Category Archives: iPhone

Discover iOS 7

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Apple’s iOS 7 was released about two weeks ago, and everyone seems to have an opinion about it. I downloaded it the first day, and I like it overall. Sure, there are some things that take a little getting used to, but that’s the price of new technology.

iMore published a comprehensive guide that tells you everything you could ever want to know about iOS 7. If you want to learn some tips/tricks or discover more goodies, check it out. Best of all, it’s free.

Source: “iOS 7 Review” by Rene Ritchie, published at iMore.

Fact vs. Fiction :: iPhone / iPad Battery Life

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Everyone seems to have their own theory about what does (and doesn’t) affect the battery life of iPads and iPhones. Which ones are true and which are not? Macworld published an article last week that examined various techniques which have been alleged to shorten or lengthen the battery life of iOS devices, and their conclusions are: 

Things that do affect battery life:

  • Screen brightness is the single most significant contributor to battery depletion. To check or change your screen’s brightness, tap Settings –> Brightness & Wallpaper –> adjust the Brightness slider.
  • Maps and directions can seriously drain an iOS device’s battery, particularly if the device is searching for GPS and/or giving driving directions.
  • Airplane mode helps preserve your device’s battery life by turning off multiple wireless features, including Wi-Fi, cellular antenna, GPS, Bluetooth, and location services.
  • Using iTunes Home Sharing to stream video from a Mac to an iOS device will drain your battery much faster than watching a movie that is already on your iPad.

Things that do not affect battery life:

  • Calibrating your battery will provide a more accurate estimation of your remaining battery life, but it doesn’t actually help preserve battery life itself.
  • Utilizing Location Services doesn’t expend much battery itself, so long as your device isn’t being actively and consistently used for maps or driving directions.
  • Battery utilities may provide helpful information to help you manage your battery life, they do not do anything themselves to do so.
  • AirPlay streaming did not take a significant toll on battery life, even though it seems like it should.
  • Turning off equalization during audio playback had little to no affect on battery life (despite Apple’s tip suggesting that it does).

Source: “Fact or Fiction: Nine iPhone and iPad Battery-Saving Techniques Tested” by James Galbraith, published at Macworld.com.

How Many Lawyers Use Mobile Technology Today?

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It’s no secret that attorneys are sometimes slow to embrace technology. However, the rise of mobile technology appears to be lessening the “resistance.” An ever-increasing number of lawyers are using iPhones, iPads, and other mobile devices, and most of them are integrating this technology into their practices, as shown in the following infographic:

Thanks to Matt Spiegel and the folks at MyCase for creating this infographic and for allowing me to republish it on my blog.

Guest Post :: Lawyers Should Use Siri in Their Day-To-Day Practice

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One of the truly innovative programs on Apple’s iPhone is Siri, a sophisticated voice-controlled personal assistant that helps you accomplish important tasks just by asking. With Siri, you can use your voice to make calls, send messages, create reminders and enjoy a nifty speech-to-dictation feature. As you can imagine, this feature is highly useful in a variety of circumstances and scenarios. Does Siri already belong in law firms? Should lawyers use Siri in their day-to-day practice? The answer, on both accounts, is yes!  Many Mac enthusiast lawyers have already begun using Siri to accomplish important day-to-day tasks. Lawyers can use Siri to transcribe dictation into a document, email, or text message. Lawyers can hold the iPhone right in their hands and it feels no different than a dictaphone.

It should come as no surprise that lawyers lead very busy lives. If a lawyer needs to research the outcome of a landmark court case, he or she will be pleased to know that Siri can get the job done quickly. Here is a possible command that a lawyer may give to Siri: “Google the outcome of Kelo vs. City of New London.” If you weren’t already aware, the Kelo ruling established that the government could seize private property to sell for private development. In a highly controversial 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court held that this scenario qualified as “public use” within the meaning of the takings clause since it furthered economic development.

Getting back to my main point, Siri can serve as an indispensable tool for lawyers even outside the law firm. The lawyer on the go can use Siri to locate office supply stores or other retail establishment stores in the area. Siri can remind lawyers of important dinner engagements or dates they have for the evening. Siri can even call lawyers’ significant others to remind them that their legal lover will be running late.

In addition to Siri, the iPhone can serve as a valuable tool for lawyers in other ways. Apple’s App Store boasts over 500,000 applications. Lawyers can use the Conference Call app to schedule legal conferences with the simple click of a button. The iPhone will automatically call involved contacts and link them to the conference call. JotNot’s Scanner Pro turns an iPhone into an image and document scanner. Lawyers can use the smartphone’s camera to take a photo of a document and then allow this application to convert the photo into an electronic copy instantly.

