Well, that was my intention in purchasing the Mac.  I heard all the great things from Mac folks.  They are a die-hard group that nearly died before Steve Jobs came back to the company and did an incredible imitation of Bill Gates – except to cool people rather than geeks.  That is, if you find a guy wearing a black mock turtleneck cool.

The question for me, however, wasn’t whether I was going to learn how to run Mac applications – they were way too expensive for me – it was whether I could run Windows inside of OSX, Mac’s operating system.  So, my first foray into the Mac world was definitely through the lens of someone wanting to keep his desktop, but just access it through another operating system.  A thoroughly weak reason to purchase a computer (which ended up being a 15 inch MacBook Pro).  However, shortly after blowing a few hundred on a few virtual machine apps (Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion) and feeling my lap burn from the intense heat generated from running both applications, I realized I was wasting my time.  This is a Mac.  Don’t run Windows on it unless you have to.

From that point I set out to learn how to use it on its terms.  In many ways it reminded me of the old OS/2 Warp look and feel, but definitely mature and full of features.  But can it run my office?

The simple answer is no.  I know of no legal software vendor who is actively developing Macintosh native applications – at least any that write to a database.  So in my view, the debate is dead in the water until Apple or a software developer on that platform begins to cater to attorneys.  There are some tempting technologies that may make platform irrelevant – for example, cloud computing – but these are still emerging technologies and last I checked law firms were not cutting edge in utilizing technology.  Cloud computing is a newer model where a vendor sells a web application that is hosted on their end but accessible on any compliant web browser.  This simplifies roll out, training, and administration.  It also holds confidential business information off-site.  In my world that won’t do.  There are ways to host web applications locally but you’d best find a good consultant or an in-house developer or you will be nickel-and-dimed to death by vendors.

I use mine primarily to manipulate images, video and other intensive artistic endeavours that PCs are getting better at doing but are far behind Apple in perfecting.  In a legal environment that pretty much limits its usefulness to marketing, website development etc.

I know of some firms who have attorneys who just like the look and feel of the Mac keyboard and the superior touch pad (that allows you to scroll by using two fingers, for example).  Still, the key to them is connectivity to a Windows environment.  Windows Terminal Services allows just about any platform to connect to a server and run applications as if you were sitting at your desk using Windows.  This allows anyone with a prior propensity to use a Mac the ability to use it at work.  But this technology has been around for a while.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that whatever platform your end users prefer, the back end is still going to be Windows.  With the relatively stable Windows XP and the coming Windows 7 (which, like every other version of Windows, incorporates some of the best ideas from Apple into it), the only reason I see at this time to use a Mac is to just want to use a Mac.  Administratively and for the end user, there are complexities you must overcome that are on top of what other Windows users already face (unless you run the entire network through terminal services).  

Therefore, I see no reason for using Macs in the law firm unless you just want to be cool.  And I mean the figuratively, because if you run either of the virtual machine applications listed above on a MacBook, your desk/lap/whatever the laptop sits on will be searingly hot.

If your firm uses Macs and your experience differs from mine, please feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.

Kensington seems to be moving more and more into the business traveler’s briefcase and with their innovative mice, they look to be establishing a foothold on the market.  I have both their Slimblade™ Bluetooth Presentation Mouse and the Trackball Mouse.  This review will focus only on the trackball mouse.

First, a little history of my distaste for trackballs.  Whenever I had to help someone at their desk and they had one of those large, rounded trackball mice, I winced.  I hated having to try to maneuver around the desktop with this clumsy and uncomfortable mass that seemingly required strong middle fingers.  I never felt comfortable using them and never really gave one a chance to convince me that there was utility in the idea.

With that prejudice, I did find the concept of this mobile trackball mouse intriguing.  The reason is not so much the trackball itself; it is more the functionality possibilities.  Kensington didn’t just place a trackball in it – it gave the user the choice of using the trackball as a pointer (regular mouse function) or as a (rounded) wheel to scroll down and across documents.  To change the function of the trackball, you need only double-click a button surrounding the ball.

Before I get to how well Kensington delivers on this, I’ll speak to the basic functions of the mouse.

1.  Footprint – the mouse is acceptably small (not the smallest and it won’t fit in your outdated PC Card slot as some will but it doesn’t take much space in your bag) and is light as you would expect from any portable peripheral.  It uses two AA batteries and has a power-saving mechanism that puts it into sleep mode when your computer is turned off.   You can also turn it off by pressing the button surrounding the trackball for 3 seconds.

2.  Usability – I read some reviews where users complained about dirt getting into the trackball roller and causing it to lose its trackball function.  I haven’t experienced that yet but understand any frustration that this would cause since it doesn’t appear that you can take the trackball mechanism apart to clean it.  In my experience with the mouse, the trackball worked flawlessly as did the laser that sits under it for normal mouse function.  As a regular mouse, it works well.

Underneath the mouse is a cover that opens and closes around the laser – I assume this is for transit but not sure why it is necessary if the mouse goes into sleep mode.  There is also a large (relative to other mice) blue button that is used to pair the mouse to your computer.

The reason why I wanted to review this mouse was to see if the trackball function would allow mobile users to use a mouse in cramped spaces where you didn’t have room to use a traditional mouse.  How did the Kensington deliver on this feature?

Pretty well in my opinion.  I have found myself using it in chairs and couches, resting the mouse on the arm (or on my lap) and using the trackball as a pointer.  Then, when I want to scroll the document, I double-click on the button, wait for the short delay, then scroll.  When I am ready to use as a mouse again, I double click again.

Granted, this took some getting used to.  At first I found myself trying to will the mouse into behaving the way I was thinking.  However, after some mental training on my part, I became pretty adept at utilizing the mouse as intended.  It literally allowed me to use the trackball both to scroll documents and as a pointer without moving my hand.

The only drawback goes back to my distaste for trackballs.  To me they have always been inelegant and take too much effort to use with any precision.  In this regard, I have to admit that with practice, the trackball can be pretty precise and without much effort.  It is really just an issue of training yourself to work with your finger rather than your wrist.

I can happily say that the Kensington Slimblade™ Trackball Mouse was a good purchase that will be the only mouse in my laptop case for a long time as long as it functions properly.

The mouse is unique because it allows portable users to use the trackball to both scroll documents and use as a mouse pointer.  Should be interesting to see how it delivers.

The scanner is claimed to be the first and only portable scanner that is an automatic document feeder, color scanner that duplexes (scans both sides of a page).  There is some information about it you can read about by clicking here.

See below to watch it in action:

I went on a search for a better defragmentation application.  While researching PerfectDisk by Raxio (the one with the most awards by reviewers), I noted in forums that a rivalry was going on between PerfectDisk fans and fans of a free defragmentation program called JKDefrag.  I had already started testing PerfectDisk, but was intrigued enough by the sharp discourse to stop testing PerfectDisk and test out the free one.

JKDefrag is the brainchild of Jeroen Kessels, a website programmer.  For those who aren’t familiar with what hard drive fragmentation is, he offers the following explanations on his site:

What is “disk optimization”?
Imagine a big library with lot’s of books, spread out all over the building and not sorted whatsoever. There is an index telling you exactly where every book is, but you will have to walk a lot when you need several books. This is exactly what happens on your harddisk, the files that belong to an application can be all over the place, anywhere on the harddisk. Optimization will bring all the files together in one place, leaving the rest of the harddisk empty, and will sort the files, for example alphabetically.

Installing it was ridiculously simple.  You download a compressed zip file, decompress it to a folder, then run the windows version.  It automatically defragments and optimizes your hard drive.  Working through my two partitions (100 GB physical drive) took it around 45 minutes.  And it worked beautifully.  My computer’s performance has been restored and I didn’t have to pay a penny.  I have no idea whether PerfectDisk is good or not – if I can get the job done with a free utility, there’s no need to test one that costs money.

The program doesn’t install any extra files and can be run from a flash drive – meaning you can carry it around and improve the performance of other computers in your office without having to install anything on their hard drives.  Further, you can set it to run on a schedule using Window’s built-in scheduler.  Instructions on how to do this is on his site.  There is even a way to have it run as a screensaver, though I wouldn’t recommend using it in that way – you don’t want to run a defragmentation program too often.  Although Kessels recommends scheduling it for once a day, I would only run it once a week.

I strongly recommend this program.  To test it out for your self, visit his website at http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/index.html.

First impressions

Compared to the first generation, the 3G is slightly larger but still fit in my ISkin cover, so it isn’t by much.  The case is a little different, but that is not of any relevance.  The phone is all screen – there is a button at the bottom center which operates as a “home page” button by default, and a receiver at the top center.  The rest is dedicated to the touch screen.  There are volume and mute buttons on the left side, headphone jack, SIM card holder and power button at the top, and the docking connector at the bottom surrounded by two small speakers.  On the back there is a small lense for the 2.0 MP camera.

