Tablet PC Lawyer Blog

Loving My Tablet PC

The Greatest American Lawyer has this post at his blog:

About six weeks ago, I ordered a Lenovo (IBM ThinkPad) Tablet PC. It took a couple of weeks for my staff to transition into my new computer, getting it set up with the appropriate software and connectivity options. But I’m now at the point where it has replaced my old laptop on my trusty laptop cart.

What do I think thus far? This computer rocks. I never appreciated the unexpected benefit of being able to turn your screen and lye it flat on the computer, converting the laptop into a tablet. The ability to carry a computer around like a notepad is truly transformational. Whether I am with a client or in court, I am no longer forced to sit behind a computer screen in order to use technology. The Lenovo is lighter and smaller than a normal laptop. There is no cd rom drive making it much thinner. The one-note notepad, which allows me to write directly on the computer screen and store notes in a single location, provides central information management. These benefits were fully realized at trial two weeks ago. I had all of my exhibits and depositions bookmarked in Adobe. I was flying around the courtroom with my laptop in hand, as I used my stylist to navigate between depositions and documents; I quickly realized that neither the witness nor the Judge could keep up with their paper copies. This gave me the ability to stay ahead of everyone and to read through the key materials while people flipped pages. I moved through my cross examination quickly in a completely focused strategic fashion. By the end of the testimony, the Plaintiff had recanted all of the prior testimony that supported their claims resulting in a directed verdict. By halfway through the examination, the witness was actually looking at my Lenovo as though it was alive and evil. She stopped disagreeing with me ‘because she knew my computer had all the right answers.

About six weeks ago, I ordered a Lenovo (IBM ThinkPad) Tablet PC. It took a couple of weeks for my staff to transition into my new computer, getting it set up with the appropriate software and connectivity options. But I’m now at the point where it has replaced my old laptop on my trusty laptop cart.

What do I think thus far? This computer rocks. I never appreciated the unexpected benefit of being able to turn your screen and lye it flat on the computer, converting the laptop into a tablet. The ability to carry a computer around like a notepad is truly transformational. Whether I am with a client or in court, I am no longer forced to sit behind a computer screen in order to use technology. The Lenovo is lighter and smaller than a normal laptop. There is no cd rom drive making it much thinner. The one-note notepad, which allows me to write directly on the computer screen and store notes in a single location, provides central information management. These benefits were fully realized at trial two weeks ago. I had all of my exhibits and depositions bookmarked in Adobe. I was flying around the courtroom with my laptop in hand, as I used my stylist to navigate between depositions and documents; I quickly realized that neither the witness nor the Judge could keep up with their paper copies. This gave me the ability to stay ahead of everyone and to read through the key materials while people flipped pages. I moved through my cross examination quickly in a completely focused strategic fashion. By the end of the testimony, the Plaintiff had recanted all of the prior testimony that supported their claims resulting in a directed verdict. By halfway through the examination, the witness was actually looking at my Lenovo as though it was alive and evil. She stopped disagreeing with me ‘because she knew my computer had all the right answers.

A Tablet PC makes sense for a lawyer

Ben Cowgill, at Solo Law Blawg, has posted the following article about Tablet PCs:

I was very interested to see that my friend Dennis Kennedy has come out in favor of the Tablet PC computing platform.  Dennis knows as much about legal technology as anyone you'll meet, and he's not one to recommend a technology that isn't practical or "ready for prime time."  Thus, his favorable comments about Tablet PCs are strong evidence that the platform has finally arrived.

