Category Archives: iPad

ZeroPC Makes Cloud Information Management Easier

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Posted in Android, Document management, Evernote, File Management, iPad, Mobile and tagged , , , , ,

I am starting to see more about cloud desktops: virtual operating systems that you access through your browser that look like your normal desktop computer.  ZeroPC caught my eye because it offers some of the information management tools that I think are important for lawyers managing information with cloud-based services.  It has the added benefit of additional tools although it is not rich enough a desktop OS for a lawyer to rely on.

ZeroPC does an excellent job of relying on your pre-existing accounts and passwords.  When I signed up to ZeroPC, it used my Google account – which has a very strong password – rather than creating a separate username and password.  I prefer cloud services that employ this method because I trust mature cloud providers over more recent ones.

The service uses your Web browser and I was able to use it with Chrome on both my desktop and tablet.  You are presented with a Windows-like desktop when you access your account.  Unlike remote connection resources like GotoMyPC, where you are accessing your own computer, this is a virtual desktop running on a cloud server.  There is a button where the Windows Start button would be and icons on the desktop.  This is a cloud service, though and it enables you to manage your information across multiple services.

One feature that I like is the storage management.  You can connect your ZeroPC account to cloud file synchronization services like Dropbox, Box, Sugarsync, and Google Drive.  Once connected, you can move files from one account to another from within the ZeroPC interface.  I recently looked at another site that does the same thing.

Storage Dashboard in ZeroPC shows all of your accounts. It aggregates information to show you available space over all of your linked accounts, as well as used/unused space in each individual service.

ZeroPC does a good job treating multiple resources as one.  You can attach multiple e-mail accounts in the same way., creating a unified inbox.  It will auto-configure Google and Yahoo! mail accounts but you can add other IMAP mail servers as well.

It also provides another feature that I think can be powerful:  cloud search.  There is a search box at the bottom of the screen, on your virtual task bar.  When you search for files with the box, it searches across all of your connected cloud services for results.  This is not new – I’ve discussed both Cue Up and CloudMagic before – but ZeroPC has done a good job of providing it as part of a much more functional environment.

Search results from Evernote, Google Drive, and other cloud storage using an Android tablet and Chrome Web browser

This approach to a cloud desktop would seem to be useful for someone who had a variety of cloud-based resources that could be connected using ZeroPC.  It is distinctive because they not only provide the connections but a familiar interface in which to use them.  It appears to be based on a Linux operating system, and comes with a simple text editor, image tools, and other applications, like the tablet-familiar ThinkOffice productivity suite.  If you want to view a document, you can open it using the Google Docs viewer, for example.  There is even a Web browser on the desktop so that you do not need to open a second window or tab.

There is a free version so you would have to watch how much information you were transferring or storing in the extra space ZeroPC offers.  Paid versions offer additional benefits and features, mostly in the areas of bandwidth and storage space.

Evernote Updates for iOS

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Posted in Android, Evernote, iPad, iPhone, Research Management and tagged ,

Evernote 5 for iOS gets a nice review over at Readwrite.  It sounds like the interface has been redesigned for tablets.  In particular, I like the sound of the ease of getting to the Page Camera.  One benefit of tablets is there ability, with good cameras and larger formats, to act as a useful document capture tool.

I’ve been playing around with both Evernote and Microsoft’s OneNote apps on an Android tablet and it’s interesting how different their approaches are.  I like Evernote because it’s so free form – you can assign a tag and associate with multiple other documents or clips.  OneNote has more structure and, from a research perspective, can be a better tool if you have a single matter you are focusing on.  I use Evernote when I’m storing things for later, but I may or may not have a specific use for them at the moment.

If you have been waiting to use Evernote on an iPad, version 5 sounds interesting.  Like so many things related to research, though, you may find that the new interface doesn’t suit how you want to manage information.

Canadian Legal Apps

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Posted in Android, Apps, Canada, Canada Law Book, CanLII, Case Law, HeinOnline, iPad, Irwin Law, Law Journals, LexisNexis, Mobile, Social Science Research Network, U.S., Westlaw and tagged , , , , , , , ,

Canada-specific legal apps are still quite thin on the ground, although the publishers are now more active in releasing updates.  This is still primarily for iPad users.  Here’s a rundown:

  • Case Law.  First to market was LexisNexis Quicklaw (iOS) and that’s pretty much all there is.  No Westlaw Canada app, nor one from CanLII.  Garry Wise has created an iOS app called WiseLII that will search CanLII.  The Law Society of Upper Canada and LexisNexis have an Ontario Reports app which gives access to back issues as well as a handful of cases each week (iOS or Android).
  • E-books.  Thomson Reuters Carswell is delivering e-books through its Thomson Reuters Proview tool (iOS or Android).  LexisNexis sells its books for any e-book reader (iOS, Blackberry, Android).  Kindle isn’t listed but you might try using Calibre to convert the LexisNexis epub format to a mobi file, which is Kindle friendly.  Irwin Law has an online e-book library (Web-based) but you can also download a free app (iOS) for any books you own.
  • Law Journals.  If you aren’t getting your law journals as PDFs (like the free content on SSRN’s Legal Scholarship Network), you can try the HeinOnline app for everything else (iOS).  Law Society members in Ontario and British Columbia have free access through their dues (Canada), as do lawyers in a variety of U.S. jurisdictions through their local law library or bar (Social Law, Jenkins, Hamilton County (OH), NY City Bar, etc.).

