. . . MicroLaw’s current and prospective clients! Yes, we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this June. We’ve somehow managed to persevere through DOS, all manners of Windows silliness, the Mac life cycle and endless tech trials and tribulations to find ourselves finishing our first quarter century serving the tech and practice management needs of over a thousand law firm and legal department clients.

25 year – 1985 was a very different legal technology world. We were smack dab in the heyday of DOS, WordPerfect 4.2, early versions of Tabs 3 (wow – they’ve been around forever too) and a time when Novell, the network company was also being founded . . . and a company, still considered an upstart, had released its first Macintosh just a year earlier. In some ways, I think that legal technology was actually a bit more effective 25 years ago, but then the “good old days,” viewed through the therapeutic filter of time, were never quite as good as we recall them.

But I digress (he said, waxing nostalgically . . . ). Let’s talk about now. We’ve been trying to come up with some way to thank current and future MicroLaw clients – as we enter our second quarter-century of service. In these times, the best way to say “thanks” is with . . . and this may seem a tad crass . . . but with discounts (you knew that was coming).

From now – today – March 10, 2010, through December 31st of this year, we are offering a whole range of discounts on MicroLaw professional services (for work performed from this point forward). There are discounts on our award-winning legal technology training on everything from Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Windows and Publisher, to our core disciplines including Tabs 3, PracticeMaster, Worldox document management,  Acrobat and scanning, TimeMatters, Worldox and more. We’re also offering discounts on tech support and most importantly on something we’ve never offered discounts on . . . our practice technology evaluations and “check-ups.”

Who doesn’t want / need to save some money these days? Everyone, right? So not only can we thank you by saving you money helping figure out how to MAKE more money by smarter use of the technology tools you already have, but we can show you several field-proven ways to generate returns of 5-25% from just a few technology tips (including various iterations of our now 20 year old Paper LESS Office approach, through practice management use and more).

Every week we’ll offer a new discount on services your practice needs (we ALL need SOME kind of help, even if it’s just a kind and friendly ear sometimes, right?).

Our 25th Anniversary Deal of the Week:

This week through March 19th – get $25 off the cost of every hour of MicroLaw legal technology training courses! The savings can add up really quickly (you don’t need to be trained by the 19th, just schedule your sessions – which can be done remotely via our GoToMeeting system anywhere in the world).

So guys – ask me. We’re ready to help for the next 25 years!

Courtesy of Law Technology News on 2/1/10, my article on netbooks, as follows:

Netbooks — those diminutive minicomputers that you’re seeing in airports and coffee shops — have more power than you might expect. Your first instinct may be that a netbook might be a handy way to work when you’re stuck in coach with limited elbow room; or when you want a better way to check e-mail before you go to bed than trying to read a Word doc on your BlackBerry.

In other words, you might expect a netbook to be a part-time adjunct to a full-size laptop or desktop system.

But many netbook owners are finding that “occasional” has become “most of the time.” Netbooks can feel just as responsive as the bulkier, more costly full-size laptops. This raises the inevitable question: “Is there any reason I can’t use a netbook as my primary computer system?”

MATURING
One thing is certain: Netbooks certainly are maturing. A new generation of Intel netbook processors, the N450 “Pine Trail” series, was launched in December. The additional processing power of this main brain versus its predecessor Intel N270 chip opens up a range of desktop-replacement abilities that previously skirted the edge of practicality.

Most new netbooks follow the current standard of a 10″ display, a weight of about three pounds, and at least six hours of battery run time. Netbooks are also in operating system transition, from Microsoft’s Windows XP Home to Windows 7 Starter Edition.

The fundamental question when considering a netbook as your primary PC is processing capability: “Can I run all the programs I need to manage my practice, simultaneously, at a reasonable speed?”

For most of us, this includes at least four programs:
1. A word processor, likely a recent vintage of Word.
2. E-mail , with Outlook or Outlook Web Access the probable candidate.
3. Browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Google’s Chrome, Mozilla’s Firefox, or Apple’s Safari).
4. A practice/document management application.

MY EXPERIENCE
My own experience, with Lenovo’s S10 and Samsung’s NC20 (both upgraded, inexpensively, to 2 GB RAM), has been very positive when running five programs. The netbooks are often my primary workhorse systems, with my trusty Lenovo Thinkpad T61 full-size laptop relegated to my laptop bag.

Lenovo’s S10/S12 models cost about $300 to $450 respectively, with the 10-inch and 12-inch displays being the distinctive difference. The S12 model incorporates a top-notch keyboard. Some models have larger hard drives, up to 250 or even 320 GB.

