Jeff Richardson

iPhone J.D. is a site aimed at helping lawyers use the iPhone so I usually don’t talk about lawsuits involving the iPhone.  Having said that, Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the Northern District of California this past Friday that may be of interest to any lawyer who appreciates the iPhone.  I’m not an IP attorney so I cannot offer an informed analysis of the lawsuit, but Chicago attorney Nilay Patel (who, until very recently, was an editor for Engadget) wrote a comprehensive analysis of the lawsuit that even a nonlawyer can follow.  What it really comes down to is Apple claiming that Samsung copied the look of the iPhone and iPad.  For example, the complaint itself includes these side-by-side pictures of phones from Apple and Samsung:

And the complaint also includes these comparisons of icons on the iPhone versus a Samsung phone:

Considering that the user interface is such an improtant part of what makes the iPhone so compelling, it will be interesting to see what happens to this lawsuit.  Again, read Patel’s article if you want to learn more, or if you would rather listen than read, Patel is also on yesterday’s edition of the MacBreak Weekly podcast.

Security on the Internet is something for everyone to be aware of, especially attorneys.  You can go overboard being worried about security, but whenever there are simple methods that you can undertake to enhance security, that seems like a good thing.

Mississippi attorney Tom Freeland recently wrote me to pass along a security tip to help guard against unauthorized access to your Google accounts such as Gmail.  He writes:

Google has a new-ish two step verification process for greatly enhancing the security of Gmail. The easiest way to do it is with an iPhone app called Google Authenticator.  As you go through the (roughly 15 minute) process, the website generates a thing that looks like a bar-code.  You view that with the iPhone app and then the app generates a verification number. You enter that number into Gmail, it’s good for 30 days, and you go from there on using your regular password.

If you have ever used a SecureID fob, then you know what two-step verification is.  The idea is that you verify that you are who you say you are using two methods (1) providing some information that only you should know (your password) and (2) using something that only you should have, such as a SecureID fob or in this case your iPhone which is generating a unique password using the Google Authenticator app.  Even if a “bad guy” somehow learns or guesses your password, he still could not access your account without the code generated by the iPhone that you have.  Tom writes a little more about the process on his blog and you can get even more information in this post by Google.

The whole thing took me far less than 15 minutes, more like five minutes really.  Once you have it configured, you can either require the code generated by the app in addition to your password every time that you log in, or you can allow Google to remember your password for 30 days, and then after that you enter the code generated by the iPhone app again for anothe 30 days.  For example, when I access the Gmail website on my iPhone, I am first asked to enter my Gmail ID and password, and then I see this screen:

Every time you access a Google service from a new computer (or iPhone or iPad etc.), you need to provide not only your password, but also that code generated by the Google Authenticator app.  Thus, even if someone across the world manages to detemine your password, he still cannot access your account from that computer without your iPhone.

Using the Google Authenticator app is easy and relatively painless, and it adds an extra level of security to your Google account and Google services such as Gmail.  Consider giving it a try.

Click here to get Google Authenticator (free): 

One of the great traditions of ABA TECHSHOW is to have sessions with a title of 60 ____ in 60 Minutes.  The final session of the conference is the very popular 60 Sites in 60 Minutes, and equally popular is the annual session 60 Tips in 60 Minutes.  In that spirit, last week at TECHSHOW 2011, Reid Trautz, Josh Barrett and I presented 60 Apps in 60 Minutes, a collection of notable apps for attorneys using an iPhone or an iPad.  It was a great session with a packed and enthusiastic audience, as shown in this picture taken by Ohio attorney Brett Burney. Well, that picture doesn’t exactly capture the enthusiasm, but trust me it was there.  I liked this tweet during the presentation by Detroit attorney Randall Juip:  “@iphonejd is spending all my app money, $1-2 bucks at a time. And I’m loving it!”

Those who attended will be able to download our slides from the ABA TECHSHOW website very soon, but here is a list of the primary apps that we discussed (along with my tiny description of what the app does).  The apps are listed in the order that we discussed them, and don’t try to find too much rhyme or reason in that; it was a mixture of alphabetical order, who was discussing the app, and in a few cases an effort to group similar apps together.  I put links on the names of the apps that have received a formal review here on iPhone J.D.  I think that you will find that this is a really good and diverse list of apps for you to explore.

