Uncategorized

Many attorneys tell me that GoodReader is one of the most useful third-party apps on their iPads, and I wholeheartedly agree.  I use GoodReader almost every day to read and annotate PDF documents on my iPad.  All of the important public documents in all of my cases (e.g. pleadings) are in GoodReader on my iPad and are synced back to my computer via Dropbox, which means that I always have those important files whenever I might need them.  (For confidential documents, I use Transporter, a current sponsor of iPhone J.D.)  Because GoodReader is so important to my law practice, I am always interested to learn about updates to the app, which happens regularly.

This week, GoodReader was updated from version 3.19 to version 3.20.  Don’t let the numbers fool you … this was a major update to GoodReader.  The app now features a new user interface that is a vast improvement.  I always considered the prior interface rather clunky, but the app was so useful that I loved it anyway.  I’m thrilled to see an improved and more useful interface.  The app also includes some new features that I think lawyers will like.  Here are the features that jumped out at me the most.

Let me start by showing you what the new interface looks like, and then I’ll focus on specific features:

New Path Bar

The top left of the file view in the app now features a path bar which makes it easy to understand where you are in a folder substructure.  Also, unlike the old GoodReader where you only had the option to go back to the prior folder, you can now instantly jump up several levels in the folders or tap the home button to go all the way back to the top.

Tools button for every file

In the past if you wanted to do something to a file (such as change the name) you had to tap the Manage Files option on the right and then select the file on the left before you could select what you wanted to do with the file.  You can now do the same thing in only a single step.  Each file entry has, at the far right (just below the file size), a tools button.  It is in very light gray so it isn’t obnoxious, but it is always there when you need it.  When you want to act on a file, just tap the specific tools button on the line next to that file name and the right side will come to life with each possible file management button that could pertain to that file `highlighted — such as the Rename button if you want to change the file name.

New tools layout on the right

Speaking of the tools on the right, GoodReader no longer has a series of bars that you must tap to reveal the options under each bar, which would cause the viewable options to move up and down so you never know where anything is located.  Now, the tools layout has five options at the top right that are always visible and in the same location:  Find, Recents, Starred, Connect and Manage Files.  Tap one option and all available selections appear underneath those five options.  And as noted above, only the tools that would work with whatever you have selected are highlighted, so the irrelevant tool don’t distract you.  I find the layout much easier to use, and it is far easier to find the options that you want.

The options at the bottom also stay in one location, and now one of those buttons is the very important Sync button that updates all of your files with Dropbox.  I love that this button has a permanent home, making it easier to find.  The button next to it, Back to Reading, is a fast way to go back to the last document you viewed in the app.

Also, the tools layout is more efficient.  Because it takes up less space, there is more space available to display file names which is helpful if you are using long file names a la David Sparks that start with a date in a Year-Month-Day format.

Flatten PDF annotations

When you add annotations to a PDF file, sometimes you want to be able to go back and edit those annotations.  Other times, you want to make the annotations a permanent part of the file so that someone else cannot change your annotations and so that you can be sure that the annotations are viewable in any PDF viewer.  Flattening is the process of making annotations a permanent part of a PDF file.

Under the Manage Files option there is a new button called Flatten Copy.  You can now flatten the annotations in many PDF files with a single button click, without needing to open up each file one by one to flatten it.  Doing so creates new files with the original file name followed by “- flattened”  If you try to flatten a file that doesn’t contain any annotations, the app will tell you that there are no annotations.  Also, when emailing a bunch of PDF files, there is now an option to flatten all files at once. 

Images to the clipboard

Most of my GoodReader files are PDF files, but I have other file types too such as some pictures in JPG format.  When you view a picture in GoodReader, there is now an icon at the bottom of the screen that you can tap to copy the image to the clipboard.  This makes it easy to go to an email message and paste the picture right in the email or paste the picture in a document in another app.

Other enhancements

GoodReader now has full support for iWork 2013 files,  Finding files is easier with the ability to limit a search to this folder, subfolders or elsewhere.  You can now star files with seven different colors, and search for individual color tags.  There is a new audio player if you want to use GoodReader to manage your audio, something that I haven’t tried (although I do sometimes use GoodReader to manage videos associated with my files, such as a local TV news story on an accident that is the subject of litigation).

