Periodically, I share findings about
how technology improves my own productivity. In this post, I have some
quick comments about back-ups and full-text search.
Last August, I wrote about using small external hard drives to facilitate back-ups.
I realize that for users in corporate settings, including law firms,
where back-up is often automatic, this is not a big issue. But anyone
concerned about backing up a home machine might consider using SmartSync software.
This software makes it very easy to copy only changed files from
selected directories form your hard drive to an external device such as
an extra hard drive or USB device. It’s always a good idea to consider
a quick back-up after a day of work.
Separately, I have uninstalled the Google desktop search (see my prior post
on this). After using for a bit, I found that I liked 80-20 better
because it indexes more file types. Also, I had the sense that my
machine performed more sluggishly after I installed Google Desktop,
though I can’t really document that. I have no doubt that improved
versions will soon appear, but for now I opted to reduce my desktop
clutter and rely on a tool that I’ve used for some time.
And,
for whatever it’s worth, I continue to be very happy with my Treo 600.
It’s great for staying in touch with e-mail and integrating contacts,
calendars, and my cell phone. My only complaint is that it’s way too
hard for me to type on it relative to a Blackberry. If there are really
good deals on upgrading to the 650 later this year, I would consider
that. [Strategic Legal Technology]