With hundreds of thousands of apps in the Apple App Store, how can busy lawyers know which ones are the best without sorting through them all? The best way is to attend ABA TECHSHOW and come to the session 60 iOS Apps in 60 Minutes. I’ll be co-presenting with three of the best iPhone/iPad gurus in the legal profession--Bret Burney, Chad Burton, and Jeff Richardson, to highlight the best productivity apps, showcase helpful apps you may have overlooked, and we’ll even throw in a few you can share with your colleagues and friends for a good laugh or two.
But you don’t have to wait until our session at ABA TECHSHOW. Here are five apps you’ll want to download and install now to be prepared for a great conference:
ABA TECHSHOW Conference App
The ABA TECHSHOW App is your mobile guide to the entire ABA TECHSHOW Conference and EXPO. Download it now to view the schedule and bookmark your favorite sessions, exhibitors, and speakers so you can plan your time accordingly. Keep it handy during the conference to see what sessions are underway or are next on your schedule. Use it to reserve your spot at one of several dozen Taste of TECHSHOW dinners. I’m co-hosting a dinner with my usual cohort, Dan Pinnington on Friday night. We always have a fun and interesting time! Also use the app to see what everyone is talking about on the Twitter feed and add your voice using #ABATECHSHOW. Plus the app gives attendees exclusive access to the conference materials on their mobile device. Download it now or get more information before you do.
Notability
This is one of the more robust and flexible note-taking apps on the market. It allows for importing of web images (and maintains the external link), PDF images, graphs and tables. It also has a strong handwriting capability and typing so you can take notes throughout the ABA TECHSHOW with a stylus or your favorite Bluetooth keyboard. Notes can be exported to other platforms for storage. For example, the integration with Box is such that a note from Notability can be saved into Box in the proprietary Notability format and be shifted between the apps so that editing is easy. PDF and rich text are other options. You can also import and open any of the conference materials (in PDF format) to annotate and highlight key information. Or, engage the built-in audio recorder to capture the entire presentation for playback later. $2.99 in the App Store.
Scanner Pro
If you’re like me and have a nasty habit of losing travel expense receipts before you can organize and log those slippery slips of paper. Enter ScannerPro. Simply snap a photo (within the app) of a paper receipt, and the app coverts it to a PDF that can easily be emailed or sent to Dropbox or Google Drive from within the app. Print them whenever you need them. I’ve also used JotNot Pro for several years, which now uploads directly to Box, but give the slight edge to ScannerPro. Not just for business receipts but for all types of documents—black & white or color—including business cards. A must for every lawyer. $6.99 in the App Store (and worth every penny)!
Box
Most everyone is familiar with Dropbox, but Box is becoming a excellent solution in the solo small legal market, thanks to a deal with the ABA for 50G of free storage. Like Dropbox, Box can be installed on all your computers and devices, so that any file you drop into Box is available on all other mobile devices and computers where Box is installed. Many apps are now include full functionality for Box, and Box is adding more apps with more functionality, quickly making it a very popular alternative for your mobile workflow. Speaking of mobile workflow, you’ll want to attend my session Less Paper, More Mobility on Friday afternoon at ABA TECHSHOW. Tom Mighell and I have put together a great presentation in this fast-changing area of legal technology. The Box app is free in the App Store.
Namerick
Do you find yourself meeting someone new at a bar event, having a great conversation but then can't seem to recall their name to follow up later? When we get more than a few business cards, how do we recall one person from another? You’re going to have plenty of new acquaintances at ABA TECHSHOW, so you’ll want to be prepared to have the right tools to expand your professional network. Good thing there's an app for that! Namerick's slogan "Become a better leader" is based on influential public figures such as Abe Lincoln and Bill Clinton, who were known for their keen ability to remember names. So how does Namerick help you do that? Enter the names of your new acquaintances in the app, using on-board features to add memorable characteristics of each person. Namerick's technology creates memory mnemonics of the person you've just met, and allows you to quickly set several reminder alarms to recall the person’s name over the next 24 hours to 2 weeks. You’ll be ready the next time you see them or when you want to put a face to that business card in your pocket to contact them later. The only thing you need to remember their name long enough to add it in your iPhone! $0.99.
And one more just for the fun of it . . .
Wake Up and Smell the Bacon Alarm
ABA TECHSHOW is a great conference that starts early each day, so you won’t want to miss a second. One downside of the conference is that the continental breakfast served to attendees each morning lacks bacon. So to make up for that oversight, download this new app from Oscar Meyer. It will wake you to the sound of sizzling bacon each morning. And, if you are a lucky winner in this contest, Oscar Meyer will send you a limited edition device to add to your iPhone that gives off the smell of bacon too.
