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Earlier this week, I wrote about the ABA’s new survey on lawyer smartphone use.  In connection with that report, California attorney Monica Bay — who is editor-in-chief of Law Technology News — writes about how Apple was unable to infiltrate law firms with its Macintosh computers but is now doing so with the iPhone and iPad.  I agree with her on this.  When I started at my law firm in 1994, we were a large law firm that used only Macs, something that was rare at the time and is unheard of today.  But by the early 2000s, my firm wanted to use software that was PC only such as document management software, client relationship management software, etc.  As a longtime fan of Apple products I was sad to see the Macs and PowerBooks leave, but 10 years later I don’t care as much thanks to the iPhone and iPad.  Sure, I still use my computer every day in the office, but the real excitement in technology today is in the smartphone and tablet space, and I enjoy being able to use Apple’s great products.  And looking around my office, I see that there are iOS devices everywhere, so I’m clearly not alone. And now, on to the recent iPhone and iPad news of note:

• Jahna Berry of The Arizona Republic writes about Phoenix attorneys Marc Lamber and James Goodnow of the Fennemore Craig firm who loaned iPads to 20 of their top personal injury clients to make it easier for the attorneys to communicate with their clients, including Skype video chats.
• Apple is involved in lots of high-stakes IP litigation relating to the iPhone, so it needs good lawyers.  Dan Levine and Poornima Gupta of Reuters report that B.J. Watrous (formerly deputy general counsel with Hewlett Packard and before that an attorney at DLA Piper) is Apple’s new chief intellectual property counsel, taking over for Richard “Chip” Lutton Jr., who is leaving Apple after 10 years.
• People often ask me whether they should get an iPhone from AT&T or Verizon.  There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and it largely depends on what part of the country you are in.  In many areas, you get better coverage with Verizon, but 3G data can be faster on AT&T (plus you can talk on the phone and use data at the same time).  Another point of comparison is the price of the data plans, and Art of the iPhone compares the two.  Unless you want to use a lot of 3G data, AT&T tends to be cheaper.
• Rob Dean of WalkingOffice writes about remote desktop apps for the iPad.  I currently use LogMeIn Ignition, and it is one of the most useful apps on my iPad, making it easy for me to travel without my laptop, but I suspect that many of these apps would work just as well.  For example, a few days ago, I got an e-mail from an attorney in Scottsdale, Arizona with a strong recommendation for Splashtap Remote, one of the apps mentioned in Dean’s post which is a fraction of the cost of LogMeIn ($2.99 versus $29.99).  
• How much money have you spent on content for your iPhone or iPad?  Neil Hughes of AppleInsider reports that according to analyst Chris Whitmore with Deutsche Bank, the average iPhone or iPad owner has $100 worth of content.
• Pete Mortensen of Cult of Mac is an iPhone user who spent some time with Android and Windows Phone 7 phones.  He writes about how the competition stacks up.
• Zach Honig of Engadget reviews the Kingston Wi-Drive, an external hard drive that talks to your iPhone or iPad using Wi-Fi and provides external storage for movies, photos, etc.  He says that the product works well, but says that instead of spending $130 (16GB version) or $175 (32GB version), some people may prefer to spend an extra $100 when they get their next iPhone or iPad to get more built-in storage.
• Attorney and consultant Paul Ungar reviews the Worldox iPad app on Brett Burney’s Macs in Law website.
• Tom Kaneshige of CIO writes about the use of iPads at Proskauer Rose.
• Anne Tergesen of the Wall Street Journal writes that many hotels now offer a service where they will take the guest’s iPhone and other electronic devices and in exchange provide books and board games, something that the hotels call “digital detox” packages for people who need to take a break from their screens.  I can’t tell you much more about the article because I stopped reading it in the middle so that I could get back to my Twitter, Facebook, email…
• Philadelphia attorney Michael Payne reviews LeapDoc, an app that allows to to “print” a file on your computer and have it show up as a PDF on your iPhone or iPad.  I have the full version of Adobe Acrobat on my computer which includes a virtual PDF printer so I can print any file to that Adobe virtual printer to create a PDF, which I can then transfer to GoodReader on my iPad.  But LeapDoc looks like an interesting, alternative solution.  Click here for LeapDoc ($4.99): 

  

• And finally, here is a heartwarming story from the Land Down Under.  Evonne Barry of the Herald Sun reports that nine-year old Holly Bligh has albinism and nystagmus, conditions which impair her eyesight.  She used to have to carry a heavy magnifying glass to class, but thanks to the iPad she can instead now have her teachers scan documents and then she can use the iPad’s pinch-to-zoom feature to enlarge text so that she can read it.  The article discusses correspondence between Holly’s mother and Steve Jobs praising the iPad.  I actually suffer from the same two eye conditions (although it sounds like Holly’s eyesight is far worse than mine) and I also find that it is often much easier to read documents on an iPad where I can easily zoom in on text.  Indeed, I suspect that many of you don’t see as well as you did when you were younger, and so perhaps you too can take some inspiration from Holly.  Here is a picture of Holly and her iPad taken by Ben Seinnerton of the Herald Sun:

