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Guest Post :: “Must Have” Apps & Other Tips for Working While Traveling Abroad

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When traveling abroad, busy professionals often do not have time to craft a detailed, comprehensive itinerary, and the stress induced by planning (or the failure to carefully plan) your international journey may be eclipsed by the anxiety that comes from being away from the office. Regardless of whether you are traveling abroad for business or pleasure, the following applications for your iPhone, iPod or iPad can help make your trip a more pleasurable experience

Applications to Help You Adjust to Your New Surroundings

These applications can assist the international traveler and take some of the stress out of your global excursion.

Google Maps :: If navigation is not your thing, let your Mac gadget do the work for you. With all major international regions covered on the app from Google Maps, directions to your destination are at your fingertips.

XE Currency :: Who knew that one U.S. dollar is the equivalent of 4,712 Zambian kwachas, 1.34407 Bosnian convertible markas, 1.49802 Ghanaian cedis, 3,047 Belarusian rubles, and 2.85 Turkmenistani manats? Even if the homes to these currencies are not high on your list of places to visit, this app appears to have the capacity to calculate the conversion of nearly every currency on the planet.

iTranslate :: Speak like the locals with this app that can translate words, phrases and even entire sentences in 50 languages. In addition, the newest version boasts a voice recognition component for easy use.

TravelMD :: Getting sick while abroad can be a nuisance, particularly if you are away on business. Trying to find the right physician and get prescriptions filled can be stressful when you are ill, even if you are in familiar surroundings. Add to that equation a foreign language and an unfamiliar healthcare system, and the situation could become particularly overwhelming. This app can help you locate healthcare professionals in several foreign countries, and destinations where this app is available appears to be growing.

Sutro Media :: Don’t have the attention span to read the 200+ page travel guide your friend gave you? Traveling on business and don’t have the time to thoroughly research your itinerary? If you want to bypass the long narrative common in most guide books, Sutro Media may be able to help. This is not a single application; rather, it is a company that produces numerous apps geared toward traveling. Every international destination is not represented, but the list is growing.

SitOrSquat :: Getting the urge to go when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings can be stressful, particularly if a language barrier makes asking where the nearest restroom is difficult or impossible. This app identifies the locations of public toilets across the globe. Users can add toilets to the database, and you can even review ratings of public restrooms, hence the app’s name.

APPLICATIONS TO HELP YOU STAY CONNECTED TO HOME

These apps can help globetrotting professionals stay connected back home with friends, family and the office.

iChat :: Whether you need the ability to instantly communicate with colleagues and clients while abroad, or whether you just want to be able to let that special someone know that you’re thinking about them thousands of miles away, iChat makes it simple to connect, regardless of where you are in the world.

Skype :: Skype is widely regarded as a software application that allows friends and loved ones to communicate in real time while seeing each other onscreen. However, business professionals often find that conferencing via Skype adds a much more personal touch than your average business call. Trying to make a connection with a client who is thousands of miles away can be difficult, but the intimate environment possible with your iPhone’s Skype app can help bridge the gap, even if an ocean separates you from the person on the other line.

Facebook :: Sure, the Facebook app is probably geared more toward social networking, but nowadays the lines are often blurred between social networking and professional networking. So, whether you want to post photos of the amazing sites from your international adventure, or whether you need to message a coworker on the other side of the globe, Facebook can be very handy.

Twitter :: Be the envy of your friends and colleagues back home with your tweets about your trip. Or, use your Twitter app to conduct business abroad.

Insanely Simple Country Codes for International Calling :: This app is exactly what the name implies. Get easy access to what can often be confusing country codes to help dial anywhere around the world.

The World Clock :: Use this app to help yourself remember the time difference between your current location and your family, friends and colleagues back home. That way, you can avoid annoying, middle-of-the-night phone calls and won’t expect immediate responses to emails sent at certain times of the day.

About the Author:  Ripley Daniels is an editor at Without The Stress, a passport, travel visa, and immigration advisory firm located in Los Angeles.