COMPONENTS
The following components can turn any modern netbook into a fully-functioning stationary (and mobile) workstation for a lawyer:

• Docking device to connect the netbook to other devices — such as an LCD display, printers, keyboards, wired high speed internet, etc.

For example, Toshiba’s $149 Dynadock U USB or Wireless U models allow up to three video displays via a single USB connection to any netbook.

Budget about $175 to $200 for a 22-inch LCD display, and another $100 for a wireless keyboard/mouse kit.

• An external USB hard drive for data backup (potentially partitioned to allow additional storage space when docked in the office).

There are very attractively-priced 1 TB drives, such as Western Digital’s My Book Essential series, available for as little as $90.

At least three drives are preferable for an alternating media-based backup scheme. Use data backup software, such as Acronis’s TrueImage Home 2010 for daily backups (about $60).

• Power Protection : Use electrical protection, for your docked home/office setup — as well as a portable surge protector for your laptop bag. Never, ever plug in without it.

For the office, brands such as APC, Tripplite and Belkin offer multiple outlet surge strips for less than $30. Tripplite’s Traveler is a $20 two-outlet, compact portable surge protector that is intended for mobile systems.

• Portable scanners can turn physical paper into PDFs when connected to your netbook via the office port replicator. These can be powered via your netbook’s USB port. Fujitsu’s ScanSnap S300 tips the scales at three pounds with a cost of about $255.

LOW COST
This complete setup, sans only your program software and requisite system maintenance utilities (e.g., an anti-malware suite and anti-metadata tools), can cost as little as $1,200. This buys a system ready to dock at your desk and easily portable when you hit the road.

Personal preferences vary; our colleague Donna Payne, in a recent Test Drive column, finds netbooks still a bit clunky for her needs. But unless your legal computing needs require more than four or five simultaneously running applications, you just might find that a netbook can be a very cost-effective, very portable, very dockable alternative to a full-size laptop or desktop system.

Here are a few tips to help you select the netbook that is best-suited for your particular mobile law practice approach, with the least dent to your technology budget:

1. How big are your fingers? All netbooks are not created equal — it’s important to choose a netbook that is comfortable. Face it, if you’re an ex-high school linebacker with fingers as big as a bassoon, the only keyboards that might have a chance of working for you would be the larger 12-inch models. The 10-inch versions, with more compact keyboards, will frustrate you.

But if you have the thin, agile fingers of a pianist, a 10-inch netbook may hit the note. Before ordering a netbook online (no matter what brand), find one of similar proportions at a local retailer and try out the keyboard.

2. How good are your eyes? Those of us on the far side of 40 may struggle and squint at the smaller screens on 10-inch units. The extra two inches of screen real estate offered by larger netbooks might make all the difference. As above, scout out netbooks to be sure you’re visually comfortable with the displays and the size of the characters.

3. To tablet or not? Netbook-sized tablets are just becoming available. As with traditionaltablets such as theLenovo Thinkpad X series, and various Hewlett Packard and Fujitsu models, these netbooks have touch-sensitive screens that accept stylus input. This means you can jot handwritten notes and fill-in on-screen forms, and use tablet-friendly software tools such as Microsoft’s OneNote.

Netbook tablets include Lenovo’s newly announced Ideapad S10-3t with a 10-inch tablet display and Asus’ EEE T91-MT model with an 8.9-inch tablet display.

4. Where to buy? We all want to spend as little as possible — the economy makes it mandatory to be as frugal as possible.

Online options include Pricegrabber.com, C|Net’s Shopper.com and Google Product Search (google.com/products) to track down the best possible pricing for your netbook — as well as related accessories.

One example is pre-release pricing on the new Lenovo Netbook Tablet, the S10-3t. It is listed as $549 on the Lenovo website — but only $499 from Amazon.com.

Aside from Amazon, with a wide range of netbooks available, other netbook-heavy web merchants include NewEgg.com and Provantage.com — both with a solid reputation for service and responsiveness, in addition to routinely lowest-in-category pricing.

Happy shopping!

I’ve been deluged with emails about my most recent Technolawyer SmallLaw column entitled: “Ending the SaaS Stalemate in the Small Firm Market.” It will be distributed soon on the Technolawyer SmallLaw blog here if you didn’t get the regular distribution via email (and if you don’t receive them “freshly out of the oven” it’s free to subscribe here). Readers seem to be interpreting my statements regarding the need to focus more on core functionality of legal SaaS applications and just accept the fact that the logistical issues will work themselves out (i.e. ethical issues related to storing confidential client information with third parties, online accessibility and offline access, data security, business continuity in the event of entity failure, etc.).

