by William B. Eadie and Andrew J. Thompson
iPad/Tablet Privacy Shields
iPads and other tablets are passed the hot-new-thing stage, and have become a part of many lawyers’ daily practice, especially when travelling. If you use your iPad for depositions, when travelling, or in negotiations, keeping eyes off your tablet might be an important issue.
3M recently launched Easy-On Privacy Filters, removable privacy shields (retailing presently on Amazon for a little under $50). The filters are removable (and include a carrying folder) for times when you need group collaboration (including the kids watching a movie on the road). 3M claims the product uses bubble-free technology, and is not prone to attract dust, making removal and reapplication easier than stay-on shields.
Don’t need to remove the shield, or don’t have an iPad? There are cheaper products available, such as ZAGG invisibleSHIELD Privacy Screens, which have iPad and non-iPad tablet compatible options.
Card Munch vs. Business Card Reader
Smartphones can now help manage—or eliminate—dealing with business cards by taking a photo of the card with an app.
CardMunch (www.cardmunch.com/), a free LinkedIn app for the iPhone, sends the picture to LinkedIn for processing. You take a picture with the app and a business card is converted to a contact automatically in your phone. LinkedIn goes the next step and shows you the LinkedIn profile information and connections you have in common—allowing you to make the connection instantly. For iPhone users who network with LinkedIn, this takes all the extra steps out of converting an in-person card-exchange to a contact. You can even hand them the card back.
Business Card Reader (www.abbyy.com/products/bcr/) reads the card data to convert it into a contact. BCR works on multiple platforms—desktop and mobile—to “readily transfer contact data such as names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and other key information found on business cards directly to a contact manager, a database or mobile address book, or save and share this information in electronic form.” Unlike CardMuch, BCR is not free, with current app prices at $4.99 for the basic, and $89.99 for pro.