Guest Post :: How to Run Firefox From a USB Drive

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Firefox has quickly and rightfully become one of the most used and most loved Internet browsers in existence. Its fast speed, great customizable interface, and strong security measures make it the best option for most computer users when it comes to web browsing. 

From an attorney’s perspective (or anyone within an information-sensitive industry), the benefits of having a USB preloaded with Firefox is clear because the very nature of their business means the information they are browsing is sensitive. When using a public or shared computer such as a library or an internet cafe, one can ensure information is saved and served from their USB and not from the computer ís hard disc, and let us not forget that all of your favorite websites and credentials can be saved within your new portable version of Firefox.

Here is a simple tutorial on how to take Firefox with you anywhere, ready to use on computers that do not have it installed already:

  1. Insert a USB thumb drive into your computer :: The USB thumb drive is the key to this whole process. Without it, there would be no reason for this little tutorial. So before doing anything, take your favorite USB drive, plug it into your computer, and make sure it is properly mounted and ready to have files installed on it.
  2. Download Firefox Portable :: Firefox Portable is a USB Drive app specifically made in order to allow users to run Firefox from any USB Drive. PortableApps.com has taken all of the complexity and frustration of making Firefox mobile, and compiled the process needed into a simple installer program. The proper program can easily be found by typing in "Firefox Portable" into you favorite search engine. Download Firefox portable and you will be ready for the next step.
  3. Install Firefox Portable :: Once Firefox Portable has been downloaded, an installer file should appear where you specified. Run this program to begin installing Firefox portable. During the install, the program will ask you where you want to install the program. Choose the device name or destination code of the USB Drive you want to run Firefox on, then click OK. The program will then take the time to make the necessary changes in your USB drive in order to allow Firefox to run from it.
  4. Using Your USB Drive to Run Firefox :: Once the install is finished, you should be able to run Firefox from any computer that can detect you USB drive properly. To do this, first safely eject the USB drive from the current computer. Next, find a computer you would like to run Firefox on, and plug the USB drive into it, making sure it is mounted properly. Once connected, find your USB Drive’s root directory folder, which should show up in the My Computer area of the device it is connected to. Inside your USB drive, you should see FirefoxPortable. Just run this program and Firefox should start up as normal on any device using your USB Drive.

There you have it. If you followed these easy steps, you should now have the ability to carry Firefox around in your pocket, ready to be called to action anywhere and at any time.

About the Author:  Forte Promo specializes in promotional products for all of your business needs, look to Forte Promo for any new custom flash drives.

Spring Cleaning for Your Mac

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It’s getting to be that time of year.  The following tips can help your Mac run more smoothly and efficiently:

  • Really take out the trash :: Did you know that the items tossed into the Trash remain there until you choose Empty Trash from the Finder menu (or click and hold on the Dock’s Trash icon and select Empty Trash from the menu that appears)?  Also, some applications (such as iPhoto and Mail) maintain a trash of their own that, left unemptied, can also add unwanted bloat to a Mac.  
  • Organize your stuff :: Many Mac users believe the Desktop is the perfect place to store files. After all, it puts the files you use most often front and center. The problem is that the Finder treats any folder or file on the Desktop as a window and it can slow the Finder significantly. Also, if you’re constantly dashing to Spotlight to find your files, your Mac’s probably not as organized as it could be. 
  • Get rid of old iChat logs :: If you use iChat, you can have the program store logs of your chats. (Go to iChat -> Preferences, click on Messages, select Save Chat Transcripts To, and then choose a folder.) By default, the program saves transcripts in a folder, which can eventually take up a lot of space. While you may want to save recent chat logs, you may have months of files you can trash, saving a lot of disk space.
  • Delete application backups :: Many programs offer automatic backups, and store copies of files in a selected folder, just as iChat saves chat logs.  If you use any application that saves backups, you may find that it has tucked away several gigabytes of duplicate files, depending on how the program saves them. Deleting these backup files can save space, and make searching via OS X’s Spotlight much easier.
  • Get rid of Mail downloads :: When you receive attachments to e-mail messages in Apple’s Mail, the files are stored with your messages at first. But if you double-click an attachment to view it, or if you use QuickLook to glance at it, Mail stores a copy in your youruserfolder/Library/Mail Downloads folder. You may have dozens of files here occupying a huge amount of space. You can generally delete these without worry. 
  • Delete log files :: Your Mac stores lots of log files, most of which you never need to review. Open the Console application (in /Applications/Utilities), to see a list in the Console Messages window sidebar, which slows the different log files stored on your Mac.  You can delete many of these files 
    Titanium Software’s free utility Onyx without affecting your Mac, and you can save significant space, since some of these files can be quite large.
  • Weed out iTunes dupes :: If you’re cavalier about how you monitor your iTunes library, you may have a lot of duplicate files. iTunes has a built-in feature to help you find duplicates, to see if you copied some files twice, or if you have the same songs on original albums and others from best-of albums.
  • Reset Safari :: If you use Apple’s Safari, some of the program’s features can take up unnecessary space. For instance, the cache file is intended to make your browsing snappier, but can easily consume hundreds of megabytes. When it gets too big, it can actually slow down browsing. History files can make Spotlight searching sluggish. And Top Sites, Website preview images, and Website icons (favicons) can slow down the program as well.  Every now and then it’s a good idea to reset Safari. Choose Safari -> Reset Safari and check the options that interest you.

You can learn much more about these tips and view screenshots of some of them by clicking the links below.

Sources:  "Tips for a Tidier Mac" by Christopher Breen and "Six Ways to Clean Up Your Mac" by Kirk McElhearn, both published at Macworld.com.

Guest Post :: Safari Productivity Tip – Open Multiple Tabs

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The following guest post is from Karl Burns with KB3 Solutions.  Mr. Burns is a Mac consultant based in Charleston, SC, and his business focuses on consulting with small and medium sized law firms:

When in Safari have you ever wanted to have multiple pages open at once? Do away with the frustration of having to open/close different web pages to view. In Safari, go to View/Customize Toolbar.

Open Customize Toolbar and left click hold, drag/drop the New Tab button to the right of the forward/back button. There are more Customizable options in Customize Toolbar that you may want to implement, just left click hold, drag/drop them to the toolbar. Click Done in the bottom right when finished.

You can just click on it to open a new tab/web site. You can then open multiple web pages at once and just click on the tab of the site you want to view.

Open Bookmark Tabs all at once: If there are multiple sites that you want to have open on a regular basis, just create a Folder. In the Toolbar, click Bookmarks/Add Bookmark Folder. Name the Folder, drag/drop all the sites that you want to have open into that Folder while in Bookmarks View. Then left click drag/drop that Folder into your Bookmarks in your Safari Toolbar. 

Then, just right click on that Folder in the Bookmarks Toolbar and select ‘Open in Tabs’. All of the Bookmarks that you have dropped into that folder will open at once in Safari, try it!

Thank you to Mr. Burns for this Guest Post.  You can contact him by clicking here and you can find out more about KB3 Solutions by clicking here.

Guest Post :: Useful Mac Tips For Getting More Reading Done

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Reading is an essential task for keeping up with the latest trends and news in the constantly changing legal environment while also learning how to be more effective with the business side of the legal profession. However, busy schedules can make it difficult to make time to read the documents, law blogs, and books that you want. Here are three tips for utilizing your Mac to get more reading done.

1. Mac’s Text to Speech Feature

Macs have a built in text to speech feature so that you can have your Mac read your documents or text out loud without having to buy any additional software. This can be turned on by going into System Preferences and Speech. In the Text to Speech section check the box that reads “Speak the selected text when the key is pressed”. Then click on the “Set key” button to choose a combination of keys that you want to use to have your Mac read a selection of highlighted text. You can choose multiple voices and adjust the speed of the voice. This could be great for reading documents while you are doing other tasks that don’t require your full attention such as working out or organizing your desk. It also works on PDF documents.