60 Apps in 60 Minutes, 2011 Edition

1. Black’s Law Dictionary – dictionary ($54.99): 

   

2. Book of Jargon – example of effective law firm marketing in an app (free): 

   

3. Calvetica Calendar – calendar ($2.99): 

   

4. Appolicious – app recommendations (free): 

   

5. Atomic Web Browser – web browser ($0.99): 

   

6. Berokyo – file manager ($1.99): 

   

7. Keynote – presentations ($9.99): 

   

8. Penultimate – notes ($1.99): 

   

9. iThoughtsHD – mind mapping ($9.99): 

   

10. Chase Mobile – deposit checks (free): 

    

11. Citrix Receiver – remote access (free): 

    

12. LogMeIn Ignition – remote access ($29.99): 

    

13. Food Truck Fiesta – find food ($0.99): 

    

14. Google Translate – voice translation (free): 

    

15. Jibbigo – voice translation ($4.99): 

    

16. Flipboard – news aggregator (free): 

    

17. Zite – news aggregator (free): 

    

18. Instapaper – save web pages to read later ($4.99): 

    

19. Documents to Go Premium – view and edit Microsoft Office documents ($16.99): 

    

20. Dragon Dictation – transcribe speech (free): 

    

21. Eye Glasses – magnifying glass ($2.99): 

    

22. Google Voice – phone services (free): 

    

23. HootSuite for Twitter – social media aggregator (free): 

    

24. iCPR Full – emergency medical (free): 

    

25. Digits Calculator – calculator ($0.99): 

    

26. PDF Expert – document editor ($9.99): 

    

27. Photogene for iPad – photo editor ($2.99): 

    

28. Fastcase – legal research (free): 

    

29. GateGuru – airport information (free): 

    

30. Goodreader for iPad – document editor ($4.99): 

    

31. Price Check by Amazon – compare prices (free): 

    

32. Noted – notes (free): 

    

33. Siri – personal assistant (free): 

    

34. Infinity Blade – game ($5.99): 

    

35. Satchel – client for Backpack service ($9.99): 

    

36. Plaintext – text editor (free): 

    

37. Court Days Pro – date calculator ($2.99): 

    

38. Note Taker HD – notes ($4.99): 

    

39. Prizmo – scan and OCR ($9.99): 

    

40. Text’nDrive Pro – read text messages and e-mails ($9.99): 

    

41. Word Lens – translation (free): 

    

42. iType2Go Pro – text editor + camera viewer ($1.99): 

    

43. TextExpander – macro utility ($4.99): 

    

44. TuneIn Radio Pro – listen to and record radio stations ($0.99): 

    

45. GarageBand – create music ($4.99): 

    

46. Pro HDR – improved HDR photography ($1.99): 

    

47. Skype – VOIP calls and video (free): 

    

48. WordPerfect Viewer – view .wpd files ($4.99): 

    

49. Groupon – coupons (free): 

    

50. JotNot Scanner Pro – document scanner ($0.99): 

    

51. MindMiester for iPad – mind mapping ($7.99): 

    

52. PhotoSync – transfer photos from iPhone to iPad ($3.99): 

    

53. Trickle for Twitter – Twitter display ($0.99): 

    

54. Reeder for iPad – RSS reader ($4.99): 

    

55. iMovie – edit movies ($4.99): 

    

56. Localscope – find nearby businesses ($1.99): 

    

57. Atari’s Greatest Hits – game (free): 

    

58. GoToMyPC – remote access (free): 

    

59. TrialPad – display and mark up exhibits on external display ($89.99): 

    

60. Outliner for iPad (by CarbonFin) – organize thoughts ($4.99): 

    

61. Minimal Folio – presentations ($2.99): 

    

By the way, there are lots of apps on the list that we put together at last year’s TECHSHOW that I still use all the time, so click here to read the TECHSHOW 2010 list.  A similar list prepared for TECHSHOW 2009 is available here, although that list is starting to get dated.