When I prepare to write a review of an iPhone or iPad product, I usually try to use the product extensively for several days or weeks, but then the app or accessory often goes to the shelf.  The products that I really love, and can give my highest recommendation, are the ones that I continue to use long after my review is written.  A perfect example of a product that I have continued to use is the GorillaMobile Yogi for the original iPad which I reviewed early this year.  In fact, that product is so great that I continued to use the unit with my iPad 2 even though it was an imperfect fit and the buttons didn’t line up correctly. 

A few weeks ago, Joby released an updated version of the GorillaMobile Yogi for the iPad 2.  Joby sent me a free sample of the product for review, and I find that it includes everything I loved about the original Yogi.  You adjust the legs into any position to prop up your iPad on your desk or any other surface at any angle you want, either in portrait or landscape mode.  You can also bend the legs around an object to hold the iPad in a position.

What makes the second generation Yogi different is that it molded to be an exact fit for for the thinner iPad 2.  Putting an iPad 2 in the new Yogi is effortless.  Removing the iPad 2 from the new Yogi takes a little more work, but just a few seconds.  I actually find that with the new Yogi it is even easier to get the iPad in and out; I’m not sure if this is because Joby did something special in this second generation or if it just a result of the iPad 2 itself being thinner with curved edges.  When the iPad is in the Yogi, it is very secure.

The new Yogi also has a hole for the back-facing camera.  I don’t use the back camera on my iPad 2 very much, but it is worth mentioning that the Yogi is perfect for the using FaceTime on an iPad 2 with the front facing camera.  Instead of wearing out your arm trying to hold out the iPad at the perfect position, you can attach your iPad to almost anything — such as the back of a chair in a hotel room — and then have a “hands free” FaceTime chat with the iPad held at the right height and angle.

I also find that when I want to hold my iPad in my hands for an extended period of time, such as to read and highlight a deposition or a long brief, it is nice to put the iPad in the Yogi and wrap the Yogi around my hand for a strong grip.  This vastly reduces the risk of the iPad slipping out of my hands.

There are slight differences between the clip on the legs of the prior model and this new model so you cannot interchange the legs from the original Yogi and this new Yogi.  But just like the original model, the legs easily clip on and off.  Not only does this make it easy to switch the legs from a portrait to a landscape position, but it is also good to break down the Yogi for easier storage during travel.

Whether you want to prop up your iPad at a good angle at your desk. put it in a comfortable position on your lap or in bed while you watch a movie, or attach the iPad to another object by wrapping the legs around it, the GorillarPad Yogi by Joby is an incredibly useful product.  The original  Yogi was worth the $50 price, and the new model is well worth the reduced price of $40.

[UPDATE 3/18/2012:  I tried the Yogi for iPad 2 with the new third generation iPad.  It just barely fits — the case is tight, but it does work.  I suspect that Joby will release an updated version of the Yogi just to have a little more tolerance, but if you need to use the Yogi for iPad 2 with your brand new iPad, it does seem to work.]

Click here to get GorillaMobile Yogi by Joby from Amazon ($39.99)

Click here to get the GorillaMobile Yogi from the manufacturer ($39.99)

The iPhone can be very useful when you travel, especially when your airline has an iPhone app.  I’ve previously reviewed Delta’s Fly Delta app, and recently I took a Continental Airlines flight so I had the chance to try out another such app.  It is a great app with a lot of useful features.

The main screen of the app offers all of the common functions, such as flight status information, airport maps and the ability to check in to your flight.  I particularly like the option to use a Mobile Boarding Pass, which saves you the trouble of finding a computer with a printer or waiting in line at a kiosk to print out your boarding pass.  (I redacted the image with the QR Code because I don’t know if it contains a link to any personal information.)

One thing I love about this app is that it gives you lots of information when you are waiting for your flight.  Of course you can find out the scheduled and current departure time, gate, etc.  But one feature that I really love is a “Where is this aircraft coming from?” button.  If your upcoming flight is delayed, you can press this button to easily get information on the plane that you are waiting for such as how late it left the last city and when it is estimated to arrive at the destination where you are waiting.

 

The app also provides lots of information about the amenities on the flight, such as whether it offers food, whether there is in-seat power, information on seating, etc.  You can even get TV listings.  (For a fee, you can watch select DirecTV channels on many Continental flights; this app lets you get the listings for the channels carried by the airline so that you can decide whether it will be worth it to pay for the TV service while you are flying.)  It also includes a Sudoku game in the app itself, if you are really bored.  You can even get some basic information about the plane itself.  For example, without this app, I would not have known that I was being transported by a Rolls-Royce … how fancy!