There are a variety of e-books, law-related podcasts, and magazines available from the iTunes store.  Other publishers, like Emond Montgomery, also have e-books (iOS or Kobo).

All of which assumes you need an app.  If you are on a tablet, you can probably just surf to the site to do your research.  Sites like CanLII in particular are sufficiently simple in design that they work fine on Safari on the iPad or Firefox on an Android tablet. Irwin’s Canadian Online Legal Dictionary, a free Web site, is also tablet accessible – I wouldn’t say friendly, since the navigation requires a smaller finger or a stylus – as a Web site.

[Disclaimers:  my employer is one of the major funders of CanLII, since Ontario's lawyer dues are used, in part, to pay for the free resource.  The book that started this blog is a Thomson Reuters Canada Law Book product.  But you already knew that!]

Get to Your Dropbox Files with Online File Managers

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Posted in Document management, File Management, iPad, Research Management, Thunderbird and tagged , ,

One of the powerful components of the cloud-based services lawyers are using is the API.  This enables services to talk to each other and for developers to create new tools to use those services.  I am seeing more file management tools appearing that sit between you and your Dropbox files and whose goal is to improve your ability to manage those files.

One is called DropDav, which was originally created to support iPad users but is open to anyone.  As they say on their Web site, they do not replace Dropbox; they are resting on top of that service and you can still access your Dropbox account in the same way you could before.  It allow you to drag and drop files from popular iOS applications into your Dropbox account.

Another one for the heavy file storage user is Otixo.  It also uses Webdav but it provides integrated access to a variety of cloud services so that you can drag a file from a Dropbox account, for example, over to your Google Drive or to a Sugarsync account.  You can do this if you are sitting at a computer and have synchronized all of your accounts down to your local machine but Otixo moves this ability up into the cloud so that you can manage files this way from anywhere with Internet access and a Web browser.

You may ask yourself why you would need this sort of tool.  I use Dropbox for personal file synchronization and storage and Sugarsync for professional files.  Since I use the free versions, this arrangement worked out because I have fewer personal files so they fit into the 2 GB Dropbox free account, while Sugarsync has a 5 GB free account.  At one point I had devised a way to store my Dropbox files amongst my Sugarsync ones, so that I could easily drag and drop files from one to the other.  But a tool like Otixo means that I do not have to keep any personal data in my professional account, just shifting files as I need to get access to one or the other.  Of course, if it’s just a file or two, I suppose it would be a lot simpler to just upload them to the appropriate location!

Webdav is not a new technology.  You may already be using it to display a Google calendar within your desktop e-mail program.  Your calendar isn’t downloaded, but the Webdav connection allows you to make changes to it so that you only make the change once, not in two places.  It is interesting to see how it is becoming powerful as a front end to popular cloud services.

While these Webdav file managers can improve your document and file management, they come with a price.  Otixo is free for only 250 MB of file transfers a month.  DropDav does not have a free level, although there is a 14 day free trial.  If you want to do more with your cloud-based file storage, you will need to pay an additional fee.  But if you are a heavy user or want the iPad access to your Dropbox account outside of the default utility, these services may be worth it.

Get Law Journals with HeinOnline 2012 Mobile

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Posted in Apps, Canada, HeinOnline, iPad, iPhone, Law Journals, U.S. and tagged ,

HeinOnline has released an updated mobile app for iPhone and iPad users who access their fee-based law journal and legal commentary databases.  Many law libraries are providing access to HeinOnline for free if you’re in their space.  The Massachusetts trial libraries have a great post on how to set up to use their subscription.  If you’ve got your own access or remote access through your library – like members of the Law Society of Upper Canada or the Social Law Library or lawyers in British Columbia – you can use the app to login remotely for access to journals from your tablet or phone as well as from your PC.

HeinOnline 2012 Mobile iPhone and iPad app screenshot

Australian Legal Research Goes Mobile

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Posted in Android, Australia, BlackBerry, Case Law, Device, iPad, iPhone and tagged

When Barnet announced their mobile-enabled Jade Touch site, I was not surprised.  These guys continue to push new methods of delivering Australian case law.  The mobile theme that enables access to their Jade database is sleek and uses standard interface choices for anyone accustomed to Apple iPhone or iPod products.  This isn’t an app, though, so it should work on any mobile device.

Jade Touch mobile interface for Barnet Jade Australian case law

Jade Touch mobile interface for Barnet Jade Australian case law on an Android Gingerbread device

Or desktop.  It’s a clean way to access recent decisions from Australian courts.  If you visit on a desktop, you can select settings at the bottom left corner of the screen and switch to the desktop version.  Great new way to get at free case law and use the many other enhancements that Barnet is providing.

OneNote Comes to the iPad

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Posted in iPad, OneNote, Research Management and tagged , , , ,

Mashable notes that Microsoft has extended its research, note taking tool, OneNote, to the iPad.  OneNote is one of the programs available as part of the Microsoft Office Suite as well as one of the benefits of using the free Microsoft Office Web apps.  PC users can drop content onto pages within a OneNote file, without having to conform to typical limitations of a word processor – like attaching it to a margin.  A OneNote file can have multiple tabs, enabling you to organize a variety of related information:  deposition summaries, for example, or documents relevant to a particular witness.  There is even a free Microsoft Office OneNote trial notebook template.

Lawyers appear to have embraced the iPad as the tablet of choice so far, and OneNote’s availability on that device will only enhance it’s usefulness in law practice.  If you are already considering using an iPad for trial, OneNote might be just the application to support your litigation preparation.