2. Kindle App for Mac and iPod Touch

The Kindle App for Mac allows you to access and read books in your Kindle library. It also syncs with other devices so it knows your location in a book if you recently did some reading on your Kindle device. The Kindle App for iPod Touch and iPhone is probably more useful because you can access your library of digital books when you are on the go to get some quick reading squeezed in while you are waiting in line or have some spare time.

3. Download Audible books into iTunes

If you are not using Audible yet, you could easily double the number of books you read each year with audiobooks. Audible has thousands of audiobooks that are compatible with iTunes and they have an extensive library on law related topics and business books. You can also store audiobooks on your portable devices like iPads or iPod Touch. That way you can be catching up on your reading while you are at the gym or commuting to work. You can also play audiobooks in the background on your Mac to keep you going when you are doing tedious work. Audiobooks can also help you with falling asleep if you listen to an author with a calm voice like Malcom Gladwell, author of Outliers.

About the Author:  Charles Sipe is a writer for Criminal Justice Degree Schools, a free resource site on criminal justice degrees and careers.

Guest Post :: Three Awesome Time-Saving Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

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The following guest post is from Kenji Crosland, a writer for TeachStreet, a website that provides online and local classes including law classes and mac classes:

If you want to get your Mac black belt, you’ve got to learn your keyboard shortcuts. Knowing how to use CMD + C, V, X, and sometimes Y is a good start, but when you want to graduate to the big leagues you might want to get acquainted with the shortcuts here:

1.  Quick Screenshots :: If you ever need to explain a computer procedure to someone else, making screenshots are a necessity. Macs are pretty cool in that you can use a keyboard shortcut to actually select the area of the screen that you want to save as an image. This saves you all the time it would take to crop the image in an image editor later. All you have to do is type in CMD + SHIFT + 4 and a marquee tool will appear right on the tool to appear on the screen like so:

2.  Save some characters on Twitter :: You really want to put an ellipsis on your Twitter update, but you’ve ran out of room. The keyboard shortcut (OPTION + 😉 will make the ellipsis appear as just one character. Very handy for when you’re running out of room!

3.  Instant word suggestion + dictionary :: If you hit the F5 key in a text editor (when writing an email or blog post like this one), you’ll get suggestions for the word you’re trying to write. Like so:

And CMD + CTRL + D will look up the highlighted word in the system-wide dictionary app. What about you, what are your favorite mac keyboard shortcuts?  Let us know in the Comments below…

Note: The awesome photo you see us taking a screenshot of above is by pardeshi.

How to Select Which Program Opens Which Types of Files

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Has this ever happened to you?  You click on a PDF file, wanting it to open in Preview, only to have it open in Acrobat instead (or vice versa).  Fear not.  The solution is quick and easy — of course, because you’re using a Mac.

  1. Select a PDF file
  2. Right click & select "Get Info"
  3. Under "Open with:" select Preview
  4. Click the "Change All…" button
  5. You’re done 

The next time you click to open any PDF file, it will open using Preview.  This process works with other programs too.  For instance, if you want to open Microsoft Word files with Pages by default, you simply right click on a *.doc file, then select Pages as the "open with" option, and click change all.

Addendum:  As shown below in the Comments, one of my readers pointed out a shortcut to do this: Right click on the file, while the popup menu is open press the Option key, and watch the "Open with" become "Always open with". Select the App from the list (or a new one if not in the list) and it will always open with that App. (Thanks to Warp for this tip)

Guest Post :: How to Recycle Your Mac Products

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Mac lovers are sometimes hesitant to part with their old hardware, but if you find yourself wanting (or needing) to do so, I hope the following guest post is helpful to you:

Apple keeps churning out wonderful new products, and you may be the type to buy the latest gadget as soon as it comes out. I know I am. After a few years of buying new Apple products hot off the shelves, I had collected a pretty impressive array of Mac gadgets that just sat in my closet or garage collecting dust. Some broken electronics I actually threw away. Only recently did I realize the importance of recycling your old computer and other electronics. Here are a few tips:

1. If it still works, consider giving it away or selling it.

If you’ve simply stashed away your computer, iPod, or iPhone because you now have a new, faster, and better toy to play with, then don’t let your old friend just sit there. Donating old electronics is a great way to put them to use without trashing them. There are several places that accept old electronics, like Goodwill. EcoSquid is a great website that enables you to enter information about your gadget and find offers for cash or local places where you can give it away. 