Another useful feature — and one that is currently missing from the Delta app — is a seating chart for the plane, making it easy to find your seat before you even get on the plane.  You can also view the upgrade and standby lists for your flight.

The Continental Airlines app is full of useful features.  You should definitely download this free app before your next Continental flight.

Click here for Continental Airlines (free): 

 

My wife and I took our kids to the San Francisco area for about a week leading up to July 4th.  We spent some time south of the city in Monterey, north of the city in Bodega Bay, and some time in the city itself.  Using our Nikon D50 SLR camera, we took about 1500 pictures while we were there, but only about a third of them were worth keeping.  I frequently take very similar shots two or three in a row using different camera settings with the knowledge that just one will be the one worth keeping, and if you have young kids like I do, you know that it often takes a large number of tries before you get a nice one of them both looking at the camera. 

In the past, I’ve just taken a lot of pictures, using several SD cards, and then gone through them all when I went home.  But just before this trip, I purchased the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit when I was in an Apple Store.  Using this kit, every night I would take my SD card out of my camera and put it in the device, transferring the pictures to my iPad.  This allowed me to take a few minutes every night to look at the pictures on my iPad and delete most of the bad pictures, saving me from having to do that for a huge number of pictures when I got home.  It also let me and my wife review some of our pictures on a large, bright screen while we were on the trip, which was great fun and made it easy to share pictures with others.  And because I removed the pictures from my SD card every night, I never had to use more than one SD card the entire trip.  I really liked using this device and will definitely use it again in the future.

When you purchase the kit, you actually get two devices.  One of them has an SD card slot, which is the only one that I used.  The other one has a USB slot, which can be connected directly to a camera using the USB cord that comes with virtually every camera.

Using the device could not be easier.  Just take your SD card from your camera and put it in the device, and then plug the device into your iPad.

The Photos app will launch and will show you previews of all of the pictures on the SD card.  Tap the button at the bottom of the screen to import your pictures, and you can watch the progress, with each picture getting a check mark after it has been loaded to the iPad.

Importing pictures occurs very quickly, even if you have a larger number of photos.  I mention this because years ago (pre-iPhone), I used to use an Apple camera connection kit with a hard drive based iPod.  The process worked, but it was very slow.  The iPad is obviously much more powerful and speedy than an old iPod. 

When you are done importing pictures, you have the option of deleting the pictures from the SD card.  I chose to do so on this trip, but you could also choose to keep all of your pictures on the SD card which gives you a backup of your pictures — one set on the SD card, one set on your iPad.

Once pictures are transferred to the iPad, you can delete them, use an app to edit them, e-mail them, etc.  Later, when you plug your iPad into your computer, you will have the option of importing all of those pictures just as if you had plugged the camera itself into your computer.

If you own both an iPhone and an iPad, you can use the camera connection device with the USB port to connect your iPhone to your iPad, just as if the iPhone was a standard camera.  This way, you can view pictures taken with your iPhone on the much larger iPad screen, and you can take advantage of the larger screen when you use an app to edit those pictures.  By the way, although this device fits into the bottom of an iPhone and it would seem that it should be possible to transfer pictures to an iPhone just like you can to an iPad, the iPhone 4 using iOS 4.3.3 does not recognize the device.  Perhaps support will be added in the future.

Keep in mind that pictures can be large.  When you sync photos from your computer to your iPad, your iPad gets a reduced-size file that it optimized for the iPad.  On the other hand, when you use the Camera Connection Kit, you get the full size picture on your iPad.  By the end of my trip, I was using almost 3GB of space on my iPad to store almost 600 pictures.  (Had I not deleted bad pictures along the way, I would have probably had three times as many pictures taking three times as much space.)  If you own the 16GB version of the iPad, and if you have a lot of pictures to transfer, you might not have enough space.  Before my trip, I loaded up my 32GB iPad 2 with movies for the kids just in case they were needed for the plane ride or at night knowing that I could delete them later if needed, and sure enough, about two-thirds into my trip I deleted the movie Wall-E from my iPad to make space for additional pictures, such as this one that I took of the beautiful Monterey Bay and another one I took of the stunning McWay Waterfall near Big Sur:

If you are taking a trip and bringing both your camera and your iPad with you, or even if you are away from your computer and you want to use your iPad to do some quick editing to a picture, the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit is a very useful accessory.

Click here to get the Apple ipad Camera Connection Kit on Amazon for $34.48.

Every year, the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center conducts a survey to gauge attorney use of legal technology.  Continuing the trend that the ABA saw in last year’s report (which I discussed here), this year’s survey reveals that the number of lawyers using smartphones continues to increase.  And for the first time, the survey tells us something about the number of lawyers using iPhones.