A popular activity at TECHSHOW was to trade your iPhone or iPad with someone else just to compare apps and learn about new ones.  I find that no matter how many apps that you think that you know about, you can always learn about additional good ones when you compare notes with others.  With that in mind, I always love it when people send me an e-mail recommending one or more apps that they enjoy using, so please keep those e-mails coming!

News from Apple, news about Apple and its products, fun things to do on your Apple product, and cartoons that make fun of Apple … all in this week’s exciting edition of In the News:

• Apple updated the iOS to fix some bugs.  The new version is 4.3.2 — unless you are using a Verizon iPhone, in which case the new version is 4.2.7.  I presume that Apple will soon have a single update for the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4, but they are not there yet.  Lex Friedman of Macworld has more details on this update, but it is basically just a bunch of bug fixes with no new features added.
• When the iPhone 4 was announced last summer, it was supposed to be available in either a black or white model.  Apple had problems making the white model and I assumed that we would never see one, but according to Ian Sherr of the Wall Street Journal, Apple has confirmed that we will see a white iPhone 4 in the spring (which ends on June 20).
• Spencer Morgan of The Atlantic wrote an article about actor Paul Marcarelli, the Verizon “Can you hear me now?” guy.  Marcarelli’s full time contract with Verizon ended last September, but he still does some things with Verizon, such as the recent commercial that aired when Verizon got the iPhone.
• Sam Glover of The Lawyerist explains why the iPad is an indispensable tool for lawyers.
• If you try to access a site with Flash video on an iPhone or iPad,  you cannot view the video (unless you use the Skyfire alternative browser, which does not always work).  However, Bryan Wolfe of AppAdvice reports on an Adobe announcement that the new Flash Media Server will allow websites to provide an iOS-compatible stream when a site is visited by an iPhone or iPad.  I look forward to seeing this in the future.  All we need next is for someone to tell all of the restaurants in this country that there is no law that requires them to use Flash on their sites.
• Now here is some news that is sort of the reverse of the last item:  Alexia Tsotsis of TechCrunch reports that a company called Pieceable can take an iPhone app and turn it into a web page that runs a fully functional version of the app, using Flash.  (via Dan Saavedra)
• New York attorney Nicole Black recommends iPad apps for lawyers.
• Art of the iPhone has a good list of the 50 best games for the iPad.
• Speaking of games, if you enjoyed playing the fun computer trivia game You Don’t Know Jack in the 1990s, you’ll be glad to learn that the game is back and available for the iPhone and iPad.  (If you don’t know the game, it is a fun and irreverent trivia game with a smart alec host and lots of creative graphics.)  There is a free version for both platforms with two “episodes” or you can get the full version which contains 20 “episodes” (which are different from the free ones, so you might as well get the free app first).  The gameplay is identical on the iPhone and iPad, you just get a bigger screen for the iPad version — which is nice, but I can’t decide if it is worth the extra $2.  Unfortunately, one of the best parts of the original trivia game was that it was fun to play with other people, and this game only works with a single player.  Especially with the iPad, this could make a great multi-player game.  Perhaps that will come in the future; the developer does promise episode and feature updates.  Click here for the free version for iPhone

  

  and iPad

  

  and click here for the full version or iPhone ($2.99)

  

  and iPad ($4.99)

  

  .  There is not much replay version once you have played an episode, but if you tell yourself you are paying a quarter per episode (less on the iPhone) with future updates coming, I suppose the price is fair.  The game is fun.
• Jonathan Geller writes for BGR about why he switched from an AT&T to a Verizon iPhone and then decided to switch back to AT&T.
• Amanda Robert of Chicago Lawyer Magazine writes about law firms using iPhone apps as marketing vehicles.
• This week, Cisco killed off the Flip video camera, only two years after the company spent $590 million to buy Flip.  I thought that the primary reason had to be a realization that people were going to be using the cameras in their iPhones and other smartphones instead of a Flip, but David Pogue of the New York Times did some digging and reports that isn’t the full explanation.
• If you (or someone you know) recently purchased an iPad, Macworld has a great, and free, book in the iBookstore called the iPad 2 Starter Guide.  You can get it here: 

