Last year at this time  I reviewed the then new Fujitsu S1100 scanner (read the full article here), which had become my weapon of choice for imaging on the road.

I've purchased several refurbished computers in the last 15 years. So far, all have performed as expected while saving me considerable money. A recent on-line article published by PC Magazine covers the pros and cons of buying refurbished computers, including where to find the best and safest deals on refurbs. The article suggests the Dell Outlet, the Apple Store, the HP Outlet, and particularly if you are looking for a ThinkPad notebook, the Lenovo Outlet Store. One of the downsides of refurbs is the inability to custom-configure your computer. However, the larger manufacturers outlets, such as the Dell Outlet, often have so many computers available that you can find one that meets your exact needs. Particularly for a home or secondary computer, refurbs are worth considering.

If you were lucky enough to receive a netbook for Christmas, or are considering picking one up for the New Year, there are two things you should consider doing as soon as possible: Upgrade RAM from the standard 1 GB to 2 GB's. Upgrade from Windows 7 Started to Windows 7 Home Premium. Hopefully the purchaser of your netbook took advantage of the $19.99 ($60 off) discounted upgrade from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium offered by most retailers (brick and mortar stores and on-line merchants). That is a small price to pay to dump a somewhat crippled operating system to one without far fewer restrictions. For $20, you receive a card with a PIN which can be exchanged on-line for a Windows Anytime Upgrade product key. With that key, you can upgrade to Home Premium via download. The process can take a long time if there are many Windows Updates to download and install. I tried it on a Toshiba netbook and it took about an hour (far beyond the 10 minutes suggested on the upgrade card). But to run Home Premium effectively, boosting RAM to the maximum (for most netbooks) of 2 GB, is necessary. That will usually mean opening a small slot on the bottom of the netbook, removing the 1 GB RAM module, and installing a 2 GB module that should cost anywhere from $25 to $40 depending on brand and where you shop. The process is fairly simple and takes only about 5 minutes. The most important part of the process is making sure you buy the right RAM module. Most web sites have a memory utility that lets you pinpoint the right part by entering your netbook's make and model number. Your new netbook will be a more useful and satisfying machine with Home Premium and the RAM upgrade.

Wireless N wi-fi equipment is great. It is faster then the older G or B standards. But I would still not run a networked database (practice management or time/billing/accounting) or try to stream video content over most wireless network connection. Plus, wireless may have more security concerns than a wired network. It doesn't have to be that way, but many offices with wireless networks fail to adequately secure them. So what do you do in a temporary office situation or where you can't or don't want to run Ethernet cable? One technology I've used for the last year and a half in my home-based appellate practice is Powerline Networking. The signal runs through your electrical wiring. I've written previously about my use of the Linksys PLK300 kit. I actually have two PLK300 kits in my home. They virtually eliminate the need for Wi-Fi, except for connecting my Droid X cell phone or new Archos 70 tablet to the Internet or working outside on the lanai in nice weather. Currently the only room in the house not covered by Powerline networking is my daughter's room. She is away at college most of the time, but it might be time to spare her the inconsistencies of wi-fi when she is home on weekends and school breaks. This is a good time to buy a PLK300 kit. Of the two I have, one was purchased new and the other was refurbished. I could detect no difference between them other than packaging. Linksys has the refurbished two PLK300 adapter kit for $99.99. One adapter has a single ethernet port (typically used for connecting to your router or network switch). The other has four ports for connecting computers, printers, and other devices. Currently you can receive 10% off if you use the coupon code HSRM10. Shipping is free. Ordinarily this kit is sold for AV streaming, such as connecting a game console or media hub to your home network. But it works well anytime you want a network connection that is faster and more reliable (and potentially more secure) than wireless.

Now that major-brand Android tablets are about to become available, the question is - are they worth the price? The well-designed and full-featured Samsung Galaxy 7" tablet will be available from major cell carriers very soon, but it will come with either a high price, and expensive data plan requirement, or both. As just reported by Gizmodo, Sprint will knock $200 off the $600 price of the Galaxy tablet if you sign a two-year contract for a data plan running from $30 to $60 monthly. Verizon, on the other hand, is not offering a discount if you sign-up for a data plan, leaving the price of the Galaxy tablet at $600 with or without a plan. Verizon's plans start at $20 monthly - but the low-end plan includes only 1 GB of data. That means a Galaxy tablet without a data plan (in other words, using only its Wi-Fi connection), comes in at $100 over the $500 price of a 16 GB Wi-Fi only iPad. As fond as I am of Android devices, is the Galaxy tablet worth the high price? UPDATE: Leaked info posted by ZDNet suggests that Best Buy will sell a Wi-Fi version of the Galaxy tablet for $500, the same price as the Wi-Fi only 16GB iPad. I suppose one alternative if you want a 7" Android tablet is to buy the flawed, but still useful, Augen GenTouch78 tablet. Although no longer sold at Kmart (unless you find a left-over at your local store), it is now available on-line at Computer Geeks for $169.99. It is a Wi-Fi only device, but that may not be a huge disadvantage. Many users with Android phones have the ability to use them as Wi-Fi hotspots, spreading their 3G data connections to other devices such as notebook or netbook computers and, yes, the GenTouch tablet. I did exactly that with Verizon's $20 per month hotspot service added to my Droid X. So for my initial outlay of less than $150 at Kmart on the GenTouch, plus Wi-Fi hotspot tethering service on my Droid X, I have the functional equivalent of the Galaxy tablet without the high price or data plan contract. And the Wi-Fi hotspot capability does double-duty by providing Internet access for my notebook and netbook computers (up to five devices simultaneously). Of course, the Galaxy tablet is significantly better than the GenTouch in nearly every way - except price. So the choice is whether to live with the limitations of the GenTouch (mostly its somewhat balky resistive touch-screen), or spend big bucks on the Galaxy tablet with its nice phone-like capacitive touch screen. A mid-level alternative might be the soon-to-be-release Archos Internet Table 70. It is $275 seven-inch Android tablet with a capacitive touch screen that should be more user-friendly than the resistive touch-screen Augen GenTouch78. Like the GenTouch, it can be tethered via Wi-Fi to a cell phone for mobile Internet access. Unlike the GenTouch, it also offers tethering via Bluetooth and USB.

OfficeMax has the versatile home office/small office Brother MFC-7840w laser all-in-one printer on sale for $229.99. I've relied on the predecessor to this model as my workhorse printer/scanner/fax machine in my solo appellate practice for several years. I don't use it for major scanning jobs such as trial transcripts (my ScanSnap S500 is much better for that - today you'd want to buy the newer S1500), but for a few pages or something that needs a flatbed scanning option, it is great. OfficeMax also have my favorite budget wireless mouse, Microsoft Mobile 3000 model, for just $12.99 Sunday and Monday only in a variety of colors. Video conferencing is becoming a great way for lawyers to save time and money when meeting with clients and co-counsel rather then physically traveling to the same site. Free applications like Skype now support HD (high definition) webcams. You can buy any of several Microsoft LifeCam HD webcams on sale now at Best Buy from $39.99 for a lower-end model to the very nice LifeCam Studio 1080p HD Webcam for $69.99. If you need a battery-operated portable printer, head over to Office Depot this week. The HP Office Jet Mobile Printer is on sale for $249.99, and this price actually includes the lithium ion battery. Making this deal even better is the offer to take another $50 off the price if you trade in any old printer. Most of use have an old inkjet printer laying around. If not, buy one at your local thrift shop for $10, trade it in, and still come out $40 ahead. That is what I may have to do, having recently donated a couple of decade-old inkjet printers to a local charity.

