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The Return of 60 Apps in 60 Minutes

By on October 19, 2011 in Apps, Lawyers Using iPad, Tips

About 10 days or so ago I had the pleasure of presenting another 60 Apps in 60 Minutes CLE webcast along with co-presenters Jeff Richardson of iPhone JD, Reid Trauts of Reid My Blog! and Tom Mighell of iPad4Lawyers. We took questions from webcast participants via email and jointly prepared responses. Those responses are below. Give them a look as you might find a tip or two for yourself.

The 60 apps in 60 minuts format is fun but jam-packed – almost too jam packed. Jeff, Tom and Reid each posted the full list of apps we discussed at their respective blogs. Rather than posting the same list, I decided to list just my favorites and share a few words about each focused on how to use the app better or how it might fit into your workflow. I’ll post that list in a couple days.

Answers to viewer questions:

Question #1 from S.F. from Anchorage, AK:  What is the best way for lawyers to use Dropbox or a similar service with an iPhone or iPad, assuming the need to access client information occasionally?

Answer: Dropbox is a useful service for sharing documents between multiple computers and between a computer and an iPhone and/or iPad. Because Dropbox is run by a third party, however, you need to be conscious of security and confidentiality issues. Jeff’s solution is that he only uses Dropbox for non-confidential documents, such as copies of pleadings, depositions and exhibits. For confidential attorney-client documents, Jeff keeps those documents in an app like GoodReader or Quickoffice that allows you to password-protect documents.

Tom also uses Dropbox, but understands that SpiderOak provides better security. Unfortunately, it doesn’t integrate with as many iPad apps as Dropbox, which limits its utility. Tom also recommends GoodReader as a good app for downloading and accessing your Dropbox files – it is relatively simple to connect your Dropbox account to GoodReader, and start downloading files to your iPad.  Tom says “Whenever I download a new app, one of the first things I do is check to see whether it integrates with Dropbox. You may find you have a lot of apps that do so, and it may be easier to download into those apps directly from Dropbox, rather than into GoodReader.”

Josh often uses the file manager built into LogMeIn Ignition to grab confidential client files left on the computer back at the office. The transfer from desktop to iPad is encrypted end-to-end and doesn’t let the document sit on a cloud based service so the confidentiality concerns some raise about services like Dropbox don’t apply. The key to using any cloud based service with your device is setting up a good workflow to help keep track of document revisions, versions and originals.

Reid uses the Dropbox-GoodReader combo, and also uses DropBox to transfer PDFs to the Apple iBooks app for reading. Jeff adds that, on the iPhone, the Apple iBooks is his favorite app for handling PDFs.

Question #2 from J.H. from San Francisco, CA: Does entering an event in Calvetica simultaneously make the entry in the iPhone Calendar app?

Answer:  Yes. One of the nice features of third party calendar apps such as Calvetica, Easy Calendar or Agenda is that the all use the iPhone and iPad’s built-in calendar database. Thus, you can use one app to enter an event, another app to edit the event, another app to view the event, and they are all working from the same database.

Question #3 from C.P. from Greenwood Village, CO:  Do the calendar apps interface with Microsoft Outlook calendars?
Question #4 from L.L. from Saint Louis, MO:  Do the calendar apps interface with MS Outlook?  We use an Exchange server to coordinate with our iPhones.

Answer: Again, yes. Because all iPhone and iPad calendar apps use the built-in calendar database, if you have your iPhone and iPad configured to synchronize with your office’s Exchange server, you can add an event in a third-party app and then the change will be synced to Exchange and will show up in Outlook on your computer.

Question #5 from C.McD. from Blue Bell, PA: What stylus do you like for Penultimate?
Question #6 from M.M. from Reno, NV:  What is the name of the suggested stylus?

Answer: Jeff’s current favorite stylus is the Kensington Virtuoso Stylus for Tablet which he reviewed on iPhone J.D. here. Tom’s current favorite stylus is the Adonit Jotpro Stylus.  Josh uses the MORE/REAL Stylus cap because it has the weight and balance of a regular pen. That said, Josh recommends waiting until version 2 is released with the faster tip. If you go to the iPhone J.D. website and do a search at the top right for “stylus” you will find lots of reviews pointing out the advantages and shortcomings of many different options.