  

• There is a great series of “It gets better” videos on You Tube, videos with LGBT adults sharing their experiences to give courage to gay teens who are the victims of discrimination and abuse, discouraging them from horrible alternatives such as suicide.  Some LGBT employees at Apple came up with this video, and like any video that comes out of Apple, it is very compelling.  The one that the folks at Pixar made is also very powerful.
• If you want to make your iPhone look like the cell phone you used in the 1980s, check out this article by Gregory Schmidt of the New York Times.
• And finally, the clever folks at College Humor wondered what would happen if you combined Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Apple?  The result is the video Charlie and the Apple Factory.  They turned off embedding for the video, so click here (or click the below picture) to watch it on YouTube:

I’ve spent the last few days in Chicago at ABA TECHSHOW 2011, and it was the best of the three TECHSHOWs that I have attended.  The speakers were really good this year, there was so much to learn, and (as always) the people there were wonderful and there were lots of opportunities to socialize.  I don’t know the official attendance numbers, but it looked to be an incredibly large group this year.  The keynote presentation alone must have had over 1,500 people in the room, even though I know many people who skipped the Keynote (their loss; Larry Lessig‘s presentation was amazing).  A special thanks to the folks who joined me and Josh Barrett for our iPhone/iPad dinner on Monday night; we had a blast. 

Here are a few iPhone/iPad related thoughts from TECHSHOW 2011:

• iPhones were everywhere.  To be fair, many of the sessions I attended were perhaps of special interest for people using iPhones (such as some of the cloud computing sessions and the Mac sessions), but it certainly seemed to me that more people were using iPhones than any other smartphone.
• A good example of this: during my Smartphone Shootout session this morning.  I defended the iPhone, Alex MacDonald defended Android, and Michael Morse was slated to defend the BlackBerry — but since the time that we scheduled this session, he bought a Verizon iPhone.  Indeed, I met a lot of new iPhone users who recently switched over from the BlackBerry, many of whom (like Morse) were waiting for the iPhone to come to Verizon.
• iPads were very popular.  I was especially surprised to see how many people were using an iPad 2 since they are still so hard to get.  There were still more people in the audiences using laptops, but every session had a large number of iPads in use by attorneys in the audiences.
• I used Keynote on an iPad 2 to run both of my presentations, and it worked like a champ.  The presentations looked great on the large screens, and even though I had my iPad 2 turned up to full brightness, with the screen on constantly, and used it for about two and a half hours straight, I only used about a third of the battery life.  Very impressive.  I was using the Apple VGA cable with the iPad.  I know that the new HDMI iPad cable has an extra port so that you can charge the iPad at the same time that it is showing a presentation.  I’m sure that would be nice to also have on the VGA cable, but as long as your iPad is fully charged when you start, you can give presentations using Keynote for many hours.
• There were lots of iPads in the Expo Hall.  Many vendors were touting some iPhone/iPad aspect of their product, and there were quite a few vendors with interesting apps for the iPad.  I’ll be reviewing some of them in the future.  I heard more than one person say that if they had to pick a theme for this year’s TECHSHOW, it would be the iPad.
• I got a chance to play with BlackBerry’s answer to the iPad, the PlayBook, which goes on sale until April 19.  There are some things that I liked about it, including some interesting user interface (UI) features that seem to have been borrowed from the Palm Pre such as putting your finger on the frame of the unit and swiping up to get to the home screen and the ability to flick between cards representing the apps that are running.  A lot of the UI was copied from the iPad.  But the 7″ screen is much smaller than the iPad and the unit is thicker than the iPad 2 (and the iPad 2 feels much thinner because of the tapered edges).  I can’t imagine any circumstance in which I would prefer that size to the iPad.  It’s not like it is small enough to fit in your pocket (except perhaps for a large coat pocket.)  And the PlayBook only makes sense if you use a BlackBerry becasue it tethers to a nearby BlackBerry to provide e-mail, contacts, etc.  I think it is safe to say that while a few BlackBerry users will find the PlayBook to be an interesting choice, Apple has nothing to worry about.

For all of you who took the time to talk with me at TECHSHOW about how you are using your iPhone and iPad, thanks for introducing yourself.  I hope that you enjoyed TECHSHOW as much as I did.  Mark your calendar now:  ABA TECHSHOW 2012 is on March 29-31, 2012.  I’m sure that there will be lots of iPhone and iPad topics next year, and indeed the chair of next year’s program is Reid Trautz, who for the last two years has been a co-presenter with me on the 60 Apps in 60 Minutes sessions, so you know that he appreciates all that you can do with the iOS devices.

Last year, the New York Times reported that in 2009, research began on an authorized biography of Steve Jobs, the first book about Steve Jobs written with the full cooperation of Mr. Jobs.  The book is to be called iSteve:  The Book of Jobs and is being written by Walter Isaacson, a New Orleans native who has previously run Time magazine and CNN.  (We both went to the same high school, although he graduated about 17 years before me, and I have not yet had the chance to run either Time or CNN.)  Isaacson has published numerous well-reviewed books including biographies of Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Henry Kissinger.

Last night, Simon & Schuster announced that the book will be published in early 2012.  For some good background on Isaacson and this book, check out this article by Philip Elmer-DeWitt that ran last night in Fortune.

I’ve had my first full week with the iPad 2, and I really love it.  So do others — several other people in my law firm have stopped by my office to show off theirs as well.  It’s interesting how much varied interest there is.  Some folks showing off their shiny new iPad 2’s are very tech savvy, and they immediately want to talk about the best new apps that they have found and how many advanced things you can do.  But those with little knowledge of tech have been equally enthusiastic about their new gadgets, and those folks have been amazed at how well the iPad 2 handles the core tasks (e-mail, web browsing, photographs, etc.).  It is interesting that a single device can be so loved both because it is powerful and versatile and also because it is easy to use and handles important tasks with such ease.  [Appropriately enough, as I am in the middle of typing this paragraph on Thursday night, one of the senior partners at my firm just sent me an e-mail to say that he now has an iPad 2 and asking what apps should he get.]  But enough about my fun new device, let’s get to the news of the week:

• The latest issue of Law Practice Magazine is full of articles written by people speaking at, or attending, ABA TECHSHOW next week.  You can view the whole March/April 2011 issue online here.  A few articles that I recommend to iPhone J.D. readers:
• Josh Barrett of Tablet Legal wrote a great article called A Day in the Life of an iPad Lawyer.
• Brett Burney wrote Flying Safely in the Cloud.
• Simon Chester wrote Thinking About Social Media in Your Law Firm.
• And I wrote an article called Must Have iPhone Apps for Lawyers.
• If you want to take notes with your iPhone, Dr. Drang wrote a good review and comparison of four of the top apps.
• Neil Augenstein of PBS describes how one radio reporter is using an iPhone 4 in place of almost all of his other equipment.
• Charles Starrett of iLounge reports on a ChangeWave survey that finds that Verizon iPhone 4 owners report fewer dropped calls than their AT&T counterparts, but both Verizon and AT&T iPhone users are equally satisfied with their phones.
• The new CIO at Clorex told the thousands of employees at that company that they could replace their BlackBerries with iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile 7 devices.  Lucas Mearian of Computerworld reports that of the 2,000 devices issued so far, 92% were iPhones, 6% were Android and 2% were Windows Mobile 7.  I’m sure there is a joke to be made here about cleanliness being next to godliness.
• Rick Broida of CNet shares 11 iPhone tips for novices.
• Jenna Wortham of the New York Times writes about using an iPhone to take videos that looks like an old Super 8 movie.
• Mike Elgan of Cult of Mac writes about how the iPhone and now iPad have gotten people used to not having a physical keyboard.
• Apple Store Law & Order #1:  man who used computers in an Apple Store in Palo Alto, CA to send threatening e-mails was apprehended by the police, thanks to the folks at the store recognizing a photo shared by police.
• Apple Store Law & Order #2:  Armed criminals break into the Otay Ranch Apple Store and start shooting employees; a security guard hired by the Apple Store returns fire, shoots one criminal, and the rest are soon apprehended.  (Click here for The Daily’s take on this story.)
• Leander Kaheny shares the video and the story of an iPad-related April’s fools joke involving two news anchors.  Juvenile?  Yes.  But still funny to watch?  Yes.
• And finally, the clever guys at Scoopertino not only wrote a funny fake story about Steve Jobs running for president, they also created a website devoted to the campaign.