I have been using a Gateway Tablet PC for six or eight months, and I agree wholeheartedly with Dennis' assessment. Indeed, my Tablet PC has become my favorite piece of equipment -- the tool I enjoy using the most.  Here are two reasons why:

• First, a Tablet PC is an ideal way of taking computerized notes in a meeting, deposition or conference.  Many lawyers feel uncomfortable banging out notes on the keyboard of a laptop computer when other business and professional people are sitting across the table.  That's understandable, because it can be difficult to type on the keyboard of a computer sitting in your lap, and placing the computer on the table requires you to lean forward out of your chair and creates a wall between you and the person facing you. It's much more natural to make handwritten notes on the screen of a computer lying in your lap, just as if you were taking notes on a yellow legal pad.
• Second, it's now feasible to use a Tablet PC in that way because the software has finally arrived.  With programs like Microsoft OneNote and MindJet MindManager -- not to mention "applets" like Windows Journal and Sticky Notes -- you can take handwritten notes on a Tablet PC in a fluid and natural way while a meeting is in progress.  Later, you can organize, clean up, edit and convert the handwritten notes as necessary to make them more useful, or simply leave them in their original form as the computer-based equivalent of pages from a legal pad.  That may seem like a "high tech" approach to a simple task, but once you have enjoyed the confidence and convenience of knowing that all of your notes are on your computer (not stuck the back of a Redweld), you'll probably decide that it's exactly the kind of help you want from your technology.

In each of those respects, a Tablet PC is a good fit for the practice of law.

Tablet PCs - very useful tool for lawyers

The following article appears on the excellent blog PDF for Lawyers, published by Ernie Svenson (also the author of the equally excellent blog, Ernie the Attorney):

I've had a chance to play with a Tablet PC for several months now, and I'm quite impressed.  To me, the Tablet shines in at least two arenas: (1) courtrooms, and (2) meetings.  In these settings a laptop is often acceptable (though sometimes not) but is awkward.  When you use a Tablet people tend not to notice that you have a computer in your hands, and that creates a much better social dynamic.  There are no doubt many reasons for this, but the reasons don't matter.  If you ever have the chance to test out what I'm saying you'll understand immediately.

The trick with Tablets is to learn to use the pen stylus to do your input.  Yes, I know that many of you can input faster with a keyboard (so can I).  But when you're in court, or in a meeting, you usually aren't inputting a lot of information, usually just taking notes or looking for information.  A stylus is perfectly acceptable for taking notes (remember how to use a pen and notepad?), or for pulling up information on your Tablet.

I could say a lot about the Tablet, and I plan to, but for now I'll say that if you want to learn more then visit the Tablet Lawyer blog, which is run by James Province.  He is a lawyer in Washington and knows how to use Tablet PCs in the practice of law, and his site is devoted to helping other lawyers learn how to use Tablets.

SOURCE: PDF For Lawyers

Future Lawyers Get a Look at Tools for Tomorrow's Law Office

Some of the brightest minds in U.S. law schools work on law reviews, quarterly publications of scholarly legal writing. The students write and edit articles that shape the nation's legal fabric, providing analysis of recent court cases, legal theory, public policy and jurisprudence read extensively within the professional legal community.

Tomorrow's legal leaders recently got a preview of what the next-generation law office might look like with a demonstration of Tablet PC and a preview of Microsoft Office System 2003 at the annual National Conference of Law Reviews (NCLR), hosted by Seattle University School of Law.

To help focus the conference on how technology is changing life in the legal community, conference organizers Colin Folawn and Michael Gordie invited Microsoft and Toshiba to show students how they could use the Tablet PC and Office System 2003 in their law careers.

Seattle University and its law school have been exceptionally aggressive in integrating technology into their curriculum. The law school has its own Dean of Information Services, Stephen Burnett, and each student is required to have a laptop that can connect to the school's high-bandwidth network, which provides wired and wireless Internet access from anywhere on campus. The Seattle University Law School Law Review was also one of the first reviews to move a portion of the extensive editing and review process online a few years ago, using a file share and the track changes in Word to electronically manage the many layers of edits each article receives before going to print.

Tablet PC vs Laptops

James Dwiggins explains the differences between Tablet PCs and Laptops in this demo from VREO Inc.

Apple Mac vs PC Spoof Ad Part 3 - Neo-fight.tv

Apple Mac vs PC Spoof Ad Part 2 - Neo-fight.tv

Apple Mac vs PC Spoof Ad Part 1 - Neo-fight.tv

I discovered a series of really clever videos which parody the Mac-PC commercials and feature the differences bewteen a Mac and a Tablet PC. Here is the first:

Is The Time Right for Tablet PCs?

