In the news

The more I read about the changes in iOS 7, the more excited I am for the release of this major change to the iPhone and iPad interface in just a few months.  For example, Rene Ritchie of iMore wrote a great article explaining why the new interface on the upcoming iOS 7 is truly a radical change.  Moreover, I suspect that there are other cool parts of iOS 7 that haven’t been revealed yet because they will require the next version of the iPhone, which I expect Apple to release around the same time that iOS 7 becomes available.  As we look forward to the future, let’s also take a look back at the news items of note from this past week:

• South Carolina attorneys Jim McLaren and Jonathan Lounsberry wrote two posts (part 1, part 2) on The Mac Lawyer blog run by Ben Stevens about how apps can make you a better litigator.
• The DOJ was successful in the liability phase of its antitrust lawsuit against Apple regarding ebook pricing.  Adam Engst of TidBITS wrote an excellent explanation of the opinion.  Engst links to an a good article by Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Fortune that discusses the arguments that Apple might pursue on appeal.
• ALM recently launched free iOS apps for 14 of its publications including The American Lawyer, Law Technology News, The National Law Journal and the New York Law Journal.  For at least some of these apps (such as Law Technology News), all content is complementary through September 30th.
• The ABA Journal is starting to compile its annual list of the best legal blogs, the Blawg 100.  If you would like to nominate one of your favorite blogs, click here before August 9th.  And if you nominate iPhone J.D., thanks!
• I missed this one a few weeks ago, but last month Massachusetts lawyer Robert Ambrogi discussed LawSauce, an app to help you locate legal research materials around the world.
• California attorney Scott Grossberg has tips for working with time zones on the iPhone and iPad.
• UK solicitor Jon Bloor discusses the confidentiality of data stored on DropBox.
• It’s not just attorneys like Jon Bloor who think about document confidentiality; governments worry about that too.  According to Cyrus Farivar of Ars Technica, Russia is addressing this problem by buying typewriters as a way to avoid digital leaks at the Kremlin.  I don’t see any holes in that plan at all.  It’s not like anyone could simply use an iPhone to take picture of a document and email that around the world.
• Alexander George of The Wirecutter has looked a lots of iPhone 5 cases and he believes that the best one is the SwitchEasy Tones.
• Google will soon release a Google Maps app for the iPad.  David Pogue of the New York Times wrote an early review.
• Kit Eaton of the New York Times identifies some apps that can help you in an emergency.
• Verizon offers 4G LTE in more places than AT&T, but in places that have AT&T 4G LTE the speed is often faster.  Kevin Fitchard of GigaOm explains why.
• Josh Winning of the Fancy Dress Costumes blog interviews Lisa Jensen, the costume designer for the movie about Steve Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher.
• Have you ever thought that your iPhone was vibrating only to look at it and see that it is not?  That happens to me from time to time.  Tom Stafford of the BBC says that it is a common phenomena and explains what is happening.
• And finally, the folks at EverySteveJobsVideo.com created a compilation video of the funniest Steve Jobs moments from 1978 to 2011.  The iOS era begins just before the 6 minute mark when Jobs introduced the iPhone by first showing a mock-up of an iPod with a rotary dial on it.