Question #7 from: M.S. from Shawnee Mission, KS: Two general questions regarding the iPad.  First, do you have any suggestions on how to access electronic dockets and pleadings etc. in federal court?  I can access it through my browser on the iPad but cannot scroll within documents that are retrieved.  Do any apps help?  Second, and similarly, I cannot scroll down within the web browser when accessing Lexis on my iPad.  Do any apps help for this?

Answer: When you access PACER from an iPad, once you select a document from the docket, if you click the button to view a document you only see the first part of the first page and cannot scroll down. However, there is a workaround.  Instead of clicking the button that says “view” click the button that says “download.”  This will send a .zip file to your iPad, and your iPad will ask what app you want to open the zip file in. One such app is GoodReader, an app that Jeff recommended. Josh recommends ReaddleDocs for the same functionality. Either app will allow you to unzip a .zip file and view all of the PDF files contained in that file.

As for accessing Lexis on the iPad, Lexis is supposed to be updating Lexis.com so that it can be accessed from an iPad. Moreover, before the end of this year, Lexis will be releasing a Lexis Advance app for the iPad. For more information on the upcoming Lexis app, see this post from Jeff on iPhone J.D.

Question #9: S.E. From Draper, UT: Can the Dragon Diction app be download to an iPad?

Answer:  Yes. The Dragon Dictation app works on both the iPhone and iPad. Dictation is also built into iOS 5 but is only available on the iPhone 4S.

Question #10 from R.H. from Milwaukee, WI: Is there an app to allow my iPad to connect to my desktop remotely? I use Time Matters.

Answer: Yes, any of the remote access apps that we discussed in our session will let you do this — Citrix Receiver, LogMeIn Ignition or GoToMyPC.

Question #11 from P.O. from Austin, TX: Is LogMeIn Igntion better than iTap RDP?
Question #12 from P.dB. from Stuart, FL: Do you recommend LogMeIn more than iTeleport?

Answer: None of the presenters have used the iTap RDP, but in Tom’s opinion, it looks like a good option. It uses Windows’ Remote Desktop Protocol, which is a solid method for remotely accessing your computer. Tom thinks (and Josh agrees) that LogMeIn Ignition might be better for one reason: ease of configuration. With LogMeIn Ignition, it “just works,” and requires very little configuration. It looks like the iTap RDP requires a little more work under the hood, which might limit the app’s appeal to more advanced users. Further, with LogMeIn Ignition you can access your desktop from any computer using just a browser, with no configuration; with the Remote Desktop Protocol, you’d have to configure it on any computer you plan to use.

Likewise, none of the presenters use iTeleport, which also looks like a solid remote desktop application.  However, like iTap, it does not appear that you can use iTeleport on regular computers to remotely access your desktop – LogMeIn’s universal capabilities give it an advantage here.

Reid’s office has a corporate GoToMyPC account, so he has to use their iPad app. He finds it works well on his iPad2, although sometimes a bit balky.

Question #13 from J.G. from Pocatello, ID: Do most or all of the apps discussed work with the first generation iPad?

Answer:  Very few apps that work with the iPad require the iPad 2, although some do exist.  All of the apps that we discussed work on the original iPad and the iPad 2, although some of these apps are designed for the iPhone and therefore run on the iPad/iPad 2 in iPhone emulation mode.

Question #14 from M.H. from Lubbock, TX: What is the best app to read and edit Microsoft Word documents?

Answer:  The most popular apps for reading and editing Word documents are Documents to Go, QuickOffice and Office2.  Jeff’s current favorite is Documents to Go because it is the only app of the three that shows you footnotes and shows you redline edits (although it will not let you create footnotes or create redlines). But these apps are updated frequently, so hopefully the other apps will add this feature soon.

Question #15 from D.C. from Naperville, IL: I am a transactional lawyer, with a specialty in business law, estate planning, tax and some business litigation.  What are the apps you would consider important for a lawyer with that type of practice to have?