Craig Pringle has a great blog post called "Now is the Time for Tablets" that argues that the time is now right for moving to the Tablet PC. Craig's post is well-reasoned and I highly recommend that you read the whole post. The bottom line is that Tablet PCs really make sense for lawyers.

The cosmic forces are aligning for the Tablet PC and I believe that 2006 and 2007 will be the years that the Tablet PC really makes the big time.  Yeah, I know people have been saying that since 2002 when Microsoft first launched Windows XP Tablet Edition.  In fact some people have been saying that long before 2002 as tablet like products have come and gone and been wrong.  Times have changed.

Why is the time right?

In my opinion there are several key influences that have been driving Tablet adoption in the last year and there are a couple more important events on the horizon.  These key influences are:

·         Mobile computing in general is taking off.

·         Connectivity is trending towards being universal.

·         The limitations of battery life are being reduced.

·         The range of devices available is increasing.

·         The range of software written to be tablet aware or tablet specific is increasing.

·         The marginal cost of a tablet over a laptop is decreasing.

·         Awareness of the Tablet PC as an option is increasing.

·         The distinction between “Laptop” and “Tablet” is going to be removed with Windows Vista.

Individually each of the above is important and each deserves more of an explanation.

The rise of Mobile Computing

In general computer users are becoming more mobile.  As the technologies such as connectivity and battery – discussed below - have improved users have consistently raised their expectations about what they should be able to do in the field.  Most pundants expect that Mobile PC sales will soon outstrip traditional desktop sales.  I have heard some say that in New Zealand and Australia this will occur in 2006.  I believe that there is another thing going on here as well.  As mobile computers start to dominate the market personal computers will become, well, personal.  In the consumer space you will see more households where rather than a shared household desktop computer each person will have their own mobile personal computer.

Connectivity is becoming more universal

Increasingly Internet access is available when and where you need it and the cost of these ad-hoc connections is relatively low.  Public paid Wi-Fi access points are showing up in cafes, airport lounges, doctors offices, dentist waiting rooms, buses, trains, bus and train stations and many more places.  In addition to this 3G mobile technologies such as EVDO allow you to have your Internet connection with you and the coverage of celluar networks is expanding.  Expect to see EVDO modules embedded in some Tablet devices soon.

Limitations of battery life are reducing

This is coming about for two reasons.  Firstly – many devices, such as the Motion LE 1600 and the Toshiba M400 have optional expansion batteries that greatly extend the running time of the tablet pc.  The second factor that is removing limitations of battery life is less obvious, but just as relevant.  There are more places where a traveller can plug their tablet in and recharge.  Power outlets are available in some cafes, airport lounges and even on some flights.  This helps extend the reach of the mobile worker.

The range of devices available is increasing

There are a staggering array of Tablet PCs available.  They come in all shapes and sizes and – as the UMPC devices start shipping – this is increasing rapidly. In addition to this the UMPCs may be the harbinger of another trend.  Some UMPCs have cameras, some have inbuilt GPS and some don't have any special inbuilt hardware. Could this trend extend to traditional tablets? 

Whatever the case the range is a far cry from the situation in 2002 when the tablet was launched.  Back then some tablet buyers felt like Goldilocks – but there was no option that was “just right”.  As the range continues to increase more and more tablet buyers will be able to find the model that slots nicely into their work and or life.

The range of software available is increasing

This is the biggie.  More and more clever developers are making software that is not only tablet aware but that truly leverages tablet functionality.  Some great examples of this include:

·         Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 – includes a pen mode that allows you to insert, delete, cut, copy and paste (and much more) with a stroke.  It also allows direct ink text entry and this can optionally be converted from ink to text if you so desire.

·         Jumping Minds Ink Gestures – a plug in for Word 2003 that allows you to apply formatting and corrections to word documents with the pen.

·         Tablet Enhancements for Outlook – commonly known as TEO version 3 is currently in beta.  TEO is a plug in for Outlook 2003 that ink enables common tasks, such as creating tasks, adding contacts, creating appointments and the like.

There are also more and more developers who are aware of the Tablet as a mobile PC platform option.  This is leading to more developers writing point solutions and line of business applications for the Tablet PC.