2. Be sure to erase any stored information before disposing of it.

Every electronic we own stores information that we may not want others to access, so it’s very important that you erase all your data before donating or recycling, just in case. Identity theft is a very real problem that can cause all sorts of hassles. And remember — it’s not enough simply to delete old files. You’ll have to wipe out your entire hard drive, too. For more information, check out this article from Dumb Little Man.

3. Check out Apple’s recycling program.

Apple has a wonderful recycling program that simplifies the recycling process of your old Apple electronics. First, navigate to the Apple Recycling Program web page, where you’ll enter information about your Apple product. You’ll get an initial quote, which will let you know if your product has any monetary value. Then, you’ll ship your product, where a third party, PowerOn, will examine your product and confirm the original quote. Afterwards, if your product does have value, you’ll receive an Apple gift card for that value. Your old computer, phone, or MP3 player will be sold as "used." If it has no value, Apple will recycle it free of charge. 

eWaste is a very serious problem, polluting landfills and causing all sorts of environmental damage, particularly in the Third World, were many of our trashed electronics invariably end up. If we are to justify our need for newer and better electronic products, we must responsibly dispose of our old ones. Do the right thing, and figure out what you’ll do with your old Mac products before purchasing new ones. 

Source:  This guest post is contributed by Kate Willson, who writes on the topics of best online colleges.  She welcomes your comments at katewillson2@gmail.com. 

How to Use Circus Ponies Notebook Files on Your iPad and iPhone

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I use digital notebooks in my family law practice, and doing so makes me much more efficient.  One of my favorite tools that I use in trying complex cases is Circus Ponies Notebook.  However, one of the drawbacks of Notebook is that is not a cloud application, and it is therefore not as "portable" as I would like.

Notebook is a Mac-only program, but fortunately there is a way to read Notebook files on something other than a Mac, such as an iPad, iPhone, or even a PC.  What’s even better is that the process of getting the Notebook into a portable mode is extremely quick and easy.  After you have finished preparing your Notebook for trial, follow these steps: 

Step 1: Export your Notebook. Click File –> Export as Website –> To Disk

Step 2: Move the html file to your iPad or iPhone using Airsharing.

Step 3: Navigate to the html file on your iPad or iPhone and open the "index" file.

You will now be able to view Notebook file on your iPhone or iPad, including all of your attachments. All of the PDFs, audio files, video files, etc. that you put into your Notebook are accessible in your exported / portable Notebook file.

IMPORTANT:  In order to be able to access the attachments in the exported "Notebook", you need to be sure to have selected “copy the file into the Notebook” in your Preferences pane when putting the Notebook together (before exporting it).

Here are some considerations:

  • Manual process. You have to manually export each Notebook.
  • Read only. The exported html can only be viewed. You cannot add, change or remove things from the exported notebook file.
  • Notebooks are not updated. One of the gems of the Notebook, is that it is so easy to update what is going on with your case. It may be obvious that once you export the file as an HTML is that the exported file is a snapshot of the Notebook file at a particular time. The exported notebook file will not update with any additional information you may put into the Notebook file on the computer.

Source:  "MILOfest 2010: Ben Stevens on Taking Notebooks to Go" by Tom Stasiuk, published at his Planet 10 Tech blog.