Increasing smartphone use

The ABA surveyed lawyers from January to May of 2011.  An outside research firm invited “9,800 n^th selected names of ABA lawyer members in private practice” to complete the survey, 838 did so, and the ABA says that this means that “[r]esults for total respondents are projectable within a range of +/- 3.5% (with 95% confidence) for most of the tables in this report.”  The report itself contains more details on the methodology and the structure of the survey, but suffice it to say that there was a dedicated effort to obtain results with statistical significance.

Last year, 79% of lawyers reported using a smartphone for law-related tasks while away from their primary workplace.  This year, that number increased to almost 88%.  In large firms with 100 or more lawyers, the number was up to 98%.  Solo respondents were the least likely to use a smartphone (78% in 2011, compared with 65% in 2010).  Most solo attorneys I know make even better use of technology than attorneys at large firms so these numbers surprised me a little, but perhaps that says more about the attorneys with whom I socialize.

Younger attorneys are more likely to use smartphones than attorneys over 60, but even in the over 60 crowd, 77% reported using smartphones.

For those who use a smartphone, 67% use a device that they own, 35% use a firm smartphone permanently assigned to them, and less than 1% report using a temporarily assigned firm smartphone from a shared pool.  Respondents typically replace their smartphones every two years.

Primary smartphone uses

The primary reported smartphone uses this year are “e-mail (92%), followed by telephone functions (83%, compared with 88% in the 2010 survey), calendars (80%, compared with 73% in the 2010 survey), contacts (76%, compared with 72% in the 2010 survey), Internet access (55% in the 2011 and 2010 surveys), and text messaging/SMS (53%, compared with 54% in the 2010 survey), among other functions.”  Very few lawyers reporting using a smartphone for time and billing, document creation, spreadsheets, web conferencing and presentations. (5% or less for each of those tasks).

31% of lawyers use an iPhone

Ever since I started iPhone J.D. in 2008, I’ve been asked how many lawyers use an iPhone.  In the past, I haven’t really had an answer to this other than “lots, and more every day.”  In last year’s survey, for example, the ABA did not ask lawyers which smartphone they used, only whether they used a smartphone. 

But this year, they did.  Of the almost 88% of lawyers who report using a smartphone, 46% use BlackBerry, 35% use iPhone, 17% use Android, 3% use Windows Mobile.  Thus, for all of the attorneys who responded the survey — including the 12% who do not even report using a smartphone in their practice — that means that 31% use an iPhone, compared to 40% who use a BlackBerry and 15% who use Android. 

How many lawyers are in the United States?  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put that number at 759,200 in 2008.  The ABA claims nearly 400,000 members and says that there are over 1 million lawyers in the U.S. (asserted, for example, in this PDF file).  Assuming that there are a million lawyers and assuming that the ABA’s latest numbers are correct and can be extrapolated to all attorneys — and yes, I realize that extrapolating from 838 ABA members in private practice who responded to a survey to the entire population of U.S. attorneys is huge leap — that suggests that there could be around 300,000 lawyers in the United States using iPhones, compared to around 400,000 using a BlackBerry and around 150,000 using Android.

About half of the respondents say that their law firms support multiple smartphone platforms.  Many of the attorneys I know who work for law firms and don’t use an iPhone tell me the reason is that their firm has traditionally only supported the BlackBerry and has not yet updated that policy.  Thus, my guess is that a portion of the 40% of all lawyers who are using a BlackBerry is a result of a law firm only supporting Blackberry use, and similarly my guess is that in law firms that due support multiple smartphone platforms, iPhone use is even higher than 31%.

Apps

27% of respondents say that they have downloaded a legal-specific app for their iPhone, especially those who practice in the fields of real estate, family law, contracts and general practice.  Legal research apps are popular, and the “most-often mentioned product names for downloaded legal-specific smartphone apps are Fastcase (25%), Westlaw (11%) and Lexis (9%).”  Other popular apps reported are Dragon Dictation, Documents to Go and apps to read PDFs.

13% of lawyers use an iPad

15% of respondents say that they use a tablet device for law-related tasks away from their primary workspace.  For large firms with more than 500 attorneys, that number rises to 26%.  Of the 15% of all attorneys who use a tablet device, 89% report that they use an iPad, 8% report using Android, 4% said “other” and 3% said that they did not know.  (Is it really possible for an attorney to use an iPad and not know that they are using an iPad?  I’m guessing that most of those 3% are not iPad users.)  Using the same assumptions that I used above, 15% of a million attorneys is 150,000 attorneys, so that suggests that around 130,000 attorneys in the U.S. use an iPad.

Keep in mind that this survey took place from January to May.  I know a lot of attorneys who waited to get a tablet until the iPad 2 was released in March, and it was hard to even get one until April.  Thus, some attorneys who answered the survey during the first few months of 2011 as if they did not have a tablet may now own an iPad 2, which would make the 15% and 89% figures too low.

For those using a tablet, the top uses reported were Internet (83%), E-mail (73%), Calendars (51%), Contacts (44%), GPS/Maps (33%) and Mobile-specific research apps (32%).