What I have always hated about touch screens is the tendency to push buttons that I didn’t intend to hit.  The IPhone solves this pretty much by allowing you to press the power button at the top which turns off and disables the touch screen.

Functionality

The IPhone is married to the AT&T network and will continue to do so for the next few years.  There are hacks around, but you likely won’t be interested in using them. The first generation was hampered by closed development; ie, there were no ways to install 3rd party applications (without a hack).  This was resolved in the 2.0 software, which was released on the same day as the 3G was released, but updated the first generation IPhone as well.  I decided to see if I could sync to my Exchange server easily before going with the 3G.

After a few hiccups (most notably that Exchange service pack 2 that had to be installed over the Windows 2003 Small Business Server service packs), the sync worked and was surprisingly fast, even over the much lamented EDGE network.  The 2.0 software upgrade is a large improvement and greatly improves the functionality of the IPhone.

One glaring defect with the IPhone that wasn’t resolved in the 2.0 upgrade was the lack of copying and pasting text.  This, above all, is the biggest drawback of the IPhone.  Since this is correctable through a software upgrade, I can’t believe this will remain a problem for long.  Still, this is one thing that will hamper business use of the IPhone, especially if you want to take a part of the text of one email and paste it to another email.

Another limitation of the IPhone is the inability to edit documents.  For me, this is no big deal, but to some, this is a deal breaker.  If you require the ability to edit documents on your mobile device, then you need a Windows Mobile device (blackberrys don’t allow editing either).

Both versions are bluetooth capable, carry the Safari (Apple-developed) browser, have GPS capability (the 3G supposedly has upgraded capabilities but I have not tested them), have one button weather and stock information and are incredibly easy to use.  Phone quality on both are equally excellent.  Both also integrate ITunes and an IPod functionality so you can use it as a phone as well as an ipod, which is handy when working out or riding your bike.

Another group of nice features are the conferencing capability, easily displayed time on a call and the call history with the time of the call.  These features are handy for billing purposes.  I am not aware of any integrations with billing systems yet, but anticipate there will be options available before too long.

Another difference between the IPhone and other mobile devices such as blackberrys is that the touch screen handles the dialing and the typing.  Whereas some like blackberrys have raised keys, the IPhone uses the touch screen for the keys, something that takes time to master and is futile for those with large fingers (but that is a problem with all mobile devices).  I personally liked the full keyboard of the blackberry 8700 series, but have gotten used to the touch screen of the IPhone so I wouldn’t necessarily call it a draw-back.  But you might.

Comparison with First Generation IPhone

The issues and features above appear in both the first generation IPhone and the 3G version.  So what really distinguishes the two?  Minor aesthetics, broadband internet, supposed GPS capability, and price.  In fact, the price is the biggest gotcha! of all.  AT&T automatically pushes you back to a 2 year agreement, increases your monthly fee by at least $15, and tries to convince you that you need to pay another fee to get the “business package” which seems to imply that you must purchase the business package to sync with Exchange.  Since I was already syncing with Exchange with the first generation IPhone, I opted against the upcharge and had no problem connecting to Exchange.  I am not sure what the purpose of the business package is, but I won’t be too surprised to see a letter from a law firm in a few years advising that I am part of a class that may have purchased this and am entitled to a $2 settlement award.

Some have complained about battery life, but so far I haven’t noticed the difference. 

Bottom Line

Reasons to own an IPhone for business use:

• Syncs contacts, email and calendar from Exchange
• Bluetooth capable
• Good phone quality
• Ease of use
• You use or are not against using the AT&T network
• Small form factor (for the feature set)

Reasons not to own an IPhone for business use:

• You use another email server besides Exchange
• You want to edit documents
• You need to have copy-paste functionality
• You don’t want to use AT&T service
• You like raised keys instead of a touch screen for dialing and typing

In my opinion, if you already have the first generation IPhone, there really is no compelling reason to go to the 3G – the increase in speed doesn’t justify the increased up front cost and continued costs associated with the 3G.  In fact, for those contemplating going with an IPhone, you should seriously consider buying the first generation IPhone since it is no longer being made and many (like me) rushed out to get the 3G model and are dumping their first generation models on places like Ebay.  That said, if you don’t already own an IPhone and are considering the 3G, it is certainly worthy of consideration – and it works easily with Exchange.