This weekend I’m headed to Chicago for ABA TECHSHOW 2011, and I look forward to meeting and catching up with lots of iPhone J.D. readers.  I first attended in 2008 when I spoke about preparing a law firm for disasters (something near and dear to those of us in New Orleans who lived through Hurricane Katrina) and about using a Mac to practice law when your law firm uses PCs.  In the Spring of 2008, there were very few people using iPhones; they had only been on the market a few months, there were no third party apps, there was no support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail, and the memory on the device was limited.  When I next attended TECHSHOW in the Spring of 2010, I was amazed at how many iPhones I saw.  To be clear, it seemed that more people were using BlackBerries and other phones, but those with iPhones seemed to use them more often during the conference.  This year I expect to see even more people using iPhones.

I’m curious how many iPads there will be.  At last year’s TECHSHOW, the iPad had been announced but we were a few days away from them going on sale.  Since last year’s TECHSHOW, not only has the iPad been released but now the iPad 2 is for sale.

You can learn so much about technology at TECHSHOW, but frankly I’ve most enjoyed TECHSHOW as a way to interact with other attorneys who appreciate technology.  If you are going and you see me this year, please say hello.  But there are lots of places that one can be during TECHSHOW with up to seven sessions taking place at the same time, not to mention that large Expo floor and the numerous conversations taking place in the halls and around the Concierge Desk.  Here are some of my initial thoughts on where I will be during the conference. 

Sunday, April 10:

6:30 – 8:00 pm:  Welcome Reception. 

Monday, April 11:

8:30 – 9:30 am:  Technology Adoption: Is Your Firm Ahead of the Curve? by Todd Corham and Josh Poje.  There are lots of good sessions to start the conference but this one looks good for people like me who work at large law firms.

9:30 – 10:30 am:  This is a break in the schedule, so probably a good time to get a first look at the booths on the Expo floor.

10:30 – 11:30 am:  A tough one.  I’m curious to go to the Meet the Author session with Tom Mighell to hear about his new book iPad for Lawyers in One Hour.  But I’m also think I could get a lot from the Insourcing or Outsourcing E-Discovery session by Dominic Jaar and Browning Marean and the PowerPersuasion session by Craig Ball.  So who knows where I’ll end up.

12:00 – 1:15 pm:  There are several Lunch ‘N Learn sessions. LexisNexis is hosting one, and from the schedule it doesn’t look like they are planning to show off their Lexis Advance for Associates product that comes out later this year, but if they are, I’ll attend that one.  Otherwise, I’ll probably attend the WestlawNext session.

1:30 – 2:30 pm:  Keynote Address: “Code is Law” by Professor Larry Lessig

2:30 – 4:30pm:  I’ll be “working” at the Concierge Desk.  If prior years are any indication, that means that I’ll spend a little time helping people find things at the conference, but most of the time will be devoted to talking about iPhones and iPads with anyone who stops by to chat.  It’s usually the most social spot at the conference.

4:30 – 5:30pm:  Mac Power Users by Brett Burney, Finis Price and Ben Stevens.  I use a PC at my office, but I use a Mac at home and always enjoy learning more tips and tricks.

5:30 – 7:30 pm:  Silver Jubilee Reception.  Because this is the 25th year of TECHSHOW, this reception will feature 25 Years of Legal Technology in 25 Minutes, billed as a “fun and interesting retrospective of technology in the legal profession and ABA TECHSHOW.”

8:15 – ???:  Taste of ABA TECHSHOW dinner.  Josh Barrett of the great Tablet Legal site and I are hosting a dinner at Tutto Italiano restaurant to chat about iPhone and iPad topics.  Our dinner was one of the first to fill up this year, so hopefully you made your reservation early and can join us! 

