In the news

Even more interesting hardware attachments for the iPhone and iPad were announced or reviewed yesterday, but after two days in a row of discussing other new items, I’ll take a break from new hardware today.  Next week I’ll discuss some of the other interesting products from the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  For now, let’s turn to the other recent iPhone news of note.  (This is an extra long “In the news” because I haven’t published one since December 22, 2009.)

• Apple released the App Store for the Macintosh yesterday.  It is obviously modeled on the iPhone App Store, and it seems to work great.  Macworld put together one of its famous “what you need to know” articles to discuss all of the features of the App Store.
• Like (it seems) everyone else, I purchased Angry Birds on the Mac App Store to see what a game that started on a small iPhone screen would look like on my iMac’s large 27″ monitor.  The Angry Birds and Egg-Stealing Pigs look pretty amazing on the large screen, although I prefer the touch controls on the iPhone and iPad versus using a mouse.  I mention the Angry Birds game because it is one of many iPhone/iPad apps that has been ported to the Macintosh, proof that the underlying system is very similar in Mac OS X and the iOS.  Indeed, Christopher Breen of Macworld wrote an article on how you can transfer the game data file from your iPhone/iPad to the Mac and suddenly the Mac version of the game knows all of the levels that you have completed, has all of your high scores, etc.  For now, doing so requires you to run some special software, but in the future it would be nice to see app developers with cross-platform apps offering an easier to use mechanism for accomplishing the same task.  When the iPhone first debuted, I sometimes thought of it as a portable Mac.  It’s funny that I now have a reason to view my Mac as a super large iPhone.
• If you have an iPad and you have a child, I’m sure that you have downloaded one of the free or paid book apps, which kids really enjoy.  Brad Cook of The Mac Observer reported on Disney’s announcement yesterday that it has sold one million iPad app books so far.  Wow.  By the way, the Disney apps are quite good; if you want to see an example, check out the free Toy Story app.  Click here for Toy Story Read-Along (free): 

  

• Massachusetts lawyer Robert Ambrogi reviews iPleading, an iPhone app that is supposed to aid in the creation of pleadings.  He notes problems with the current version, but includes a response from the developer that a fix is coming soon.
• Garmin is a big name in GPS devices but did not have an app for the iPhone until this week.  Mel Martin of TUAW reviews the app and finds a few drawbacks, but overall this looks like a nice app.  Click here for Garmin StreetPilot ($39.99): 

  

• If you have an iPhone 4, you can use FaceTime for videochat, but Skype and Qik are two competitors.  Well, now they are about to be one competitor; as reported by Donald Melanson of Engadget, Skype announced yesterday at CES that it is acquiring Qik.
• Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times reviews the new videochat feature of the Skype app.  One big advantage over FaceTime:  you can use it over 3G, whereas FaceTime requires Wi-Fi.  Another advantage:  there are a lot more people out there using Skype for video chat.
• If you want to get an iPhone 3GS, starting today you can get one from AT&T for only $50, as reported by just about everyone including Joseph Flatley of Engadget.
• Kevin O’Keefe writes on his LexBlog about the iPad business model for legal publishers and law firms.
• Brian Chen of Wired compiles a list of the “19 most wired iPhone and iPad apps of 2010.”
• Similarly, the staff of Ars Technica complied a list of their 10 favorite apps of 2010.
• To take a different approach, Killian Bell of Cult of Mac compiles a list of the 15 best iOS app icons in 2010.
• Bob Tedeschi of the New York Times discusses wine shopping apps for the iPhone.
• Tedeschi also writes about apps to help you make a cocktail.
• Bryan Wolfe of AppAdvice reports that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is now a free app for the iPhone.  Click here for the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (free): 

  

• Laura Sydell of the NPR show All Things Considered reports on the relationship between Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Apple’s head designer Jonathan Ive.
• Texas attorney D. Todd Smith writes for Texas Lawyer about practicing law with the iPad.
• Back in 2009, I reviewed the Texas Child Support Calculator app.  The developer, Texas attorney Jimmy Verner, wrote to tell me that there is now a 2011 version with lots of new features, and notes that it is a universal app so it works well on both the iPhone and iPad.  Click here for Texas Child Support Calculator 2011 ($7.99): 

  

• Also in 2009, I reviewed the Louisiana Civil Code app for the iPhone.  The developer, Louisiana attorney Matt Miller, wrote to tell me that his app is now $2.00 cheaper and has new features, including AirPrint support.  I use this great app all the time, so if you practice law in Louisiana, get it now.  Click here for Louisiana Civil Code ($4.99): 

  

• Daniel Eran Dilger of AppleInsider writes that Apple is working with Verizon to target the iPad at corporate buyers.
• I was honored when the ABA Journal named iPhone J.D. one of the top 100 blawgs in 2010, but I was really thrilled to see so many of you readers vote for iPhone J.D. that it won in the category of Best Legal Technology Blawg for 2010.  Thanks!  Y’all are awesome!
• Every year, Missouri attorney and technology law expert Dennis Kennedy publishes what he calls the Blawggies, his list of the best law-related blawgs for the year.  In this year’s list, I was honored to see that he named iPhone J.D. the Best Legal Technology Blog for 2010.  Be sure to read his description of that award; it has a funny back story.  Thanks, Dennis!
• By the way, let’s pick on Dennis a little bit.  He writes that he is a “regular reader” of iPhone J.D. even though he doesn’t have an iPhone.  That’s a nice thing to say, but let’s be honest:  how can anyone read iPhone J.D. regularly and not run to the nearest Apple Store to buy an iPhone?  The last time that I heard Dennis talk on the subject — the June 21, 2010 episode of the podcast that he does with Tom Mighell — he said that he wouldn’t get an iPhone until it came to Verizon.  If you believe the rumors, that is coming any day now, and when it does, I’m asking everyone else in St. Louis to clear the way for Dennis so that he can be first in line.  (Dennis, you’ll thank me once you get your iPhone.)  By the way, you can click here to listen or subscribe to the great Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast: 

  

• And finally, if you appreciate the top-notch design of the iPhone, I suspect that you also appreciate the top-notch work of the other company that Steve Jobs runs, Pixar.  The following video was created by Brazillian law student and Pixar fan Leandro Copperfield, and it is totally awesome.  I encourage you change the settings to 720p and watch this video full screen with your volume turned up: