Here are some of the technologies and devices we're looking forward to seeing at this year's show:

Realtime, Two-Way Vocal Translator

Pocketalk, is unveiling a new version of its Pocketalk two-way translator device. 

Pocketalk is a two-way translation device designed to translate full conversations, even in noisy environments. Pocketalk recognizes 74 different languages in more than 130 countries and regions. The company promises that, "by utilizing the best translation engines from around the world, Pocketalk provides a consistently accurate experience by picking up localized dialects and slang."

The redesigned device inclides a large touchscreen, two speakers, noise-cancelling microphones, and a text-to-translate camera.

Other key features include:

• Smaller size: lighter and more compact for easier travel
• Larger screen: 16% larger touch surface for additional clarity
• Camera: instantly recognizes and translates text, the written word and signs, because language shouldn't be limited to just verbal communication
• Conversion: computes exchanges for currency, length, width and temperature
• Faster: increased software processing speed for more immediate translations
• More connected: with support for a wider mobile band, users will notice a stronger data signal across the world
• One-button translation: for simple translations in fewer steps

It is available for pre-order now for an MSRP of $299 (in gold, white and black).

A Better Way to Raise Your Monitor

We've all done it...We've all put our computer monitor on a book (and in the case of many of our readers probably a law school textbook) to raise it up to a more comfortable height. Allsop offers a better (and better-looking) way to make your desk more ergonomically correct.  Allsop's new Ergoriser monitor stand is a sturdy (up to 20 lbs capacity) monitor stand that features a modern, sleek design that also allows you to store your laptop, keyboard, or office supplies underneath it (unlike that book/stand). The Ergoriser joins Allsop's other monitor stands, including: the S'Felt and Level Up modular monitor stands. MSRP of the Ergoriser monitor stand is $14.99 MSRP.

Keyword Search Your Mobile Calls

R3M3MB3R.com is launching a keyword search service for mobile calls at CES 2020.

If you've ever needed to remember what was said on a call you already know how much of a pain it is to try to remember which call it might have been on or having to listen to hours of recordings to find that one important snippet of a conversation.

R3M3MB3R automatically transcribes calls from speech-to-text, providing users with keyword search for all conversations made via mobile phone. The cloud-based service costs $10 per month, and 10 cents per minute.

For a limited time, R3M3MB3R is offering a Free Month trial at http://www.R3M3MB3R.com/FreeMonth.

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Every year, barely after the New Year, the consumer technology industry comes together in Las Vegas for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow. There they introduce and celebrate the latest products and technological innovations in consumer electronics, including office productivity tools - the gadgets many of us love and can't manage to work without - and this year even promises the flying car we've all been waiting for. This year, the International CES runs from January 8-11, 2019. The following is a preview of some of the gadgets and apps expected to be unveiled at the show.

Blitztek

ProxyPics

ProxyPics describes itself as an "online marketplace, matching users needing geographic-based content with users near to the location ready to take your photo." Simply put, if you need current, external photos of a particular location, whether to document current conditions, or some other reason, ProxyPics might be for you. While similar to other apps/services, like GigWalk, where users can sign up to do to jobs posted by other users, ProxyPics is different in that it is limited to only providing photos and the price for each photo is set at a flat $5.00. (Other services like Gigwalk allow the poster to set a price, which might be higher than ProxyPics' flat $5.00.) You can also give specific instructions for the picture taker (e.g., view from across the street, showing property next door). Whether the places you need pictures of are far-flung or nearby, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more cost-effective way to get that picture than ProxyPics' $5.00 per picture cost.

Table 4 One

Table 4 One is a matchmaking app that pairs business travelers with similar interests for meals when they are located in the same city while traveling. The app goes out of its way to stress that it is not a dating app, but rather, a way for business professionals to make the most of their time on the road and potentially expand their professional network by meeting other professionals who would otherwise also be dining alone.

LG

Home appliance manufacturer LG is introducing as 65 inch high-definition (4K) TV whose screen rolls down like a poster into a rectangular metal enclosure. The device boasts blacker blacks, whiter whites, and an expected $20,000+ price tag.

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If you have any interest in technology, you’ve probably been seeing and hearing a lot in the past few months about “virtual assistants,” “voice assistants,” or “smart speakers” like Amazon’s Alexa and Echo, and Google Home (regular and Mini) and the battle for the “smart home.” Many of you might be considering a logical next step – “how can these products’ functions be extended to the workplace?”