Tuesday, April 12:

8:00 – 9:00 am:  Lots of good sessions, but I think that Define Paperless! by Andy Adkins, Ernie Svenson appeals to me the most.  Thanks to the iPhone and iPad, I really have gone mostly paperless in my practice.

9:00 – 10:00 am:  Another break time, which might mean I’ll be on the Expo floor, or perhaps I’ll hang around the Concierge Desk.

10:00 – 11:00 am:  I’m leaning towards either Popular Cloud Services for Lawyers by Stephanie Kimbro and Tom Mighell or Logistics of Going Paperless by Debbie Foster and Dave Maxfield.

11:00 am – 1:00 pm:  It appears that there will be an Expo break followed by a luncheon of some sort.

1:15 – 2:15 pm:  I’ll probably attend Safe Flying in the Clouds by Brett Burney, Sharon Nelson and Dan Siegel

2:15 – 3:15 pm:  Expo break

3:15 – 4:15 pm:  I’m trying to decide between Effective Preparation for Rule 26(f) Conference by Craig Ball, David Chaumette and Hon. David Waxse or Getting the Most Out of PDF Software by Larry Smith and Ernie Svensen.

4:30 – 5:30:  60 Tips in 60 Minutes

5:30 – 6:30:  I hear a rumor that Kevin O’Keefe of LexBlog will be hosting one of his famous Beer for Bloggers events.

7:15 – ???:  Taste of ABA TECHSHOW dinner.  I signed up for the Mac dinner hosted by David Sparks and Victor Medina.  Sparks runs the great MacSparky blog and co-hosts the amazing Mac Power Users podcast along with attorney Katie Floyd.  I don’t know Victor Medina personally, but I look forward to talking with him.

Wednesday, April 13

Both of my presentations are back-to-back Wednesday morning.

8:30 – 9:30:  I will be presenting the session 2011 Smartphone Shootout along with Michael Morse and Alex MacDonald.  We will compare and contrast iPhone, BlackBerry and Android and talk about how to get the most out of your smartphone.

9:45 – 10:45:  Josh Barrett, Reid Trautz and I will present the fast-paced session 60 iPhone and iPad Apps in 60 minutes.  We have an amazing group of apps to talk about this year, almost all of which are apps that we did not even mention last year.  Last year this session was standing room only and a lot of fun, and we have an even better presentation this year.

11:00 – Noon:   60 Sites in 60 Minutes.  Like the 60 Apps session that I am doing just before it, the 60 Sites session is always fast-paced and a lot of fun, usually one of the highlights of TECHSHOW.

For those of you going to TECHSHOW, it looks to be a great show this year.  For everyone else, the above should give you a taste of what you can get at this conference if you attend next year, March 29-31, 2012.

Are you the sort of person who loves movie trailers, who watches the Super Bowl for the commercials, and who loves looking at the advertisements in a magazine just as much as the content?  Well then Apple has the app for you, the new iAd Gallery app that was released yesterday.

On April 8, 2010, Apple announced a form of mobile advertising called iAds, and they started to appear on June 21, 2010 when Apple released iOS 4.  You may have seen an iAd in an app that you downloaded, especially a free app; they show up as small banners that, when tapped, take over the screen and provide an interactive advertising experience.  They tend to be well produced, in part because Apple exercises strict control over what can be in an iAd to keep the quality high.

The iAd Gallery app allows you to view all of the ads that are currently in rotation on the iAd Network.  The “New” button at the bottom allow you to view just the latest iAds, and if you really like an iAd you can tap a heart to indicate that you “love” it and it shows up in a list of Loved apps.

You can also browse a list of all of the apps in two different ways.  Tap the Search button and you will see an alphabetical list of apps that you can search.  Or more fun, tap the Browse button and you will see a carousel of ads that you can spin to select one.

Tapping an ad gives you some basic information about the ad (such as the advertising agency that produced it) and the iAd itself which you can tap to launch.