Putting the numbers in perspective

Surveys of smartphone users in general (not specific to attorneys) typically show a lot of Android users.  For example, comScore reported on April 1, 2011 that Android had 33% smartphone marketshare, BlackBerry had 29% and iPhone had 25%.  Attorneys as a whole are conservative on technology, and BlackBerry has long been the smartphone of choice for attorneys, so it is no surprise to see the ABA reporting that attorneys are far more likely to use a BlackBerry than the general population.  Likewise, fewer attorneys are using devices with the Android operating system, the newer kid on the block.  It is interesting to see that 35% of attorneys using a smartphone opt for the iPhone, a percentage higher than the general population.  If I had to guess, I’d say that this is likely because attorneys — and other professionals — are more likely to purchase a high quality product like the iPhone whereas a larger part of the general population will opt for a cheaper Android phone (often perhaps not even realizing that Android is on the phone) with the assumption that it will be good enough.  (And yes, I realize that there are many high-quality Android smartphones that are comparable to the iPhone, but there are also many cheap Android smartphones that do not correlate to a phone sold by Apple.)

Having said that, we must be cautious reading too much into fewer than 1,000 responses.  Perhaps the real significance of this ABA report is that we finally have the first study that purports to tell us something about the number of lawyers using the iPhone and iPad.  It will be interesting to see how the 2011 report compares to future ABA reports — for example, I predict that the 2012 report will show far more lawyers using an iPad — and perhaps these new numbers from the ABA will prompt others to conduct their own surveys.  For now, suffice it to say that if you are an attorney using an iPhone or an iPad, you are not alone.

I don’t anticipate any big Apple news on the horizon, so iPhone J.D. will be quiet for the next two weeks.  If I come across anything interesting, I will post it on Twitter, if you want to follow me there.  @jeffrichardson is my Twitter account.  See you in two weeks!

-Jeff

One year ago today, the iPhone 4 was released.  The Internet is full of rumors about when the next generation iPhone will be released this year (maybe September?).  If you bought your iPhone 4 soon after it came out in 2010, you are about to hit the end of your 1 year warranty.  You can see how much time you have left on that warranty by going to this page on Apple’s website and entering your serial number, which you can find on your iPhone by going to Settings –> General –> About.  If you want to add a second year to your warranty, that same page will let you do so for $69, but you can only extend the warranty if you are still within your first year.  And now, on to the news of note from the past week:

• I’ve always assumed that, with only rare exceptions, iPhone users in the U.S. use either AT&T or Verizon.  However, Lex Friedman of Macworld reports that T-Mobile has confirmed that it has more than one million iPhones on its network.  Keep in mind that to do this (until very recently) this meant that you had to get an AT&T iPhone with a two year contract (or find an old iPhone that is out of contract), jailbreak it (voiding its warranty), pay for a new contract from T-Mobile, and then replace the SIM, and even then you are left with a phone that can only use the slow EDGE network, not 3G.  T-Mobile users who went through this hassle must really want an iPhone — and must really not want to be on AT&T.
• Christina DesMarais of Inc. recommends apps that make your iPad work like a laptop.
• On the other hand, Randall Ryder argues that lawyers cannot completely ditch the laptop for an iPad.  I agree, but what I do think that many lawyers can do is leave that laptop in the office for your day-to-day work, and rely on the iPad whenever you have to leave the office.
• Lawyers are not the only ones who can benefit from using an iPad.  John Browlee of Cult of Mac reports that American Airlines is saving big bucks by switching its pilots to iPads for their charts.
• John Cleaves of Law Technology News writes about idocument REVIEW, a new document review app fo the iPad that you can use to tag, highlight and redact documents.  I worked on several document review projects in the past, and they have always been rather boring.  At least with the iPad you can find a more comfortable position to do your work.  Click here for idocument REVIEW ($29.99): 

  

• If you use Dropbox to store documents online, make sure you read this article by attorney David Sparks of Macsparky.  A few days ago, there was a four hour period in which Dropbox documents could be accessed without a password.  If there was any suspicious activity on your account, Dropbox should have already contacted you.
• John Paczkowksi of The Wall Steet Journal’s All Things D writes that consumers don’t want tablets, they want iPads.
• Harry McCracken of Technologizer analyzes 13 ways that an Apple competitor might be able to produce a tablet that people would want instead of an iPad.
• Jay Yarrow of Business Insider writes that people are spending more time in mobile apps than they are on the web.
• Mark Gerow of the Fenwick & West law firm writes for Law Technology News about ways that IT departments can help their attorneys go mobile with law firm content.
• And finally, do you love jelly beans as much as you love your iPhone?  Then you will be thrilled to learn that ESI Cases and Accessories has teamed up with Jelly Belly to offer iPhone cases with both the color AND THE SCENT of the Jelly Belly flavors Strawberry Cheesecake, Very Cherry, Blueberry, Licorice and Berry Blue.  According to the press release on Engadget, you will be able to find them in fine retailers across the country including F.Y.E, Hudson News and ShopKo.  I was able to find them online on Rakuten, a site that allows people to import items from Japan.  You’ll be the envy of every attorney in your office when you show off your smelly iPhone.  It’s a shame that they don’t have even more flavors so that you could buy six iPhones with these cases, follow this recipe on the Jelly Belly website, and combine Top Banana, Chocolate Pudding, Crushed Pineapple, Strawberry Jam, Very Cherry and French Vanilla iPhone cases to get … Banana Split!

