Mobile Technology – Staying plugged in while you’re on the go

Attorneys are notoriously slow to embrace new technologies, but there are always a few brave souls who are ahead of the curve. In the 1970’s, only the technologically savvy would even think about doing legal research on a computer. Now it’s difficult to imagine what it must have been like without commercial online research services and the worldwide Web.

Attorneys increasingly work at multiple locations ranging from the office and courthouse to homes, airports, hotels, restaurants, and other sites. For them the new frontier is mobile wireless technology. Beginning with cell phones, which are now a virtual requirement for practicing law, the number of wireless gadgets available to lawyers and the rate of their acceptance has grown rapidly. In the 2005 edition of it’s annual Legal Technology Survey Report, the American Bar Association reported that 72.2% of respondents use a laptop while away from the office and 52.1% own a handheld device, such as a PDA. Aside from home, the most regular use of laptops is in hotels followed by airports or in transit. Other places of use include courtrooms, client’s offices and opposing or co-counsel’s offices. Use of PDAs is higher than for laptops at all these locations. Uses include e-mail, calendaring, contacts, document creation, presentations, spreadsheets, expense tracking, time and billing, news and legal research.*

If you’re feeling technically challenged or you just want to learn more about what’s out there, here’s a brief guide to some of the latest gadgets to keep you connected while mobile.

Laptop computers—The battleground here is over size and weight. Manufacturers are packing more features into smaller and lighter spaces without sacrificing quality. The Dell Latitude X1, for example, weighs 2.5 lbs, is less than an inch thick and features a 12.1 inch screen with built-in wireless capability and a variety of options. Slightly heavier models are available from Sony (VAIO VGN-T150P/L), Lenovo (ThinkPad X41), Sharp (Actius MP30) and Fujistu (LifeBook P7010). All weigh in at 3.5 lbs or less and deliver enough power, battery life and features to satisfy most users.

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)—PDAs have come a long way from the first Palm and Handspring models with small memories, limited memory and dim screens. The big news here is the spread of so-called “smartphones.” These devices combine the functionality of a traditional cell phone with the ability to add applications such as e-mail, calendaring, contacts, spreadsheets and more. As smartphones evolve we are witnessing a convergence of traditional cell phone with traditional PDAs resulting in a hybrid that combines the physical and functional characteristics of both. Just look at the new Blackberry 8700s, which are slimmer than older models and allow users to use it as a phone without a headset, and Samsung SCH-i730, which is wider than most cell phones, has a slide-out keyboard and e-mail capabilities.

The other major development is speed … lots of speed. Many of the newer models have WiFi capability that enables them to download documents and streaming media at speeds approaching broadband connections. Not surprisingly, there are two competing standards for wireless high-speed in the U.S., CDMA and GSM., each with a different protocol. CDMA devices use EvDO, favored by Sprint and Verizon, and GSM uses EDGE, favored by AT&T, Cingular and T-Mobile. But this speed comes at a price. Expect to pay a premium to your carrier for high speed access, although the price will surely drop as the technology becomes more widespread.

WiFi finder—The growing popularity of WiFi has led to an interesting phenomenon … individuals carrying around open laptop computers in search of a hot spot where they can access a wireless high-speed connection. WiFi finders make this task easy. These pocket sized devices, which run about $25 to $75, allow you to identify spots with a signal and the strength of the signal within a 200 foot range. Kensington offers a wide range of models that are widely available.

Travel Router—Do you ever get to your hotel room late at night, but you still have to check messages from the office and clients? You just want to crash on the bed with your laptop, but the broadband connection is on the other side of the room. Travel routers, which are about the size and weight of a large paperback, simply plug into the broadband connection and let you access the network from any place in the room without a cable, including the bed. Expect to pay about $50 to $100 for popular models from Linksis, Netgear, Belkin and other manufacturesrs.

Portable storage devices—Long gone are the days when data was stored on floppy discs that held a mere 1.4 MB of data. Portable storage devices allow you to store relatively large amounts of data in tiny containers. They come with USB connections, so all you have to do is plug it into your laptop, no matter where you are, and your ready to work. You’ll find a wide range of flash, zip and other versions that hold anywhere from 256MB to 5 GB and range in price from about $20 to $100. 

Portable scanners—These devices come in a variety of sizes and shapes, which, as the name implies, are easy-to transport tools that enable users to capture handwritten or printed material and convert it to a digital format. Some look like hollow tubes through which the document is passed, others are passes over the document. Several manufacturers make a portable digital pen that captures and stores everything you write or draw. Most of these devices weigh less than a pound and can be connected to a PC using a USB cable. Expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $150.

Sound isolating earphones and headset—For those few times that you just want to chill out in an airport or some other location where there’s always a lot of noise, Shure makes a line of earphones, including the E2c, E3c, E4c and E5c, that produce superior sound quality while effectively blocking outside noise. Prices run from about $100 to $500. In addition, Shure makes a headset, called the QuietSpot, that uses the same sound isolating technology for use with cell phones. The cost is about $30.

* Source: 2004-2005 American Bar Association Legal Technology Resource Center Survey Report—Mobile Lawyers Volume V.