To be clear – I am absolutely NOT suggesting we give SaaS applications a free pass on logistics issues. On the contrary, I feel as intensely strongly about those issues as I ever have, especially offline, real-world access to online data in the event of a loss of net connectivity or a business failure of the SaaS provider. My point is that it’s just time to stop letting the debate about SaaS getting mired in the muck about SaaS v. Installed Apps. My position is simple – if Salesforce.com can be a multi-billion dollar trusted SaaS provider to the enterprise corporate world, there’s no reason to believe that the young legal SaaS providers won’t address all the logistics issues. And of course, I want to see them addressed much sooner rather than later. I personally have a very hard time recommending a SaaS core application (i.e. billing or practice management) in the absence of an immediately usable offline module or capability.

But the improvement of the breed requires us to shift our focus from these near non sequiturs to the debate that matters: features. Do these applications have the functionality we need to accomplish whatever they are intended to do – to be the financial engine for our practices or the central beating information hearts of a law firm or legal department? That is the question we need to focus on – it’s what users ultimately care about. So blow away all the swirling smoke obscuring the real argument already guys – that’s what I was saying!

But SaaS folks – I’m not giving ANY of you a free pass on the logistics issues (take note Jack at CLIO – I think your blog post overstates my position here:  - get ‘em done – correctly and soon before many of us who influence others in the legal technology world lose patience.

With that said, I think it’s time to acknowledge SaaS is here, it’s not going away and that it’s on the verge of feeling “mainstream.”

Folks, I have the great pleasure to announce a four city CLE series beginning this week in Nashville, followed in short order by Boston, New York and then Hartford in April. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Tabs 3 / PracticeMaster and Worldox GX2, from Software Technology Inc. and World Software, respectively, I’ll be delivering a series of hard-hitting, ultra-practical, put-it-to-use-in-your-practice now CLE programs. Many of you know that, as one of the relatively few independent consultancies in the legal technology industry, MicroLaw has long believed in, and recommended the combination of the Tabs 3 legal financial system, the PracticeMaster practice management system and the Worldox document/email/paper management program. Together, they work as a tightly integrated team of functionality to power any law practice’s move to build and rely on completely contiguous electronic case files. More and more MicroLaw clients – practices of all sizes and types – are migrating from a variety of other systems to these products.

The two companies, led by Dan Berlin of STI and Ray Zweifelhofer of World Software, have long demonstrated a deep commitment to more than just hawking their wares (admittedly very competent, class-leading, multi-awarded wares), but to educating the legal market through their support of CLE events worldwide. I’ll be talking in large part about how the collection of integrated practice / document / email / financial management information, unified electronically by Tabs 3, PracticeMaster, Worldox and Microsoft Outlook have become the “efficiency engine of choice” for so many law firms and legal departments. I’ll be talking about a “day in the life” perspective of how lawyers and legal professionals can each realistically “buy back” at least 15-30 minutes of additional billable time every single work day by virtue of the use of a well-implemented mix of these software systems (and BTW, MicroLaw’s Renee Kodner and Abraham Liebsch, along with yours truly, have a quarter century of experience helping firms with just these kinds of transitions – click here to ask for more info and also about our 25th Anniversary current/new client promotions to help save money).

With that said, Tabs and Worldox bring us the following appearances I’ll be making over the next six weeks:

• Tennessee Bar’s LawTech 2010 in Nashville. March 5th with full information here: https://www.tnbaru.com/CLE/catalog_course_details.php?course=6217. I’ll be speaking on a variety of topics including my ever-popular Paper LESS Office topic which directly addresses the necessity of an integrated practice/document/email/financial management system. I’ll also be doing a really useful social media program with the King of legal internet marketing and dear friend, Greg Siskind.
• Massachusetts Bar’s AC10 LPM Track in Boston, March 12th with full information here: http://www.massbar.org/for-attorneys/calendar/mba-events/annual-conference-2010. Again, I’ll be speaking on the electronic case file approach as part of my Paper LESS Office presentation, as well as a rollicking 60 Sites program with Rodney Dowell, Alan Klevan and the inimitable Bob Ambroggi.
  
