Attempting to compete directly with Skype's subscription phone calling service (which I use regularly), Google is in the process of rolling out a new feature that lets anyone with a Gmail account make free telephone calls to the U.S. and Canada (for now, and at least through the rest of this year), directly from their computers. It is accessed from the Chat menu in the left column of the Gmail web interface. You just need to download and install the Google voice and video browser plug-in. The phone call feature has not yet rolled-out to all Gmail accounts. Each of the four members of my household has a Gmail account, but as of this morning the feature was available only on my son's account. I tried a few test calls from his account, and it seems to work fine (similar to Skype's subscription-based services that costs about $3 per month for unlimited domestic calling to regular or cell phones). By offering free domestic calls and calls to Europe for as little as 2 cents per minute, it appears that Google is working toward world domination on a variety of fronts. Remember when we used to fear Microsoft's empire building?

The large-screen Amazon Kindle DX has the been the ebook reader for choice for lawyers to use in their practices. It's larger screen, higher-capacity storage, long battery life, and native PDF compatibility gave it an edge over other ebook readers. Then Apple released the iPad earlier this year. The iPad is not an ebook reader per se, although it can be used for that purpose. But it is really a slate computer that has too many compromises to make it an ideal ebook reader, such as a backlit screen instead of e-ink and much shorter battery life. Despite these shortcomings as an ebook reader, the iPad is a very cool device in other ways. However, if you don't already have an iPad, and your are interested in a slate computer as an alternative to a notebook or netbook, you may want to wait for the release later this year of Cisco's business-oriented Cius slate (aka tablet) computer that will run the Android operating system. Apple's iPad sparked a price war among traditional e-ink based ebook readers such as the Kindle. Last week Amazon dropped the price on its standard-sized Kindle to just $189, making it a true bargain. Even better, today only (July 1), you can buy a Kindle for only $150 (plus $5 shipping) on the Woot web site. Woot is now owned by Amazon. Well the price war has finally hit the "lawyer's Kindle" - the larger DX model. Amazon dropped the price by $110 to $379, making it substantially cheaper than the cheapest iPad. Of course, that is an apples and oranges comparison anyway, but if what you really want and need is an ebook reader, this price drop makes your decision much easier. Not only did the price drop, but Amazon now offers the DX in a more "lawyerly" graphite gray color and improved the contrast of its e-ink screen by 50% so it will be easier to read and display graphics (in gray-scale, of course) more realistically. How can a lawyer use the DX in his/her practice? Read our earlier blog post here. Now the original Kindle DX (which I have owned and used in my appellate practice since its release over a year ago) can be purchased refurbished from Amazon for $249.99. It has the standard warranty and Amazon's regular 30-day return policy. Also big news on the Kindle front is the release of a Kindle app for the Android operating system. Those of you with a Kindle account and an Android cell phone have not, until now, been able to read your book purchases on the high-res screens on your phones. Now you can. I installed the new (free) Android Kindle app on my Motorola Droid. It works very well. I have access to all of my ebooks and they are quire readable on the bright and crisp Droid screen. That will probably get better once I receive my pre-ordered Droid X with an even larger screen in mid-July.

Affinity Consulting Group announces new June promotional prices for Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal and Professional! Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal, normally priced at $799, is discounted to $729 (MSRP $1,199), saving you an additional $70 off the already discounted price. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional, normally priced at $729, is discounted to $649 (MSRP $899), saving you an additional $80 off. These prices won’t last long; the promotional pricing runs out June 30th. Take advantage before time runs out!

AMICUS ATTORNEY UPGRADE PROMOTION for JUNE 2010 We are pleased to let you know that during the month of June, Amicus Attorney is running an upgrade promotion to the 2010 product line. All Amicus customers will receive: •20% off Amicus 2010 upgrade licences; or •40% off Amicus 2010 upgrade licenses with the purchase of an Amicus Maintenance Plan (3 year commitment that locks in your annual upgrade price). If you've not yet seen the benefits of Amicus Attorney 2010, please review them HERE . And, please contact your Amicus Certified Affinity Consulting Group consultant to obtain a quote. Remember, this sale ends on JUNE 30th.