If you've lusted after the sleek Apple iPad tablet computer, but were not sure your Windows-oriented psyche could handle the smug and superior atmosphere of an Apple store, you can now buy an iPad (or new iPod Touch) at your local non-pretentious Target store. The Wi-Fi only 16 GB iPad sells for $499.99 at Target. Or you could wait for the expected deluge of Android or even Windows 7-based tablets coming later this year or early next year. The very nice (although premium-priced) new iPod Touch 4G 8 GB version is $229.99 at Target. But if you are going to spend that much, the 32 GB version at $299.99 9s a better value for the additional music and video storage. If you visit Target to check out the iPad, consider picking up a Lexar 4 GB USB flash drive (in my view the smallest capacity you should buy today) for $12.99. It has a nice cap-less twist design. Best Buy has one the best home/home office/small office broadband routers on sale. The Linksys E3000 simultaneous dual-band "N" router is $40 off at $149.99. It has almost every imaginable router feature including a USB port to connect an external hard drive for instant NAS storage and remote access, the ability to create a guest wireless network for your clients and opposing counsel while keeping your primary office network secure, gigabit ethernet ports, and universal plug and play wireless AV media streaming to other devices. If you need backup or supplemental hard drive storage, head over to Office Depot. They have the Seagate 1 GB portable or 2 GB desktop external USB hard drives on sale for $119.99 each in their weekly circular.

This is a follow-up to my preliminary review of the Augen GenTouch 78 Android OS tablet I purchased at Kmart for $145 (sale price was $150 less $5 off coupon from Kmart web site) in late July. This 7 inch screen tablet with a resistive touch screen (instead of the capacitive touch screens found on most Android phones) has some design flaws out of the box. The most notable was the inability to calibrate the touch screen and the lack of an on-screen menu system with buttons for home, menu, back, volume, etc. Most of those problems were at least partially resolved in a series of firmware updates posted on the Augen web site. Unfortunately, Augen pulled the latest of the updates from its site shortly after they were posted around August 19, leaving users who didn't get the updates out in the cold. Fortunately, a developer/hacker community of sorts has sprung up around this cheap device. One of the independent developers re-posted the withdrawn Augen update and added his own follow-up to restore certain features that the official update removed, complete with installation instructions. Both of these updates were mentioned in a recent comment to my original review (scroll to bottom of comments). I applied both the reposted official update and the follow-up "pirate" update a couple of weeks ago. The improvements are impressive. I now have small, but usable, on-screen buttons at the top of my screen for home, menu, back, and volume up/down. Also added in an earlier update still posted on the Augen site is the screen calibration utility. And while the official Augen update removed several of the Google-brand software from the device, the independent developer's follow-up restored them. Also added are nice recovery and screen rotation utilities. This device is still hobbled by a resistive touch screen (like in the old Palm PDA devices) which requires pressure to be applied to register a touch or keystroke. Higher-end devices and Android cell phones use a capacitive screen that simply requires only a very light touch to register an action. But overall, I'd rate the new firmware with the pirate update as moving this device from a mediocre 2.5 out of five stars to more useful 3 or even a 3.5 stars depending on one's ability to maneuver around a resistive touch screen. Any Android tablet hoping for a 4 star or better rating will need a capacitive touch screen. I use the GenTouch device often for my Gmail and Exchange email, and it works well for both. I also do some web browsing with the standard Android browser. I tried to install the Fennec (Firefox) browser that runs fine on my Droid X cell phone, but it won't install on the GenTouch. I think this is due to lack of available RAM on the GenTouch rather than an OS compatibility issue. At least for now until the Droid X gets its over the air (OTA) update to Android 2.2, both the GenTouch and the Droid X run the same version of Android and barring hardware shortcomings like a lack of RAM, should be able to run the same applications. Of course, my use of the GenTouch has been where Wi-Fi is available. It has no cellular data radio like my Droid X. But its 7 inch screen is useful for reading documents that seemed cramped even on the Droid X's large (by phone standards) 4.3 inch screen. For example, I installed the official Kindle ebook app on the GenTouch and find it very pleasant to read my Kindle ebooks on the device. So much so that my use of my formerly beloved Kindle DX has dwindled significantly. Perhaps the 7 inch screen size on the GenTouch adds just enough in portability over the DX's 9.7 inch screen. Hint: When using the Kindle app on the GenTouch, leave Wi-Fi on. Otherwise, at the end of each chapter, when the app wants to refresh its position in the book, it will crash without the Wi-Fi connection to sync the position info to Amazon's servers. When I first purchased my GenTouch, I installed a spare 16 GB microSD card in the side-mounted memory expansion slot. Onto that card I have uploaded movies and TV show episodes that play fairly well on the GenTouch. The downside is that the GenTouch uses an old style cell-phone sized 2.5mm headphone jack instead of the now standard 3.5mm jack. So to listen with regular portable headphones, you need a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter (available at Radio Shack and elsewhere). But more importantly for my law practice use, I also copied my Word and PDF files from several cases I am currently working on, including an appeal that is coming up for oral argument later this week. I plan to use the GenTouch while at the airport and on the plane traveling to oral argument to review the briefs, case law, transcripts, and exhibits copied to the microSD card. I have done this in the past on either my cell phone (screen too small) or my Kindle DX (nice screen, but larger and heavier device). This trip will let me determine if the 7-inch screen size is "just right" even if the device itself still has a few flaws related to the resistive nature of that screen. This if the first of three upcoming trips where the GenTouch will accompany me. I will report back on how this cheap initial foray into Android tablets does while traveling.

