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Category Archives: Product Reviews

Rocket Matter Launches Numerous New Features

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Ben Stevens Posted in Office Management, Online Resources, Product Reviews, Software Leave a comment
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Rocket MatterAs my readers know, my firm has used Rocket Matter since its launch in early 2008, and we absolutely love it. 2016 has already been a busy year for them, as they introduced QuickBooks Online integration and Rocket Matter Payments in February, followed in March byMatter Templates and Rocket Matter Atlas, a complete, modern redesign of the its user interface.

Never ones to rest on their laurels, Rocket Matter released their Atlas 1.1 update a few days ago, which includes numerous new additions to help make law firms be even more productive and increase their revenue. These new features include new tax functionality, multiple timers, an improved onboarding experience with gamification, and customizable dashboards.

Larry Port, Rocket Matter’s CEO and founder says:

“Let’s be honest: Taxes are not enjoyable to talk about in any way, and they’re even less fun to tally up on an invoice. Rocket Matter now takes care of this task for you. We rolled out some exciting stuff, too – a compelling gaming system for our new customers that makes learning Rocket Matter entertaining, along with some cool new features our customers have been asking us to add.”

Because my firm is on a pre-release program, we have been using many of these features for several weeks, and I can easily say that my favorite is the customizable dashboards and calendars, which now allow users to customize their personal Dashboards to be either “task-centric” or “calendar centric.” Everyone works in different ways, so this additional flexibility allows users to choose the one most helpful to them. In our office, the attorneys lean toward the “calendar centric” view, while our support staff prefer the “task-centric” view.

One of the other great new features is the ability to view the firm-wide calendar in either of two view settings. Users who prefer to view their calendar in one clear, elegant-looking size, “fit events to view” provides a “more” link if the number of events on any given day exceeds the available space. On the other hand, “show all events” will stretch the size of the page to show all events on each day without having to click on the “more” link. I prefer the latter, but I can see why some would rather have the option for the same size “box” for each day.

close up of multiple timersPeople who tend to work on multiple tasks at once will love the new multiple timers feature (shown at right). This allows Rocket Matter users to run a timer, pause it when they get interrupted, start another one for a different matter, and then come back to the original timer later. Billable time gets tracked on each timer and, in turn, seamlessly appears on an invoice. For those with many things going on at one time, this can be a life saver (and help capture time that might otherwise be lost and thus unbillable.

If you haven’t already checked out Rocket Matter Atlas, you can view this informative overview video. We are extremely choosy with regard to which program we entrust our calendaring, task management, contacts, and time and billing (among other important function), and the fact that we have been with Rocket Matter for almost 8.5 years is a testament to the strength of their product. In the decade before we started using it, we easily went through 7 or 8 other products trying to find the “right” solution. For us, that’s Rocket Matter, and we applaud their never-ending desire to constantly improve their product in an effort to make the work lives of their users more efficient and more profitable.

CardNinja Is The Ultimate Minimalist iPhone Wallet

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Ben Stevens Posted in Product Reviews Leave a comment
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CardNinja

For most busy professionals, there are two things that we must have with us the majority of the time: our smartphones and our wallets. What if those two items could be combined in an ultralight, secure, yet minimalist way? They can!

CardNinja from Cubi is an ultra-slim holder that quickly and easily attaches to the back of your iPhone (or anything else). This enables you to keep up to 8 cards (driver’s license, credit card, business card, key cards, cash, etc.) with you so they will be accessible when and where you need them.

You’ve probably received a rubber or silicone case like this before as swag at a conference, but what makes CardNinja the ultimate iPhone wallet is that it is made from a spandex blend, which makes it noticeably lighter and thinner than those, yet it still attaches to the back of your device with a secure 3M adhesive that can be removed without leaving any residue on your phone.

The CardNinja comes in 15 colors and designs, with pricing ranging from $9.95 to $11.95. It has been praised by the likes of David Pogue, Cult of Mac, The Wall Street Journal, and MacWorld (and now The Mac Lawyer). It’s now attached to my iPhone, and I absolutely love it. You can check it out, learn more, or order one for yourself here.

