New Uses for Old iPhones

Are you getting a new iPhone for the holidays?

LawTechnologyNews.com has a list of interesting ways to repurpose your old iPhone, using apps and/or the tech that already comes with your current iPhone.  Download a free app like Presence and turn your old iPhone into a high-quality security camera and motion detector.

Read about more ways to get more life out of your old iPhone here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

How Lawyers Use Evernote

Are you already using Evernote, but wonder how colleagues are using it?  Or are you new to productivity apps and want to gauge how you might use Evernote in your clerkship or legal job?

Legalproductivity.com has a blog post with real world stories of lawyers and Evernote here. See how lawyers are using a mobile app, Evernote, to streamline their productivity and consider the ways you can begin to take advantage of the convenience of your mobile device or add to your productivity.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Mobile Law Dictionaries A-Z

Now it is easy to have all the legal language you need at your fingertips with mobile law dictionaries! But, as the app world grows and more choices are available out there, it can be difficult to know which is the best for you.

Thanks to lawtechnologynews.com, you can get some guidance in choosing the best mobile law dictionary for you here. Available for Android, Apple and other platforms, legal definitions are now just a button away.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Writing Checklist App

Writing professor Kathy Vinson at Suffolk has developed a writing checklist app called iWrite Legal.  This app includes writing tips, tips for clear communication, writing checklists, as well as other resources to revise, edit, and proofread legal documents.  To learn more or to download the app, click here.

Hat tip to Legal Writing Prof Blog
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

App: Word Lens

Have you ever been traveling in a foreign country and wondered what those road signs were?  Or where to get the bus?  Perhaps you are a non-US citizen in America and have the same issue.  The app, Word Lens, can help!

"Word Lens is an augmented reality translation application.... It uses the built-in camera of your smartphone to instantly scan and translate foreign text. It then displays the translation on your device’s screen...." Read more here.

This is what Word Lens will look like on your device:
(the image is an English -> Spanish visual translation)

You can get Word Lens free for a limited time.  It is available for iOS and Android devices.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Google Tips

Google has created a site called Google Tips that will help you find the information you need for all kinds of Google apps and services made easy.

Read more about it here.  Check out the Google Tips page here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Best Holiday Apps

Finals are almost over and the holidays are just around the corner.  But you can begin to relax and start enjoying some holiday apps!  Legal Technology News just released their recommended holiday apps.  On the list is the Holiday Time Machine, this cool app provides 2,500 holiday-themed and seasonal videos including TV clips, old ads, songs, even full-length films dating as far back as 1898.  Others apps include Cycloramic, Olympic Athletes Hub and more.  Read the full list of recommendations here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Droid Lawyer

Are you more of a Droid than an Apple?  Although there are a great many iPad/Mac lawyers, the Droids are out there!

For tips and tricks when practicing law with your Android device, check out The Droid Lawyer, Jeffrey Taylor's blog.  He has reviews of Android apps and blog posts on the latest news is in the legal Droid world.

These are the Droids you're looking for!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Keep In Touch With The Viber App

Viber is a text messaging and phone app that lets you use a wifi connection or your phone's 3G/4G connection to communicate with others.  If the person you are calling or texting has Viber, the phone calls and texts are free.  You can also send text messages and keep in touch without a phone connection, which is especially helpful when traveling abroad. All you need is a wifi connection.

"Viber works on most Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Nokia and Bada devices. Viber is also available for Mac and Windows." Read more about Viber here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Free Mobile Scanner App

Camscanner is a app that turns your mobile phone or iPad into a scanner that creates PDFs.  It is available for Android devices, iPhone and iPad.  There is a free version and a Pro version (currently $4.99).  If you register with a .edu email address, and tweet, FB or Google+ about the app, it will  unlock the Pro version for free! 

The Camscanner app will make PDF copies of anything you can take a picture of, then allows you to annotate your PDF, make an OCR copy and more. Find out about all the features of Camscanner here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

An App for Flash Cards

Do you love flash cards, but hate to make them?

With the StudyBlue app, you can create your own flash cards or share cards with other students in your class.

"Flashcards are an effective way to memorize information, but making them is a headache.  With StudyBlue, use text, pictures and audio to create the perfect stack of (digital) flashcards; or, search the massive database to borrow someone else's." http://mashable.com

The StudyBlue app is available for Android and iOS devices.  Check out the video here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Bluebook

I know how much you all love the Bluebook.  Who doesn't?