If you have not been paying attention over the last few months. you may have missed how cheap external USB hard drive storage has become. Huge 2 TB external desktop hard drives now routinely go on sale for well under $150, with 1 TB models often less than $100. A good example of this is the OfficeMax sale circular for the week of September 5. The Seagate FreeAgent Desk 2 TB drive is $124.99 while the 1 TB model is $84.99. Comparable prices can be found at all major office supply superstores and big box electronics retailers. Drives of this type are excellent for backup storage or to hold large video, music, or image collections. At these prices, it makes sense to buy two drives and use software to mirror or sync their contents to provide the security of redundant backups. For many years I've used Second Copy software for this purpose, but there are other alternatives. In the alternative, two or more of these drives can be used in a system to rotate a backup drive off-site each night so there is always a recent backup available in the event of a fire or flood at the office. For off-site rotation, portable rather then desktop external drives make more sense because they are smaller and lighter. There has been a similar drop in portable external hard drive prices. Turning again to the OfficeMax sale circular only by way of example (since similar deals are common nearly everywhere), the Seagate FreeAgent Go portable external drive series is also on sale for $54.99 (250 GB), $69.99 (320 GB), $74.99 (500 GB, a good size for backup purposes), $104.99 (750 GB), and $124.99 (1 TB). What makes the Seagate FreeAgent Go series particularly nice for a multiple-drive off-site rotation scheme is the availability of a docking station (in the same OfficeMax sale circular) on sale for just $9.99. Just drop the drive into the station. No USB cables to plug and unplug. Of course, you have to remember to actually rotate the drives off-site and regularly run test restores to be certain the external drive backup is actually working. It is this human intervention requirement where most law firm backup schemes fail. My own personal view is that while this task can be left to a highly-trusted staff member, the firm owner (who obviously has the most at stake) should be the one to make sure this gets done - even if that means doing it himself/herself. The decent chance that this won't get done makes the addition of a fully automated on-line backup system even more important. Using one (or preferably more) external hard drives, combined with a wholly automatic on-line backup service, is the least you should do to protect the data and documents that are vital to your law firm's existence.

In the law office world, the monochrome laser printer is the workhorse. When most lawyers and law firm staff think of laser printers, they think of HP's venerable LaserJet series. It is said that no one ever got fired for buying (or recommending) an HP LaserJet printer. As solid and dependable as LaserJets are, they are not always the best choice for every situation. There are alternatives in the monochrome laser segment that may do more and cost less, or may just be a better fit for your firm's needs. A recent comparison review by PC Magazine highlights some of the alternate choices in the monochrome laser marketplace. The review focused on cost-per-page, but each of the four printers and all-in-ones tested received Editors Choice awards. Included in the review are single-functions printers from Samsung and Lexmark and two all-in-one (AIO) printers from AIO specialist Brother. The review also noted that more expensive laser printers often have a much lower cost-per-page, so it makes sense to buy a more expensive printer for high-volume printing needs. One of the AIO's recommended by PC Magazine is the bargain-priced Brother MFC-7840W that lists for $300, but when on sale can go for as low as $200. It isn't a heavy-duty workhorse for high-volume printing, but it makes an ideal home office, satellite office, or personal printer/scanner/copier/fax machine. For several years I have used its predecessor, the MFC-7820N, as my do-it-all machine in my home-based appellate practice. When you shop for a monochrome laser printer, don't think that an HP LaserJet is your only choice. While in many cases it will still be the best choice, that isn't as true as it was a decade or more ago. Look at alternatives that may be a better fit for your needs.