• New York State Bar LPM CLE in Manhattan, March 23rd with full information here: http://www.nysba.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Events1&Template=/Conference/ConferenceDescByRegClass.cfm&ConferenceID=3982. I’ll be presenting my Tightwad Technology for Tough & Trying Times and the Portable Law Office – six sessions throughout the day with the Paper LESS Office and Practice Management getting heavy emphasis.
  
• Connecticut Bar Foundation Law & Technology Symposium in Hartford at UCONN Law School, Friday, April 9th. I’ll be speaking on a broad range of tech topics along with other techno.pals, Bob Ambroggi and Kevin O’Keefe. Online info not yet available.

So be sure to stop by and say hi if you’re able to come to any of these four programs. And by all means, a tip of the hat to series sponsors STI (Tabs 3 and PracticeMaster) and the integrated Worldox GX2 document/email/paper management system from Word Software. See you around!

Yesterday I discovered the Twitter persona, FakeRossKodner at www.twitter.com/FakeRossKodner. Yes folks, it’s my very own unauthorized parody Twitter account!

To say that I’m flattered would be an understatement. After all, think about the kind of people who have an admirer / stalker / PW (personal whackjob) create a “fake” info source for them. The only person I can think of off the top of my head is Steve Jobs and the famous Fake Steve Jobs site (now at http://www.fakesteve.net/) that got tons of press for years. I actually can’t recall a single other person in the history of the legal technology world that has their own unauthorized fake site, fake Twitter feed, fake blog, fake social media account, etc. So for a major ego boost, who could ask for more?

So to think that I’m in the same kind of category – ANY kind of similar category to his Steveness is wildly flattering. On the other hand, Steve Jobs doesn’t exactly have the reputation of being a particularly nice guy and I do think I’m a pretty decent sort most of the time :-)

So to whomever has the extra time on their hands to write a parody Twitter feed of me (and I love the really frightening picture he/she found – I think it was taken during either a CLE I did in Montreal last year or in Chicago – it kind of reminds me, disturbingly, of the Nuremberg Rally . . . egads!), I salute you. As long as you don’t cross the libel line (in which case, I will press Twitter to remove the account), go for it – I got quite a good laugh yesterday and we all could use more humor in our lives, right?

Oh, in case you grassy knoll conspiracy theorist types might be wondering . . . no, it’s not me writing it (although I have to admit, I wish I had thought of it :-)).

As a Macbook owner, I have tended to be nearly fanatical about taking care of my svelte aluminum-chassis’d machine, wanting to preserve it’s factory-new appearance. I carry it in a Civilian Lab Gear Air Manila leather sleeve but a new Macbook cover caught my attention yesterday. It’s called the BookBook:

BookBook from TwelveSouth

It’s from TwelveSouth. It envelopes the Macbook in what appears to be a vintage leather hardbound book. So not only does it provide a safe and secure cocoon for your Macbook, it also serves as a disguise, discouraging thievery (other than from those on the prowl for first editions :-). $79.99 – and they just look cool, which is an intrinsic part of the Mac ethos, right?

Saw this announcement yesterday from the ABA Law Practice Management Section:

“ABA Law Practice Management Section Names New Director

The American Bar Association announced today that Pamela McDevitt has been named the new director for the Law Practice Management Section, effective March 22, 2010.

For the past four years, Pamela has served the New York State Bar Association as Director of Law Practice Management. In that capacity, she has developed a variety of continuing legal education programs, re-designed the State Bar’s Law Practice Management and Solo Practice Web pages, coordinated the development of practice-oriented books, and developed numerous articles and publications. Prior to joining the State Bar, she practiced law in a small firm for nine years, following a term of service as a Captain in the United States Army JAG Corps with assignments in Administrative and Labor Law, including representing the Department of Defense in EEOC hearings, Unfair Labor Practice Lawsuits, Merit System Protection Boards, and sexual harassment claims.

The section would like to thank H. Maria Enright, the Director of the ABA Professional Services Division, who led the search process for our new director, with input from me and chair-elect Andrea Hartley. We were very pleased with the quality and quantity of candidates for the position.

Between now and the end of March, Jill Eckert McCall will continue to serve as our interim director. Jill’s leadership and guidance of our staff has been tremendous—and she still has her “day job” as Director of the Young Lawyers Division. The help we have received from both Maria and Jill has allowed for smooth sailing during this gap in section directors.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I can say that we are extremely excited about the ideas, energy and leadership Pamela McDevitt will bring to our section. Please join me in welcoming her to the ABA LPM family.

Micah Buchdahl
Chair”

So a new era begins! Congratulations Pam!

Alright, I agree, that was a pathetic effort at alliteration but it’s true! I’ve been writing a series of PDF-related columns for my Technolawyer SmallLaw contributions over the last couple of months. I’ve written detailed “how to” guides on:

• PDF Packaging - how to create “electronic three ring binders” to organize client and firm administrative documents. Examples include electronic versions of traditional estate planning binders, firm HR documents, discovery indices and much more. See the column here.
• Searchable PDFs – how to turn “image” PDFs into searchable or “accessible” PDFs. Most of you want and need to do this – it opens up PDF content not only to be searched but also to be leveraged by copying and pasting it into other programs, such as documents or emails. See the column here.
• Typewriters Begone! – how to use the Typewriter tool in Adobe Acrobat to fill in pre-printed forms onscreen, including full editing ability. See the column here.

In future editions, I’ll be writing about Bates Stamping, Secure Redaction and using the Commenting functions to review PDF documents. Watch for them with your free subscription to Technolawyer and specifically to receive the SmallLaw column, distributed weekly via email.

First, I want to thank all of you who have expressed concern at my “disappearance” for the last several months. Simple explanation: I was busy. Really, really busy. Still am. A mix of personal things (very, very positive!) and an increase in business which was unexpected (based largely on growing demand for assistance transitioning from one practice management system to others (largely an exodus from TimeMatters/BillingMatters to other products). I’ve also been busy writing my SmallLaw column for Technolawyer – which also has been very popular.

So those are my excuses for temporary invisibility.

So it’s now 2010 and Ross Ipsa Loquitur is back in business! I’m committed to bringing you the information, insights and commentary you’ve enjoyed for the last four years.

So stay tuned folks!

The title says it all. No, it’s not about legal technology. It’s about sports. And about decency, or lack thereof. My family have been Packers fans and season ticket holders since the dawn of recorded time. And like every member of the tribe, and like other Packers shareholders (yes, we have our single share of team ownership), we were devoted Brett Favre followers.

But this is an abomination. It is an affront to all that is decent or at least should be decent in sports. It is about spite, maliciousness, delusional and unjustified revenge, stunning immaturity and callousness and an utter and complete lack of any sense of sportsmanship or honor.

I, as had so many others over so many years, viewed Brett Favre as more than an icon – he was the Lou Gehrig of professional football. An iron man of iron character. A mensch from Mississippi.

I was wrong. We all were. Brett Favre is a modern sporting prima donna of the worst type. He masqueraded as a mensch and deluded so many of us into thinking he was something different . . . above the fray . . . a player who certainly made a very, very good living, but was motivated foremost by the sheer joy of being able to play his favorite sport. We saw it on his face with every touchdown and with every Lambeau leap taken by his targeted receivers over so many years. It was real . . . for awhile.

In the end, it doesn’t even seem to be about business – he doesn’t need the money. His motivation? Embarrassing the Packers and seeking the retribution he feels he is due for the “injustices” and “slights” he feels he suffered.

That loud sucking noise coming from Minneapolis and the Vikings training camp is the sound of the last shred of anything honorable disappearing from professional football.

Brett Fave isn’t a mensch. He’s just a football player.

He’s more of an abomination in my mind than Vista ever was. And my readers know, that says it all.

This is so terribly, terribly disappointing.

What a perfect day to start your digital week! Tigerdirect has an i-Inc 25″ LCD flat panel display for $189. To be sure, that’s a great price but what makes it a really exceptional deal is:

• 1920 x 1080 resolution
• Super-fast 2 ms screen response time fast enough even for mid-afternoon Flight Simulator spins (admit it, you know you do!)
• The best part – two HDMI inputs so you can connect a digital cable box, Blue-Ray or DVD player, Tivo HD, etc. for video

And of course, if one of these would be good, two would be better and three would unquestionably rock . Just be sure though that your video adapter is capable of 1920×1080 resolution so you can take advantage of all that screen real estate.

Here’s the link - as usual, the stock in these kinds of things don’t last long. If I could think of somewhere to put it in my home or office, I’d buy one – I’m just swimming with displays though. Happy hunting!

For my online CLE with Andy Adkins next week on August 20th at noon CDT (12-130PM CDT), I’ve just been told there is a $50 discount code available – the CLE info is here including online registration. The discount code to use when checking out is Z7745121. Every little bit helps, right?? Hope you can join Andy and me next week – we’ve got a ton of materials included! Everything about practice management systems including our thoughts on SaaS / Cloud Computing products.

I can always count on my pal Jim Calloway to cut to the core of issues that no one else seems to address. Jim’s got a great post at his Law Practice Tips blog ( the post is here) called “Online Reputation Management: First Rule is to Avoid Self-Inflicted Wounds.”  The money quote from Jim’s post is “We’ve all been there. I have one rather infamous e-mail in my past I’d still like to have back. If you tweet multiple times per day, you are going to hit a few foul balls. I’ll probably anger some people with this post. But, I think I am trying to make a point, which is let’s all be careful out there on the Internet, OK?” As usual, well said Jim – read the full post folks (and frankly, pretty much everything Jim blogs about – you’ll always take away something eminently practical and inherently useful.

I had the great pleasure of participating in the Digital Edge podcast with co-authors, techno.pals and friends Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway. The subje

ct was the new book the three of us will debut exactly one week from today called “How Good Lawyers Survive Bad Times,” published by the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section.  Listen to the podcast here – I know you’ll find it’s exploration of the issues facing so many lawyers today to be immediately useful. The book itself is available for pre-order through it’s August 20th publication date at a 15% discount. In the spirit of the content of the book, every little bit helps!

My latest Technolawyer SmallLaw column is now online here. It’s called “Top Five BigSolo Mistakes: How to Destroy Your Fledgling Law Firm.” The column is a tongue-in-cheek perspective on the ways new solos, small firms or BigSolos (see my previous column for a discussion of the economy-driven BigSolo trend of BigLaw attorneys hanging out shingles in record numbers) can virtually ensure failure of their ventures. I explore the top five mistakes new small firms can make and by converse implication, how such firms should do precisely the opposite. Hope you find it useful!

See the archived prior editions of the SmallLaw column here, including those by my co-columnist Mazy Hedyat. And while you’re at it, if you’re not already a Ross Ipsa Loquitur subscriber and just visiting the blog, it makes sense to do what so many others in the legal community have done and subscribe (upper right corner of the blogsite – to get your RIL feed via Feedblitz emails – couldn’t be easier).

"The Technolawyer Community - subscribe, it's free and necessary for every legal professional." - Ross Kodner

Could Les Paul be the most influential Wisconsinite of all time? Rock and roll owes Les mightly. One of the few “legends” who deserved the title. Once again, we’re experiencing “The Day the Music Died.” And as a fellow native Wisconsinite, we’re all terribly proud of our musical native son. R.I.P. Les Paul.

I’m really not sure what BusinessWeek knows about toys – the publication does seem like the very antithesis to the concept of “fun.” However, a new article professes to list the “Best Tech for Kids” and it’s actually not a bad list. We all can name toys that SHOULD be listed, like many of the Lego kits, especially those with whirring little motors. Perhaps some battery-driven Erector Sets should be included as well. K’Nex, one of my favorite imagineering kits is included. The toys are broken down into four age range categories. Frankly, I think there are many of us so-called grown-ups in the legal profession whose psyches and general mental states could benefit signficantly from a little playtime. I would go so far as to say that 15 minutes of frivolous playtime per day could easily cut the need for that Prozac or Welbutrin prescription that is otherwise the lifeline for our collective sanity. Here’s the article – perhaps your inner child deserves a present.

Thanks to Sanjay Singh of Addins4Outlook – a software resource for all things Outlook (and well worth a look!) for the link to the article.

Microsoft’s Business Unit has confirmed that the next Mac version of Office, due later in 2010, will include Outlook, replacing the much maligned (and deservedly so) Entourage that has been part of Mac Microsoft Office for some time. Word is that this version of Outlook will match the Windows Outlook’s functionality, especially in terms of Exchange Server connectivity. Read about it in a report from Ars Technica here.

My prediction – legal software vendors, whose products often require, or at least prefer, tight Outlook integration, will see this as the signal needed to justify serious Mac OS X native development of case managers, document managers, litigation support apps and more. The lack of inclusions of Outlook in the Microsoft Mac Office suite has certainly been one of the elements cited by some legal software developers as a reason not to develop “yet” for the Mac legal segment. I think that hesitation will end in 2010. My related prediction – once that happens and we see traditional legal software developers start serious application efforts for the OS X platform, Mac legal market share in at least solo to “large small” firms will soar.

Of course, I could be completely, totally . . . wrong <g>. But I don’t think so on this one.