Yesterday, HotDocs Corporation released the latest line of document automation products. HotDocs has long been recognized as the industry standard when it comes to automating documents across a variety of industries including legal, banking, insurance, health care and other corporate entities. The 2010 line represents the newest innovations in document processing to meet a variety of business needs: HotDocs Developer 10 This software is perfect for the person who not only assembles documents but often has to tweak or create a template for use. This new release also includes PDF Advantage and supports Microsoft Word 2010 and Corel WordPerfect X5. HotDocs 10 Developer will also publish templates for use with HotDocs Server. HotDocs User 10 Meant for the user who assembles templates but has no need to do any development work, HotDocs User 10 continues to allow for fast, accurate document assembly with even more performance enhancements. PDF Advantage is now included in HotDocs 10 User and is no longer a separate product. HotDocs Server 10 The ultimate document processing experience for large businesses or geographically dispersed companies, HotDocs Server 10 provides web based document assembly. Exercise control over the templates you create from a central location while making them easily accessible through an internet portal. HotDocs server is the engine that drives all your document automation needs. HotDocs Server 10 can provide JavaScript or Microsoft Silverlight based interviews as well as multiple browser compatibility (with Silverlight). Affinity Consulting has partnered with HotDocs for decades - we are uniquely suited, as a HotDocs Platinum Partner, to not only help you select the version of HotDocs you need, but also to assist in your development, training and support. Contact us today to learn more about the latest versions of HotDocs and if an upgrade makes sense for you. Follow HotDocs on Twitter Interact with HotDocs on Facebook Connect with HotDocs on LinkedIn

Nuance, the makers of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, recently released Dragon for E-mail. This application makes emailing on the road a lot easier; now you can simply open the e-mail client and start talking. It is up to five times faster than typing on the keyboard, and best of all, it’s FREE! Dragon for E-mail is available on the BlackBerry Tour, BlackBerry Storm (as well as the Storm2) on the Verizon network; as well as the BlackBerry Bold and Curve series on both the AT&T & T-Mobile networks. Nuance has also released Dragon Dictation for use on the iPhone and iPad. Dragon dictation allows you to use your voice to control the iPhone and the iPad several different ways. Copying and pasting, composing emails, and updating your status on Facebook are just a few of the things you can do with Dragon Dictation on your iPhone or iPad!

The ABA released its complete course and faculty lineup for the upcoming ABA TECHSHOW 2010 in Chicago, March 25-27. This is a must-attend event for any lawyer, law firm administrator, staff member, or consultant interested in improving profitability through the efficient use of technology. TECHSHOW 2010 offers dozens of sessions on topics such as Scanning and Paper Reduction in the Law Office, Implementing Document Management Software, Securing Your Firm's Data, Using Technology in the Courtroom, "Cloud" Computing for Law Firms, Practice Management Software that Works the Way You Do, What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Accounting, and many, many, more. The complete schedule can be viewed here. We are thrilled that Affinity partner Debbie Foster is the Chair of this year's TECHSHOW. The faculty also includes Affinity partners Paul Unger, Britt Lorish Knuttgen, Steve Best and Barron Henley. Register by February 19 for a substantial discount.