[UPDATE:  Tom Bihn updated the Ristretto for iPad in 2012.  Click here to read my review of the 2012 model.]  If you haven’t read my last post yet (my review of the BoxWave Encompass Urban Bag), especially the first two paragraphs, go read it right now.  The Encompass Urban Bag is a great value at $50, and after I used it for a few weeks I really thought that I had found the bag for me.  Then a free review unit of the Ristretto from Tom Bihn in Seattle showed up in the mail, and I started using it for a few weeks, and boy do I love this bag.  For reasons I’ll explain below, you really need to spend about $150 to get the full value of the Ristretto, but if you are willing to spend three times as much, you get a premium product that is a joy to use.  If you are looking for a bag for your iPad to use to and from work every day and every time you travel, I encourage you to seriously consider spending the extra money for the Ristretto.  It is fantastic.

Tom Bihn’s Ristretto for iPad

Like the Encompass Urban Bag, the Ristretto is a vertical messenger bag that you carry over your shoulder. The Ristretto is nicely padded to provide protection to the contents, and the material used is thick and very durable, nicer than what you get with the Encompass Urban, and similar to (although somewhat more durable) than the material of a nice JanSport backpack.  It comes in lots of different color combinations.  I have the Black/Steel because I wanted something classic that doesn’t stand out, but if you want to have more color in your life there are ten different color combinations.  (Andy Chen of The Gadgeteer has some nice pictures of the Olive / Cayenne model along with a good review of the bag.)

Also like the Encompass Urban Bag, the Ristretto has large main compartment with a compartment in the back for the iPad.  The iPad 2 easily fits with or without the Apple Smart Cover.  Unlike the Encompass Urban Bag, which has a flap that attaches with velcro to hold the iPad in place, the Ristretto has a large flap that simply tucks behind the iPad to keep it secure.  It works well.  In the other side of the main compartment, you can fit another large object such as the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard.  The compartment is larger than the similar compartment in the Encompass Urban, plus unlike the Encompass Urban which has a zipper on top, the large top flap of the Ristretto simply folds over.  Thus, you are unlikely to have problems fitting even larger objects into the Ristretto.  It might be a small bag, but it can hold a lot.

 

The front portion of the Ristretto has places to hold a few other items.  First, there are two medium size pouches (about 3" wide and about 4.5" deep) to hold items like a backup battery or an iPhone.  Next to those pouches are two small compartments for pens.  Although the pen compartments work well, the two medium size pouches are my only real disappointment with this bag.  I find that items that I put in them tend to easily fall out.  I wish that there was a cover or some way to secure those compartments.  Because there is not, I tend not to use them very much.  The pen compartments don’t have this problem because you can attach the clip of the pen, and each pen compartment can easily hold two pens, so I use those two compartments to hold two real pens and two styluses.

Second, there is a large compartment with a zipper.  This compartment is very useful and I slide lots of different items in here such as power cables for both my iPad/iPhone and my external batteries, VGA adapters, smaller items that I don’t want to fall out of those medium size pouches, etc.  Third, in front of the pouches there is a large space where you can put something.  When I go through security, I will often slide items like a wallet or iPhone in there to put them through the security conveyor belt so that they don’t set off the metal detector or the new full body scanners.

Finally, the backside of the Ristretto — just like the backside of the Encompass Urban — has an open-top pocket that is a great place to slide a magazine, a receipt, a folded sheet of paper, etc.

The o-rings

One of the really handy features of the Ristretto is the inclusion of o-rings: small plastic rings attached to the inside of the Ristretto by a tiny strap.  There is one o-ring in the front compartment of the bag just below the zipper, there is one inside of the zipper compartment, and there are two inside of the main compartment (one on each side).  Any gripes I have about not being able to use the medium size pouches to secure smaller items (because they slide out) are compensated for with these o-rings because you can purchase accessories for the Ristretto that attach to the o-ring.  The Ristretto comes with a keystrap, a handy place to attach your keys and know that they won’t fall out of the bag.  You can purchase additional keystraps for $2.00

You can also purchase a Clear Organizer Pouch, a zippered pouch that attaches to one of the o-rings.  They come in various sizes, and the Ristretto can fit the $7 4" Mini (good for change or credit cards), the $9 5" Small (good for wallets, keys or makeup) the $11 7" Medium (good for a checkbook or pens) or the $11 9" Pen/Pencil pouch.  Here is the Meidum size which I’m using right now to hold a MOBiLE CLOTH.