Some ways virtual assistants could help you be more productive at the office:

• Scheduling: Both Alexa and Google Assistant integrate with Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendars. So, you can use them to check your upcoming appointments, get audio reminders, or to create new events.   Third party services like, FreeBusy Scheduling Assistant allow you to coordinate meetings with multiple people, whether they’re inside or outside of your organization.
• Documents: Alexa can integrate with Google Drive to allow you to create (and edit) documents.  I’m not sure I’d want to edit an existing document purely via voice, however. Creating short notes, or to do lists with voice commands (as a reminder or tickler) could be very useful.
• E-mail: Alexa can use Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant to integrate with Gmail and Microsoft Exchange-based email accounts to read your email messages out loud (and to delete messages with voice commands).

For the first time in many years, Google will return to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with a booth presence. Since Amazon will also have a presence at CES, there will probably be some announcements that might make some additions to this list, such as time tracking and dictation. Amazon may have already fired the first salvo with the announcement of Alexa For Business in November.  

Once synced with an office calendar, Alexa For Business can reportedly be used to start (previously scheduled) phone or video conference calls via a voice command.

Subscription fees for Alexa For Business are $7/month per device plus an additional $3/month per user.

As with any technology, lawyers should be aware of potential privacy send/or security issues when using virtual assistants like these. Wired magazine has compiled a useful overview of "What Amazon Echo and Google Home Do With Your Voice Data.”

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By Jennifer Ellis, Esq.

When I became aware of a keyboard made specifically for lawyers, I found myself interested. I didn't think too much about it for the lawyers at my firm, Lowenthal & Abrams, PC,  I actually thought about whether it would be useful for our paralegals. As a result, I decided to buy a LegalBoard for one of our paralegals to use in her day-to-day document work. Then, while waiting for my order to ship, I was provided one of the LegalBoards for free in return for writing this review. This means our firm ended up with two of the LegalBoard keyboards.

I offered the free keyboard to Caroline McKernan, one of our paralegals. Caroline works for a medical malpractice/catastrophic injury attorney.

One Firm’s Assessment

After about a month, I asked Caroline what she thought about using the LegalBoard over that time - and this is what she told me:

• The keys feel nice to depress and aren’t too sticky or stiff. 
  • ( JE: When I asked another paralegal to try the keyboard, she too commented on its quality and how easy the keys are to use.)
• The bottom row is taller/more proud from the edge than I’m used to and as a result I sometimes find myself accidentally holding down the Ctrl button with the side of my hand. This is something that will change with time.
• A lot of the special legal functions are on the number pad, and so far I often forget to toggle off the special functions before I try and use it as a number pad (for dates, citations etc) which causes silly output issues. I have gotten more used to this the more I use it, but it still occasionally trips me up.
• Some of the legal functions are more geared toward appellate and/or federal work, and so are not of the greatest utility to me. This is because our cases aren't generally super brief-heavy. Paralegals and attorneys with brief-heavy work would find this very useful. 

Caroline's assessment, in the end, is that the keyboard has some useful features, but she doesn't think she would want to spend this amount of money on it. In other words, while Caroline liked the keyboard, she did not feel it would be worth the price for the work she does.

Quality Construction vs Time Savings

I have to agree that the cost of the keyboard is quite high when compared to standard keyboards (the LegalBoard retails for $65) and I am not sure that I believe that its cost is worth the potential time savings for the paralegals at our firm. But I can tell you that the keyboard is well constructed and solid, much more so than the average $25 device you’d find online or at your local big box store. If you produce documents that consistently use the specialized symbols that are common in some legal documents, you may well find that the value of having keys dedicated to these symbols contained within a well-constructed keyboard is worth the cost. If you are interested, I recommend that you do what my firm did: buy one LegalBoard and see what you think before you invest in new keyboards for everyone.

Jennifer Ellis is an ethics and legal malpractice attorney with the Philadelphia personal injury firm of Lowenthal & Abrams. She also manages the firm’s online presence. In addition, Jennifer serves as a law firm marketing consultant under the name Jennifer Ellis, JD. She assists lawyers with social media, websites, SEO, law firm technology and more. She is a nationally recognized speaker and writer on subjects including ethics, social media, law firm technology, law practice management, websites and marketing. Find Jennifer online at jlellis.net, lowenthalabrams.com and @jle_jd.

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One of the products that caught my attention at the 2017 show is a USB storage device that claims to be “the world’s first unlimited capacity USB drive,” called “Moore.” I’m still not sure which of the above categories it fits into yet.

If you’re like me, you probably have thousands of data files saved on various internal and external hard drives. Currently, between active files and backups, I have a half-dozen hard drives on the desk in my office with the ability to hold 12 TB of data. The idea of “unlimited” storage in a single device is very appealing. However, even if you’ve had zero physics courses in high school or college, you’re probably wondering how “unlimited” storage could be possible.

As shown at CES, the device itself looks like every other thumb drive you have ever used. It has the ability to store 64 GB of data on the device itself—the “infinite” storage comes in the form of cloud storage. So, you would have access to any of the unlimited amount of data that you have stored on the company’s cloud server as long as you have an Internet connection. Without an Internet connection, you’re limited to the 64 GB of data that Moore can store locally.

The promised innovation of “unlimited capacity” would come from how Moore manages the local files versus the files stored in the cloud. Moore promises to use “machine learning” (aka artificial intelligence) to “know” which files you are most likely to use and to have them available on the device. It will “learn,” over time, which files you use most often and make them available on the local device, shifting other files that you use less often back to the cloud. A representative at CES also said that Moore would also be able to learn to make other files that are related to the ones you access most often, available locally on the device.

While the company claims that you can have access to your files with or without an Internet connection, this is a bit of an oversell. Sure, you can access the locally-stored files without an Internet connection. As you probably guessed, you cannot access any of the cloud-stored files without an Internet connection. If you’re on an airplane and hadn’t planned ahead by storing specific files on the Moore USB thumb drive, you’d have to hope that Moore had learned enough about your file-using habits to have the files you really wanted to work on available on the device. If it didn’t, you’re out of luck accessing that file until you’re connected to the Internet again. One bonus of Moore over any other USB drive is that any changes you make to files stored on the Moore device will be synced with the versions stored in the cloud the next time you connect to the Internet.

What remains unclear, however, is how the initial decisions are made on which data to store locally and which get immediately shunted to the cloud.

Data stored on the company’s cloud servers is protected using AES 128 bit encryption. In transit between the cloud servers and the USB device, the data is protected using the HTTPS secure transfer protocol. The USB device itself also uses AES 128 bit encryption and can be password protected. (In a 2012 article, EE Times estimated that it would take a supercomputer over a billion years to check all the possible key combinations of AES 128 bit encryption.)

The device’s name is derived from “Moore’s Law,” in which Intel co-founder Gordon Moore observed that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since their invention and would likely continue for the foreseeable future. (Moore’s estimation actually proved to be a little low. The current rate is that transistors are doubling once every eighteen months.)

The product remains in development and is not yet available for retail purchase. Pricing has not yet been set for the device or monthly cloud storage. Depending on the final pricing, the device could be useful as an encrypted, password-protected, USB storage device to protect client-confidential information… the encrypted cloud storage would be a bonus.

A version of this article originally appeared on the American Bar Association, Law Practice Division's Law Technology Today webisite.

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USB flash drives have become so commonplace as to be forgettable. Now, however, Kingston Digital is introducing the largest capacity flash drive - and at 2TB of storage space the DataTraveler Ultimate GT can't be ignored. It boasts the ability to store up to 70 hours of 4K video. The device is made of a zinc-alloy metal casing for shock resistance. At about an inch, it's physically bigger than most flash drives, but still small enough to easily fit in your pocket. Retail pricing was not available. http://www.kingston.com

Thanks to Bob Ambrogi over at Lawsites for the heads-up about the LegalBoard - a computer keyboard customized for lawyers and legal drafting. In place of a 10-key pad that might be found on the right-hand side of a standard computer keyboard, LegalBoard has placed a customized keypad that includes characters and symbols commonly used in legal drafting, such as: Section; Paragraph; and Copyrights, as well as commonly used words like Plaintiff, Court, and Id, among other features. Pre-orders are available online for $65.00 at LegalKeyBoards.com.

Because many bags look alike, any accessory that makes luggage look different than the rest or that can help you get it back when that luggage goes missing is useful. A French company, Biblelib, is introducing a one-size-fits-all luggage cover that dresses up your suitcase, protects it from scuffs and dirt, includes an integrated QR code for tracking, and up to $500 of replacement insurance if the bag never makes it back to you. Covers are already available online for approximately $60.00.

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The outline for one of the biggest stories at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is being written by a company that's not even at the show. Nearly three dozen companies are showing tablet computers at this year's CES. All are hoping to grab a piece of this emerging market that has been defined by Apple, Inc. Even though Apple, the consumer electronics powerhouse whose products have been causing a stir since the company's inception, is not exhibiting at CES and never has, the company's iPad  tablet computer has set the competitive bar for all of these companies.

These companies have good reason to go after this market. According to research by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) that sponsors CES, even with 17 million tablet computers sold in 2010, the market remains strong. Whether you're among the 38 percent of consumers CEA surveyed who said that they intended to purchase a tablet computer within the next year or one of the majority of "current tablet owners [who] expect to buy another one," it looks like you'll have a wide range of choices in almost every price category. Some of the tablets we saw at CES this year include:

(This list is just a start. We'll be adding more.)

Archos - Known for their digital music players, Archos announced its Archos 70. The 7 inch tablet measures just 4.5 inches wide and a half inch thick. It runs Google's Android operating system on a 1GHz Arm processor and boasts 250GB of internal memory. The suggested retail price is $349.99.

Asus - A pioneer in the netbook market, Asus announced one of the most extensive and aggressive collections of tablet computers with four different devices with three different screen sizes, as well as options to run Google's Android 3.0 or Windows 7 Home Premium operating systems. The EEE Slider is a 10.1 inch tablet running on an nVidia Tecra 2 processor. It boasts a full slide-out qwerty keyboard. It includes two cameras - a 5MP rear-facing camera and a 1.2MB front-facing camera. The EEE Pad Transformer has similar specs as the Slider, but the keyboard is detachable. The EEE Pad MeMo is Asus' 7.1 inch entry running Android, while the Slate EP 121 is a 12.1 inch tablet running Windows 7 on an Intel Core i5 dual-core processor. The Slate EP 121's (up to) 64GB of internal memory and the ability to add a bluetooth keyboard make it one of the similar to the laptops and netbooks these slates are meant to replace while traveling.

Dell - The newly-announced Streak 7 inch tablet computer isn't Dell's first foray into the tablet market. A 5 inch Streak is already available. The 7 inch is notable because because it will be able to access T-Mobile's 3G and 4G cellular networks. The Streak 7 runs Android 2.2 and features a dual-core 1 GHz nVidia Tegra processor. It includes two cameras - a 5MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3MB front-facing camera. The Streak 7 comes with 16GB of internal storage, expandable via an SD card slot.

MSI - Like Asus, MSI is known to consumers mostly for its netbooks. At CES, MSI announced two 10 inch tablets - the WindPad 100W and the Windpad 100A, running Windows 7 Home Premium and Android 2.2, respectively.

The Windows version is powered by a 1.66GHz Atom Menlow Z530 CPU here, and features 32GB of internal memory and 2GB of RAM. The Android version is powered by an ARM-based Cortex A8 processor (but MSI did not name the vendor) and features 512MB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM. THe Android version also includes an SD slot to boost storage capacity. Both versions include front and rear-facing cameras, but information on their resolutions was not available. An MSI rep told us that the devices are expected to be available at retail in the U.S. in February 2011. Pricing was not available.

Samsung - The newly-announced Galaxy Tab resembles a big brother to Samsung's previously announced Galaxy S smartphone. The 7 inch Galaxy Tab runs Android 2.2 and is compatible with Adobe's Flash 10.1 (the Galaxy S smartphone supports Flash Lite). It includes two cameras - a 3MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3MB front-facing camera.

The Galaxy Tab comes with 16GB of internal storage, expandable to 32GB via a Micro SD card slot. A WiFi-only version will be available for purchase in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2011. A 4G-compatible version was also announced to be available from Verizon The 4G version will see an increase in the resolution of the rear-facing camera to 5MP. Pricing is not yet available for the new Galaxy Tabs, but the price of the existing 3G version of the Galaxy Tab is expected to drop - with some outlets reporting a sub-$300 price tag (when purchased with an additional 3G wireless data contract).