The iPhone gives lawyers access to Siri and a host of useful applications that can save them time. All lawyers know that time is money, so invest your time wisely.

About the Author:  John Zimmerman is a legal adviser for BabyChangingStation.com John uses Siri and other features on the iPhone to complete his day-to-day tasks.

Rocket Matter Launches iPhone App For Lawyers

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What’s the best case management application for lawyers who want to maximize their productivity?  The answer for me is easy – Rocket Matter.  It’s no secret that I am a big fan of this application for many reasons, but now I can add one more to the list – their iPhone app, which was released one week ago today.  I have been using this app for well over a month, and it is very impressive even in this initial version.

The app enables access (whether online or not) to contacts, case information, and calendars (with day, month, and list views), and it makes it extremely easy to enter billable time and expenses on the go.  Best of all, your data is available on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, regardless of whether you are online or not.  Information recorded via the Rocket Matter iPhone app appears instantly in the web-based product, and if you enter data while offline, it automatically uploads as soon as you regain internet access.

Built natively in iOS, this app is lightening fast, rock solid, and easy to use.  Even more importantly, it keeps your data safe and secure, just like the Rocket Matter web application, as it uses the same authentication and security measures.  In other words, all data transmitted to and from the app occurs over an encrypted channel.  It also enables you to set a passcode lock on your iPhone to ensure that no unauthorized access occurs, so that if the device is stolen or lost, sensitive client information remains secure.

If you haven’t checked out Rocket Matter (or you haven’t done so in a while), you really owe it to yourself to do so.  The best legal case management software just keeps getting better and better.  To learn more about the specifics of this app, visit Rocket Matter’s information page, or click here to download the app for yourself.

Guest Post :: What Is Known About The iPhone 5

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The iPhone 5 is highly anticipated by numerous techies all over the world. Rumors are circulating about what to expect from Apple’s latest design. According to the rumours, Apple’s customers should be pleased with the latest advancements. Keep in mind that the following information is pure speculation and cannot be verified until the phone is released.

iPhone Release Date Speculations. The iPhone 5 was expected to make its debut in early September, according to speculations released in April. Further iPhone 4 price reductions indicated that the company was preparing for the release of the iPhone 5 in September. According to some sources, Apple began to scale back on the production of the iPhone 4. The first week of September has expired and the iPhone 5 has not made it to stores. On September 5, 2011, a memo suggested that the iPhone 5 would be released to the public on October 21, 2011.

Faster Processing Speed Speculations. Some pundits suggest that the delay is a result of the company’s initiative to install a faster A6 chip. The dual core processor will provide incredible download speeds. With the introduction of graphics chips cards, complex graphics will be processed faster as well. In terms of the Internet, web page loading times will increase with the use of the 4G network. Each feature working in a collaborative environment will increase the overall performance of the  iPhone 5.

Extended Battery Life. Experts are speculating the iPhone 5 to feature 14 hours of talk time on a 3G network. The 4G network, by contrast, is expected to offer only 7 hours of talk time. This is the same as the iPhone 4, but consumers will appreciate the improvements in other areas.

Exterior Profile and More Durable Materials. The phone is expected to be a thinner profile than the previous version. Instead of the traditional glass back cover, the phone is expected to feature an aluminium or carbon fibre rear cover. The screen will be both shatter resistant and scratch resistant as in previous versions.

Some experts from the New York Times are predicting that the iPhone 5 will have an exterior that is remarkably different from the current design. Some people are speculating that the iPhone may have a curved back or a curved screen. iPhone designers are attempting to keep the speculations about the design to a minimum to avoid destroying their marketing plan.

Storage and Memory Capacity. The basic iPhone 5 is expected to feature 32GB of space and 64GB of memory. Premium models are expected to have more memory and more storage. The chipsets used in the iPhone 4 will remain in the iPhone 5 with the exception of including a new Qualcomm chipset.

SIM Only Deals. SIM only deals are currently offered on the iPhone 4 and you will hopefully be able to compare SIM only deals on the new iPhone 5. SIM Only contracts are great for no long term contracts with 30 day contracts available and to help you save money on your bill.

Other Impressive Features. New applications will allow for Face Recognition Security on the iPhone. With the owner’s face as the security measure, no one will be able to access the user’s phone other than the user. This is a life saver if the phone is lost or stolen. No data can be retrieved from the phone before you have the opportunity to retrieve all of your files and erase the data remotely. GPS features will also allow you to locate the phone if it is lost or stolen similar to below.

iPhone could also feature voice control, and Called Assistant may be used to make Facetime calls, send texts or play music, according to Know Your Mobile. The phone may also support Full HD as does the iPad 2.  iCloud 2 will no longer be expected to be featured on the phones. Users may expect to receive updates over the air instead of through a physical plug in update.