Answer:  As a transactional lawyer you deal with a lot of documents.  If those documents are in PDF format, GoodReader or PDF Expert are essential apps for managing and annotating those documents. Josh prefers PDF Expert because of the easy to use document signing too, the ability to reorder/move/delete pages from a PDF and the ability to fill PDF forms. You also need one of the Microsoft Office compatible apps like Documents to Go or QuickOffice.

Josh recommends creating a folder on your Dropbox with your principal forms. This will give you access to your key drafting inspirations from anywhere.

If you use a Mac in the Office, also consider TextExpander Touch (with the desktop companion TextExpander) which allows you to expand text snippets into words, sentences or even paragraphs. With this app, Josh types “attfee1” and TextExpander types his preferred attorney fee clause. The snippet “simplemisc” expands into my preferred miscellaneous clauses for a basic contract that I can then edit. “engageltr” expands into the text I start with when drafting my engagement letter or email.  Note that iOS 5 provides a shortcut feature like this but it is much more limited.

One key to making the iPad work well for transactional lawyers is to have some flexibility or be willing to try new things in your workflow. For example, Josh does lots of drafting in plain text on the iPad and only worries about formatting when back in front of a desktop computer. Even with the Word compatible apps mentioned here, they aren’t WYSIWYG. You will still need to fine tune back at the office on your own or send to an assistant to format. Plain text is also necessary to take advantage of TextExpander since at this time the Word compatible apps do not support it but apps like Elements or PlainText do support TextExpander.

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Meeting Apps by Tom Mighell

By on June 4, 2011 in Apps

Great roundup of the meeting app’s currently available for iPad by Tom Mighell over at IPad4lawyers. I agree with Tom’s recommendation of Fuze Meeting (iTunes link) since it allows meeting creation from the iPad. Look forward to an update making annotation tools available.

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Exhibit A: Annotation Flexibility with Interface Issues

By on May 16, 2011 in Apps, Reviews

Shortly after my post about TrialPad (which spawned the most comments on a single post for this blog) the developer of competing app, Exhibit A (iTunes link), forwarded me a promo code to give it a try. While I originally intended to write a “review” type post, this became more of a critique about app interface design. I’m no UX expert, but I know what I like and I know when an app has me confused. Though Exhibit A succeeds in it’s core function of allowing presentation and annotation of multiple file types, I found the app’s interface frustratingly difficult to use.

Exhibit A organizes groups of exhibits into “Projects” denoted by briefcases that can hold PDF, jpg and video. Files can be imported via email, Dropbox, through iTunes, by mounting the app as a wireless USB drive or by FTP (this last option seems quite odd to me as I can’t think of any lawyer I’ve met in my 14 years of practice that manages files with FTP, but perhaps I’m behind the times).

While all these import options are nice, I couldn’t find a way to import directly into the project of my choice. Rather, imports all land in the “Imports” project. From there, the user can copy them into specific project folders. Moving files into projects is far from intuitive, however. When visiting an empty project, the user is prompted “to add an exhibit or folder, tap either button in the toolbar below.”

Empty screen, confusing instructions.

But instead of the typical icons for such actions one might expect, the user is met with six somewhat confusingly labeled buttons (spoiler: the button you want is Imports, not Files). I always thought “either” meant two but in any case, why wouldn’t the instructions simply say “To add an exhibit or folder, tap the Imports button.” Or perhaps highlight the button I’m supposed to tap? More to the point, why can’t I import directly to a Project?

Case navigation also has quirks. When looking at a project on screen, there is no indication that the app contains multiple projects other than dots toward the bottom of the screen. While these dots match how multiple screens full of apps are navigated in iOS, I don’t think they translate as well to the page or project metaphor.

Where are my other projects?

Compare switching between documents in an app like Penultimate (shown below) or any of the Apple apps like Pages, Numbers or Keynote. When focused on one document, the edges of other nearby documents (with contextually appropriate thumbnails) are visible giving the user a clue as to where other projects are and how to get to them. Exhibit A offers the user no such contextual clues which often left me hunting for my other projects and swiping about aimlessly. I frequently felt lost navigating the app until I had an “oh yeah” moment.

Penultimate provides context for where my other projects can be found.

Similarly, I found disorienting the Project icon of an open briefcase that appears to be full of photos, videos and PDF. This icon is static regardless of what is inside the actual project. Empty Projects represented by a full briefcase? Completely different projects represented by the same full briefcase? (Note: I had the same criticism of Penultimate during its early iterations when the face of each notebook was identical. This went away when Penultimate was updated to allow the user to customize the cover of a notebook with a title.)

Gestures in the app led to similar frustrations. If you swipe to move to a new Project but accidentally start your swipe touching the project briefcase, the swipe is read as a tap to enter the project. This is made more confusing because the resulting animation looks like you have successfully moved over to the next project (a sliding pane) but instead you have entered a project (also a sliding pane). Again compare how Penultimate or Pages zooms in to a selected project rather than sliding into it. In sum, trying to navigate multiple projects left me disoriented and frustrated.

Once you enter annotation mode, things improve. Tap a file to display full screen. A choice of annotation tools including yellow highlight, freehand pen (with five ink color choices), eraser and laser pointer are at left. The pen and highlighted thickness are adjustable by a slider at the bottom of the screen. Rotate, undo, redo, clear, save and show buttons at the top have their expected functions and can be hidden by a tap. I like how undo/redo and the clear/redraw can be toggled on and off to highlight a particular annotation. I also like how the highlighter is a pen rather than a selection block, though the color seems to obscure rather than emphasize the text being marked. I appreciate than an annotation tool stays selected until I deselect. This saves me a number of trips to the annotation toolbar.

Again, the interface could stand to be improved. The buttons for Rotate, Undo, Redo, etc. are white text on transparent menubar. When overlayed on a white document (as many are), these buttons become difficult to see. Another miscue: page navigation is offered in two conflicting ways on the same interface – forward and back page turn buttons and an up and down slider. While the slider is nice for jumping to the back of a long document quickly, the up and down slider is inconsistent with the left / right gesture used to turn pages.

Exhibit A annotation interface.

I think with some effort, a person could learn to work around the idiosyncrasies of Exhibit A’s interface. Indeed, I have heard from a couple folks who either aren’t bothered by these interface issues or have become accustomed to them and use the app successfully. I, however, am not that person and I think most other users would be similarly frustrated.

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Dropbox Update: File Management Utility for Lawyers

By on April 29, 2011 in Apps

The good folks over at Dropbox pushed out a nice update to their free iPad app (iTunes link) a couple weeks ago that greatly eases file management on the iPad. Two important features:

  • You can now send a file from any app into your Dropbox via the “Open in…” button (I think for most lawyers, this will be most helpful with Mail attachments)

  • when sending a file to Dropbox, you are now given the choice what folder you want to save it to.

The combination of these features fits well into workflow. Now when I receive a file by email or find a PDF on the web that I’ll need later, I immediately send it to my “Work” folder in Dropbox which is synced with ReaddleDocs (iTunes link) on my iPad (many file management apps allow syncing of one or more cloud folders). I also have a couple folders shared with other people. Saving a file to one of these folders ensures that it has been shared with those colleagues and backed up in the cloud. I have another folder called “law library” where I save statutes, cases and other reference material I find on the web. The iPad file management system is still missing a number of things, but this Dropbox update fills in a nice piece of the puzzle.

Let me know in the comments how you use folders and syncing with Dropbox in your workflow.

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Legal Workflow: Save Webpage as a File on Your iPad

By on April 28, 2011 in Apps, Legal Workflows, Tips

This tip is a bit technical but based on some of the questions I get, I think it will be valuable to many lawyers who want to create an archive of a webpage that they can work with. Today we’ll be adding a bookmark to Safari that sends the webpage you are viewing to ReaddleDocs (iTunes link) where you can choose to save it as a webarchive, HTML or a PDF. While a number of file management apps have an integrated browser that can save webpages (details on those options below), ReaddleDocs gives you the choice of webarchive, HTML or a PDF.

