In the news

Thousands of people read iPhone J.D. every day using an RSS reader, most of whom use Google Reader.  Perhaps you are doing so right now.  I also use Google Reader to read various law and iPhone website to find news that makes its way into this Friday In the news post.  This week, Google announced that it is ending the service on July 1.  I’m sure that several good alternatives will pop-up over the next few months, but this will change the way that I and many others read posts on the Internet.  Whenever I find a replacement that works for me, I’ll let you know.  And now, the rest of the news of note from the past week:

• Utah attorney Pete Summerill reviews JuryPad and JuryStar, two iPad apps that you can use in voir dire to help pick a jury, on his MacLitigator website.  I have yet to use an app like this in trial, which is why I have never posted a review of one of these apps, and after reading Summerill’s reviews I’m still not sure that I’m ready to use one of these apps in court.
• Massachusetts lawyer Robert Ambrogi discusses an iPhone app called iWrite Legal that provides legal writing tips.
• If you use (or are considering using) Orion for your law practice management, the company just released the iOrion app, which you can use to access and enter client contact/matter data, billable time, and expenses.  Click here to download the brochure (a PDF file) with details on the app.
• Jennifer Smith of the Wall Street Journal discusses several apps of interest to people who need legal services including Viewabill, an app that lets clients track how much their lawyers are charging them in real time.
• Joseph Keller of iMore reports that CBS has followed in the footsteps of NBC, ABC and FOX and now has an app that you can use to stream episodes of TV shows, a great way to catch up on episodes that you missed.
• I reviewed the DODOcase HARDcover for the iPad mini two months ago, and unlike many iPad cases that I review, I’ve continued to use this one even after the review was posted.  It’s a very nice case with a great feel to it.  I like it.  This week, Serenity Caldwell of Macworld reviewed a related cover, the DODOcase Classic for iPad mini.  It is slightly bigger than the model I reviewed and it uses a bamboo case instead of an adhesive to attach to the iPad mini.  One complaint she has is the weight, and that is an advantage of the smaller model that I reviewed, which is 130 grams versus the 182 gram model that Caldwell reviewed.  I’ve never found the DODOcase HARDcover to be too heavy, and it makes the iPad mini much more comfortable to hold.  If you like the feel of a book, you’ll like this case.
• Alexander George of The Wirecutter explains why he thinks that the Mophie Juice Pack Air is the best battery case for the iPhone 5.
• Ken Segall of Scoopertino “reports” that the white smoke was an indication that the next pope is none other than Siri.
• And finally, this quickly became a viral video this week.  Heck, even my 88-year old grandmother sent me a link to this one.  I won’t spoil it by saying anything more … spend 40 seconds to watch this cute French ad: