Laywers in Love: Apple's iPhone and iPad
In recent months I negotiated crucial details of a plea agreement in a significant case with the prosecutor assigned via text messaging. No, I’m not joking, we actually conversed regarding highly specific details of the plea through texts.
It turns out the prosecutor was in trial with co-counsel and presumably had time to do this, or perhaps it was during jury deliberation. I went from texting on my iPhone to my office PC to my MacBook Pro, all the while corresponding through G-Mail text messaging. (On a side note, I forward all of my e-mails to G-Mail as a back-up, since Microsoft Outlook has not been the most reliable in the past, and I would highly suggest you do so too).
The texts were about a very hotly contested case regarding one of my teen offender clients. It was by far a first in my career, and if texting a plea agreement isn’t a first, then I don’t know what it is. In any event, it was actually very effective, quick and much faster than e-mail. As we were not in a position to speak by telephone, and the details were crucial and time-sensitive, texting was probably the best solution and in hindsight maybe the only solution available to discuss issues at this juncture in the case.
When my new iPhone 4G arrives — hopefully by the end of July — then maybe next time this prosecutor can negotiate and communicate via Video Telephone Call. For those of you who haven’t jumped on the iPhone revolution, or own a Blackberry, that’s the device on the new iPhone in which you can directly see the person you are talking to while you are talking on the phone. Think video conferencing in mini, on your mobile device. How is this possible? A camera on both sides of the phone.
Aside from the new iPhone 4G, which I’ve already ordered, I’m also very seriously thinking it’s time I order the cool new Apple iPad (some lawyers think the Internet is still a “new” thing) for my practice.
I’ve been reading and hearing all kinds of promising reports and stories detailing how quickly trial attorneys take to this unique one-of-a-kind digital device. If you’ve used the iPhone for any time, you’ve surely wished it was just bigger when doing things like typing, reading email or web surfing. But small as they are, the fact is, most of the time it’s just quicker and easier to use the iPhone over the Mac Book Pro I carry around.
Sure, I’ve loved my iPhone 3G and am looking forward to handing it off to my youngest who is headed for college in the fall, but it seems to me the iPad is really no more than a much larger version of Apple’s newest must have: the iPhone 4G. In fact, the two devices each use the same CPU chip, which is exactly the beauty of the thing.
Besides, a number of really bright techie lawyers from all around the US have already developed apps and tricks for iPad use in the courtroom. I’m not kidding. And I just can’t wait to see the look on opposing counsel’s face and the expression change on the judge’s mug when I pull a new iPad from my case and start to navigate my way through the case with only my finger. Oh, and of course my mouth, which for those who know me, can attest, is a thing rarely at rest.