Viewsonic - The newly-announced Viewpad 4 is the smallest of the new tablet computers announced at CES, but it includes full cell phone functionality. So is it a big cell phone or a small tablet? Viewsonic picked tablet...but you decide. Also running the Android operating system, the Viewpad 4 runs on a Qualcomm 1GHz CPU. It includes a 5MP rear-facing camera. The 4 inch device joins Viewsonic's already-available 7 and 10 inch models. The Viewpad 4 is expected to be available "in the middle of 2011." Pricing of the Viewpad 4 will be dependent on the cellular network partners. The 7 inch and 10 inch have estimated street prices of $459 and $629, respectively. 

Vizio - Best-known for its flat-screen TV's, Vizio also announced two new Android-powered, handheld devices - an 8 inch tablet and a 4 inch phone. The tablet includes plus a Micro-SD slot for expansion. The 4 inch device features a 5MP rear-facing camera (with flash) and a front-facing camera. Prices were not available for either device.

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One of the biggest stories at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is about a product that's getting smaller and smaller. More than a half-dozen companies announced newer and smaller LCD (and/or LED, DLP) data projectors. Lawyers, professional speakers, CLE organizations, or anyone who travels to make presentations will find these pico projectors useful. Despite their small size, the images they project are surprisingly bright and large.

3M, an early leader in the pico projector space, is showing the latest addition to its line, the MP180. With 32 lumens of brightness and two hours of battery life, 3M claims the device will project images up to 80 inches diagonally. The MP180 packs alot of features into its small package. Weighing less than 12 ounces, the MP180 boast 4 GB of internal memory (expandable via a micro SD card slot), SVGA resolution, and a Windows-CE-based file management system that allows you to display Powerpoint presentations, Word, Excel, and PDF files stored directly on the device, as well as surf the Web via WiFi and project the results.

The MP180 also includes an integrated touchscreen for navigating the stored files and accessing a qwerty keyboard. Numerous accessories are also available, including a power adapter/charger, and various input cables (including one for Apple iPod/iPad/iPhones). The MP180 is expected in stores in the first quarter of 2011. The suggested retail price is $450. It joins the existing MP150 and MP160 models with suggested retail prices of $250 and $350, respectively. 3M also offers its Shoot and Play camera/projector combination at the suggested retail price of $400.

FAVIEntertainment announced its new PJM-3000 widescreen, handheld projector. Weighing less than a pound, the projector features built-in memory of 2GB for storing PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, Excel files, PDFs and other common file types to be displayed. Memory can be expanded to 16GB with the unit’s available SD card slot. The projector also has a touchpad on top to help users navigate the integrated Windows CE 6.0 operating system to project those stored files. The company reports that projector's built-in battery can be used for up to 1.5 hours, or it can be connected to an outlet. The PJM-3000 boasts the capability of projecting up to a 100” diagonal image. The $299 projector is available on the manufacturer's Web site.

Vivitek announced its new Qumi line of LED-based pocket projectors. Despite it's sleek design, the Qumi's 1.6 ponds is heavy compared to other pico projectors. The Qumi, which includes touch sensitive button controls, is expected to be available on May 2011, at a suggested retail price of $499.

Sony has married three of its new HandyCam video cameras with a pico projector. The newly-announced Sony HandyCam HDR-PJ50V, PJ30V, and PJ10 will all include built-in projectors. All of the cameras, can project video and images up to 60 inches (diagonally; when projected 18 feet away). Last year, Samsung introduced its Beam phone with an integrated projector.

Aiptek is highlighting its already available PocketCinema line of pico projectors, including the round T25. USB-powered, the T25 can project an image up to 73" diagonally.

Other companies, including DGX and Optoma also highlighted the tiny projectors in their respective booths.

Microvision has even embedded a projector into an smartphone running the Android operating system. The new phone/projector is just a prototype, but if it is produced, would join the company's already-available ShowWX pico projector which retails for $400. Weighing just 4 ounces and just over a half inch thick, the ShowWX is one of the smallest of the available pico projectors.

One company, Elite, has even created a tabletop screen especially designed to maximize the brightness of the pico projector's images. The lightweight and compact screen is priced at $99. While Optoma created its Screen Portfolio to serve as a travel case for its projector and an integrated screen is available online for $55.99.

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