There have been times when I have heard about an interesting iAd that was available but had trouble viewing it because when I launched an app containing iAds, another iAd would be displayed.  Using the iAd Gallery is certainly easier than opening and closing an app over an over again trying to get the right one to launch.  Otherwise, I’m not sure how useful it is to have a dedicated app that just lets you view advertisements, although it is interesting that Apple considers its iAds so compelling that it made an app to allow you to do nothing more than view the ads.  The app is free, so if you want to check it out, I’m sure that Apple — and its advertising partners — will be glad that you did so.

Click here to get iAd Gallery (free): 

One problem with trying to pick out the “best” case for an iPad is that you can do so many useful things with an iPad.  Sometimes you want an easy way to prop it up to watch a movie.  Sometimes you want to hold it in your hands.  Sometimes you want to use it in the kitchen.  Sometimes you want to type.  For the last few weeks I have been trying out an iPad case called the modulR that tries to solve all of these problems at once, and I’m very impressed with the review unit that the company sent me.  (I’ve been using the original iPad to test out modulR, but I’m told that a version for the iPad 2 is in the works.)

The main part of the modulR is a $49 case (with cover) that fits around the back of your iPad.  The case is a flexible rubbery plastic that is very easy to put on and to take off of the iPad. It is very thin and adds very little weight, but it does give some added protection to the back of the iPad.

If you want to protect the front, there is a cover that easily snaps on.  When attached your iPad is protected from scratches by a hard, thin case. 

But the real magic of the modulR is that on the bottom there are four rubbery feet:

With these feet on the iPad you can do all sorts of useful things.  If you want to hold the iPad in your hand without fear of it slipping out, you can get the $15 hand strap.  You can either attach the strap to two feet on one side, or adjust the strap to go diagonally across the iPad (which is what I find works even better):

There is also a $15 shoulder strap that you attach to two of the feet.  With it, you can carry the iPad in its modulR case much like you might carry a small messenger bag.  In all candor, when I used the shoulder strap to go home from work one night, I feared that I looked a little silly with an iPad on a strap around my shoulder.  But hey, that’s just me.  Maybe you can pull of the look better than I can.

If you want to prop up your iPad, you can use the $19 Quick Stand, which comes in black, orange, pearl or white.  It works in two positions.  in one position, the iPad is slightly elevated in the back to make it easier to type.  When you flip over the Quick Stand, you can prop up the iPad like this:

I have used lots of different iPad cases to prop up an iPad, and sometimes they are not very sturdy.  Just touching the screen can cause the iPad to slip down.  The modulR Quick Stand is made of metal and is very strong.  Thus, an iPad in a Quick Stand is very sturdy.  Note, however, that you can only prop up your iPad in the landscape position; the Quick Stand doesn’t give you a way to prop up in the portrait mode.

If you want to place your iPad on a wall like a small flat screen TV, you can purchase the $29 Slim Mount, which also comes in black, orange, pearl or white.  This is a strong metal mount that attaches to a wall with four (included) screws.  Once the Slim Mount is mounted, you can easily slip your iPad into the Slim Mount using the feet on the back of the modulR and easily slip it back out again.  I can imagine someone putting a Slim Mount in their kitchen so that the iPad is on the wall to show recipes or even play a movie or music while the person is cooking.

You can purchase all of these modulR accessories that I’ve described a la carte, or you can select from several packages such as the Starter Kit 3 for $99 which includes everything that I described above (except that you have a choice of strap; I strongly recommend the hand strap, which I found very useful).

The company plans to add more to the modulR line.  As mentioned above, they plan to come out with a new version of the case for the iPad 2.  I understand that many people have asked the company to consider a case with a cover attached, instead of the two parts that I reviewed, and the company is considering doing so — perhaps for the iPad 2 case?  We’ll see.  They are also working on a Headrest strap so that you can put the iPad behind your seat for the kids to watch something while you are on a road trip.  The company is also working on a swing arm.  You can see many of these future products on the modulR website.

If you have a first generation iPad and you are looking for a case with a lot of versatility, I was very impressed with the modulR.  You get all of the protection of a standard hard case, plus with the accessories that work with the knob feet you can do a whole lot more.  I’m looking forward to seeing what the company comes up with for the iPad 2.

Click here to get the modulR case and related products from the manufacturer’s website.