Legal Technology

OpenOffice gathers momentum

The OpenOffice.org website surpassed ten million downloads for its never version 3 within 4 weeks of its release. That's not counting downloads from Linux distros like Ubuntu that packages openoffice for users. This sends the OpenOffice community on the way to its target of capturing 40 percent of the office suite market by 2010 and builds a case for the open source suite in law firms.

Windows Server 2008 in action

Steve Appleton of Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow recognized that his firm's network was no longer supplying quick, secure remote access to resources. The firm chose Windows Server 2008 to improve access to online data and eliminate redundant, offline data on mobile computers.

Is cloud computing safe?

When used wisely, software as a service -- or cloud computing -- applications make sense. But, according to Alan Cohen, wise use of SaaS starts with asking the right questions of vendors, and yourself. Just where is your data, and how secure is it? What happens when disaster strikes?

Microsoft Office productivity tools

Like open source add-ons and plug-ins, Microsoft has long-relied on partners and third parties to add functionality and features to its Office products. That's where Esquire Innovations comes in. It has released new versions of its document production and formatting software, iCreate 7, and its document revision and collaboration tool, iRedline 7.

iCreate 7 aims to help lawyers generate documents using predesigned templates and formatting tools. It integrates with Outlook contacts and MS-Word 2007 and includes a template launcher and a legal numbering and styles ribbon.

iRedline 7 is designed to enhance Word's tracked changes and compare documents features. It picks up where Word leaves off to provide document management integration as well as workflow, reporting, and display control features.

FCC approves wireless lane-splitting

The FCC adopted rules for the unlicensed use of "television white spaces" to promote an efficient use of the wireless spectrum that was set aside for television. If you are wondering what "television white spaces" are, think of the wireless spectrum for television incorporating lanes on a highway. Then, when you see a motorcyle splitting the lane, that would be analogous to the use of unlicensed television white spaces.

The new rules will allow new wireless devices to operate in the broadcast television spectrum on a secondary basis, where that spectrum is open. This will allow for the use of new and innovative types of unlicensed devices in the unused spectrum to provide broadband data and other services for consumers and businesses (read: Google).

The interesting part about this rule is that devices that will operate in the unlicensed white space will have to pass FCC scrutiny and testing, i.e., regulation, so they do not interfere with the licensed television spectrum. In effect, you will have regulated devices in an unregulated space. Now, where have you seen that before?