GoodReader already seemed to work fine in iOS 7, but this new version advertises “full iOS 7 compatability,” which sounds good to me.  It also advertises faster PDF rendering for some PDF files, another improvement that I haven’t noticed but sounds good.

Put it all together, and GoodReader version 3.20 is a great update for an app that I already love to use.  I continue to believe that GoodReader is the best $5 that any attorney can spend on their iPad — now more than ever.

Click here to get GoodReader for iPad ($4.99):  

A few months ago, Pennsylvania attorney Sara Austin wrote to tell me about a neat little portable battery called the Halo Pocket Charger 2200, and she let me turn her email into a post with her review of the product.  Shortly before the holidays, Powerocks sent me a free review sample of a similar product called the Super Magicstick.  The Magicstick contains a 2800 mAh rechargeable battery (so it holds a larger charge than the Halo unit that Sara Austin reviewed) but it uses a similar design — a small tube that is easy to toss into a briefcase or a purse or even a pocket on your pants or jacket.  I tested the Magicstick extensively when I was traveling on business before the holidays and while traveling for pleasure during the holidays.  It was very handy to have this easy-to-carry external battery with me, and I suspect that many others would like it just as much as I did.  You can get it on Amazon for about $30 to $35.

The Magicstick is a small tube about 3.6" long and almost 0.9" in diameter.  It has a smooth, brushed-aluminum finish that reminds me of an iMac or a MacBook Air.  I like the rounded design because you don’t have to worry about any sharp edges when the Magicstick comes in contact with something else in your briefcase (or scratching you in your pocket), and the brushed-aluminum finish is resistant to scratches so the unit should stand up to wear and tear. 

The unit that I tested is silver, but on Amazon you can currently also get it in black, blue, purple, red, pink, green and gold.  And the Powerocks website indicates that there are other colors available, so you might see more choices when you shop for it.

The Magicstick only weighs 2.6 ounces.  Thus, you’ll barely notice it in a briefcase or purse, and you will only somewhat notice it in a pants or coat pocket.

One end of the Magicstick has two ports — a USB port and a micro USB port. 

To use the device to charge your iPhone, take the cord that came with your iPhone that has both a USB connector and a Lightning connector (iPhone 5/5s) or 30-pin connector (iPhone 4S and earlier).  (The Magicstick doesn’t come with the cord to connect to your iPhone, which makes sense because different devices need different cords.)  My preference is to use the Magicstick with an iBoltz XS five inch cord that I reviewed last year, which lets me charge my iPhone (or iPad) on a desk without having lots of extra cord get in my way.

The Magicstick holds a 2800 mAh charge which is more than enough to fully charge an iPhone and almost enough to charge an iPhone twice.  (For example, an iPhone 5S has a 1560 mAh battery, and an iPhone 4 has a 1420 mAg battery.)  The Magicstick puts out 1 Amp of power so it is designed for the iPhone, but you can use it with an iPad if you need to do so, although it won’t charge as fast as a regular iPad wall adapter that puts out 2.1 Amps and the 2800 mAh battery will only give you a partial charge on an iPad.  When I used the Magicstick with my iPad Air, a fully-charged Magicstick was able to add about 20% battery life to the iPad Air, and that took about two hours.

The Magicstick comes with a USB to micro USB cord that you use to charge the device.  Powerocks says that it takes about 5 hours to fully charge the Magicstick, and based on my tests, that sounds about right.  You can get a sense of how much charge is in a Magicstick by pressing a button on the end of the device, which cause the button to glow for a second in one of three colors:  blue (70% to 100% charged), green (30% to 70% charged) or red (0% to 30% charged).

The Magicstick comes with a cloth carrying pouch, but I never used it.  I just tossed the Magicstick into my briefcase and it held up fine.

I see that Powerocks just recently announced a similar device called the Flash Magicstick, which includes all of the features of the Super Magicstick that I reviewed but is slightly longer and adds an LED flashlight.  It will retail for $49.99 and will be available in the first quarter of 2014.  I’ve used other chargers that have an LED flashlight and I’ve never found a need for the flashlight, so the Flash Magicstick does not appeal to me.  Nevertheless, I mention it here because if you are shopping for a Magicstick and see both the Super and the Flash for sale, now you know the difference.