Most computers are capable or producing fine sounding music from sources such as subscription streaming audio services (Rhapsody, Mog), free music streaming services (Pandora, Slacker), and Internet Radio (try Antenna for an easy way to find stations), or your own downloaded or ripped music files. Of course, uncompressed .wav or .flac files sound better for critical listening, but compressed MP3, WMA, and AAC files at decent bit rates are OK for more casual listening or background music. The often heated debate over compressed vs. uncompressed audio files is for another day, fortunately. This post is about the playback mechanism, not the source file. By far the greatest impediment to decent sound from most computers is the pathetic plastic speakers that come with computers or are sold as cheap after-market items. Does it matter? I'd argue yes, it does. In my nearly three decades of practicing law and a shorter time as a tech consultant, I've been impressed with the proportion of attorneys (and consultants) who are serious music fans, students, and/or musicians. Music loving attorneys (and law firm staff members) deserve audio quality that is at least "listenable." Fortunately, you don't need to spend a ton of money on high-end specialty computer speakers or make room on your desk or in your office for a huge traditional audio system in order to improve the sound coming from your computer. For less then $75, you can buy a very listenable compact audio system that will mate perfectly to the 3.5 mm audio output of most computers. The system is actually a combination of two products. Rather then cheap plastic wall wart-powered computer speakers, find a compact pair of traditional Hi-Fi speakers such as the $29 per pair Dayton B652 bookshelf speakers. They will take up a bit more room on your desk or computer stand than cheap plastic speakers. They measure 11-13/16" (H) x 7-1/16" (W) x 6-7/16" (D), but it is space well spent. These are "passive" speakers that require an external amplifier, so mate them with the Dayton DTA-1 T-Amp at $44.80. T-Amps like the DTA-1 are not miracles, but you wouldn't know that from reading the glowing reviews of these cheap amps based on the now famous Tripath amplifier chip. I actually have three T-Amps. One (the beefier but perpetually out-of-stock Dayton DTA-100) powers my main audio system in a large room with efficient Klipsch speakers, another powers the bedroom system with less efficient Spica TC-60 speakers, and a third is the Sonic Impact clone of the DTA-1 which, because it can be either AC or battery-powered, forms the heart of my portable sound system using, believe it or not, folding cardboard speakers. Many of us spend hours a day doing our work on a computer. So don't tolerate anemic plastic speaker sound from your computer when, for less then $75, you can do so much better.

Over the years I've purchased several computers from the Dell Outlet. These machines are often returned equipment that can no longer be sold as new or canceled special orders that were never opened or used. If the Outlet has a PC in stock that is configured to meet your needs, you can save hundreds of dollars. In a PC Magazine TechSaver blog post, several coupon codes for the home/home office side of the Dell Outlet are provided: Enter the code XM7WLTGN53NTS5 to save 20 percent at checkout from any 14-inch Dell Outlet laptop. That's one-fifth of the price gone, just like that. Enter the code P6F8SRPGKP5292 to save 15 percent of any Dell Outlet home laptop or desktop. That could turn into big savings on a big machine. Finally, use the code Q90WKCQD5MRC2? to save 20 percent off any Dell Outlet refurbished inkjet printer. The computers home/home office side of the Outlet would be great for back-to-school student use or for use at home. There is also a business/education side of the Outlet that offers products more suited for law office use. The downside of the Dell Outlet is that computers often are available for only a short time before someone else snatches them up. So you need to know exactly what you want in advance and be sure it meets your needs in terms of screen size, processor speed, Windows OS variant (it is crucial to order a PC with a business/professional version of Windows to connect to most office networks), etc. With most outlet computers, you can add essential software, such as MS Office, at discount bundled prices. Before you visit the Outlet, you may want to check with your Affinity Consulting Group consultant to verify the configuration needs for your firm's network and applications. This is an area where you don't want to make an expensive mistake.

