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On another front, there has been a fair amount of buzz about Microsoft Windows Vista and the new Microsoft Office 2007. Vista is the successor operating system to Windows XP. While at CES I had the opportunity to meet with Jensen Harris, Group Program Manager for the Office User Experience Team, and Rajat Taneja, the General Manager for Small Business Applications and Services. It wasn't a press conference, but a real face-to-face meeting where I could ask anything. I was also with a colleague who is an engineer, programmer and IP attorney. He actually understands how all the stuff inside the computer works. The two of us spent close to two hours subjecting these two gentlemen to a "techno deposition" - and discovered that Microsoft may finally be thinking of small business and the needs of lawyers.
My impression of Vista as an operating system is limited to what I saw at CES and what I have seen on a few colleagues' machines. My computers are a bit older and won't handle Vista the way it was intended to be run. You need a fast computer, lots of memory and a good graphics card. Given that, I'm not comfortable recommending updating an old computer with Vista. However, if you buy a new computer, Vista has a numerous enhancements in the security area that are worthy of serious consideration for law office installations. The technical details are rather convoluted, and the security changes are "under the hood" and not something the average user will want to understand. The intent is to provide better protection from self-inflicted security wounds. In essence, they make it harder for the average person to screw up.
As with any new software, Vista and Office 2007 present some challenges for the law office. Attorneys use different case management programs and different billing systems. They use many custom software packages. Not all of these programs have been tested with Vista and Office 2007. However, we have enough field reports to issue a "proceed with caution" warning. If you are thinking of switching, make a list of all of the software you use and contact the vendor of each product to ensure that it will mate smoothly with Vista. The vendor should be able to tell you if their products will work properly or if there is a patch forthcoming.
There are times when even I hit the Technology Threshold of Pain - that point where no matter how good it looks or how well it works, you just can't absorb any more. I hit that wall hard at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year. I felt like the proverbial "kid in the candy store," with about 150,000 people viewing 2,700 exhibits spread over 1.7 million square feet. That's about 30 football fields of high tech!
So what's a lawyer doing at CES? I was looking for new tools and techniques to help us, as lawyers, run better offices and improve service to our clients. I found some of that, and a lot more. Over the next few months my columns will focus on some of what I learned from attending CES.
To start, let's take a look at the new Apple iPhone. It is a slick device by any standard. However, it's not going to be available until the summer. Will the actual product merit the pre- production hype? The phone is going to be expensive - about $500. It will make phone calls, play music, take pictures and play movies. It can also carry notes or your schedule, if you have the right software to link to your office computer system. But do you need it? I have a 4-year-old Kyocera 7135 phone that does all those things, except take pictures and play videos. And if I upgrade to a Palm Treo, I can have the same basic features as the iPhone. I fear we're being pushed hard by media hype to buy new products - whether we need them or not. I'm betting that many readers have fancy phones with all the bells and whistles, and many of those features are still mysteries buried deep in a voluminous manual. My advice: take your time. Examine your needs and don't buy more technology than you can absorb and use effectively in your practice.
Viewing Vista
On another front, there has been a fair amount of buzz about Microsoft Windows Vista and the new Microsoft Office 2007. Vista is the successor operating system to Windows XP. While at CES I had the opportunity to meet with Jensen Harris, Group Program Manager for the Office User Experience Team, and Rajat Taneja, the General Manager for Small Business Applications and Services. It wasn't a press conference, but a real face-to-face meeting where I could ask anything. I was also with a colleague who is an engineer, programmer and IP attorney. He actually understands how all the stuff inside the computer works. The two of us spent close to two hours subjecting these two gentlemen to a "techno deposition" - and discovered that Microsoft may finally be thinking of small business and the needs of lawyers.
My impression of Vista as an operating system is limited to what I saw at CES and what I have seen on a few colleagues' machines. My computers are a bit older and won't handle Vista the way it was intended to be run. You need a fast computer, lots of memory and a good graphics card. Given that, I'm not comfortable recommending updating an old computer with Vista. However, if you buy a new computer, Vista has a numerous enhancements in the security area that are worthy of serious consideration for law office installations. The technical details are rather convoluted, and the security changes are "under the hood" and not something the average user will want to understand. The intent is to provide better protection from self-inflicted security wounds. In essence, they make it harder for the average person to screw up.
Most lawyers won't care about the slick visual interface of Vista and will be troubled by the new menu structure, which changes the places they "click here" to perform document construction and get work done. It is by no means the change we experienced when going from DOS to Windows, but it will be a change after working with Windows 2000 or Windows XP for several years. For a bit more detail about comparing Vista with XP, you can go to www.vistahunt.com/ compare-windws-xp-with-windows-vista.html
I found the new menu a bit disconcerting and asked Mr. Harris why they changed things from Windows XP. He agreed that experienced users will take a couple of weeks to adjust. Individuals who are less proficient will adapt more quickly as the new structure has fewer layers to dig though and has tied many of the features together in a more streamlined fashion. I had the same reaction when I examined Microsoft Office 2007 - there will be some transition time in adjusting to the new features.
As with any new software, Vista and Office 2007 present some challenges for the law office. Attorneys use different case management programs and different billing systems. They use many custom software packages. Not all of these programs have been tested with Vista and Office 2007. However, we have enough field reports to issue a "proceed with caution" warning. If you are thinking of switching, make a list of all of the software you use and contact the vendor of each product to ensure that it will mate smoothly with Vista. The vendor should be able to tell you if their products will work properly or if there is a patch forthcoming.
I expect that by the early summer of this year the major legal specific programs will be working smoothly with Vista. However, if you're running older versions of this software, don't expect the vendor to get your 2001 vintage software to mate with Vista. You will probably need to upgrade. Despite all this, when I purchase a new computer it will have Windows Vista, because it is an improvement over Windows XP.
Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 also has a new menu structure that implements a "ribbon," which makes the most used features more accessible. It didn't take long to see that the ribbon is likely to make learning how to use Wood 2007 easier for a novice than previous versions. However, teaching old dogs new tricks - moving the experienced Word 2003 user along the continuum - is likely to take a bit longer. It's a bit like buying a new car. We have to adjust the seat, mirrors and radio to our personal preferences. We're likely to have trouble finding the windshield washer switches and setting the cruise control. But after a few weeks, the new car fits fine. I believe the same analogy will apply to Microsoft Office 2007. For more detailed information about the new features in Office 2007, go to: http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/getstarted/ FX101055081033.aspx
I'd also like to mention Microsoft's new Office Accounting Express 2007. It's a free download or CD available at http:// www.iedawins.com. As Mr. Taneja walked me through the program, I started to see the glimmer of a working Microsoft-centric law office: The documents flow through Word. The contacts and schedule flow through Outlook. Office and trust accounting functions are handled by Office Accounting, and the data for all functions is easily accessible, searchable and organized. Perhaps I'm still dreaming, but I do yearn for the day when we will have a good reliable source for the "law office in one box" solution. I'd be more than willing to pay a little more for my tools if I knew I could call one company and have no finger pointing that the problem belongs to the other software vendor.
In future articles I will offer some reviews and comments about other new items I encountered at CES. As an example, I'm going to be working with a phone that is inside a USB key, a portable alcohol detector that is about the size of a pack of gum, a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device and a USB-powered coffee cup warmer. Stay tuned!
Bruce L. Dorner, a sole practitioner in Londonderry, N.H., is a nationally recognized lecturer, author and consultant on law office technology and management and may be contacted at bldorner@choiceone mail.com.
(Copyright 2007 Dolan Media Newswires)