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Windows Phone:The empire strikes back.Windows 8:Redecorating with tile.Android 4.0:Will lawyers screamfor Ice Cream?where 4G has not yet been launched). Look for hotspotslike these to become standard equipment for mobile lawyers.Imagine, for example, a team of litigators setting up ahotel war room on the fly, linking every attorney’s laptopto a broadband connection that rivals the one back at theoffice—without having to worry about what sort of Internetaccess the hotel provides. Pretty nifty.WINDOWS PHONE: TAKE TWO. Over the years, MicrosoftCorporation’s mobile operating system has assumed a slewof shapes and identities, from Windows CE to WindowsMobile to the current Windows Phone. They’ve all hadone thing in common: an utter inability to take the worldby storm. While Apple Inc.’s iOS platform and GoogleInc.’s Android system have come to dominate mobile devices,Microsoft has had far less penetration, particularlyamong lawyers. Indeed, The American Lawyer’s 2011 surveyof law firm technology [“Drawing the Line,” November2011] found that while 96 percent of firms had lawyerson iOS and 67 percent had Android users, just 32 percentof firms supported Windows Phone. And Microsoft’s appecosystem is dwarfed by both of its rivals. As of January,the Windows Phone marketplace was selling some 50,000apps. Apple had ten times that amount.At CES, though, the Redmond, Washington, giant doubleddown on Windows Phone, announcing new 4G modelsfrom the likes of Nokia Corporation and HTC Corporation.The Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone will be availablefrom AT&T, as will the HTC Titan II. Microsoft also announcedWindows Phone models for T-Mobile’s network.While Windows Phone redux may turn out to be a caseof too little too late, we’re not quite ready to count Microsoftout. Lawyers live and die on Microsoft Office, and eventoday there is no iOS or Android app that is fully compatiblewith Word or Excel. If Microsoft can combine its newhardware with robust software integration, it may—at longlast—be onto something. Another potential ace up Microsoft’ssleeve: Over the coming months, the Windows Phoneuser interface—known as Metro—will look mighty familiarto lawyers. That’s because the new version of Microsoft’sdesktop operating system, Windows 8, will sport it, too.WINDOWS 8. Besides the new interface—which uses large“tiles” and big, scrolling text as navigation aids—there ismuch to note about Windows 8, the successor to Microsoft’s500-million-users-and-counting Windows 7. Thenew operating system takes some key cues from tablets: Itwill support touch (fear not, traditionalists: It will supportkeyboard and mouse input, too); it will boast a “WindowsStore” where users can download apps—everything fromsmall programs costing a few dollars a pop to full-blown$1,000 software; and it will feature a “Start Screen” thatat a quick glance will display new mail, messages, and appointments,along with shortcuts to favorite applications.Of particular interest to law firms will be the new Windowsto Go feature, which will enable Windows 8 to runfrom a USB thumb drive. This will enable mobile lawyers toturn any PC into a secure machine that exactly mimics theircomputer back at the office. The firm’s IT staff loads a com-plete Windows image—the same environment that wouldbe loaded onto an in-house machine—onto the USB drive.When the drive is plugged into another PC, that host computerfunctions like one of the firm’s machine and is controlledby the same management and security policies. Sucha tool could greatly expand the ability of an attorney to worksecurely from any computer in any location—a client’s laptop,a hotel computer, even a shared PC at an Internet cafe.ANDROID 4.0. CES also saw a slew of products based on“Ice Cream Sandwich,” the new Android 4.0 mobile operatingsystem (the name refers to how it merges smartphoneand tablet platforms onto a single OS). In Vegas, Android4.0 was running on new devices like the Samsung GalaxyNexus smartphone (available now on Verizon, coming soonon Sprint), but many current Android tablets, such as theSamsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom, will be able torun it too. That is welcome news, since traditionally, olderAndroid hardware tended to be locked into older Androidoperating systems.Some of the new Android devices include a featureknown as near-field communication. This is a short-rangewireless technology that lets two devices communicatewith each other when they come in very close proximity(such as by tapping them together or holding them acouple of centimeters apart). Google uses this feature inits Google Wallet application, enabling users to make apayment simply by tapping the phone on an NFC–enabledterminal. The same technology, however, allows manytypes of data to be shared. For example, a new Androidfeature, called Android Beam, lets users share contacts,maps, videos, files, and even apps by holding their phonesclose together. Down the road, NFC–equipped phonesRegistration is complimentary –Complimentary CLE Webinars*!sign up today!Online March 15, 2012The Most Important Legal Technology Event Online!Co-located with Cyber ALA Virtual Forum!For sponsorship opportunities contactHenry Dicker at 212-457-7902 or email hdicker@alm.com