About the Author:  A guest post by Spencer Hogg from the SIM Only website where you can compare SIM only deals.

Guest Post :: Fall 2011 an Early Christmas for Apple Followers?

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Barely a day passes at the moment without something of a flurry of new Apple rumors from ‘credible’ sources and so-called industry ‘experts’ across the board, with regard to weird and wonderful launches set to take place in the not so distant future. Indeed, the sheer volume of such speculative reports alone results in the requirement to take them all with a pinch of salt transcending to a level of numb passiveness, as to believe each and every one would see a new device landing in our laps or pockets practically every day. So, a rather common approach has come to be that of ignorance – burying heads in the sand, if you will, while awaiting something factual. That being said, with a fair degree of logic and common sense, it is certainly possible to sift through what we know, or what we think we know, in order to establish exactly what seems most feasible in relation to each and every one of the currently fictitious creations.

iPhone 5

Of course, nothing is generating more buzz the world over right now than the ever-elusive iPhone 5, which has achieved staggering levels of popularity made even more impressive by that fact that it may or may not yet exist. The ‘what’ to expect in relation to the iPhone 5 has prompted some truly imaginative and optimistic guesswork which, following the habits of Apple as a whole, all seem at least modestly realistic. It doesn’t take a genius to assume that iPhone 5 will feature improved processing power, smoother user-interface, longer battery life and a whole army of bells and whistles by way of software tweaks – as such has always been the Apple way launch after launch. Instead, it hints toward NFC technology, bigger screen and improved capacity that have captured the most imagination, though again, there is as much evidence to the contrary as there is in favor.

So, all we know so far is that we don’t know anything…so when will we be finding out? The unveiling of the full-fat, full-sugar iOS 5 at the recent WWDC in San Francisco caused quite a stir, largely due to the glaring absence of any appropriate hardware to actually use the software to its full potential. One would have to assume that Apple would not produce software for a device that doesn’t exist, therefore logic would state that the iPhone 5 is indeed out there waiting to be shipped. Indeed, with iOS 5 due for official release in September, such could indeed also signal the arrival of the next iPhone.

iPhone 4S

Rumor has it that either alongside or as something of a prequel to the iPhone 5 release, an entry-level or ‘baby’ iPhone by the name of the 4S is also just around the corner. While it would be optimistic to call details even ‘sketchy’ at present, there is something of a global industry consensus that Apple has the developing markets of the world squarely within its sites. Indeed, 1.5 billion consumers equates to 1.5 billion potential new customers – which is certainly an appealing prospect for any manufacturer. In order to tap into this market, expectations about for a stripped down iPhone for around $350, which will come contract-free and sport the vast majority of the features of the iPhone 4…if to a slightly lesser extent.

An ideal accompaniment to the iPhone 5 or worthy of an independent launch in its own right? Again, all eyes are focused on September.

iPad 3…..D?

With the dust having barely settled from the somewhat questionably managed launch of iPad 2, the attention of millions the world over has already been turned to the possibility of an iPad 3 before the holiday season. Of course, there are huge questions to be asked regarding the merit of releasing a new tablet PC right on the heels of another, but if there is one thing we are beginning to learn from Apple it is to expect the unexpected. With regard to whether or not the iPad 3 would have the desired impact, talk of a screen with 400% increased resolution and perhaps 3D capabilities have whetted many a whistle to say the least. Furthermore, there really isn’t an Apple product out there that could suffer even the most remote failure to launch if timed to coincide with the holiday season…as we all know very well indeed!

iPod

What has been notably lacking from discussion throughout the entirety of 2011 so far is that of the iPod and iPod touch range. Such products seem to have been completely overshadowed by other Apple products to the point where their usual September upgrade cycle is neither expected nor particularly highly anticipated. It seems on the other hand that is their usual September spotlight is handed over to a new iPhone or iPad, the move would be a forgivable one in the eyes of most.

About the Author:  Susan Black lives in Brooklyn and is a self-confessed iPad fanatic. She’s written this guide to the latest Apple rumours on behalf of sofasandsectionals.com and has not received compensation for it.

Special Offer for The Mac Lawyer’s Readers on External Battery for iPhone / iPod

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A few months ago, I posted a review about the RichardSolo 1800 for iPhone external battery.  Richard Thalheimer, the owner of Richard Solo, has authorized a special offer for The Mac Lawyer‘s readers. This external battery, which originally sold for $69.95, is now available for only $5.98 each (and only $5.09 each if you buy two or more) for shipments within the U.S. only.
 
These are new in box and *not* refurbished, and they come with all of the included accessories: Dual voltage 110-240V AC wall charger, USB/mini-USB retractable charge cable, Dual port USB car charger, and support braces for iPhone, iPhone 3G/3GS, and iPhone 4. I have used one of these myself for years, and it is great.
 
