In the news

A lot of exciting iPhone apps have been accepted into the App Store lately.  Earlier this week I talked about Dragon Dictation, which is really a remarkable app.  If you read my review when it first came out, go back and look at it again to see some important updates to my review, including a link to a great website containing dictation tips.  Also accepted into the App Store (after a very long wait) was the Ustream Broadcaster app which lets you stream live video from your iPhone to a website, as noted in this Macworld review.  I decided to wait to review Ustream because a similar app, Qik, is also likely to be approved by Apple now that Apple has approved Ustream, and I might do a comparison review when both apps are out.  The acceptance of Ustream, Knocking Live (which I reviewed last week) and Qik will represent a major shift by Apple in letting iPhone apps take advantage of the iPhone video camera.  This is great news for iPhone users.  And now, on to the news of the week:

• Are you a Louisiana lawyer looking to get the rest of your CLE hours for 2009?  Then join us in New Orleans on December 30th for the seminar Digital Workflow for Attorneys.  Ernie “the Attorney” Svenson and Prof. Dane Ciolino will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a better digital attorney, from how to become paperless to how to effectively conduct electronic discovery.  The six hour course will include an hour of ethics and and hour of professionalism so that you can satisfy those requirements, plus I will teach a session on Mobile Lawyering Tips with the iPhone.  I hope to see you there, and you can get more information here.
• Looking ahead to satisfying your CLE hours in 2010, I’ve mentioned before how excited I am to present two sessions on using the iPhone in the practice of law at the ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago on March 25 to 27.  The ABA has now released the full schedule for the program, and as you can see, every hour of the day you have a lot of sessions to choose from.  At several points, I’m really torn on which session to attend myself!  We’ll have a lot of fun in Chicago, and I hope to see you there.
• Time Magazine did not choose the iPhone 3GS for the gadget of the year this year (the Droid got that honor), but it probably is time to give another gadget a chance at the top spot.  (The iPhone was #4 this year.)  Nevertheless, proving the iPhone’s dominance, Time did not provide a top ten list of Android apps for 2009, but they did pick their ten favorite iPhone apps.  Also, the famous New Yorker cover that was created on an iPhone by Jorge Columbo was named the #2 Magazine Cover of the Year.  (And that isn’t the only iPhone-related cover of the year; check out #6, also from the New Yorker.)
• The Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah reports on a Christmas iPhone app developed by attorney Alissa Owen, now a stay-at-home mom.  The $1.99 app is called Santa’s Message and it allows you to record messages for your kids, and then the app “translates your voice into Santa’s deep, rich baritone, ready for delivery, with a picture of Old St. Nick on the phone screen.”
• AppleInsider reports that Apple removed over 1,000 apps from the App Store after learning that the developer hired people to write favorable reviews.  Macworld also has a good report.
• Oklahoma bankruptcy lawyer Dan Nunley recommends that all iPhone-using bankruptcy attorneys purchase two app published by Cliff Maier.  While bankruptcy is not my area of practice, I agree that Cliff has some great, useful iPhone apps.
• The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) on Apple’s recent purchase of La La, a service that allows you to stream music over the web.  The article speculates on what Apple may do with the service.  I suspect that a key reason for the purchase was to bring the smart people at La La into Apple, but I can also see a future where you don’t need to sync your music via iTunes to play it on your iPhone; you could just use the Internet to stream music that you already own.  I could also see Apple starting a subscription music service, even though Steve Jobs has said in the past that customers would rather own music than rent it.  It will be very interesting to see what comes of this next year.
• If you visit the App Store on iTunes, you can’t miss the iTunes Rewind 2009 which features the best in music, TV, movies and iPhone apps.  As the App Store notes:  “In early 2008, we were happy just to get email on our phone.  Now, we’re playing multiplayer championship racing with Real Racing, editing films with RealDirector, manipulating photos with Colorsplash, or getting completely lost in the touch screen wonder that is Spider:  The Secret of Bryce Manor.  The constant developments in technology, the sheer number of apps available, and the fun of exploring — these are all part of why apps were such an important part of our lives in 2009 and we can’t wait to see where the App Store is going in the future.”  Well said, Mr. App Store Text Writer.  Check out the App Store to see the Best of 2009 iPhone Apps.
• Yesterday, I wrote about iPhone security, an issue being raised by several security consultants.  I recently heard from another security consultant who makes a very good point.  As noted in this article (PDF link) from tech expert Cathy Brode of 3BView, lawyers should be aware that if they forward a Word document while using an iPhone, metadata remains within the document.  Many lawyers have software on their computers which can be used to strip metadata before sending a document to opposing counsel.  Don’t forget that this software isn’t on  your iPhone, so think about this before forwarding an e-mail with a file attached on your iPhone to others outside of your firm.
• If you are a lobbyist, a governmental relations attorney, or just a congressional news junkie, you’ll want to check out the new C-SPAN Radio app.  Art of the iPhone provides a quick overview of the app.
• I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I frequently hear lawyers and others give Dropbox rave reviews, a service that lets you easily share files between multiple computers.  With the Dropbox iPhone app, you can also access your files on your iPhone.  Macworld gives the app a good review.
• Gigaom has an interesting and fun graphic showing who makes money from the sale of an iPhone.
• iPhone Savior reports on the iVictrola, an iPhone speaker that combines old tech and new tech.  Very amusing.
• And finally, the New York Times provides a video report of the Stanford iPhone Orchestra.  Yes, you read that correctly.  iPhone Orchestra.  Too funny.