What Today's Big Windows 10 Update Means for Lawyers

Windows Ink looks exciting -- and Microsoft specifically targets lawyers in its marketing of Ink.

Microsoft WindowsWindows 10 came out about a year ago. Today, it gets its biggest update yet, described by Microsoft as the “Anniversary update.” The anniversary update contains a number of things: an update to Cortana, an update to Microsoft Edge, some security updates, a Skype update, and the introduction of Windows Ink.

Of those updates listed above, if you don’t use Edge, Cortana, or Skype, there’s probably nothing too exciting about the big update. For those who don’t know, Cortana is a Siri-like personal assistant in Windows 10. Edge is the new Microsoft browser. Skype is video conferencing. Windows Ink looks exciting, though. In fact, Microsoft specifically targets lawyers in its marketing of Windows Ink in a recent blog post:

Windows Ink, available for the first time in the Anniversary Update, brings the writing you do every day into your digital world. Now, using a Windows 10 device, graphic designers can be more creative, musicians can write digital music, lawyers can edit documents with the power of the pen, and students can do mathematical equations and learn by writing – all with Windows Ink

I’m assuming the reference to lawyers being able to edit documents is a reference to the new pen capabilities that are coming to Office, but there is not a lot of info on that now, and it’s not clear if those Office improvements are coming with the August 2 update. Certain planned parts of the August 2 Anniversary update did not make the deadline, such as the feature in Windows Ink to draw routes in the map app. Here’s what we do know about how Ink works so far. It will give you a couple of features such as sticky notes, a sketchpad, and the ability to sketch on a screen grab to annotate things on your screen. The sticky notes are “smart” notes, and they link to Cortana. So, for example, if I write in a note (either with a stylus or with my keyboard) “reminder to buy milk tomorrow,” I will get an option on the note asking me if I want to add a pop-up reminder to my computer to buy milk tomorrow. I can set the pop-up time and it will go on my calendar.

Here’s a video demo of some of the features in action:

Why I’m Excited About Ink

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Microsoft mentions on its blog that diagraming things out before solving a science problem can lead to 36 percent higher scores. I don’t know about science, but diagramming has been an integral part of how I solve legal problems. I use the stylus in my Note 5 phone to quickly jot down and roughly sketch demonstrative exhibits when I’m on the go. Not just at the trial phase, but sketching things out helps me understand better my case themes early on and helps me get ideas for discovery and depositions. I’ll import my jury instructions into OneNote and annotate all over them what discovery I need to propound to cover a tort element, or which responses already cover that element. It’s a great way to stay organized and be a creative problem solver. So, any improvements or additions to the ability to quickly diagram or jot down notes is exciting to me.

Is It Time to Upgrade to Windows 10?

If you do not have Windows 10, you should think about upgrading. Windows 10 has seen numerous updates since it first came out. While it’s not perfect, it is a great operating system. The biggest concern you should have, especially if you are upgrading an old computer, is whether your other pieces of hardware, such as a printer or a sound card, will be compatible. The best thing you can do to check that is to Google “[name of your printer] windows 10 compatibility problems.” If you get a bunch of people on a support forum posting that the printer drivers say they are compatible, but nothing is printing out right, then you might want to either hold off or get a new printer. I had some early problems with things not working right in computers that I upgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 10. I have not had any problem with the computers I bought with Windows 10 pre-installed. Sometimes old hardware is just not 100 percent compatible with new upgrades.

In general, I recommend upgrading your computer at least every couple of years. Computers are not meant to last forever. They degrade over time and get sluggish. Using an old computer that was top of the line five years ago might not be able to run (efficiently) the latest version of Office or other software. Upgrading every couple of years will help keep you avoid crashes and sluggish programs while giving you access to the latest features, like Windows Ink.

Earlier: Why Your Office Should Care About Upgrading To Windows 10

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Jeff Bennion is Of Counsel at Estey & Bomberger LLP, a plaintiffs’ law firm specializing in mass torts and catastrophic injuries. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of San Diego’s plaintiffs’ trial lawyers association, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. He is also the Education Chair and Executive Committee member of the State Bar of California’s Law Practice Management and Technologysection. He is a member of the Advisory Council and instructor at UCSD’s Litigation Technology Management program. His opinions are his own. Follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here, or contact him by email at jeff@trial.technology.

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