The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/4983
the quarterly magazine of ILTA 51 Peer to Peer Comparing Smartphones in the Legal Environment require a soft reboot, but almost every device tested needed a soft reboot at some point. At times, the system seemed slow to respond. This might be indicative of the CPU and not the OS, but because the OS can be updated and rewritten, I'll blame the OS. After all, the brains behind Apple should have built the OS with the limits of the CPU in mind. The BlackBerry OS is built around Java. The dreaded JavaScript series of errors are well known and despised by BlackBerry administrator. This being said, the BlackBerry OS is very stable. The only real threat is the same as all of these devices, which is from the outside. As you add customized and third-party applications on the device, they introduce changes to the Java code and weaken it. Of course, you could run your BlackBerry with no third-party apps, but what would be the fun of that? The Android OS is lacking. It works well, but it really doesn't impress. It seems to be amateurish. Not to knock the Linux base, but the software could use some polish. It does everything I ask it to do. In fact, it is the only device I did not have to soft boot during the testing. Unfortunately, getting around is boring, and I don't really need Google Maps as one of my dedicated top icons. Windows Mobile people are trying, really they are. They market the comparison between the desktop and mobile OS and how the format is the same. That is a stretch. I find the way applications are organized and presented to the mobile user as a hindrance. It works on the desktop, but mobile users need more . . . well, mobility. My biggest complaint is how far you have to dig to get to the innards of the OS. The configuration settings are hard to reach, which was probably done on purpose to keep us from hurting ourselves, but the inner geek in me can't forgive MS for this. The Palm Pre uses webOS. This is actually quite, ummm, awesome! It is a true multitasking operating system. You can open app after app and run them concurrently. Just press the button, and you get what is called the "Deck of Cards" view. All your running apps line up, and you select what you want with a touch. You can type an e-mail message while listening to music and waiting for your Web search to complete with a countdown timer all going at the same time. From an operations perspective, the Pre really stood out in this category. I found myself embracing the multitasking features more and more, and then I missed them when I went back to my BlackBerry. Without a doubt, this is the direction that smartphones needs to go. Functionality When I'm looking at functionality, I have to take into account the busy day of an attorney. I work with a lot of attorneys who are "high maintenance" by nature of the high stakes work that they do. Simply put, they do not have the time to devote to the particulars necessary to learn the ins and outs of a device. They want it to "just work." When looking at this criterion, I had to be particularly rough on some of the devices. Also, because each device has a following, I decided to have an attorney that never used a particular device test it out. This allowed for the unbiased view. The iPhone disappointed in several areas, mostly in regards to its battery life. When a pocket-sized device produces minor miracles such as e-mail, music player and the list of apps that it supports, it is amazing the battery lasts at all, however, it should at least make it through the day. The display is wonderful, sure. It is the standard that other devices should "When I'm looking at functionality, I have to take into account the busy day of an attorney."