To receive the special "The Mac Lawyer" discount, use the discount code fireworks in the coupon code box during checkout.  You can click here to go to the product page to get more information or to place your order.  Remember that this offer ends at midnight July 31st 2011, and is only valid while supplies last.  Thanks again to Mr. Thalheimer for making such great products and also for offering this discount to my readers.

Tips to Help Master Your iPhone

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If the suggestions earlier this week were helpful, the following list of tips will help you truly become the "master of your domain":   

  • DOUBLE-TAP Even while your iPhone is locked, you can access the audio controls by double-tapping on the home button when the lock screen appears. This saves you the time it takes to unlock your phone, open a music-playing app like iPod and get to the volume and track controls. This feature is not limited to Apple’s iPod app. If you are using Pandora, for example, the same technique will bring up its controls.
  • VOICE ACCESS If you press and hold the home button while the phone is locked, you can still access Voice Control to place a phone call (or FaceTime call) or get to any of the iPhone’s other voice commands.
  • TELL TIME Voice control can dial phone numbers (“dial 212-555-1212”) or people (“Dial Mom, mobile”), and it can control music (“Play music,” “Play artist Earth, Wind & Fire,” Play album “That’s the Way of the World,” “Play more songs like this,” “Shuffle,” etc).  But did you know that it can also tell you what time it is? Say “What time is it?” and your phone will say the time back to you. It may sound silly, but it comes in handy if you are rushing and do not have the time or inclination to pull out your phone. (And who wears watches anymore?)
  • SHORTCUT TO SEARCH Swiping to the right from your first home screen pulls up the search window, where you can pull up any contacts, apps, e-mails, calendar appointments and media that have the word you are seeking.  But the search screen is also a shortcut to Google and Wikipedia. The last two search results for any entry are always “Search the Web” and “Search Wikipedia,” saving you the time it takes to open browsers or apps.
  • FORCE-QUIT APPS Double-tapping the home button while your phone is unlocked reveals a panel of most recently used apps. Swiping to the left moves through the apps in reverse chronological order to aid in quick app switching. This is advanced-beginner stuff.  But serious iPhone ninjas know that pressing and holding an app icon in this panel will cause minus signs to appear beside each app. Touching an app in this state forces it to shut down, a useful move if you have an app that is running in the background and causing trouble.
  • MUSIC SHORTCUTS Swipe that same previously used app screen to the right and you get another shortcut to music-playing controls. If you have the latest operating system, iOS 4.3, you will also see a button that will call up controls for AirPlay, Apple’s wireless audio feature.  It is here that you also gain access to the screen rotation lock button, so you can turn on or off the iPhone’s ability to switch from portrait to landscape mode. Swipe once more to the right from this screen and the iPhone’s volume control appears.
  • VOLUME LOCK If you want to limit the iPhone’s volume (because it is being used by your children, for example), you can go into Settings, then iPod. Under “Volume Limit” you can adjust the maximum volume and set a code to lock the setting. This code can be different from the lock code for the entire phone, if you have set one of those.
  • SAVE WEB IMAGES When you’re looking at Web pages in Safari, tapping and holding any image will call up buttons that can save the image to your camera roll or copy it to the clipboard.

 

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Secrets & Tips to Get the Most from Your iPhone

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If you want to get the most out of your iPhone (and iPad), consider the following tips and tricks:

  • If you’re scrolling through a long web page or list, tap the bar on the top of your screen to go immediately to the top.
  • To lock your screen orientation, double tap the home key, then swipe over to the left. Tap the looped arrow to lock. You can also control your iPod from here.
  • Double tap the home button while the screen is locked to bring up your iPod controls.
  • When using the iPhone ear buds, double tap the middle of the controller to skip to the next song. Triple tap to listen to the previous song. (Single tap plays and stops music.)
  • The Mail app automatically detects times and dates and converts them to a link. Tap the link to add the event to your calendar.
  • If you want your iPhone to automatically remember an extension, edit the contact info and tap the "+ * #" you’ll see an option to add a pause. Tap that, then the extension.
  • Swipe your finger across an e-mail in your inbox to delete it. If you’re using a Gmail account, you can set this to delete or archive the message in settings.
  • Close programs running in the background by double tapping the home key. Hold your finger down on the app you’d like to close until it starts wiggling. Then tap the red minus icon to close.
  • Edit your phone’s dictionary: Go to Settings, General, Keyboard, International Keyboard, Add New Keyboard, and select Japanese Ten Key. Now go back and select "Edit User Dictionary" from the main Keyboard screen. Tap the "+" in the top right-hand corner, then tap "Word". You can now add any word you want your iPhone to recognize.

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