Tablet PC Lawyer Blog

Microsoft Invents a Reason to Buy a Tablet

Why would anyone want to buy a Tablet PC?

Tablet devices are perceived as little more than heavy and slow laptops with small screens and large price tags. The payoff? You get to write on them with a stylus and take notes as if you're writing on paper. Wake me when you're done.

Poor sales prove that the costs exceed the benefits in the minds of most potential buyers.

All that may start to change tomorrow, when a prototype application called InkSeine -- which is, essentially, a digital notebook on crack -- is released for public trial.

InkSeine is being developed by a small team at Microsoft Research. The application is for demonstration purposes only, and not on track to become a real Microsoft product you can buy. But if InkSeine gains traction as a popular enabler of pen-based computing, you can bet it will be productized -- or, better still, built into the Tablet PC version of Windows, possibly as a replacement for the Windows Journal application. Many revolutionary products started out as research projects. Google comes to mind, for example.

Here's what InkSeine can do:

• Serve as a virtual pad of paper. You can scribble and writes notes, draw pictures and doodle. Words can be recognized, and used as commands or search terms.

• Search. You can search the Web, your e-mail or your Tablet PC right from the "pad of paper" using pen gestures. For example, just write your search term longhand, circle it, flick your wrist in the right direction and the search is launched.

• Save running searches. Search e-mail for keywords, then save the search right there along side your notes. Future messages that meet that criteria will show up when delivered, and you can read them without exiting InkSeine.

• Select and embed "clippings" -- images, document or Web page parts, etc.

• Drag and drop links into notes.

• Create insta-icons (with automatic, in-page links) by just snapping a picture of any portion of any screen, including the document or Web page you're linking to.

InkSeine has user interface innovations, such as "radial menus" and pen gestures that make it one of those applications you have to see to understand, so check out this video.

If you have a Tablet PC or other pen system running either XP or Vista (preferably Vista), you should download InkSeine here (wait until tomorrow, Feb. 15, when the "public" version hits).

Be warned, however, that InkSeine is a science project, a proof of concept application that isn't polished -- or even finished.

Here's what InkSeine cannot do:

• Import text or receive pasted text.

• Respond to keyboard shortcuts.

• Scroll or resize objects. You can view only full "pages" of your notes -- you cannot zoom in.

• Import existing documents.

• Export to or import from OneNote (you can, however, copy OneNote pages and paste them into InkSeine).

• "Undo" actions after a page has been "flipped" (after you've gone on to another page).

• Handle languages other than English.

• Always provide zippy performance. The developers have not done extensive work to minimize file sizes or maximize performance.

• Share or sync notes.

• Play well with others. Non-Microsoft application document support is limited.

These are abilities the developers may add to future versions.

InkSeine is interesting because of the audaciousness of its pen and paper centricity, and the invention of an entire new language of gestures and menu conventions.

It assumes that you'll do everything with the pen, rather than use the pen as an afterthought mouse replacement. It assumes that everything associated with the project at hand should be embedded, referenced or captured into the paper alongside your notes and sketches.

I'm not sure if InkSeine will catch fire and become the Killer App that propels Tablet PCs into the mainstream. But it might.

SOURCE: Datamation in an article written by Mike Elgan
 

Series of Videos on Using Tablet PC's

Here is a series of video tutorials on using a tablet pc:

Tutorial Part 1:

This is the first video from ICON Pareto showing you how to use the basic functions of your tablet PC.

Tutorial Part 2:

In this video Starla shows you how to use Ink Pen Notation Tool for Windows Tablet Edition PCs.

Tutorial Part 3:

In this tutorial Starla teaches us how to use tablet specific programs such as Journal Note Writer, Microsoft Office OneNote and Sticky Notes.

Tutorial Part 4:

In this video Starla shows us how to use the Microsoft Snipping tool. This tool is a very powerful application that lets you take customizable snapshots of your screen and send it to others.

SOURCE: YouTube and IconPareto

Series of Microsoft Videos on OneNote

Here is a series of funny commercials by Microsoft about OneNote 2003, found now on YouTube:

Let's face it. Stationery isn't very good. And when it comes to note taking, it just isn't up to the job.

That's why we created Microsoft® Office OneNote® 2003 - the note taking application that combines the freedom and flexibility of pen and paper with the power and efficiency of digital tools.

With OneNote you can take, organize and share your notes easily and intuitively on your laptop, desktop or tablet PC. And not a leaky pen in sight.

Rethinking Technology ::: A New Adventure with a Tablet PC

Douglas Sorocco has a blog called Rethink(IP). He posted this article about Tablet PC's in 2005, but it still makes for interesting readng about the platform:

I have been somewhat quiet hiere lately and y’all must excuse me as I have been in tech-geek nirvana – I have been ‘demo-ing’ a Toshiba R15 Tablet PC (obligatory picture at right).

My lust for a tablet pc has not been exactly a new phenomena – I had reviewed the options a couple of years back and decided that the form factor wasn’t something that would be useful at the time.  The screens were too small for my taste, no integrated optical drives etc. 

ABA TechShow and LexThink got me thinking about the whole process once again and I decided to devote some time to exploring the newest generations of the device.  Additionally, Matt and Buzz spent a lot of time talking up the benefits of a Tablet PC – and how can anyone ever refuse Buzz?

Originally I was quite impressed with the new HP TC1100 – I had the opportunity to use one of these devices for a short period of time at LexThink and I was really digging the form factor – a detachable slate/keyboard combination.  The screen was somewhat small for my taste (12”) but I thought the detachable nature would come in handy and alleviate some of the weight while traveling and/or holding the tablet.  I was looking forward to bringing a couple of the devices into my firm for testing but HP didn’t seem to want to work with me – numerous phone calls and emails to sales and support folks went unanswered. 

New Web Addresses for Our Blogs

We have obtained new domain names for each of our Blogs. While the TypePad addresses will continue to work, it may be easier to type in the shorter URL's of the domains, so feel free to update your links and favorites and subscriptions as follows:

Georgia Family Law Blog is now at http://gafamilylawblog.com

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Tablet PC Lawyer Blog is at http://tabletpclawyer.com

Thanks for your continued support of our Blogs!

Tablet PCs are the new laptops

Notes can be written right on monitor

Laptops, more commonly called notebook PCs these days, are well known for their portable, light weight computing power. Tablet PCs, while not as well known, are beginning to make their mark.

There are essentially two types of tablet PCs on the market today. The most common version, sometimes referred to as a convertible tablet, looks very much like a standard notebook, but with a screen that swivels and collapses to form a flat surface. Other tablets are exactly that, a tablet where one side is the screen and one side is the bottom of the unit, just like on a standard notebook.

The key to what makes a tablet is the fact that the screen is touch sensitive, the fact that it accepts input via a special pen called a stylus and also that the screen automatically adjusts to the way you hold the unit — vertically or horizontally. A tablet is essentially the same as a notebook, except that you may also use it just like a pad of paper, writing onto the screen as one of the methods of input.

Tablets are beginning to show up in all kinds of applications. Insurance adjusters, health care providers, lawyers, anyone who has a need to work efficiently in a very portable manner, may benefit from a laptop.

Through the handwriting recognition software that is standard with a tablet, a user may take notes right on their computer screen in nearly the same way they would on a traditional paper notepad. The difference is that the input is saved right into the software you are using, saving you the step of transcribing your notes into your PC after the fact.

This operates the same regardless of which type of tablet you may be using. Most users seem to prefer the convertible tablet that can operate as a notebook. With a swivel of the screen and a fold back down on top of the keyboard, it will look and act more like a standard tablet or paper notepad.

Using OneNote in Litigation

Jeff Riffer, senior litigation partner in the law firm of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro in Los Angeles, CA, discusses why and how he uses Microsoft's OneNote^TM software for day-to-day litigation.

In looking for software to help him win cases, he originally wanted software that would help him organize facts and data he obtained during the progression of the lawsuit, software that would be learned easily, and software that would be easy to use.

As litigation unfolds, attorneys learn many disparate facts; they don’t always know if the facts will be important during trial or even how they may be connected to other parts of the case. Thus, the software must be capable of collecting the information and then searchable later when the entire picture comes into keener focus.

In other words, the process is analogous to the collection of pieces of paper with notes scribbled on them. However, with many pieces of paper, especially in cases with many documents, organization is often difficult. With Microsoft's OneNote^TM, this process became much easier for Jeff.

In this interview, (runs 22 minutes, 45 seconds) Jeff Riffer talks about OneNote^TM and how he uses the software.

SOURCE: LawBiz.com

Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 Tablet PC Review

Tablet PC Review has the following video in its review of the new Fujitsu LifeBook T4220:

The Ideal Note-Taking Tool for Today's Lawyer: Microsoft Office OneNote

What is Microsoft Office OneNote for Lawyers?

Microsoft^(r) Office OneNote(tm) is a note-taking software program that combines the flexibility of a legal notepad with the efficiency, organization and accessibility of a computer. Attorneys can now write, organize, reuse and share their notes on any laptop, desktop or Tablet PC.

Who Needs OneNote?

OneNote is ideal for legal practitioners -- lawyers, paralegals, law clerks, legal assistants and law students -- who are assigned to the same cases, are in the same practice group or work on matters that involve more than one practice group and share information. Anyone who takes notes and needs to refer to them or share them later will benefit from OneNote. It is particularly useful for those who:

· Take notes on paper or on a PC
· Do research
· Repurpose their notes to develop more formal documents or presentations
· Attend client meetings, depositions, MCLE, seminars-or virtually any note-taking forum
· Need to share their notes with others   

The TabletPC Revolution: Mobility, productivity, on the spot document assembly

In this article, legal technologist Seth Rowland predicts that the Tablet PC will revolutionize the way lawyers work and interact with their clients. With the evolution of fully powered Tablet PCs and wireless networks, the Tablet PC has emerged as a productivity force that can now serve an important purpose in client meetings, not just as an expensive note-taking device. With the proper software, the Tablet PC can bring attorney and client closer together and foster greater productivity. Could a Tablet PC empower your legal practice?

INTRODUCTION

The Tablet PC Revolution has been a long time coming. The use of a "tablet" as a means of communication has ancient origins. Look to the Hebrew and Christian Bible for sources.

There were the Ten Commandments -- written on a tablet. In the Book of Isaiah, it is written: "And now, go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness for ever" (Isaiah 30:8).

Tablets were used to record visions: "Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision. Clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily" (Habakkuk 2:2).

Or even better: "He asked for a tablet and wrote, 'John is his name,' and all were amazed" (Luke 1:63).

Tablet PC technology has advanced through the millennia. Tablet PCs weigh much less than those used by Moses when he came down from Mt. Sinai. The text storage is virtually unlimited; today's Tablet PC could in fact store the entire Torah, Talmud, and commentaries with gigabytes to spare. And the ability to communicate with a tablet connected through a WiFi network to the Internet dwarfs the ability of the early tablet writers.