Sorry for the late In the news post this week, but I was working out of town for the last few days. Indeed, it was the first time that I’ve been on a plane since the new rules on using electronic devices took effect, and it was quite liberating (and productive) to be able to start reading some documents after I took my seat and then continuing reading after the cabin door closed and as the plane rose to 10,000 feet. That extra productivity meant that when I finished my work about two-thirds through my flight, I had time to finish watching an episode of Breaking Bad on my iPad, which I could continue to watch until my plane got to the gate last night. I really like being able to use an iPhone or iPad the entire time that I am on a plane. And now, the latest news of note:
- Almost every attorney who uses an iPad is interested in solutions for viewing and editing Microsoft Word documents on the iPad. While there is no single perfect solution, Apple’s Pages app has long been one of the best tools. Apple recently updated Pages to version 2.0, and I wrote an extensive review last month for the TechnoLawyer SmallLaw and BigLaw newsletters. Hopefully, all of you subscribe (the newsletters are useful and free, so you really ought to subscribe), but in case you missed it, TechnoLawyer has graciously reposted the full article on their website, and I hope you enjoy reading it.
- New York attorney Nicole Black posted her 2013 holiday gift guide for tech-savvy lawyers. It includes some great items such as useful apps and books.
- Alan Cohen of Law Technology News reviews the iPhone 5s.
- James Podgers of the ABA Journal reports that the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct are now available in an app, in an article that quotes Lucian Pera, an attorney in my firm’s Memphis office who spends a large part of his law practice litigating legal ethics.
- Not that it has anything to do with the iPhone, but I’m always fond of a good cocktail, and Ian Monroe writes for the ABA Journal that we should all celebrate the 80th anniversary of prohibition with a Mens Rea cocktail. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it sounds good.
- Since I’m talking about cocktails anyway, I was on a Southwest flight this week, and the cover story on the this month’s issue of the airline’s Spirit magazine is a truly excellent article by Rien Ferterl about the current hand-crafted cocktail scene in New Orleans. If this article doesn’t make you want to come to New Orleans to enjoy a great drink, I don’t know what will. But even if you don’t make it here any time soon, the article is also full of great cocktail recipes.
- You know what they say — a second thirds it — so here is my third and final cocktail entry today: Lora Smith of Punch wrote a great article on New Orleans cocktails after sitting down with Lally Brennan and Ti Martin of Commander’s Palace — my favorite restaurant in the world. Brennan and Martin wrote a great book called In the Land of Cocktails which I often use as a resource for making drinks, plus it is a good read. If you are looking for a good Christmas present for someone (or a gift to yourself), it is well worth $14.18 on Amazon.
- Before this website turns into Cocktail J.D., let’s get back to the iPhone. Luke Dormehl of Cult of Mac reports that Yahoo announced the most searched for tech items of 2013. The iPhone is #1 and the iPad is #4.
- Daniel Egan Dilger of Apple Insider reports that many companies switching from the BlackBerry to the iPhone are using Good Technology to do so.
- One person who hasn’t yet switched from the BlackBerry to the iPhone is President Obama. Will Oremus of Slate explains why. The president has a special, ultra-secure setup that only works with his BlackBerry. For example, his BlackBerry has a personal email address than can only receive messages from 10 specific people. But President Obama is no stranger to the iOS. It is well known that he uses an iPad, and Oremus reveals in the article that Obama’s daughters use iPhones.
- Serenity Caldwell, Macworld’s resident expert on iPad styluses, wrote a new iPad stylus buying guide. For taking notes, she likes the new Adonit Jot Script and the Bamboo Stylus Duo. (My review of the Bamboo Stylus Duo is here.)
- Tony Vincent of the Learning in Hand website explains seven ways to show your iPad on a projector screen. The article is written for teachers but is equally useful for attorneys.
- Have you voted in the ABA Journal Blawg 100 yet? If you made it this far in today’s In the news post, that alone makes you a dedicated iPhone J.D. reader and I’d appreciate getting your vote. Voting is quick and easy; just click here to start. iPhone J.D. is in the Legal Tech category.
- And finally, here is a useful video from PhoneBuff that shows 50 ways that you can make good use of Siri on your iPhone. I use many of these every day, but I learned a few new ones too.