A tip of the hat to Dave Rakowski for the link to a great NYT Personal Tech section article today on the state of wireless networking for our homes. Yardena Arar’s article covers the latest in WiFi tech and the rationale for upgrading older 802.11b and g networks to the new (faster!) 802.11n routers. She also addresses powerline networking – which many seem to overlook as a solid high-speed hybrid wired/wireless home networking approach. Well worth a read here. The only downside of the piece is the missed opportunity to stress the critical importance of securing home wireless networks to protect against all the bad guys out there who would love to steal personal and financial information.

We’ve discussed netbooks on the ABA Solosez listserve recently and I thought some of that discussion would be helpful for Ross Ipsa Loquitur readers. Here’s the most recent netbook-chat:

Netbooks grew out of the One Laptop Per Child movement (OLPC), started by Nicholas Negroponte from MIT. The idea is to provide rugged, maintenance-free, ultra low cost laptops to children in developing nations. Here’s the info about the program: http://laptop.org/en/vision/index.shtml including info about how to give. It’s a great initiative. Here’s a link to info about the laptop that’s distributed by the organization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC_XO-1)

This charitable concept then spawned the commercial follow-up when Asus released the first netbook, the EEE 701 about two years ago (http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-eee-pc-701.aspx). The rest is history.

First, debunking netbook myths: “what can netbooks do compared to laptops?” Facts:

• Netbooks ARE laptops! They can do everything any laptop can do BECAUSE THEY ARE LAPTOPS!
• Netbooks are just a category, like ultralights, powerlights, gaming laptops, business laptops, desktop replacements, etc. etc.
• Netbooks have to be viewed individually to look at the specs involved, just as with any new system being considered – while there are certain very common specs, others can vary such as storage situation, operating system, and screen size
• A very common “standard” specification for many currently available netbooks, regardless of vendor is 10″ diagonal (actually either 10.1″ or 10.2″ if you want to be precise) display, 1 Gb RAM standard (usually upgrade to 2 Gb by replacing the single standard DIMM – often for around $25 from suppliers like crucial.com), Windows XP Home, 160 Gb drive (although 250 Gb drives are just starting to appear), Intel Atom N270 single-core processor, Intel graphics chipset, 6 cell battery good for anywhere from 3-10 hours depending on model/vendor, and about 2.5 to 3.5 lbs. Also no optical drives included (CD/DVD) so plan on $35-$85 for an external slimline USB CD or DVD burner (mine is a DVD burner I bought new on eBay last Fall for $55 shipped) so you can load disc-based software.
• There are also less costly systems with small flash drives for memory (SSD – Solid State Drives) from 4-16 Gb in storage capacity
• There are also less costly systems that run some version of Linux rather than Windows XP Home
• There are also less costly systems that have smaller 8.9″ displays (and of course, smaller everything else including keyboards)
• There are also factory-refurbished systems now coming to market that can save money
• There are also newer netbooks appearing that have larger 12″ displays with 1280×800 resolution and larger keyboards
• There are also newer netbooks appearing using newer processors such as the Intel Atom N280 and Z530 as well as the Via Nano, and some models just now appearing with discrete (independent from the PC’s RAM) graphics processors like the new nVidia Ion series. While these larger-profile systems start to blur the lines between where the netbook category ends and laptops begin, they have more of the specification characteristics of netbooks so for now, they’re solidly within that category
• It is a product category were new models flood the market constantly – not all released for U.S. use, but don’t expect to have whatever you buy be “current” for more than about a week (not kidding – if this bothers you, just be prepared for it)
• Very popular models used by multiple Solosezzers include:
  • Asus EEE 1000Hx series with the 1000HE being one the current hot models
  • Lenovo’s S10 (and inevitably, the forthcoming 12″ S12 model) (I have the former and *LOVE* it)
  • Acer Aspire One (10″  and new 11″ models preferred, the latter recently spied at a Walmart of all places as the first netbook I’ve seen with a 250 Gb drive)
  • MSI Wind (again, 10″ models preferred)
  • Samsung NC10 and the newer 12″ NC20 (I have the latter and *LOVE* it)

I don’t think much about the Dell Mini series – the hard drives are too small (60 and 80 Gb while everyone else is selling 160 Gb and now even drives) and too slow (4200 rpm). I don’t think much either about the HP MiniNote series – bizarre mouse button placement can drive you fricking nuts! Gateway is just selling relabeled HP MiniNotes so those don’t really count.

Expect a continuing flood of new releases with faster processors, discrete video, longer battery life, bigger keyboards, etc. Watch sites like www.lilliputing.com for solid product info.