My iPhone usually has no problems lasting all day on a charge, but there are times when it runs through its battery more quickly, such as if it is having trouble maintaining a cellular connection or if I am tethering my iPad to my iPhone’s 4G LTE.  I never want to run out of power when I am in Court or in a meeting but I cannot always depend upon having easy access to an outlet.  Thus, I consider a small, portable, easy-to-carry external battery an incredibly useful accessory for the iPhone, and the Powerocks Super Magicstick hits the sweet spot:  a great size, shape and weight, more than enough power for a iPhone and even enough to add a little extra juice to an iPad, and a reasonable price.  If you are in the market for an external battery, this is a good one.  I see that Amazon has different prices depending upon the color you select and who you buy it from, but the range is $30 to $35.

[UPDATE 1/26/15:  I have been using the Powerrocks Super Magicstick extensively for the past year.  I might sometimes go two weeks without using it, but then I would use it several days in a row.  I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that the ability to hold a charge drastically decreased, to the point where it could only charge my iPhone 6 about 10% before the Super Magicstick ran out of power.  So based on my experience with this one unit, it lasted about a year of moderate to heavy use.  I find this device so useful that I just ordered another one to replace it, and fortunately the price has gone down since I reviewed it last year; the price fluctuates from day-to-day on Amazon, but when I ordered mine on Jan. 24, 2015, it was $12.50.  So keep in mind that, if you buy one of these, you might not get more than a year of use out of it, but considering the price I still consider it a great value.  And I continue to love this product for the same reason noted when I wrote the above review a year ago:  it is so small that it is easy to carry around in a pocket.  By the way, a brand new Super Magicstick (2800 mAh) was able to bring an iPhone 6 from 12% power to 91% power when I wasn’t using the iPhone — not as much power as it provided an iPhone 5s, but more than enough to give your iPhone new life at the end of a day.]

Click here to get the Magicstick on Amazon ($30 to $35).

Thank you to GoodCase Apps for sponsoring iPhone J.D. this month to promote its CaseManager apps for the iPad and iPhone.  CaseManager was created by New York civil rights attorney John Upton as a fast and inexpensive solution for sole practitioners and small firms who want to use mobile devices to manage their law practice.  The app debuted in 2011, and I discussed the app back in August of 2012 when GoodCase Apps last sponsored iPhone J.D.  Since then, the app has added many new features including the ability to save a backup of all of your data in Dropbox, synchronize data between multiple devices using Dropbox, the ability to add handwritten notes (and the ability to email those notes), greater user customization, the ability to print lists, etc.

CaseManager is an app in which you can store all of the key information about your cases.  You can add documents to the app to carry around the key pleadings, contracts, etc.  You can add contact information, calendar entries and tasks that are unique to each case.  The app even includes a Facts section so that you can track the key events in the timeline of a case and can help you track your time and expenses.  All of the information is stored in the app itself, so you can access your information even when you don’t have an Internet connection. 

The main screen of the app is the Cases screen.  Each case is indicated with a large, easy to tap button, and you can easily add new cases by tapping in the top right.  (To delete a case, slide your finger from right to left across a case name and a Delete button will appear on the right.)

Once you select a case, you are brought to the main navigation screen for that case, where you are presented with nine choices such as a Calendar view of your events and tasks, buttons that let you view a list of Events or a list of Tasks, a button that lets you enter Time & Expenses, etc.

For example, to add an event you can tap either the Events or the Calendar button and then tap the Add Event button.  You can then enter the title of the event, the date and time, the location, and whatever description that you want to add.  And if you would rather draw than type, tap the Pencil button next to the word “Event” and you can sketch a note, diagram, etc. using your finger or a stylus.

To see other information in the case, you can either tap the Back button at the top left of the screen to go to the main navigation page, or better yet you can tap the Case Navigation tab that appears at the bottom of most screens.  (It looks like the top of a folder.)  That tab gives you quick access too all of the case navigation options.

The Calendar view lets you see all of your events and tasks in a specific case.  Or if you want to view all of your events across all of your cases, tap on the Calendar button on the black bar at the bottom of the app.  This gives you a calendar with a large number on each day representing the number of events or tasks that you have for that day.  (It is optional to include tasks on your calendar — you can decide that as you enter a task.)  Just tap a day to see what is on your calendar for that day.

If you give CaseManager access to the main Calendar app on your iPad/iPhone, then when you create an event the event will also be placed on your main iPad/iPhone calendar as a 10 minute entry.  That can serve as a reminder for you to go back to the CaseManager app for more details.

You can also use CaseManager to enter time, either manually or via a timer that you start and stop, and to enter expenses.  This is a useful way for you to remember your billable hours and expenses when you are out of the office so that when you get back to the office you won’t forget what you need to record the time/expense into your billing software.

One of the new features of CaseManager is the ability to save your data on Dropbox.  This is useful to save a backup of all of your important data.  It also gives the app a way to sync between CaseManager on the iPad and CaseManager on the iPhone.  (There are also versions of CaseManager for Windows and for Android, but I did not test those.)  To use this feature, you go to the Settings portion of the app and tap a button to Link to Dropbox.  This will launch the Dropbox app, where you give CaseManager permission to access the CaseManager folder on your Dropbox, and then returns you to the CaseManager app.  Then tap the Sync Dropbox button to sync all of your data with Dropbox.  Once you have synced on your iPad, you can then go to your iPhone and sync in all of the new data (and vice versa).

The above screenshots all show CaseManager on the iPad in landscape mode, but the app also works in portrait mode on the iPad.  And as indicated above, there is also a version of CaseManager for the iPhone, and here are some screenshots to show you how it looks — basically the same as the iPad version, just formatted for the iPhone screen.

 

CaseManager doesn’t aim to compete with expensive case management software that is designed for dozens or even hundreds of users and often has a monthly fee.  Instead, CaseManager aims to provide a simple and easy-to-use solution for folks who want to manage their own case files on a mobile device that is always with them.  And at only $20 for the iPad or the iPhone version of CaseManager, it will only cost you a fraction of a billable hour to get up and running.

Click here to get CaseManager for iPad ($19.99):  

Click here to get CaseManager for iPhone ($19.99): 

If you are looking for a great way to get your CLE hours in 2014, my favorite CLE every year is ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago.  It is a great opportunity to learn about technology, see some of the latest in legal tech, and spend some time with some great people.  This year, TECHSHOW is March 27 through 29, 2014.

Over the last few years, the number of sessions dedicated to the iPhone and iPad have increased substantially, and 2014 looks to be the best year ever for iPhone J.D. readers.  The first day of the conference, Thursday March 27, features an entire track devoted to the iPad.  The day starts with a session entitled “iPad in Action.”  Next, there is a session called “iPad in Trial / iPad for Litigators” that I will be presenting along with Judge Hebert Dixon of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  Judge Dixon is a tech-savvy judge who has been involved with ABA TECHSHOW for a long time, and I hope that we will be able to provide some great iPad tips for litigators from both sides of the bench.

The first session after lunch on Thursday is called “iGadgets and iGear for the iLawyer,” and Ben Stevens of The Mac Lawyer and I will team up to discuss all of the great accessories that you might consider using with your iPad.  I’m sure that we will mention some cool iPhone accessories too.  This is the first time that there will be a TECHSHOW session devoted to iPad accessories, and I’m looking forward to it.  The final session on Thursday is called “Advanced iPad:  Working with Word and So Much More,” and will provide tips for taking your iPad to the next level.  

Then on Friday, there will be lots of sessions of interest to iPhone J.D. readers.  For Mac users, there is an entire Mac track.  There is also a Mobile track which includes sessions for lawyers who travel and using an iPad as a PC-replacement.  There is also an entire track devoted to going Paperless.  There is also a session devoted to Evernote users, a session in the Advanced IT track on mobile device security, and even some Android sessions for anyone curious what life is like on the other side of the tracks.

Saturday morning, TECHSHOW is bringing back 60 Apps in 60 Minutes, a fast-paced and fun session at which you are sure to learn about lots of new apps.  I’m thrilled to see this session return to TECHSHOW after a one-year absence; I was a part of all of the prior 60 Apps sessions in 2010, 2011 and 2012.  This year, my co-presenters for the 60 Apps session are D.C.-attorney Reid Trautz (Reid and I did the first two in 2010 and 2011), legal consultant Brett Burney (Brett joined me for the 2012 version, along with Josh Barrett of the gone-but-not-forgotten Tablet Legal website) and Ohio litigator Chad Burton.  Reid, Brett, Chad and I are already talking about the apps that we will include in this year’s 60 Apps in 60 Minutes, and there are going to be some great ones.

When you are not attending a session, TECHSHOW also has a fantastic exhibitor hall.  Last year, it was full of apps and hardware for iPhone and iPad users, giving you a great chance to try-before-you-buy and the opportunity to talk directly with the folks who create some of your favorite apps and accessories.  I suspect that the iOS emphasis among exhibitors will be even greater in 2014.

Even if you are attending TECHSHOW by yourself, you don’t need to worry about eating dinner alone.  On both Thursday and Friday nights, TECHSHOW will feature Taste of Techshow dinners.  Each dinner is (loosely) organized around a topic, so just pick one that looks interesting and you can get to know 10 to 12 other folks with similar interests.  Brett Burney and I will co-host a dinner on Thursday night, and I’ll post on iPhone J.D. when more details are available so that you can reserve a spot.  I’ve made many friends during prior Taste of Techshow dinners who I still keep in touch with today.

So unlike prior years when there were some great iPhone/iPad sessions at TECHSHOW and then lots of other blocks of time devoted to other subjects, this year it will be possible to devote almost every minute of your time at TECHSHOW to something that relates to these mobile devices.  To be honest, this just heightens the “problem” of TECHSHOW — with seven simultaneous tracks, interesting topics, talented speakers, and a vibrant exhibit hall, there are just too many great choices competing for your time throughout the day.

If all of this sounds interesting to you, I’d love to see you in Chicago in two months.  You can get the lowest conference rate if you register by February 10, 2014, so make your plans over the next few weeks if you want to save a few bucks.

No iPhone J.D. this week.  See you in 2014!

It won’t surprise you when I say that this has been a pretty slow week for iPhone and iPad news, although I’m sure that there were a huge number of folks who founds new Apple devices under their Christmas tree this week.  Here are the articles that I ran across that I thought might be of interest to you.  

• South Carolina attorney Justin Kahn recommends apps for attorneys.
• I was impressed when I reviewed PDF Expert by Readdle almost two years ago, and recently Ben Brooks wrote a review for The Sweet Setup in which he concludes that PDF Expert is the best app for managing, editing and reading PDFs on the iPad. 
• Philip Michaels of Macworld recommends nine apps for new iPhone users.  The ones on his list that I use and like are 1Password, IMDB, Weather Line and Fantastical 2.
• Luke Dormehl of Cult of Mac transcribes part of an interview with Bill Clinton in which he recalls some of his interactions with Steve Jobs, including the time that Jobs gave Clinton the first iPhone before it his the market.
• Jordan Oplinger of The Verge has advice for taking perfect pictures on the iPhone.
• And finally, UK artist Kyle Lambert used the iPad app Procreate to make this very realistic picture of Morgan Freeman.  Lambert calls it the world’s most realistic finger painting, and he may well be right.  It took him 200 hours, but the below video (or click here) shows it all in just a few minutes.  Very cool.

Apple has a tradition of running some pretty great Christmas commercials, and the one that they are running this year is, in my opinion, one of the all-time best, in large part because of the twist at the end.  The commercial is called Misunderstood.  If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m embedding the video below (or click here) so that you can watch it before I ruin the ending for you.

This 90-second spot, which was reportedly filmed in Edmonton, Canada, does a great job of showing off what even a misunderstood teenager can do with Apple technology.  Indeed, Apple even posted the video that the teenager would have created, titled “A Harris family holiday.”  That video was shot using an iPhone 5s and takes advanage of some 5s-only technology such as slow motion video.

Want to see some other great Apple videos from the ghosts of Christmas past?  Here are the ones from the last few years that feature the iPhone and iPad:

• Christmas 2012, I’ll be home for Christmas, featuring the iPad, iPad mini and FaceTime.
• Christmas 2011, Santa, featuring the iPhone and Siri.
• Christmas 2010, Under the Covers, featuring the iPhone and FaceTime.
• Christmas 2009, 12 Days of Christmas, featuring the iPhone and some useful apps.

I think that my all-time favorite Apple Christmas ads were from 2007 and 2008, part of the Get a Mac campaign featuring John Hodgman and Justin Long.  They were an homage to the great Rankin/Bass Christmas shows that I used to love when I was a child and that my own kids still love to watch today.  Here is the first one (or click here):

The two follow-up commercials in 2008 were also cute.  Here they are (or click here):

I hope that you and your family enjoy this most wonderful time of the year.

For all of you who were waiting until the very last minute to vote for iPhone J.D. in the ABA Journal Blawg 100, that moment has come.  The polls close at the end of the business day today, and I would appreciate your support.  Voting is quick and easy; just click here to start.  iPhone J.D. is in the Legal Tech category.  And now, the news of note from this past week:

• New York attorney and TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante has some great tips for using the iTunes Match service to clean up your library and improve iTunes Radio.
• California attorney David Sparks wrote a wonderful retrospective on practicing law for 20 years.  Nothing iPhone related in there, but a great read.
• Ina Fried of All Things D reports on a speech by Apple CEO Tim Cook in which he reveals that witnessing a cross-burning as a child in Alabama motivated him to fight for equality.
• In legedendary tech reporter Wall Mossberg’s last column for the Wall Street Journal, he identifies the top products that he has reviwed over the last 22 years.  Items on the list include the Apple Newton, the Palm Pilot, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad.
• AppleInsider reports that Apple has announced its iTunes Best of 2013, naming the best apps, music and videos of the year.  The Disney Animated app is the best app of the year, a digital book about Disney Animation.  I’ve heard great things about this one and I’ve been thinking of getting it for a while now.
• Paul Boutin of the New York Times discusses the Evernote app.
• Macworld unveiled their Editors’ Choice Awards, the best products of 2013.  There are lots of iPhone and iPad-related apps and accessories that made the list.
• Dan Frakes of Macworld updated his buying guide for iPad keyboards.  If you are considering getting an external keyboard for your iPad, this article is a great resource.  As for me, I prefer the Apple Wireless Keyboard.
• Alyssa Bereznak of Yahoo Tech has advice for setting up a new iPad Air.
• Harry McCracken of Time reviews new smartpens for the iPad and really likes the Livescribe 3, a product that was also in Macworld’s list of best products of 2013.
• David Pogue reviews an app and iPhone accessory called the Pop Dongle  that emits smells while you play a game.  Only 30 were made, and the proceeds go to the American Red Cross.
• Over on Yahoo Tech, David Pogue has his annual Pogie Awards for the best ideas in tech.  First on the list is the new iPhone feature that makes it impossible for a thief to erase your iPhone or turn off Find my iPhone without a password.  I agree; this really is a fantastic idea.
• And finally, you can make some impressive music using the GarageBand app on the iPad.  The below video (or click here) is a pretty amazing example.  This little drummer boy has pushed the virtual GarageBand drums to the limit.  (via The Loop)

I often leave an email marked unread so that I remember to deal with it at a later time.  This is sometimes a risky practice because there are a number of ways to access an email by accident such that it becomes marked read, but I admit that I frequently take the risk and do it anyway.  After doing so, I sometimes want to see a list of just the emails that are marked unread.  Fortunately, there are two easy ways to do that on the iPhone and iPad in the Mail app in iOS 7.  Here are the instructions for using both methods.

The built-in Unread mailbox

One approach is to use the iPhone’s built-in Unread mail folder, a new feature in iOS 7.  To access it, tap the word Mailboxes at the top left of any screen showing a list of emails. 

This will bring you to a list of your mailboxes, starting with the iPhone’s built-in mailboxes, and then followed by any mailboxes that you have created using Outlook or whatever other program you use on your computer for email.  Just tap on Unread to see a list of only unread messages.

If you don’t see that Unread mailbox, you can easily add it.  Just tap Edit at the top right of the screen and then tap to the left to enable the Unread mailbox.  While you are there, you can also choose to display or hide other built-in mailboxes, such as a mailbox with all Flagged messages, a mailbox with all messages that have Attachments, etc.

Note that you may see different options then the ones shown in the above picture depending upon what you use for your email (my law firm uses Microsoft Exchange) and how many email accounts are active on your iPhone (I only have one).

This built-in Unread mailbox is useful, but be aware that it only displays unread emails in your Inbox.  If you have created your own mailboxes (folders) to file away emails and some of those contain emails that are marked unread, you won’t see them here — so you’ll want to use the second method explained below.

The above images show an iPhone screen, but this works almost exactly the same way using the Mail app on an iPad.