 

You can also purchase a Padded Orgaizer Pouch in Mini, Small or Medium sizes ($8 to $12) if you want padded protection for the item in the pouch.  Tom Binh sent me a small one, which I am using to hold an RSA SecurID fob and my Apple In-Ear Headphones.

 

Both of these are great for adding an additional, secure pocket to organize additional items in the Ristretto.  Moreover, there are many other items that you can purchase to attach to your o-rings such as nylon pouches, an RFID blocking passport pouch, an organizer wallet either with or without a clear front, and even a light.

The strap

What really takes the Ristretto over the top is the amazing Absolute Shoulder Strap.  The Ristretto comes with a Standard Strap (which I did not try) but for an additional $20 you can upgrade to the Absolute Shoulder Strap — and really, you must do so.  This is hands down the best strap that I have ever used for any bag.  First, the part of the strap that sits on your shoulder has a rubbery feel which provides amazing friction.  Unlike most other shoulder straps that slip off of you shoulder, this one really stays in place.

 

Second, there is something about the engineering of this strap that distributes the weight to make the bag seem much lighter than it really is. The website says that it combines “a soft, durable neoprene pad with comfortable stretch backing to make bags feel 50% lighter and 100% more comfortable.”  I don’t know how it works, but it is like magic.  I can fit many more objects in the Ristretto than the Urban Encompass bag, so clearly the bag is much heavier, and yet with the Absolute Shoulder Strap it feels lighter.

Attorney David Sparks of the MacSparky blog reviewed the Ristretto for iPad last year and noted: “I’ve also found myself repurposing The Absolute Shoulder Strap with all my various bags.”  I may have to look and see if there is a way that I can get this strap to work with my briefcase the next time that I use my briefcase.  It seems silly to say this, but this optional strap is truly as much a selling point for Tom Bihn’s Ristretto bag as the bag itself is.

By the way, the Ristretto also comes with a waist strap that you can use if you are riding a bike or otherwise need to keep it very close to your body.  I didn’t need this, and it is easily removed.

Conclusion

As I mentioned in my last post, my research into a good bag for my iPad narrowed me down to the Encompass Urban and the Ristretto.  Had I not had the opportunity to use both bags, I might have opted for the Encompass Urban simply because it is only $50.  And frankly, I would have been very happy with the Encompass Urban because it really is a great bag.  But now that I have had an opportunity to use both bags for a long period of time, it is clear that the Ristretto really is a much nicer bag.  It is more durable, it has better compartments, the o-ring design gives you even more options for storing items, and the Absolute Shoulder Strap is amazing.

Keep in mind, though, that to really get the most out of the Ristretto you need to spend more than just the $110 for the bag.  At a minimum, you are going to want to spend $20 for the Aboslute Shoulder Strap plus you will want to get two or three accessory pouches, which can run around $10 or so each.  Thus, it is easy to spend $150 or more for the Ristretto with accessories, three times the cost of the Encompass Urban.  It really is worth it, though.  Much like the iPad and the iPhone, I have grown to consider the Ristretto to be my trusty companion.  It has received a lot of abuse, going through countless airports, being tucked under lots of airplane seats, being stepped on and dropped many times, and the bag itself — and most importantly the contents such as my iPad — have held up just fine thanks to the durable materials and top notch construction (made in the USA).  The Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad is now my favorite third party accessory for the iPad, and I strongly recommend that you consider it if you are looking for a great way to carry around your iPad.

Click here to get the Tom Bihn Ristretto from the manufacturer ($110 + more for accessories).

There was a time when I would often use my briefcase to take my laptop back and forth to work and to take my laptop with me when I traveled.  Those days began to come to an end the day I started using an iPad, and nowadays I never bring my laptop home from the office or take it with me when I travel.  I can do everything that I need to do with my iPad, which is a fraction of the weight, has much better battery life, and is a much more enjoyable device to use.  When I need to use a desktop application that doesn’t exist on the iPad, I can always connect to my office using Citrix or connect to my computer sitting in my office using LogMeIn Ignition.  But how do I take my iPad back and forth to work every day and carry it when I travel?  For a while I was using my briefcase, but that is really way too big for the iPad, and now that I try to keep all of my documents in electronic form (usually PDF) on my iPad, I don’t even need the extra space in my briefcase to carry papers.  What I needed was a small bag that would hold the iPad and some key accessories, including my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard, for going to and from work and for traveling.  I suspect that many of you have the exact same need. 