Three steps:

  1. Make a bookmark in Safari. Doesn’t matter what page it is, we’ll be editing the bookmark in a minute.

    2. Add a bookmark, any bookmark

  2. Copy the following text:

    3. javascript:window.location='r'+location.href

  3. Switch back to Safari and edit the bookmark you just created to replace the address with the text above. Change the name of the bookmarklet to something like “Send to ReaddleDocs”

    4. Edit the bookmark

Note that you can always send a webpage from Safari to ReaddleDocs by inserting an “r” before the http:// and tapping Go. This automates the process a bit and keeps you from having to remember what letter to use. A number of apps have a similar functionality. For example, if you use GoodReader (iTunes link), you can replace the “r” in the JavaScript with “g” to create a webarchive in GoodReader. Prefer Air Sharing HD (iTunes link)? Use an “a” in the script.

If you just use GoodReader, this process is simplified a bit by an option that copies the proper JavaScript to your clipboard. You can find that in the app’s General Settings. Of the apps I mention, I think only ReaddleDocs gives you the choice to save as PDF, which I often prefer.

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ABA Techshow: 60 Apps in 60 Minutes

By on April 18, 2011 in Apps

Last week I presented the very popular 60 Apps in 60 Minutes section of the ABA Techshow with Jeff Richardson of iPhone J.D. and Reid Trautz of Reid My Blog! The presentation was very popular – standing room only. Listed below are the apps from that presentation along with links to the App Store. Lots of great apps in there and many of them are free. I’ve generally linked to the iPad version of these apps, but many are universal or have an iPhone app as well.

Productivity

  • Calvetica (iTunes link). Fast alternative calendar app for iPhone.
  • Keynote (iTunes link). Presentation design and delivery app.
  • Penultimate (iTunes link). Handwritten notes in notebooks.
  • iThoughts HD (iTunes link). Mindmapping with great export options.
  • PDF Expert (iTunes link). PDF annotation.
  • Documents to Go Premium (iTunes link). Microsoft Word and Excel compatible file editor.
  • Dragon Dictation (iTunes link). Dictation.
  • Satchel (iTunes link). Tool for using Backpack from 37Signals.
  • Plaintext (iTunes link). Text editor that syncs with Dropbox.
  • TextExpander Touch (iTunes link). Utility that expands text snippets into full words, sentences or more!
  • CarbonFin Outliner (iTunes link). Hierarchical outliner.
  • Minimal Folio (iTunes link). Presentation delivery alternative for images and PDF.
  • Mind Meister (iTunes link). Mindmapping.
  • GoodReader (iTunes link). File manager and PDF annotation.
  • Note Taker HD (iTunes link). Handwritten note taking, PDF annotation.

Utility

Camera and Camera Utilities

  • ProHDR (iTunes link). Better than built in HDR in iPhone 4.
  • Prizmo (iTunes link). Scan and OCR text.
  • Price Check (iTunes link). Scan a bar code in a store to check if you are getting the best deal.
  • Photosync (iTunes link). Easily move photos between iOS devices, dropbox, your computer.
  • Eyeglasses (iTunes link). Read the small print.
  • Skype (iTunes link). Voice and video chat.
  • Photogene (iTunes link). Photo editor.
  • JotNot (iTunes link). Document scanner and optimizer.

Remote Access

Law

  • Black’s Law Dictionary (iTunes link). Dictionary.
  • Book of Jargon (iTunes link). Financial terms glossary.
  • TrialPad (iTunes link). Exhibit presentation and annotation app.
  • FastCase (iTunes link). Legal research.
  • Court Days Pro (iTunes link). Calculate days between dates, can customize with rules.
  • WordPerfect Viewer (iTunes link). View WordPerfect files.

News and Social

  • Appolicious (iTunes link). Keep abreast of new apps.
  • Flipboard (iTunes link). Presents your social feeds in glossy magazine style.
  • Zite (iTunes link). Pandora for news.
  • Reeder (iTunes link). RSS feed reader, syncs with Google Reader.
  • Instapaper (iTunes link). Store web articles for reading later.
  • Trickle (iTunes link). Passive twitter consumption tool.
  • Groupon (iTunes link). Coupon app.
  • Hootsuite (iTunes link). Social media management and aggregation.

Entertainment

  • Infinity Blade (iTunes link). Dungeon crawl game with amazing graphics.
  • Garage Band (iTunes link). Make music.
  • TuneIn Radio (iTunes link). Find, organize, listen and record your favorite radio stations.
  • iType2Go (iTunes link). See where you are going while texting.
  • iMovie (iTunes link). Make movies on your iPhone or iPad.
  • Atari’s Greatest Hits (iTunes link). Games from your youth.
  • Food Truck Fiesta (iTunes link). Find lunch fast.

Translation

  • Google Translate (iTunes link). Translation app works over the internet.
  • Jibbigo (iTunes link). Translation app with dictionaries installed on phone.
  • Word Lens (iTunes link). Translation with augmented reality.

This was my first Techshow and it was a lot of fun to meet the folks I share the blogosphere with. Thanks to Jeff and Reid for helping make a great presentation!

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Hey Lawyer! New iPad? Get These Apps First (Part 8 – Remote Access)

By on April 7, 2011 in Apps

Time for my eighth and final post in my series about starter apps for an iPad toting lawyer. Last time I covered file management apps. This time we cover remote access.

Remote access apps are those that allow you to view your Mac or PC screen on your iPad just as though you are sitting at your desk. Great for when you left a file behind or need to check in on the client management software installed back on the firm’s server. Remote access apps have been around for a while on the iPhone but their usability was limited due to the small screen. The iPad makes these much more powerful tools and an indispensable part of a mobile lawyer’s workflow.

LogMeIn Ignition

There are a number of apps that provide this functionality, but my favorite still is LogMeIn Ignition (iTunes link) and a recent update makes LogMeIn Ignition an even more compelling app. Like all remote access apps, LogMeIn Ignition requires that you install a small piece of free software on the computers you want to access as well as the app on your iPad. Once configured, a few taps gives you access to your desktop as though you are sitting at your desk. Jeff Richardson did a nice review and followup of the prior version of LogMeIn Ignition over at iPhone J.D.

A few of the key features I like about LogMeIn Ignition:

  • There are three ways to control your desktop mouse through the iPad depending on your preference. I like direct input which essentially makes your desktop screen a touch screen: wherever you touch the mouse clicks. The virtual mouse mode overlays a mouse on your iPad that you control with your finger.

    • LogMeIn Ignition File Manager

  • A recent update to LogMeIn Ignition added a robust file manager which greatly enhances the app’s functionality. Before this update, LogMeIn Ignition was great to zip back to your desktop to grab a forgotten file, but even on the iPad’s large screen, navigating Windows or Mac folder structure could be frustrating just because of the precision needed through the remote session to find folders, double-click to open, drill down, etc. The added file manager makes navigating deep into the folders on your desktop computer very easy. The file manager also makes it easy to to pull docs onto your iPad or move them between computers. So while Dropbox makes select files and folders available on the go, the LogMeIn Ignition file manager now makes all the files and folders in your desktop computer available while you are on the go. My one criticism is that the file manager isn’t available to the rest of iOS. So an attachment in your iPad’s email can’t be sent to the LogMeIn Ignition file manager.

    • Access one or more remote computers.

  • Switch among multiple desktop screens with a three finger swipe. Pinch to zoom when needed, though the iPad’s screen makes that unnecessary for most monitors.

  • If you install the free desktop software on multiple computers, you can access one desktop from another desktop. I have the software on both my home and work computers. So now I can access my work desktop from my home desktop and vice versa. Not an iPad feature, but a distinguishing feature of the LogMeIn software.

  • The LogMeIn folks take security very seriously. The Ignition app has options for multiple levels of security and logins. Additional information about security is available at the LogMeIn website..

Large screen makes remote access very functional.

With all those features and more, LogMeIn Ignition isn’t cheap. While the desktop server side software is free, the app is $29.99 in the iTunes App Store. There are other apps that provide this type of remote access technology like iTeleport (iTunes link), SplashTop Remote(iTunes link) and Jump Desktop (iTunes link). However, the two main reasons I keep coming back to LogMeIn Ignition are (i) ease of setup (ii) the ability to connect from one desktop to another (in addition to being able to connect from the iPad or iPhone). I don’t have time, interest or knowledge to figure out firewalls, access protocols and other settings. LogMeIn Ignition just let’s me get to work. My primary complaint about LogMeIn is the absence of a limited feature trial version. $30.00 is a lot of dough to drop on an app untested. Some of the other apps mentioned above have free trial version.