How to Convert PTX Files to Mac-Friendly TXT Files for Free

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I frequently receive inquiries from readers asking how to access and use PTX files on their Macs.  I am pleased to say that there is a fast, easy, free way to do this, as explained below by my friend, John Callis, CEO/Developer of Clarity Legal Software:

When I first opened the doors at Clarity Legal in 2007 and began selling software for Mac and Windows users, migration from Windows to Mac was key for most of my customers. In 2004 the Mac population was around 2%, today it stands at 12% and growing, and many law school professors I correspond with mention a growing number of mac users among their student bodies

Within the first few weeks of 2007, I received questions asking if the Mac OS X versions of TrialSmart and DepoSmart could import PTX files. PTX files are RealLegal‘s transcript format that has been around since the early 1990’s. It’s one of many popular formats for viewing transcripts; others include Summation, LiveNote, TextMap, and still the most popular – ASCII format. PTX files served a useful purpose for many users because ASCII files don’t keep page formatting when printing and don’t contain a searchable word index.

Prior to 2009, RealLegal had a version for Mac OS 9 which was useless to most Mac users unless you had a version of OS 9 and were able to run the viewer in the Mac Classic Environment. In 2010, RealLegal now a part of Thomson West, dropped the Mac OS 9 viewer and Mac support entirely. Despite many promises from Thomson West, a Mac OS X viewer has yet to materialize and I doubt there ever will be one. Most users can open PTX files using Cross-Over, Wine, or some other Windows emulator. However, the process requires several steps and doesn’t always work. Generally, 95% of Mac users I come across don’t want to use Windows software in their Mac practice and try and go Mac only.

One of the side effects of receiving a PTX file is that could also drive up the cost of your deposition. In this recession, court reporters nationwide have been hurt. The software to create RealLegal files is not cheap – yearly costs range from $1500 – $2,250 for the software plus monthly "maintenance." I regularly visit court reporting blogs and many users have dropped RealLegal entirely due to the cost and convert their files online at RealLegal’s site for $30. Many are printing to PDF for their clients now. If cost is an issue, ask for a format other than PTX and you’ll save some money.

In an effort to help my clients, I designed a workaround in 2007 whereby you could import the exported XML file which was cross-platform into the Mac versions of DepoSmart, TrialSmart, and the Clarity Viewer. This was temporary as Mac users still wanted a simpler way.  So, this summer I wrote a script that would parse up to 10 PTX files at a time Clarity Legal (www.claritylegalsoftware.com).  The process is free, runs 24×7 and returns a file to the user within seconds. Each week, I receive hundreds of PTX files that are converted to txt format which users can then use as they choose. The PTX files are deleted on a rotation every 24 hours.

To convert your PTX file to Text format follow these steps:

  1. Go to www.claritylegalsoftware.com
  2. Click on the top header button labeled "Convert RealLegal PTX Files" or visit www.claritylegalsoftware.com/ptxconversion.php
  3. Enter your email address (due to spam blockers hotmail, gmail, and AOL addresses are not allowed)
  4. Add up to 10 ptx files
  5. Click "Convert"
  6. Check your email

The process takes about 20 seconds. I hope everyone finds this service useful. Please contact me if you have any questions, and thanks to The Mac Lawyer blog for allowing me to write this guest post.

John Callis
Developer/CEO
Clarity Legal
www.claritylegalsoftware.com

DepoSmart is Clarity Legal’s flagship product for attorneys and law firms which allows clients to effectively manage their transcripts and case exhibits. With DepoSmart, you can analyze, annotate, and print legal transcripts. Importing case materials like exhibits, image files, attachments, and synchronized video is easy. Users can also connect to and import real-time transcripts from a court reporter during a deposition.

TrialSmart, Clarity Legal’s trial presentation software, is one of Apple’s top specialized legal applications. Nothing compares to the look and feel of this program. TrialSmart is compatible with numerous video and image formats, including *.mpg and *.pdf. And because it’s easy enough for attorneys without much technical expertise to use, the software is helping counsel win trials. We’ve added hundreds of new features, including PDF text searching, group reports, saved layering, and resizable video windows (real-time).