I visited a ton of product and review websites, asked lots of people for advice (including iPhone J.D. readers) and got some great tips, and finally narrowed down my research to two products.  Both companies sent me review units at no cost, and I’ve been using them both for well over a month now.  They are both fantastic and I give them both strong recommendations.  Today I’m talking about the BoxWave Encompass Urban Bag, which is less expensive ($48.95) and overall has fewer features, but for many people will be the best choice.  In a few days I’ll talk about the other product, the Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad ($110, and around $150 with accessories).

BoxWave’s Encompass Urban Bag

The main reason that you get a bag like this is to safely carry your iPad.  I wanted something that would fit the iPad 2 with the Apple Smart Cover attached.  The main compartment of the Encompass Urban is divided in two.  One half is for the iPad.  It is well padded for protection, and once your iPad is inside a flap folds down and attaches with velcro so that your iPad won’t slide out, even if the main compartment is open.  In the other half of the main compartment, I put my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard.  (In the first picture below I am using a Kensington PowerLift just to prop open the inside of the bag so that you can see it, but normally I would store a battery like that in the external pouch.)

One side of the Encompass Urban has a large flap attached by velcro.  Open it up to reveal two large pockets about 4" x 6" in size.  Each pocket can stretch out to hold about 1.5" of items.  Inside of each pocket is a secondary netted pocket so that you can separate items within the pockets.  I also often put a stylus in the netted pocket, with the clip attached to the netting to keep it in place.  There is also loop made of elastic.  I found the loop a little large for a pen or stylus; it does a good job holding a marker and I imagine would do well holding a thick stylus.  With the large velcro flap closed, items inside of the two large pockets are safe and will not fall out of the Encompass Urban.

The other side of the Encompass Urban has one large pocket on the entire side, about 8.5" wide and almost 8" tall.  There is one small piece of velcro in the middle of the top of the pocket that keeps the pocket closed, but beware that smaller items could slip out of the sides.  If you just ignore the velcro, you can easily tuck a larger item into this side pocket such as a magazine.

A bag like this has to do a good job of holding items, but it also has to be easy to carry.  There are two ways to carry the Encompass Urban.  First, there are two small straps that work well when you want to carry the bag in your hand.  But I found that I almost never used them, and fortunately there is a small compartment on each side of the bag that allows you to tuck away the handle so that it is out of the way.  Instead, I almost always use the included padded shoulder strap that attaches easily to the bag with metallic bindings.  (You can easily remove the strap if you just want to use the small handles.)  The padded portion of the strap that sits on your shoulder has netting to give it friction on your shoulder to make it harder for the bag to slip off your arm.  It worked reasonably well, although after walking a distance I would find the strap slipping down so I would have to push it back up.  There were a few times when I was rushing in an airport to catch a tight connection, and I would put the strap on my other shoulder so that the straps were diagonal across my body.  That position held the Encompass Urban bag very well.  It’s not a position I would want to use very often because it is a little annoying to have a strap across my chest, but for those rare times when needed, the position kept this bag secure on my body.

BoxWave makes lots of great products for the iPhone and iPad, including the great BoxWave Capactive Styra and the BoxWave Capacitive iPad Stylus.  They know what iPad and iPhone owners need, and thus it comes as no surprise that I have really enjoyed using the Encompass Urban bag.  The entire bag is nicely padded so all of the contents are safe.  It very easy to store all of my essential iPad and iPhone items in this bag:  the iPad 2 with cover, the keyboard, external batteries, power cords, VGA adapter cord, pen, stylus, and other small accessories.  Thus, I can carry those items with me, and as an added bonus I always know to go to the bag to find those items.  This is also a great small travel bag for when you are on an airplane.  You can put it under the seat in front of you and, unlike a briefcase, there is still tons of room for your feet, and in that location it is easy to access your iPad once you hit 10,000 feet.

I find that when you have too many items in the outside pockets, the bag stretches somewhat making it a little harder to close the main compartment when you have the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard in there.  It will close, but it can get a little snug.  With fewer items in the outside pockets this problem disappears, and if you don’t plan on carrying something as long as that keyboard, you won’t run into this problem even with full outside pockets.

This bag also lacks some features of the Tom Binh Ristretto that I will be reviewing in a few days, but the BoxWave Encompass Urban Bag is nevertheless a fantastic bag at a fraction of the price ($50 versus $110 for the Tom Binh plus around $40 in accessories that you will want to get).  If you are looking for an easy way to carry your iPad and accessories around, you’ll love this bag, and at only $50 it is very affordable for what it gives you.

Click here to get the BoxWave Encompass Urban Bag from Amazon ($48.95)

For Father’s Day yesterday, I received a very cute card from my kids (with a lot of help from my wife, and inspired by this page).  It was a Father’s Day card shaped like an iPad, so they called it the iDad.  Instead of opening up the entire card, you open each app to reveal words on the card.  Very cute.  Obviously, my family really knows what I like!  If you are a father, I hope you had a great day yesterday.  I certainly did.  (If you are looking for another version of an iPad greeting card, see this page.)