So that concludes my series of basic productivity apps for an iPad toting lawyer. Took a little longer than I anticipated, but I’ll do a roundup post collecting everything in one place for easy access.

Have an idea for a workflow you want featured at TabletLegal? Drop me a line and let me know!

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Hey Lawyer! New iPad? Get These Apps First (File Management)

By on March 14, 2011 in Apps, Legal Workflows

So we are up to post number 7 in my series of eight posts of starter apps for a lawyer looking to build a basic work rig. No special trim packages or custom features: just a good stock setup. Last time I covered Word and Excel compatible apps. This time we are going to talk about file management apps.

Let’s be honest: file management is a bit of a chore on the iPad. Because file storage is segregated by app rather than located in a centrally accessible area requires some workflow changes in order to manage files and versions. I’ve talked about file storage and management from a conceptual level before. This time we’ll talk apps.

There are scads of file management apps for the iPad and I’ve tried a lot of them. Having tried a lot of them, I think the elements of a good file management app are:

  • hooks to your favorite cloud service (e.g., Dropbox, MobileMe, box.net)
  • ability to keep one or more cloud folders synced with your iPad
  • ability to preview all the file types you typically come in contact
  • can operate as a wireless USB drive over a local network
  • easy to navigate and organize files
  • ability to search by file name
  • need to be able to e-mail and print files easily
  • needs to be able to send files to other apps via the “Open in…” function
  • must be able to open .zip files
  • an option for a passcode lock

Some file management apps have additional features like PDF annotation. Depending on your workflow, this can be a valuable way to kill two birds with one stone.

So based on this list, I can comfortably recommend any of the following (in alphabetical order):

  • Avatron’s Air Sharing HD (iTunes link). An early version of Air Sharing was one of the first apps I bought for my iPhone years ago and I was happy to see when Air Sharing HD became available. Air Sharing HD handles all of the items in the list above admirably through a clean and intuitive interface reminiscent of the file manager from your desktop computer. I like the ability to switch between icon view or a detailed list view depending on my needs. At this writing, Air Sharing HD doesn’t support the ability to “sync” with a cloud folder. Air Sharing HD can also create a public folder accessible by anyone on your local network. I also like that Avatron is a local, domestic mobile developer (“Buy local” for apps? You bet.). I know that the Avatron folks (website) listen to user feedback via Twitter and e-mail and are responsive to users. Air Sharing HD is $9.99.

  • Goodiware’s GoodReader (iTunes Link). GoodReader covers all the requirements in the list above with a few other features as well. GoodReader has decent PDF annotation tools in addition to file management (highlight, underline, strikethrough, notes) which may allow you to forgo a dedicated PDF annotation app. VGA out capability allows GoodReader to double as a flexible presentation app. This capability was one of the first things I wrote about at TabletLegal, even before the iPad was initially launched: the ability to dump a bunch of different files, regardless of type, into one folder and launch an ad hoc multi-media presentation. GoodReader has a relatively clean interface that uses “panes” to organize some of the app’s functions. I like GoodReader’s interface, but I’m not as crazy about it as I was initially, having grown to prefer ReaddleDocs (discussed below). GoodReader is also tremendously affordable for all these features: an easy $2.99

  • Readdle’s ReaddleDocs (iTunes link). ReaddleDocs is my final file management app recommendation. ReaddleDocs has one of the most exhaustive lists of supported cloud storage services I’ve seen and also offers its own free storage service that you can sign up for through the app. I find ReaddleDocs interface to be the simplest and most attractive of the three apps mentioned, which is part of why it is the file management app currently on my home page. I find the simple and clean interface intuitive and very easy to navigate which makes it more useful in my workflow. A nice feature is ReaddleDocs’ ability to save a webpage as a webarchive or a PDF file. ReaddleDocs has some basic PDF annotation functions built in (highlight, note) which handle my rudimentary PDF annotation needs. ReaddleDocs is currently $4.99.

That’s it for file management. Let us know what you use in the comments. Look for the final installment in this series, remote desktop connection apps, coming soon.