If you have a child starting college this month, one essential purchase you must make is a computer. For most, that will be a notebook or netbook computer. But there are so many choices. How do you pick the right one? In truth, there are many "right" choices. So long as you stay away from the pricing extremes, you should be fine. Some of the lowest-end (sub-$400) notebooks have slower processors, weak graphics, and poor battery life. But spending just $100 more can yield a very nice machine. Spending over $1,000 is unnecessary unless your student is an avid computer gamer. Of course, software, particularly full versions of MS Office (many new computers come with 60-day trial versions) or Adobe Acrobat, is an extra cost that needs to be budgeted for. Software can add a few hundred dollars to the price of a computer. There will be student discounts available on-line or at the college's computer center or bookstore that can bring the cost of Office to well under $100 or reduce the cost of Adobe products, so don't pay full price. One of my favorite technology magazines is Laptop. They have come through again this year with a nice buyer's guide to laptops for college-bound students. One of your first choices will be Windows or Mac. Two years ago when my son and daughter started college, my daughter surprised me by requesting a Macbook. We were assured by the staff at the college computer center that there would be no disadvantage to selecting a Mac unless the student was majoring in science or engineering where Windows is preferred. My daughter is a liberal arts major, so there appeared to be no problem opting for a Mac. So we paid about 30% more that we would have for a comparable Windows machine, but she was happy - at least until school started. As it turned out, several of her courses, including a required intro computer course, had web components that worked only with Internet Explorer, which is a Windows-only web browser. Yes, she could go to the computer lab and work on one of the Windows machines there, but her dorm was on one side of campus and the lab on the other. Fortunately, I had a spare Windows XP Pro license, so I used Mac's dual-boot "Boot Camp" software to create a separate partition on the Macbook's hard drive and install XP. I don't necessarily recommend against letting your college-bound student buy a Mac, but I do recommend getting Windows pre-installed on the Macbook (they can be ordered that way) for those courses that require Windows or Windows-only software. A Macbook with Windows added will drive the cost of the computer up by about 50% over a comparable Windows notebook, but I will say that the Mac hardware appears very solid and reliable (my daughter's Macbook has not created any problems in two years) even if I don't fully understand the allure of the operating system. Apple is again giving away a $200 iPod Touch by mail to students who purchase Macbooks for college, so that is yet another incentive. Plus, it is hard to say no to our kids as they head off into this new challenge. Another option is two computers. A mid-range desktop with a comfortably large LCD screen for the dorm room or apartment and a netbook to take to class. Surprisingly, this option may not cost more than a single higher-end laptop and may provide greater utility. Using free cloud-based services such as Dropbox or Windows Live Sync, your student can keep all of his or her files current and in sync on both machines. Whatever you choose, make sure security is addressed. You will want a good antivirus and antimalware application installed on the computer that automatically updates itself. Tracking software to find a lost or stolen computer is also useful, as is an on-line backup service such as Mozy or Carbonite. Having a semester's worth of notes disappear just before finals in not a good thing. Although many courses allow (or require) electronic submission of completed assignments, some professors still require students to turn-in a paper version of their work. So a printer should also be on the shopping list. Often there will be deals offered by college computer centers bundling a free printer with a notebook computer. My daughter received a Canon Pixma multi-function printer free with her Macbook. So far, other than the cost of replacement ink cartridges, it has worked fine. I am not a fan of inkjet printers because of their high consumables cost. You may want to consider a small laser printer instead. Prices for small lasers can be $150 or less and will produce better text output faster with a lower cost per page. If your student truly needs color output, there are low-end color lasers on the market in the $300 range, or less if you find a particularly good sale. Perhaps an even better choice is a color or monochrome laser multi-function machine that will scan, print, copy, and fax. I've used a Brother multi-function printer in my practice for years without any major problems. A laser multi-function machine will take up a bit more space in the dorm room, but it also adds a great deal of flexibility. One essential application to install on your student's computer is Skype. Also install it on your computer at home so you can do live video calls to your student as she (and you) adjust to this new geographic separation. Telephone calls are great, but actually seeing you son or daughter at college and knowing they are OK is a great comfort for parents. Good luck with this transition.

