iPads, iPads, iPads

With over 84 million sold in 2 1/2 years, it’s hard to underestimate the impact iPads and other tablets have had on almost everything, including legal education and law practice. According to a recent ABA survey, 33% of lawyers now use tablets for their practice, and over 90% of those are iPads. Rich McCue’s recent survey of University of Victoria law students showed similar numbers of law students using mobile technologies.

In my experience, not many students use iPads for taking notes in class, but they are great devices for reading online articles and quick research. Faculty like them for organizing their research and accessing email. Recently, Teknoids held a great discussion about favorite iPad and Android tablet apps for legal education. It turns out, Teknoids contributors have created extensive resources recommending all kinds of apps:

• Teknoids’ favorites compiled by Ben Chapman
• UF Legal Information Center iPad and Android App Pages
• Swivl Automated camera tool for iPhone and others
• University of Maryland, Mobile Apps for Law Professors and Students
• South Carolina, iPad Apps for Faculty and Students

Some of my own favorites are

• Evernote – Access your notes anywhere. Great for meetings and taking notes on long-term projects.
• GoodReader – Read and organize just about any document. Annotate PDFs. Great for meetings and reading articles.
• Reeder – Access Google Reader anywhere
• Chrome – Don’t like Safari? Try this alternative.
• OyezToday and Pocket Justice -Multimedia and extensive information about the Supreme Court
• DropBox – Access your files from anywhere
• Skype – Instant video conferencing.
• TeamViewer – Control your computer from your iPad.
• Doceri – Use your iPad to control your computer and annotate the screen
• Lili– Ok, this one’s just a first-person adventure game.  But the graphics are great and the story is fun.

Faculty particularly love GoodReader and DropBox. They are usually among the first apps I recommend for someone who has a new iPad.

As terrific as the iPad is, it’s now “so 2 years ago.” What’s next? Rumors about the iPad mini started almost as soon as the first was launched. Many expected an announcement in September, but Apple only announced the iPhone5. But now new rumors have started, and industry experts expect invitations to go out next week for an October 17 event. If the mini is in fact announced, who knows how much greater impact it will have on lawyers and law schools?

For more about iPads in law schools and in the law, see my CALI presentation from this year’s conference (video will be posted later).