Now you can get a Bluebook app for your iPhone or iPad (not sure when Android will be available).  It is part of the Rulebook app libraries - which also includes court rules and the ABA  Model Rules.  The app is free but you have to pay to access the Bluebook ($39.99) and other titles (court rules $0.99 - $2.99; ABA Model Rules $24.99).

You can also purchase web access to the Bluebook  at www.legalbluebook.com .

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Get Organized with Evernote for Lawyers

The mobile productivity app Evernote has been expanding its app offerings and many features are useful for lawyers and law firms.  Find a list of the Evernote app family here.

Evernote lets you:

"Capture anything.

Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see.

Access anywhere.

Evernote works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there.

Find things fast.

Search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten text inside images."

Evernote is available for most platforms and mobile devices, including Android, Mac and iOS.

Rocket Matter has created a short, free e-book that highlights some of the best ways to use Evernote called Evernote for Lawyers.  To access this free e-book, click here, fill out the short form and download the PDF.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Free Field Trips Add Fun to Google's App

This month Google has made life better for anyone who's running its Field Trip app on a phone. The Google Field Trip app was designed to make exploring fun places easier by suggesting cool cultural attractions near your current location and providing instant helpful information on these museums, historical sites, zoos and entertainment centers. Now, through the end of July, your phone's Field Trip App will automatically provide a free pass when you are close to 23 of the most popular art, nature, and history attractions in major U.S. metropolitan areas, including the Bronx Zoo and six others in New York City.  Mashable explains more about it and provides the full list of free admission sites.         

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Video on Instagram

If you love Instagram and have been waiting for video to arrive as part of Instagram's features, wait no more!  Instagram has announced that video has arrived.

For the basics on this new Instagram service read more here.

Do you want the quick and dirty version? Here are the facts about Instagram video in 7 steps.

And finally, if you are a Vine user...well, the war is on here where you can read about why Instagram video may be better than Vine.  You be the decider.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Vine Around the World

For a study breatk, take a look at Vine video snippets from around the world, such as Spain and Italy, here.

If you missed it, Vine is a new app for sharing short video that has become increasingly popular.  So if you see something with a Vine logo, click it and watch. 

Check out Vine here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Prosthetic Hand Control...With An iPhone!

Breakthrough technology is here for those who have lost a hand due to injury or disease.  The iLimb is a prosthetic hand that has remarkable dexterity and can be programmed to be even more lifelike while performing everyday tasks, while using the iOS operating system on an iPhone.  For those who are using or need a prosthetic hand, it can mean mobility that was previously almost impossible to duplicate.

See the incredible video here..

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Shielding Your Smartphone

It is easy to loose track of your phone, especially now when gadgets have become a constant part of our daily life.  Your phone is essentially a mini-computer containing all kinds of personal information, pictures, family information and other things we don't want to be accessed by strangers and it can be disastrous to us when our phone is lost or stolen. 

Trying to recreate and close out our apps and stored information is too high a price to pay and might be avoided with a few protections, such as activating a "lock screen" passcode and installing a phone tracking app.

The New York Times has a page full of helpful hints for keeping your Android and iPhone safe.  As the article notes, "[for Android phones] The Lookout app can even secretly snap a photo of a thief’s face with the front-facing camera and send an e-mail to you with the picture and the location where it was taken."  How's that for a great feature! 

Read How to Shield Yourself from Smartphone Snoops here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Honk! The App for Parking in the Big City

Anyone who has battled parking in a city, or enjoys the show Parking Wars, will appreciate the new app, Honk.  Honk (for the iPhone and iPad) will keep track of how much time you have left on your meter.

The app is simple to use and the savings could be HUGE.  Ask anyone in line at the Philadelphia Parking Authority impound lot...

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Research Life-Line Workshop: Mobile Apps

Want to know more about the latest mobile apps for lawyers? Come to our first Research Life-Line Workshop for an informative discussion of productivity, litigation and security apps, a demo of a typical litigator's iPad, and some recommended tablet accessories for lawyers on the go. 

Date:  Monday, February 11^th

Time:  12 noon-1:00pm

Where:  Room 205

The Mobile Apps presentation is sharing time and space with the Google Scholar presentation, with time for questions.  Don't forget the delicious Pizza and a Surprise Gift!

  **Please see the complete schedule of the Research Life LineWorkshop Series  for details on how to sign up and reserve your seat.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat