Lit Software makes some of the best iPad apps for litigators: DocReviewPad, TranscriptPad, TrialPad, and ExhibitsPad. The subscription cost for these apps is easy to justify if you have paying clients, but what if you don't? This week, Lit Software announced a new program called LIT SUITE For Good, designed for "legal advocates who offer their services to the vulnerable or under-served people in our community." What a great way to promote the critical goal of justice for all. Bravo to Ian, Tara, and the rest of the team. If you want to apply for free annual license codes, go to this page on the Lit Software website and fill out the form. I look forward to hearing the war stories from advocates who used their iPad with TrialPad or one of the other Lit Software apps to achieve justice for their clients. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- South Carolina attorney Justin Kahn reminds of all of how useful it is to ask Siri to remind you to do something. I use this tip almost every single day, telling my iPhone or my Apple Watch something like "remind me at X time on Y day to do Z." I cannot even begin to count the number of times that Siri has been incredibly helpful when I've done so.
- Illinois attorney John Voorhees of MacStories wrote a roundup of some of the top products introduced last week at CES.
- Apple released iOS 15.2.1 and iPadOS 15.2.1 this week. As Josh Centers of TidBITS explains, the update addresses numerous bugs, including: (1) sometimes the Messages app would not load photos sent using an iCloud link, and (2) sometimes third-party CarPlay apps would not respond to input. The update also includes important security updates, including a HomeKit vulnerability that a hacker could use to crash your device and, perhaps, do even more. I had no issues installing the updates, and I encourage you to do so.
- Sarah Perez of TechCrunch discusses Locket, a new app that places a widget on your iPhone's home screen that displays photos. The twist is that other folks (to whom you gave permission) can make their photos appear on your home screen and vice versa. It's a social network app that lives in a widget. It launched on New Year's Day and now has more than two million users, making it the #1 free app on the App Store. I love the serendipity of Apple's Photos widget; it is fun when it surfaces a great picture that I haven't seen in a long time. Thus, I can appreciate how it might be fun to be surprised by pictures that your friends send to your iPhone — assuming, of course, that they don't abuse the privilege. Although I suspect that, for some, that is precisely what makes the app fun.
- Back in 2018, Apple added a Walkie-Talkie feature to the Apple Watch, making it easier for two people to talk back and forth. I thought it was an interesting idea, and I've tested the feature in the past, but I haven't yet found a reason to use it. But if you like the idea, then you will be interested to learn that, as reported by José Adorno of 9to5Mac, there is now a Walkie-Talkie feature in Microsoft Teams on the iPhone.
- There have been some recent news stories about folks reporting that an Apple AirTag was being used to trace them. Some of these stories have discussed what seems to be a true misuse of the product, but other stories have left me scratching my head because there simply wasn't much evidence of what happened. Glenn Fleishman of TidBITS wrote the best discussion of the supposed risks from AirTags that I have come across. He dives deep into all of the reports to date, explains what seems to be real and what does not, and offers practical advice.
- Vanessa Hand Orellana of CNet shares helpful Apple Watch tips for runners.
- I don't use ride-sharing services very often, but if I did, I would think that it would be useful in many circumstances to call for a ride using an Apple Watch. But as Parker Ortolani of 9to5Mac reports, Uber has now abandoned its Apple Watch app, directing users to use the iPhone instead.
- Here is an interesting idea for an Apple Watch stand: NightWatch. As Jason Snell of Six Colors explains and shows in his review, it is sort of like a big clear globe that magnifies your Apple Watch screen so that you can see it better at night next to your bed. My words are not doing it justice ... just click the link to see the picture and you'll understand what it does.
- Andrew O'Hara of AppleInsider reviews the Weemo Smart Video Doorbell, saying that it is the best HomeKit video doorbell. Although it doesn't support HomeKit, I've been happy with the eufy wireless doorbell.
- Back in 2017, I reported that Apple acquired a Finnish company called Beddit that sold sleep-tracking devices. At the time, I thought that Apple would use the acquisition to improve sleep tracking in the Apple Watch. Apple kept that company running for five years, but as Chance Miller of 9to5Mac reported this week, Apple has stopped selling the Beddit hardware. Is this an indication that Apple is now poised to take some big step in the field of sleep-tracking? I guess we'll see.
- A few months ago, I reviewed the Satechi 108W USB-C 3-Port GaN Wall Charger, an incredibly useful device that provides all the power that you are likely to need to three different USB-C ports. I use that product every day and I highly recommend it, although I see that for some reason it is currently unavailable on Amazon. If you want something somewhat similar, Satechi currently sells a 100W desktop charger with two USB-C ports and one USB port, and Michael Potuck of 9to5Mac reports that the company unveiled at the end of CES last week an upcoming version with four USB-C ports and 165W of power. I hope that the model I recently reviewed is restocked soon because it has worked so well for me. During the holidays, it was the only charger I used while I traveled across the country, and it was everything that I needed. And now that I'm back in my office, I love that it takes up very little space but provides me with the maximum power I need for my iPad Pro, iPhone/AirPods Pro, and my Apple Watch (with fast charging).
- And finally, multitasking with side-by-side windows on the iPad is incredibly useful. It's not something that I do every day, but I do use the feature often, and it makes me much more productive when I can see something on one half of the screen while I am writing or doing something else on the other side of the screen. This short video from Apple Support was released a few months ago but it does an excellent job of walking you through all the parts of the process.