Rocket Matter Introduces QuickBooks Online Integration and Slick New Payments

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Ben Stevens Posted in Office Management, Online Resources, Product Reviews, Technology 1 Comment
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Today the fine folks at Rocket Matter rolled out an integration with QuickBooks Online, making the best online legal time and billing software even better (click here to watch a short video). In addition, they announced Rocket Matter Payments, which the painful task of invoicing and collecting easier than ever.

Rocket Matter QuickBooks Online Integration:

QuickBooks desktop is one of those things that forces a Mac law firm to keep a copy of Windows running.  The Mac version of QuickBooks just isn’t that great, so most of our tribe is stuck running Parallels or VMWare or *gasp* has a server running Windows on it somewhere (which is probably the only machine in the firm that gets viruses).

The online version of QuickBooks seems to be where Intuit is placing more and more of its emphasis.  They are starting to drop developer support for some of their desktop API access and are encouraging more adoption of the cloud-based product.  It’s enough to make one wonder if Intuit will one day sunset the desktop product completely.

Rocket Matter’s QuickBooks Online integration, according to their announcement,  “continues in the company’s tradition of easy-to-use, visually appealing software.  Rocket Matter users will be able to tie together detailed information between the two systems, including invoices, expenses, trust account credits and debits, as well as sync all current clients with Rocket Matter.”

The other Rocket Matter announcement that will affect small law firm business is the introduction of Rocket Matter Payments.  Basically, this feature allows you to email your client invoices with a secure payment link.  You’re then able to tell if your clients opened the email or not.  When a client pays, your Rocket Matter ledgers are updated automatically, which then can be seamlessly integrated with  – you guess it – QuickBooks Online.

Watch an overview of Rocket Matter Payments:

Review of BrydgeAir iPad Keyboard Case

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Jonathan Lounsberry Posted in Hardware, iPad, Product Reviews 2 Comments
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Brydge Air 1I am always in search for the “ideal” keyboard/case for my iPad. Since its debut, I used my iPad as an extension of my computer (more on that in an upcoming post), rather than a media consumer. So for the past few months, I have been testing different keyboard/cases and look forward to testing a few others (and welcome any suggestions). Below is my review of the BrydgeAir iPad keyboard case.

Why a keyboard/case?

Before we dive into the review of the BrydgeAir, consider that my review comes from the stand-point stated above: I use my iPad as an extension of my computer, rather than a media consumer.

I know others feel differently; and, sure, there are things that an iPad cannot do as well as a computer. But, for what I do (e.g., word-processing; creating and presenting Keynote presentation; answering and drafting email; reviewing and annotating PDFs; and as a tool for litigation) the iPad is an ideal a computer replacement; nonetheless, I will admit there are times when a computer is the better tool.

For example, my iPad always goes with me to Court as both a case file and note-taking tool. This allows me to have access to all the documents in my file; my research and preferred research service; the internet; and a word processor for note taking. As so as I leave the courtroom, my notes are sent to the case file, while I begin drafting an Order or other necessary document through the built-in dictation. There is no other tool that offers this kind of productivity (yes, you could use your smartphone, but given its size that does not seem a practical alternative).

If you work requires more “heavy-lifting,” then the iPad may not provide the same utility. But, I think if your iPad is properly set-up and you do not expect it to function exactly like your computer the possibilities are exponential, especially considering the features of iOS 9 (see Ben’s post about the new features here). More on this later; for now, let us turn our attention to the BrydgeAir.

The BrydgeAir

Having taken the BrydgeAir with me to the courthouse a few times, used it to draft several documents (including this blog post), conduct research, and other various activities, I am very pleased with its performance. Overall, I rate the BrydgeAir a 4 out of 5. “As-is” it is a top-notch choice that I will likely continue to use; but with a few adjustments I believe the BrydgeAir could be an outstanding keyboard case.

