Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

ParalegaliPad: If the iPad Was Really Magic...

By Lynne DeVenny

I drooled. I slobbered. I spent countless sleepless nights obsessing. Finally, I just went out and bought the dang thing with my little dab of money earned from freelance and textbook writing. (No, Mom, John Grisham still hasn't invited me to lunch at the country club.)

Yes, I am finally the inordinately proud owner of that "magical and revolutionary product" that sounds like it was named after a feminine hygiene product.

Keep in mind that this small-town paralegal has never used an Apple product, and still does not have a smart phone (that will change next week). Until recently, it took me an hour to text "ok", and I rarely responded to texts that required more than a yes or no answer. The Goddess of Technology, I am not.

So when someone says a product is magic, I set the bar pretty darned high, like you can start using it as quickly as Tink, a/k/a Tinker Bell, can wave her wand with a bit of pixie dust to make humans fly.

Since Tinker Bell wasn't in the box, the reality of the iPad setup went like this:

1. Take it out of the packaging. (First techno-idiot task: Peeling off the childproof shrink wrap without shedding blood.)
2. Plug it into your PC or Mac.
3. Using your PC or Mac, download and install the latest version of iTunes (www.itunes.com/download).
4. Set up your iTunes account, if you don't already have one. (Have your debit or credit card handy).
5. You'll be asked if you want to update the iPad software. If you do, get ready to put your new baby down, and find something else to do (other than hover over it) for 45 minutes. I am not famous for my patience.
6. Go to settings, and pick your WiFi network.
7. Under "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" add your email account(s). Pick how many lines you want to preview (the default is only two).
8. Finally, it's time to pick some apps, accessing the Apple Store with the iPad.

Now, we're talking magic!

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on August 28, 2010 (boomark / email).