President's Corner

Workshare Debuts Synergy

Barrie Hadfield, CTO of Workshare Technology

WORKSHARE Technology has introduced two new products. SYNERGY 2.O allows secure document collaboration between a managing author and multiple contributors.

Synergy sends a replica of the original document to colleagues, rather than the original (which stays in the document management system). This approach helps authors control the final document, and prevents accidental inclusion of unwanted content, macros or styles, says Workshare. It also protects against hidden metadata in the files.

Workshare also debuted DeltaView 2.6, the latest upgrade of its popular document comparison "red-lining" tool. New features include the ability to launch the program directly from Microsoft Word.

Information: Reader Response no. 308.

Office Gear

Visioneer Unveils Flatbed Scanners

VISIONEER has introduced two flatbed scanners. The OneTouch 8900, a USB color unit, offers resolution of 1200 x 4800 dpi, 48-bit color, and uses "FlashBack Bi-directional Auto-Scan" technology.

Bundled software includes ScanSoft's PaperPort Deluxe 7.0, TextBridge Pro 9.0 and Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE.

The OneTouch 8820 includes a transparency adapter, and is ideal for small firms or home users who want to scan slides, negatives and transparencies.

Information: Reader Response no. 307.

Litigation Support

Six Vendors To Collaborate

SIX vendors have announced a pact to collaborate to improve integration of their litigation support products.

LiveNote Inc.; Dataflight Software Inc.; iCONECT L.L.C.; IPRO Tech Inc.; DecisionQuest's CaseSoft division; and Verdict Systems have agreed to share software code, research technology and development resources. The goal: to help users to move "case critical" information, such as depositions, documents, e-mail, etc., among the products without the need for dual entry of data.

Information: Reader Response no. 315.

Contact Management

Transform Your Stack of Business Cards to Digital

OF COURSE, three days after I bought a CardScan 500, from Corex Technologies Corp., the CardScan 600c color version hit the streets. I haven't used the upgrade, but I'm sure thrilled with the 500.

I waited forever to get one, because I simply did not believe the OCR technology would work. But work it does, and well: The 500 (black-and-white) unit processes cards in about five seconds, with about 95 percent accuracy. (Minor glitch: it doesn't work well with dark color stock.)

The CardScans use algorithms to read and sort business card data, creating a Rolodex-style desktop database. The best feature: After you scan a card, with one click you can import the data into your contact management system. It also synchs with phones and PDAs.

New 600c features: When your computer's online, you can click on a contact's address for a map and driving instructions. --Monica Bay

Information: Reader Response no. 310.

Discovery!

Pacific Legal Litigation Support Services has introduced e-MailBase, a litigation support tool designed to help firms manage electronic evidence. It creates a Summation database from e-mail files that have been produced during discovery.

Information: Reader Response no. 312.

Applied Discovery has launched a new online electronic discovery resource center. It includes articles, a technical glossary, software, and more.

Information: Reader Response no. 313.

Quorum's new Electronic Data Discovery services help lawyers search, review and manage large volumes of electronic evidence during discovery.

Information: Reader Response no. 314.

Trusts & Estates

Cowles Updates Trust Software

AS THE INK dried on the new Tax Relief Act of 2001, Cowles Legal Systems Inc. upgraded its Trust Plus and TrusTerminator software.

Version 10.1 of both packages were available via download the same day the new legislation was signed, boasts the Eau Claire, Wisc., company.

All aspects of the software, including the revocable and irrevocable trusts, will drafting modules, and post-mortem module were reviewed and updated, it says. Substantive legal help was also improved, it notes.

Information: Reader Response no. 309.

Portable Office

Charge Without Electricity

ELECTRIC FUEL Ltd. says its Instant Power Charger lets users power their PDAs and phones without an electrical outlet. The pocket-sized, zinc-based, environmentally-friendly charger is activated when exposed to air, and plugs directly into the PDA or cell phone. It supports the latest generation of devices, including HP Jornada, and Palm m500/m505.

Information: Reader Response no. 311.