Pros:

Easy pairing: Pairing the keyboard with your iPad is very easy (the keyboard uses a series of “beeps” to let you know the two devices are paired). The keyboard also works quite well; but I think a few adjustments (as illustrated below) it could be made better.

Aluminum body: The BrydgeAir is made from a single-piece of high grade aluminum. This feature alone makes it stand above other keyboard/cases I have tested so far. Once the iPad is placed in the hinges, there is no question of it falling out. Also from a cosmetic stand-point, it compliments the iPad quite nicely.

Backlight keys: Although, most of the places I use my iPad are well-light, I am sure this feature will be handy at the right time.

Built-in Speakers: The BrydgeAir also incorporates a set of bluetooth speakers, which have great sound quality (just like with the pairing of the keyboard, there is a series of “beeps” letting you know the devices are paired); which is a very useful feature.

Exceptional battery life.

Cons:

Cost: The $169.00 price is at the higher-end for keyboard/cases.

180 Degree Hinge: While the BrydgeAir allows for you to fold it “flat,” it would be outstanding if the hinges allowed the keyboard completely fold over (like a book). Additionally, when the hinges are laid out 180 degrees, the iPad does not sit flush.

Lack of a “fn” Key: In the place of the “fn” key is a key to activate Siri, which has led my muscle memory to create some awkward Siri outbursts. I would prefer to have the “fn” key in its normal location and for the key to activate Siri on the top key row (above the number keys).

Lack of a iOS Multitasking Key: The way I use my iPad, the iOS multitasking key is an important feature, as it allows me to access. Like the hinge, if the BrydgeAir keyboard case incorporated this feature, there is no question it would be keyboard of choice.

The keys could be a little more responsive and require a little less travel.

Removing the iPad: The same safety and security that comes from the hinges also makes it difficult to remove the iPad. Since the hinges only fold so far and prevent the iPad from sitting flush, it would be great if removal of the iPad were not such a hassle.

Noise: The keyboard can be a little noisy (or it could just be my typing style), but I have yet to receive any complaints from a Judge or Court Reporter (thankfully).

See Webpages Clearly

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Ben Stevens Posted in Chrome, Online Resources, Product Reviews Leave a comment
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clearlyLet’s face it – webpages are sometimes so cluttered with banners, ads, etc. that they are just difficult to read. That’s where Clearly from Evernote comes in. This browser plug-in makes blog posts, articles, and webpages clean and easy to read by clearing away everything but the content. Clearly also provides the ability for you to highlight portions of the text, print the “clean” version, or save it to Evernote with one click for easy access later (whether you’re online or off).

Avoid Waiting on Hold via FastCustomer

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Ben Stevens Posted in Apps, Did You Know?, Office Management, Online Resources, Product Reviews Leave a comment
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fastcustomerDo you enjoy wasting time on hold while listening to elevator music? Me neither. FastCustomer can (thankfully) make that experience a distant memory.

Simply let them know the name of the company that you would like to talk with (via call, text, or search), and they will have a customer service agent from that company call you. Voila! No time wasted and no elevator music.

FastCustomer is available via website or its iOS and Android apps. Among the thousands of companies that participate in this service are Apple, Verizon, AT&T, Bank of America, Southwest, Citibank, Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Sirius/XM, USPS, Walmart, Costco, etc.

Scanbot Pro Is The Best iOS Scanner App

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Ben Stevens Posted in Apps, Product Reviews, Technology 5 Comments
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scanbotThere are many iOS scanner apps, and I’ve previously blogged about my affinity for Scanner Pro. However, I’ve discovered a new app that’s a game changer – Scanbot Pro, and I believe that it is easily the best iOS scanner app available today.

What makes Scanbot Pro the best? It has OCR (optical character recognition) technology built in, so it can recognize and extract text from your scans. You can also annotate your scanned PDFs, including highlighting, notes, and signatures.