The Legal Technology Institute (LTI) at the University of Florida's Levin College of Law issued its detailed CASE, MATTER, & PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM STUDY earlier this year. An executive summary by the Institute's Director, Andrew Z. Adkins III, can be downloaded here. It is an interesting read for anyone involved in making technology decisions for their firm. Among the "surprising" findings is how few lawyers are using dual monitor setups despite the well-documented benefits of such an arrangement. Less than one-third of lawyers reported using more than one monitor, with the percentage higher in large firms than in small ones. Adkins recommends what we have suggested here and in our newsletter on several occasions, "With costs of an extra monitor less than $200, law firms and legal departments should explore this benefit of increased productivity (and billable time)." Small law firms surged ahead of large firms in the adoption of MS Word 2007, with large firms and corporations continuing to use Word 2003. Perhaps the greatest missed opportunity for law firms of all sizes, including solo practitioners, is the failure to improve productivity by implementation of a Document Management System (DMS). Adkins wrote: It still amazes me that law firms and legal departments have not implemented document management. Our 2000 ASP Study (Legal Technology Institute - iManage, Inc. Application Service reported less than 50% of the legal profession did not use a document management system.This year, our CMS Study reports the same – more than half of the respondents (52%) indicated they do use a document management system. Larger firms and legal departments did, however, report a higher use of DMS (80%) than those in smaller firms and legal departments. Of those that use a DMS, reported a higher use of iManage WorkSite than OpenText/Hummingbird or WORLDOX. Our experience is that law firms of every size realize significant productivity gains from a properly-implemented document management system (DMS). I recall a visit to a public law department approximately six years ago to present the full range of software solutions we thought could help improve the department's productivity. Public budgets being limited, they could afford to purchase and implement only one type of solution. They selected a document management system, in that case Worldox. In their view it was the one addition that would add the most to their overall productivity. It was a wise decision. For nearly all small and mid-sized firms, including solos, the right DMS choice is likely to be Worldox for its reasonable cost, flexibility, scalability as you grow, ability to integrate with other key law office software, and its ease of use. We use it ourselves. If you would like to learn more about Worldox and how it can improve your firm's productivity, contact your Affinity Consulting Group office.

After a couple of days with the Gentouch 7 inch Android tablet computer, I can say that it is good for some things, not so good for others. My biggest frustration is text input on the resistive screen. I much prefer more expensive capacitive touch screens. But there is probably no way at this time to produce a 7 inch capacitive screen device and sell it for $150 (or even close to twice that price). It browses the web well, and also accesses POP, IMAP, and Exchange email well enough that you could rely on it for email access when traveling, so long as you can find a Wi-Fi connection. There is no 3G radio in the Gentouch 78. A 7 inch screen makes web browsing and email reading much easier than even on ny 4.3 inch screen Droid X. But to avoid frustration typing in URL's, make sure you bookmark your favorites when you visit them. It will save time later. I really like the Gentouch for reading news apps such as those from NPR, USA Today, AP, Engadget, etc. The device lacks an accelerometer, so you need to manually orient the screen from landscape to portrait if that is what the app was written for. It is also a nice little ebook reader once I installed the Kindle app and accessed my library of ebooks from the Kindle store. Of course, if you expect to store much of anything on the Gentouch, you need to add a microSD card, I had a spare 16 GB card and carefully inserted it into the expansion slot. There is a gap in the plastic case next to the slot, so care is need not to accidentally force the card into the gap where it will be lost inside the device. Speaking of adding apps, for now the Android Market, although installed on the device and accessible, will not let you download apps. Augen promised to fix this shortly. There is also a downloadable USB driver fix on their support site for connecting the Gentouch to your computer and transferring files to the microSD card. That means apps need to be sideloaded. This is exceptionally easy to do by downloading and using the Android Central Sideload WonderMachine. There are sources to download Android application files for sideloading on the Gentouch or any other Android device if the Market is not accessible for any reason. I have many more things to try on the Gentouch, such as remote access via LogMeIn and other services, access to legal research sites, etc. For now, I am both impressed that a cheap device like this works as well as it does and frustrated that it has a resistive touch screen. More to come later. Update: The secret to typing seems to be using your thumbs. Thumbs put a bit more pressure on the resistive screen. Much (but not all) of the frustration is gone. I was also able to sideload a few new apps such as a Word Press app so I can easily post to this blog, the Opera Mini web browser, and the Dropbox app to remotely access my client and firm documents from the Gentouch for editing or reference.