—————-

In terms of software, Netbooks do NOT generally come bundled with any kind of commercial office suites such as the Microsoft Office Suite (come on, how could they when an entire netbook might retail for $299-$399ish?). Linux models often DO come with bundled open source software though – often a Windows-like interface and programs like the OpenOffice suite, Firefox and Thunderbird for email.

So load whatever you want – MS Office 2003, MS Office 2007, WordPerfect X4 or OpenOffice 3.0 – whatever trips your trigger. As I’ve written about, you can very comfortable run 2-4 “big” apps, especially if you’ve upgraded the RAM to 2 Gb – on my two netbooks (Lenovo S10 and Samsung NC20), I usually have Word 2007, Outlook 2007 and a couple of browsers (Chrome and Firefox) open normally with very snappy operation. Once I go past that though, I notice the machines progressively bogging down – more than their little single core processors were designed to handle.

I see mainstream magazines reviewing netbooks where it is 100% clear the writer has NEVER actually used one. Even Laptop Magazine, whose journalism is usually first-rate, has written some dumb-ass material about netbooks recently, saying they can’t really be used for “real” work. A load of crap – just NOT true. Can you run 7-10 apps simultaneously like I can on my workhorse, max-equipped Thinkpad? No. But are they incredibly useful for MOST people for MOST things within the constraints of screen and keyboard size? YOU BET!

Some downsides and contraindications for netbooks:

• People with biggers fingers will be unhappy with 10″ netbooks, but likely fine with 12″ netbooks with their closer-to-full-sized keyboards.
• People who need bigger characters onscreen might not be happy with 10″ netbooks, but likely fine with 12″ netbooks.
• People expecting netbooks to perform the same as a full-size laptop with a dual core or Core 2 Duo processor will likely not be happy with ANY netbook.

On the other hand, I can’t imagine NOT having one – my original netbook article from my Technolawyer SmallLaw column will probably be instructive to those wondering about them, especially the latest 12″ models.
Things like keyboard decisions are VERY personal. I started with an Asus EEE 701 – the original commercial netbook. Linux only, 4 Gb SSD, 7″ display. Too small to be useful.

Then I moved to an Asus 1000H – loved it in every respect except for the fact it was a bit chubby and the glossy finish was a fingerprint magnet (which drove me nuts). Then a Lenovo S10 – which I have now. Loved its svelteness v. the Asus 1000H, preferred its keyboard feel over the Asus, identical performance to the Asus. Have played with a Samsung NC10 also, another very nice machine. I don’t see the differences v. the Lenovo S10 that he does. I see no performance difference with apples to apples software setups. I do agree that it may have a keyboard edge if you have larger fingers (which I don’t). Otherwise, I see it as a virtual wash, although Lenovo support is proven and in the U.S. market Samsung’s first computer offering is the NC10 if I’m correct, so the U.S. PC support offerings are an unknown commodity at this point. My Samsung NC20 is one of the most “perfect” portable systems I’ve owned – a convergence of positives including 1280×800 screen resolution for its 12″ display, a keyboard that feels full-sized to me, 5-6 hours of realistic battery life and an elegant set of included control utilities – I can’t recommend the NC20 more highly (other than the fingerprint magnet glossy case – a pet peeve of mine).

Other products to consider:

• Dell’s Mini series – I think these offerings are all over-priced compared to more established Netbook
• HP’s MiniNote series – those bizarre mouse buttons, for which HP is always panned in reviews, would be a deal-breaker for me.
• Gateway – it’s just a rebranded HP – same issue with the crazy mouse buttons.
• MSI – nice machines, but in this economy, I sure wouldn’t trust a second-tier maker from a long-term support perspective.
• The future: 11″ and 12″ models that may overcome the still remaining size issues with 10″ models (keyboards still just SLIGHTLY too small and screen resolution vertically too low (600 pixels v. at least 800 – all the vertical scrolling on 10″ displays can get very old, very quickly)

But following comments from fellow Solosezzers Scott Barer and Ben Schorr about keyboards, one person’s “awful” is another person’s “nirvana.” That aspect is VERY personal to each user (so if you buy, be sure that if you can’t test in advance, that you have 100% no questions asked return privileges – it’s really all about the keyboard, pointing device and display – the three points of human interaction with EVERY system. The other specs won’t / don’t matter if the three points of human/laptop interaction don’t cut it.

Hope that helps to clarify some of the issues with netbooks currently. I’m guessing that if ABA Solosezzers have these questions, others likely will as well.