The marginal cost of a tablet over a laptop is decreasing

There use to be a significant price premium for a Tablet PC over a traditional laptop.  It is still the case that a Tablet PC is more expensive than an equivalent laptop, but not by as much. 

A person shopping for a laptop may look at a similar tablet and think “would I be willing to pay $x more to get some additional features and flexibility?”  As the differential decreases more consumers and businesses may be finding that they can justify the additional cost where perhaps they could not before.

Awareness is on the rise

Like developers, users are becoming more aware that the Tablet PC exists as a mobile option.  As more people become aware of the tablet more people will buy them.

The lines are being erased (or at least blurred)

This is an interesting one.  With Windows Vista “Tablet Edition” will cease to exist.  Several SKUs of Vista will simply support tablet features if installed on tablet hardware.  Indeed Tablet Features is simply a Windows Component that you can add via the control panel.  If you look at the range of devices available today a remove the OS distinction, there are several devices that could use tablet features.  For example the Sony U range and the Itronix GoBook III both include touch screens.  If they were running Vista they could use ink. 

Today you can group mobile computers running XP into three broad categories.  On one end of the scale is the traditional laptop.  Down the other end of the scale is the slate Tablet PC.  In the middle somewhere are the convertible tablets.  Right now there are not really any gray areas as the laptops run Windows XP and the slate and convertible tablets run Windows XP Tablet Edition.  When Windows Vista ships there will not be three distinct categories as there are now.  Instead there will be a continuum with devices at all points along the scale.  Some examples of this have already begun to surface.  For Example the Itronix GoBook III is a laptop with a touch screen and as such would rest between a traditional laptop and a convertible tablet.  Similarly the concept device Toshiba had on show at CES this year was a convertible tablet with a removable screen.  The screen could be removed, but it could not operate independently.  Therefore this device would rest somewhere between a convertible tablet and a slate tablet.

Bringing it all together

Each of the above points is important in its own right, but taken together there effect will be much more dramatic.  To put it in a nutshell it can be summed up like this.  More computer users are becoming mobile computer users.  Among this growing mobile segment a greater percentage are aware of the tablet as on option.  If they do consider the tablet option they are more likely to find a device that suits their needs and because there is more software there is more they can do with a tablet that they can’t do with other devices.  They will also find that there are more places that they can use and charge their tablet, meaning that they can stay in the field longer.  This is further enhanced by the extended battery life now available.  All this and the premium the user is going to pay is less than it has ever been before.  Is it tablet time?  You bet.

SOURCE: Blog: Craig Pringle and DennisKennedy.com

When The Pen Is Mightier Than The Keyboard

The following article by Alan Pearlman was published in 2003, but still is useful in describing th benefits of Tablet PC's:

Sitting in court with a notebook computer is no longer a new or innovative sight to behold. However, most judges and opposing counsel will agree that the noise of the clattering keys can be very disturbing to the case. Most judges, at one time or another, have kept a glaring eye on counsel as they pounded away with flying fingers.

The scenario is quite different when I use my Hewlett-Packard Compaq TC1000 Tablet PC (approximately $1,700, www.hp.com). All I do is what lawyers have traditionally done: write my notes, questions, and other musings by hand in a quiet and comfortable manner. I have used the tablet in all forms of trials and pre-trials, without any hint of a problem. And when I return from the courthouse, all my notes are automatically transcribed, in Microsoft Word, with just two keystrokes. And there’s another advantage: Because my tablet is equipped with a wireless modem, I have the instant ability to obtain documents I may have left behind and even to confer with my colleagues at the office—all while I’m sitting in the courtroom.

The HP Tablet has proven to be a boon to my efficiency, especially since it’s really three computers in one. I no longer need a notebook or a desktop. I have a docking station into which I place the tablet when I return to the office, and—voilá!—I’m on my network, with all the full features and functionality of a desktop (like a keyboard, mouse, and screen). And rather than a notebook, I have a keyboard that goes with and travels light, right along and attached to the tablet for those times that I prefer to type.

SOURCE: American Bar Association GPSolo Magazine