the message again?” Simply tell her to call back and check one more thing off that “to do” list.
Scheduling – This is certainly one of Siri’s finer abilities – keeping up with a constantly changing schedule. Half the time, I have no idea what’s on my plate for the day, so on the way into work, I just ask: “Siri, what does my day look like today?” She gives me a run down of my scheduled appointments already on my calendar. When I’m notified of a meeting I can simply tell Siri: “Set up appointment with Dr. Smith at 10:00 AM on Friday.” or “Schedule a meeting about our taxes at 4:00 PM today.” And, presto, Siri adds those items to my calendar. Maybe the best thing, especially for this mom of 6 kids with very fluid schedules, is that Siri can expertly handle any change that may come up with only minimal direction from you. Doctor appointment cancelled? Say, “Cancel my 10:00 AM appointment on Friday.” Done. Lacrosse practice moved from Monday to Tuesday? Simply say, “Move Lacrosse practice from Monday to Tuesday.” Done. If any of the new appointments conflict with your calendar, Siri is also smart enough to catch those too and will alert you, confirming no other changes are necessary.
Finding Food – Anyone who knows us, knows my husband (@TheMacLawyer) and I are foodies. But not only are we foodies, we also love to travel, so when we’re in a new city (or even just a big city with lots of variety), we don’t always know the best places to go. Siri to the rescue! Tell her “Make me dinner reservations for two tonight at 8:00 PM.” That’s it. Siri will scour the nearby locations for restaurants that have that availability and serve up a list of possible options organized by their ratings on Yelp. Simply scroll through to find one to your liking and you’re set.

How to Clean Your (Disgusting) Cell Phones and Tablets

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in How Do I ...?, iPad, iPhone, Miscellaneous 1 Comment

We have all come to rely on our various cell phones and tablets for everything from staying in touch with those we love to giving us directions and keeping track of our grocery lists, not to mention the occasional games we play. Therefore, it’s no wonder that recent studies have shown our devices are well… disgusting!

One study found that at least 23% of viruses are transferred between tablet devices and our hands while another found that one in six cell phones carried traces of – wait for it – fecal matter. Maybe ‘disgusting’ isn’t a strong enough word. So, for all of our fellow germophobes, here are some quick tips for cleaning all of your tablets and smartphones:

Tablets:

Do NOT use regular glass cleaner, as it will destroy the protective coating necessary to keep your tablet working properly.
Also (and equally important), regular glass cleaner does not disinfect the screen to get rid of the germs.
Instead, clean thoroughly on a weekly basis with a specialized screen cleaner, such as the new AM Mist or the Sanus Elements Screen Care Kit.

Cell Phones:

The first rule for keeping your cell phone free of germs is STOP using your phone in the bathroom. Studies have shown that every time a toilet is flushed, it sends thousands of polluted droplets into the air. If your phone is exposed during this process, guess where they land – yes, on your phone, which then goes right next to your face when you take that next call.
Second, due to the special coatings on the various smartphone screens, you need to be extra careful about using cleaning solutions which will damage the phone and its components. Most manufacturers, including Apple, recommend using a soft, slightly damp (with only water), lint-free cloth to wipe down the entire device.
For the true germophobe, you may consider using a UV sanitizer such as one made by VioLight. While a little pricier than cleaning wipes or sprays, it will eliminate the liquid element which is most likely to cause damage to your device. It can also be used on accessories like earbuds and fitness bracelets.
Clean your cell phone every 2 to 3 days for best results.

Review of STM’s new Studio Case for iPad Mini

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in iPad, Product Reviews 1 Comment

If you’re looking for a slim yet super secure and protective design for your new tablet, STM’s Studio case for iPad Mini is definitely the case for you. It’s wrap-around design literally hugs your iPad and with the magnetic closure, you’ll never worry about it opening unexpectedly. It’s also very lightweight considering the all-around protection it offers, and the smooth, slim design makes it easy to slip in your briefcase, purse, or backpack.

All of the device ports, control buttons, and camera are easily accessed, and the magnetic cover folds back to lock into two modes for viewing and for typing. The only downside we could find over the last few weeks of testing this product was if you are a “heavy typer” and put too much pressure on the iPad screen when in the typing position, the magnet sometimes failed and caused the iPad to slide to flat. This movement caused no damage to the iPad or to the case, however.

Currently this sleek looking case only comes in purple and black (we tested the purple and loved the color) and costs $39.99. You can get more information about the Studio or purchase one here.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad mini

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in iPad, Product Reviews

If you prefer to have your keyboard built into your cover, you should consider the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad mini from Logitech. It performs double duty, providing a fully functioning wireless Bluetooth keyboard and simultaneously protecting your iPad mini.

Its built-in recessed groove holds the iPad mini at the perfect angle for typing and using the touch screen. Users with large hands may find the keyboard a bit small, but it should be sufficient for most users.

The form factor of the Ultrathin Cover matches the iPad mini perfectly, and it’s extremely light, weighing less than one-third the weight of the device. It connects securely with magnetic clips, and it wakes the iPad mini when you open the cover and puts it to sleep when you close it – helping to conserve the batter life of both. The keyboard is rechargeable with the included USB cable, and it advertises up to six months of battery life on a full charge.