Search for unread mail

The second approach is to search for unread mail.  When you are looking at a list of emails either in your Inbox or in any other mailbox (folder) of messages, if you touch your screen and slide down, you will see a Search box appear at the top of the screen.  Of course, you can use that search bar to search for emails that are from or to a specific person or that contain a certain word, but you can also use the search bar to find unread messages.  Simply type “unread” in the box and you will see a list of unread emails.

 

You can toggle between seeing all unread emails on your iPhone or just unread emails in the current mailbox.  To do so, after you search for unread, just put your finger on your screen and slide down again.  This will display two more options below the search bar where you can choose to search all mailboxes or just the current mailbox.

The above images show an iPhone screen.  You can do the same thing on an iPad, but it is a little eaiser because the search bar is always visible at the top of the list of messages, so you don’t have to pull down on the screen to view it.  You do, however, need to pull down after you run a search to see the All Mailboxes / Current Mailbox selections, just like on an iPhone.

I purchased my first Apple product shortly before my Sophomore year of college.  I had used a Commodore 64 my entire Freshman year to visit BBS’s, play games and type my reports for classes (and print them out on a Smith Corona TP1 printer – a letter-quality printer that was essentially an electric typewriter without a keyboard connected to a computer) but after making some money from a Summer job, I purchased a Mac Plus in 1988 with an external 20 MB hard drive.  The Mac Plus was the computer that I started law school with, so I have been using Apple products in one form or another ever since I started my legal career.  I mention all of this because John Gruber of Daring Fireball linked to a fun story by software developer Jeff Keacher about how he had his mother send him his old Mac Plus, and through a LOT of work and persistence, he was able to get a (very slow) web browser working on it.  Very cool.  I think my old Mac Plus is still sitting in a closet a my parent’s house.  I can’t even imagine how many orders of magnitude more advanced my iPhone and iPad are compared to that Mac Plus, but after reading Keacher’s article, now I’m curious to see if my old computer will still boot up.  That external hard drive probably still has my old 1L Contracts outline on it, not that I’ve had much need for that recently.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• As noted by South Carolina attorney Ben Stevens of The Mac Lawyer, Apple recently released its “12 Days of Gifts” app, an app that will give you free songs, movies, etc. every day from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6.  Last year Apple had a similar app in other countries but it wasn’t available in the U.S.  Click here to download the free app.
• With our iPhones and iPads we have a very digital lifestyle, but in light of the NSA revelations, who is reading over your shoulder?  California attorney David Sparks of MacSparky has an interesting post on electronic privacy. 
• TechnoLawyer announced the TL NewsWire Top 25, a list of products reviewed  in the TL NewsWire in 2013 for which there was the most reader interest.  iPhone and iPad-related items on the list include the Transporter, TIMBS (an app that lets you track your time), Parallels Access (remote access to your computer), NoteSuite and Remarks (note-taking apps), the Clio iPhone app and LexisNexis TextMap,
• If you are having trouble with your iPhone 5s Touch ID fingerprint sensor, Serenity Caldwell of Macworld has some tips.  I haven’t had any issues at all with mine; it works great, and I wish I also had Touch ID on my iPad Air.
• Richard Devine of iMore reports that if you are flying Southwest and you want to send text messages from your iPhone using iMessage but you don’t need full Internet access, Southwest is now offering a $2.00 in-flight iMessage plan.  That’s a very inexpensive way to keep in touch with folks on the ground.
• Jeffery Battersby reviews PDFpen Scan+ for Macworld and comes to the same conclusion as my recent review:  scanning is just so-so, but the OCR features are excellent.
• Battersby also reviews Receptionist, an iPad app that replaces a full-time receptionist at your office.
• PDF Expert by Readdle is a great PDF app (my review is here).  It was just updated to version 5.0, and Federico Viticci of MacStories has a comprehensive review of the new features.
• Viticci also wrote a great post on his must-have iPad apps, many of which would be useful for attorneys.
• Why yes, you do still have time to vote for iPhone J.D. in the ABA Journal Blawg 100.  And yes, doing so does constitute admissible evidence that you are awesome.  Voting is quick and easy; just click here to start.  iPhone J.D. is in the Legal Tech category.
• And finally, Skew is a fun, 42 second video that recreates an iPhone screen using real objects.  I’ve embedded the video below (or click here), but the “making of” video (click here) is even more fun to watch.  Very clever.