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Track Changes on the iPad – An Update

By on March 1, 2011 in Apps, Tips

A short followup to my post yesterday about recommended Word compatible word processing apps for the iPad. A commenter on that post quickly pointed out that I didn’t talk about the ability to create and manage tracked changes. Quite correct, and I should have. I’ve more or less written off tracked changes support given previous coverage of the subject so didn’t think to mention it. But I’m glad the commenter did, as I can provide an update.

What hasn’t changed is that none of the Word compatible apps can create or manage (i.e., accept or reject) tracked changes and comments. What has changed is that I’ve been able to confirm that Documents to Go Premium (iTunes Link) can display tracked changes and comments. I mistakenly told the commenter on Monday’s post that this functionality only worked with .docx files but in doing some additional tests today, I was able to display tracked changes and comments made in .doc files as well. The screen shot below shows how tracked changes and comments appear.

Viewing Word tracked changes in Documents to Go

The ability to display but not create or manage tracked changes and comments is a nice feature but as the commenter mentioned yesterday, isn’t really a solution. Because the tracked changes can’t be accepted/rejected, this feature doesn’t change my overall preference for QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite (iTunes link). Just like for footnote compatibility, I’ll keep Documents to Go around, but will continue to use QuickOffice as my default app for Word compatible writing and editing (when I’m not using text).

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Hey Lawyer! New iPad? Get These Apps First (Word and Excel Compatibility – Part 6)

By on February 28, 2011 in Apps

This is part 6 of my 8 part series about starter apps for a lawyer to build a basic work machine. I’m not digging into a lot of custom apps here – just the meat and potatoes of the workflow for many lawyers. Last time I talked about presentation apps. Today I’ll talk about a subject that is probably of top concern to many lawyers – Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel compatibility.

Even if you do most of your drafting in raw text (which I recommend), you will inevitably need to view and edit a .doc or .xls file. For those times, my preferred app right now is QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite (iTunes link). For a mobile Microsoft Office compatibility suite, this app offers everything you would expect. While you won’t be generating cross referenced tables of contents and custom styles in QuickOffice (or any of the competitors), all the basic formatting tools a lawyer uses are there. The reason this app is at the top of my list compared to the other capable apps in this area is in how it manages files. QuickOffice uses an intuitive drag, drop and tap interface that resembles how one might work on a desktop computer. Given that file management and version control is so important for lawyers, this feature pushes QuickOffice ahead of the competition in my eyes. QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite is also just $14.99 at this writing (usually $24.99) (iTunes link).

That said, Dataviz’s Documents to Go Premium (iTunes Link) is still on my iPad and gets used from time to time. The main positive distinguishing feature between QuickOffice and Documents to Go is that DTG supports footnoting and QuickOffice does not. If documents with footnotes are part of your workflow, then you are going to want DTG. I draft contracts and correspondence rather than briefs and memoranda so footnotes are rare in my legal writing workflow. On the flip side, I find DTG’s file management scheme simply Byzantine at times with unintuitive panels of file management options that don’t seem linked together in any intuitive way. I’d love to see this aspect of the app get a refresh.

One thing to remember with both of these apps is that they aren’t WYSIWYG like your desktop version of Office. This is unfortunate as WYSIWYG seems like it is certainly possible on the iPad. Indeed, Apple’s Pages for iPad is much closer to a WYSIWYG experience. I think the reason QuickOffice and DTG don’t offer WYSIWYG views is because they are ports from older mobile devices and mobile operating systems (I think Palm may have been the original platform) where WYSIWYG was not an option.

Both apps have a standard version. Documents to Go’s (iTunes link) basic version is $9.99, but it lacks PowerPoint editing and cloud storage access. The basic version of QO is QuickOffice Mobile Suite (iTunes link) $4.99 but also lacks cloud storage integration and is only an iPhone app. Because cloud file storage is so critical for effective workflow on the iPad, I only recommend the premium versions of these two apps. There are other “Office” suite apps out there including Office2 HD (iTunes link) and the Pages (iTunes Link) / Numbers (iTunes link) combination, but these apps did not fare as well as DTG and QO in handling the quirky formatting of typical law firm documents (see my posts about pleading formatting and business agreement formatting on the iPad).

Stuck with a WordPerfect file? Well, you can’t edit it, but you can view it with WPD Viewer (iTunes link).

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