While I was perusing through the normal slew of "Best of 2009" and "What to Look For in 2010" articles on everything from music and movies to technology , I came across an interesting article on CNET's "the Wisdom of Clouds" section. An article called "Seven businesses to look out for in 2010". It is not surprising that 5 of the 7 businesses are related to Software as a Service (SaaS) or the idea that one or more of your applications and the data contained in them are hosted by a service provider. SaaS can be "cloud" based services but do not have to be. They can be simply hosted on servers that your provider owns. For the most part, if your data is moving from Point A to Point B, it does not get too muddy. However, the most traditional definitions of cloud computing rely on virtual servers with processing capacity and storage that can immediately scale based on demand and accessed via internet protocol (IP). That may be where the opportunity lies for those that wish to become educated on it and build the skills to litigate on it or exploit those you have already obtained. Virtual servers. Who has jurisdiction in the town of "Virtual" anyway? The #4 business to look out for in the previously mentioned article is (Cloud) Customer litigation practice. As more and more applications and subsequently, data begins to become ones and zeroes in constant motion from one virtual server to the next, buyers of these service will want to guarantee protection of that data and limit where and what can be done with it. But are they? This lies within the contracts that they have with the providers of these services. It is all about the data. Who owns it? Who can access it? Does it matter if it crosses state lines or moves internationally? I once had a Native American casino as a client who could not build or use a disaster recovery facility that allowed their data to leave tribal lands. The tribal leaders feared it would then be subject to federal communications laws. Whether this was the case or not, nobody really knew. Opportunity? Most articles and blog posts on this topic in the legal technology realm tend to be based on whether or not YOU should be moving towards this model in your own office. This will be hotly debated between now and 10 years from now when it is all but forced on you. However, that is irrelevant to this subject. The fact is that you may have potential clients that are already signing up for these services and have simply clicked on a box on a license agreement that they did not read. They have brought other agreements to you to look over to make sure they were not signing away any rights. Why not these? It is just a gray box they have to click and the service is month to month and they can cancel anytime, so it is basically harmless. Right?

Bluetooth headsets come in a variety of shapes and sizes ranging from small earpiece designs to over the head headset looking things. I've personally shyed away from the funky earpiece design as being (a) uncomfortable and (b) pretentious looking. Think Geek now has Bluetooth enabled sunglasses that integrate the headset into the sunglasses. Finally, some great looking Bluetooth sunglasses that will keep you connected while you are on the go, but without the cyborg, pretentious looking earpiece that is typical of most other Bluetooth headsets. (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/b556/)

Looking for that perfect gift for the holidays? Look no further! We have picked 10 great technology gifts and have also given you an easy place to go and see some other top holiday gift lists! Start here...http://www.affinityconsulting.com/Dec09/Gift.pdf and if you are not a subscriber to our newsletter, give us a try! Here is a link to the December one so you can see what you are missing. http://tinyurl.com/yklbf6o If you like what you see, there is a link to join our mailing list so you can get this newsletter full of great tips and tricks each month! Happy Holidays Everyone!

Affinity University is now online, officially launching on October 1, 2009. AU is the leading source for web based training sessions for the legal community. All of our classes are in the popular one hour tips and tricks format, making it easy and affordable for lawyers, paralegals and support staff to take time from their day to improve their efficiency and productivity. No software is required and sign up is simple. We have a full calendar of classes for the rest of October and into November. Sign up now!

Affinity Consulting Group was awarded a LexisNexis Practice Management Platinum Achievement Award at PMAC 2009. This is the first joint award for the members of the Affinity Consulting Group

Affinity Consulting Group hosted a special free webinar in July on how to use Dragon in your legal practice, to improve productivity. We showed many tips and tricks, as well as highlighting all of the time saving features that make Dragon a wonderful return on investment. We are proud to announce that we have secured a special price on Dragon Legal for a limited time. Beginning Monday, August 3 through September 21, 2009, we will be able to offer Affinity Consulting Group clients a price of $699. That is $261 off of the regular price ($959)! This special price includes the software, manual and a noise cancelling headset. Contact your Affinity Consulting Group partner for more information or to take advantage of this special offer!

Adriana Linares and Debbie Foster have just launched their new Podcast, called Legal 3.Oh! produced by the LegalTalk Network. It is available for download here, or you can subscribe to it in iTunes! Search Legal 3.Oh! in the iTunes store and subscribe for free! Here is the description of the podcast: In this first edition of Legal 3.Oh!, co-hosts and legal technology consultants, Adriana Linares and Debbie Foster offer their insights that can unravel some of the complexities of technology for lawyers. Hear three good reasons why practice management software might help. Adriana and Debbie welcome special guest Dan Berlin, President of Software Technology Inc. to talk about what you need to know about practice management software and how it can work in your law firm.

Staples is offering large Easy Rebates on a number of HP laser printers and all-in-one's useful in law offices.  For example, the LaserJet 1018 personal laser, nice for your office desktop or home office, is just $65 after a $65 Easy Rebate.