If you regularly work from your iPad or iPhone, this is a big deal. You are no longer dependent upon a desktop application to OCR text contained in a scanned document, and you can edit the PDFs within the same app.

I have been using it for several weeks, and I find it to be very accurate. Scanbot has a free version, but the OCR functionality is in its Pro version, which costs $4.99 (though it’s occasionally on sale). Trust me, this is money well spent, and I believe that you will find Scanbot Pro an invaluable tool for your iOS arsenal. You can learn more about this app here.

Take Control of Your Email with Boomerang

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Ben Stevens Posted in Apps, Office Management, Online Resources, Product Reviews Leave a comment
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boomerangWhat if you could take control of your email? You determine when emails appear in your Inbox or when they were sent to your recipients. What if your email could automatically remind you if don’t hear back from a recipient?

All of this – and more – is possible thanks to Boomerang, a plug-in for Gmail and Outlook that can help you transform from email novice to email ninja in no time. This plug-in helped me reduce the average number of emails in my Inbox to less than 10 (down from a number that I’d be embarrassed to mention).

It is not an understatement to say that Boomerang is one of the best and most helpful applications that I have ever found. It enables me to control my email instead of it controlling me. Boomerang has many more features than I can cover in this article, so please visit their website to learn what all it does and to view demonstration videos. However, I have highlighted some of the best features below:

boomerang 2Make emails reappear. One of the best features of Boomerang is its ability to take emails from your Inbox and then make them reappear at a later time. For instance, if you receive calling instructions for a meeting next week, you can set it to return 15 minutes before the start time instead of allowing that email to clutter your Inbox in the interim. You can even add a note to the email to remind you why you wanted it to be returned.

Send emails later. You can schedule an email to be sent at the perfect time. When you finish writing the email, the “send later” button enables you to determine exactly when the email will be sent. Even better, you can specify the desired time in many different ways, whether that’s “in 10 minutes”, “tomorrow morning”, or at a specific date/time (12/03/14 at 5:34pm).

Remind you to follow up. You can tell Boomerang to return an email to your Inbox if you don’t receive a reply within a specified time, if the email is not opened within a designated time frame, or if you just need to see it again as a reminder. It also enables you to get “read receipts” and track when emails have been opened – even in Gmail, which doesn’t provide this functionality natively.

Rocket Matter Releases iPad Edition

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Ben Stevens Posted in Apps, iOS, iPad, Office Management, Product Reviews, Software Leave a comment
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Rocket MatterRocket Matter created the first cloud practice management software for the legal community in 2008, and since then it has become the premier total law firm management software in the cloud. My law firm has used Rocket Matter since the day it launched, and we couldn’t be happier with it.

However, the folks at Rocket Matter are not ones to rest on their laurels, as evidenced by the numerous new features and refinements rolled out in recent years. Now, they have released their new iPad edition, and they are once again leading the way with the first and only tablet platform for today’s busy, mobile lawyers.

portriat-1This release (shown at right) heralds a new era of legal practice management software with a dedicated tablet platform that’s fast, easy-to-use, and accessible both online and offline. Lawyers can now enjoy legal iPad software that delivers incredible productivity gains and at the same time has the beauty and the simple elegance of the iPad itself.

Larry Port, Rocket Matter’s CEO, says

We’re excited to announce today our evolved platform and sleek new look. The Rocket Matter iPad Edition is not just a mere ‘app’ – it’s an entire tablet-based solution that ties into Rocket Matter’s cloud data storage. We’ve carefully watched how lawyers, law firms, and bar associations have all eagerly embraced the practical advantages that tablets can provide. We took these observations, combined them with direct suggestions from our lawyer partners, and did what we do best: built software that is simply unmatched in legal practice management.

You can learn much more about Rocket Matter’s iPad edition and see a video of it in action here. Lawyers with Rocket Matter subscriptions will be able to download the iPad Edition from the Apple iTunes store starting today.

Review of SkinIt’s InkFusion iPhone Case

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Product Reviews Leave a comment
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SkinIt CaseSkinIt 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.

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