Smartphones and the Future of Practicing Law

You hear it all the time in today's world ' talk of “smart phones” or “smartphone technology.” Unless you're a bit younger, or a “techie,” you may be unaware of revolutionary changes transforming cell phones and how we use them. So, what's changed and how did we get here?

In the late 1990s, most mobile phones had only very basic features ' you could receive or make a call and that was about it. As hand-held technology evolved, many professionals began carrying a Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) or pager to supplement capabilities not offered by cell phones. PDAs served as personal information managers allowing users to store, share, and send certain kinds of information (think of your doctor sending your prescription to the pharmacy). Some of the more popular examples of PDAs include Palm OS, Blackberry OS, or Windows CE/Pocket PC.

Eventually, however, as technology and the marketplace evolved, “smart phones” emerged ' devices that integrated cell phone technology, PDAs, and messaging features supported by third-party applications. Today, smartphones can function as a PDA and cell phone while allowing users to surf the Web, download and play music or movies, and take and store pictures. Many smartphones use high-resolution touchscreens and can display standard web pages as opposed to “mobile-only” optimized sites. Most are equipped with Wi-Fi mobile and broadband access capabilities and GPS navigation.

What Smartphones Mean for Your Firm and Your Clients

As smartphones evolve and competition between manufacturers drives innovation, you can expect more apps and more capability from smartphones. Whether it's BlackBerry, iPhone, Android or Bada, smartphones have become everyday tools in our personal and business interactions.

As a law firm marketer, you can expect more and more online legal advertising to adapt and interface with smartphone technology. Clients increasingly on the run text, search the Web, chat, even video-conference using a smartphone while in the back of a cab, at a restaurant, or sitting ringside at a sporting event.

Can your website display appropriately on smartphones? If a prospective client is interested in finding a capable attorney, will your website functionality translate to the smartphone environment? Will a potential client be able to watch your video, submit a “Contact Us” form, find your phone number or e-mail address, or search your site for relevant legal topics?

Smartphones and Legal Apps ' It's a Whole New Ballgame

Smartphones like the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Bada are capable of downloading and running third-party applications. These applications extend the capability of smartphones, allowing them to utilize integrated functionality and create new uses for them. In fact, when Apple brought its second generation iPhone (with 3G support) to market in 2008, it also opened the App Store. The new iPhone offered a wide range of capabilities that could be downloaded for free or for a charge. By early July 2011, the App Store recorded 15 billion downloads of over 425,000 applications.

Android, a popular smartphone operating system, is an open-source platform backed by Google. Android represents the efforts of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of major hardware and software developers such as Intel, HTC, ARM, Motorola and Samsung. The first phone to use Android was the HTC Dream, branded for distribution by T-Mobile as the G1. Android supports the execution of native applications and a preemptive multitasking capability (in the form of services). Third-party apps are available via the Android Market, including both free and paid-for apps.

Is There an App for Your Law Firm's Website?

Like attorneys, clients are often on the go. Whether business professionals, small business owners, or individuals with legal needs, your clients may be traveling, at conventions, in meetings, attending social functions, or relaxing at a sports event. Even so, they still need to stay in touch with their attorneys and the status of their case, especially if a legal need suddenly arises. Not only does a firm website app increase visibility, but it will also let current and prospective clients interact with you and your firm in any number of innovative ways.

If you are away from the office and run out of business cards, not to worry. If you have a website app, you can invite colleagues and prospective clients to download your website app instantly.

The future is here now ' are you prepared?

In many ways, technology has changed the way we in the modern world experience time and space. The Internet and other forms of electronic technology have created instantaneous communication and a virtual global village that allows people to easily access information from almost anywhere in the world. As a result, time zones and geographical boundaries have shrunk to almost a vanishing point. Now, with smartphones, many of us are plugged in to this new electronic hive 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For attorneys and law firm marketers, the advent of smartphones means a new frontier for gathering information ' and a new competitive arena. Prospective clients who find themselves on the side of the road after an accident, considering contractual terms at vendor's office, or in need of legal advice regarding compliance issues can now access and share information on their smartphone in ways that weren't possible only a few years ago. They can quickly search to see what law firms or attorneys advertise in the area in which they need legal representation.

What's So Special About the Smartphone Revolution?

You hear it all the time in today's world ' talk of “smart phones” or “smartphone technology.” Unless you're a bit younger, or a “techie,” you may be unaware of revolutionary changes transforming cell phones and how we use them. So, what's changed and how did we get here?

In the late 1990s, most mobile phones had only very basic features ' you could receive or make a call and that was about it. As hand-held technology evolved, many professionals began carrying a Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) or pager to supplement capabilities not offered by cell phones. PDAs served as personal information managers allowing users to store, share, and send certain kinds of information (think of your doctor sending your prescription to the pharmacy). Some of the more popular examples of PDAs include Palm OS, Blackberry OS, or Windows CE/Pocket PC.

Eventually, however, as technology and the marketplace evolved, “smart phones” emerged ' devices that integrated cell phone technology, PDAs, and messaging features supported by third-party applications. Today, smartphones can function as a PDA and cell phone while allowing users to surf the Web, download and play music or movies, and take and store pictures. Many smartphones use high-resolution touchscreens and can display standard web pages as opposed to “mobile-only” optimized sites. Most are equipped with Wi-Fi mobile and broadband access capabilities and GPS navigation.

What Smartphones Mean for Your Firm and Your Clients

As smartphones evolve and competition between manufacturers drives innovation, you can expect more apps and more capability from smartphones. Whether it's BlackBerry, iPhone, Android or Bada, smartphones have become everyday tools in our personal and business interactions.

As a law firm marketer, you can expect more and more online legal advertising to adapt and interface with smartphone technology. Clients increasingly on the run text, search the Web, chat, even video-conference using a smartphone while in the back of a cab, at a restaurant, or sitting ringside at a sporting event.

Can your website display appropriately on smartphones? If a prospective client is interested in finding a capable attorney, will your website functionality translate to the smartphone environment? Will a potential client be able to watch your video, submit a “Contact Us” form, find your phone number or e-mail address, or search your site for relevant legal topics?

Smartphones and Legal Apps ' It's a Whole New Ballgame

Smartphones like the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Bada are capable of downloading and running third-party applications. These applications extend the capability of smartphones, allowing them to utilize integrated functionality and create new uses for them. In fact, when Apple brought its second generation iPhone (with 3G support) to market in 2008, it also opened the App Store. The new iPhone offered a wide range of capabilities that could be downloaded for free or for a charge. By early July 2011, the App Store recorded 15 billion downloads of over 425,000 applications.

Android, a popular smartphone operating system, is an open-source platform backed by Google. Android represents the efforts of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of major hardware and software developers such as Intel, HTC, ARM, Motorola and Samsung. The first phone to use Android was the HTC Dream, branded for distribution by T-Mobile as the G1. Android supports the execution of native applications and a preemptive multitasking capability (in the form of services). Third-party apps are available via the Android Market, including both free and paid-for apps.

Is There an App for Your Law Firm's Website?

Like attorneys, clients are often on the go. Whether business professionals, small business owners, or individuals with legal needs, your clients may be traveling, at conventions, in meetings, attending social functions, or relaxing at a sports event. Even so, they still need to stay in touch with their attorneys and the status of their case, especially if a legal need suddenly arises. Not only does a firm website app increase visibility, but it will also let current and prospective clients interact with you and your firm in any number of innovative ways.

If you are away from the office and run out of business cards, not to worry. If you have a website app, you can invite colleagues and prospective clients to download your website app instantly.

The future is here now ' are you prepared?