blogger, business lawyer for geeks, and consumer rights advocate

Did you miss out on our ioSafe Rugged Portable giveaway? Well, this could be your lucky day. ioSafe is preparing for the 2012 apocalypse by giving away a hard drive that should survive it.

One More Chance to Win An ioSafe Apocalypse-Proof Backup Drive is a post from the law firm marketing blog, Lawyerist.com

Buying a font may be better left to professionals. That’s because font licenses are a minefield, and buying a font is a bit like buying a DIY computer thirty years ago.

I’m a huge fan of Matthew Butterick’s Typography for Lawyers, which has helped me make big improvements to my personal and professional documents and websites. Butterick also has me convinced I ought to be using better fonts than those that came with my copy of Microsoft Word. But whenever I’ve tried, I wind up deciding that Georgia is good enough.

That’s because fonts, as it turns out, are a great example of how to take something simple and straightforward and make it a royal pain to buy and use.

Font licensing is a minefield

Chances are that if you buy a font and use it like you normally use fonts, you are probably violating the license.

For example, one of the fonts Butterick recommends as an alternative to Georgia—the font I use for most text—is his own font, Equity. I happen to like Equity, but the license would make it practically impossible for me to use it.

Even though the license is short, it makes my head spin. First, it looks like if I purchased the font for my firm, I wouldn’t be able to use it for personal documents. That’s a problem, because like most solo practitioners I know, I use the same computers for my firm and for personal use (not to mention Lawyerist and Bitter Lawyer). So I’ve either got to buy two licenses (maybe four, in my case), or think about that license every time I start a new document.

Let’s say you use Equity for everything. You probably just make it the default font in Word so you don’t have to think about it. Then you need to write a personal letter—to your auto insurer, perhaps, or your bank. Don’t forget to change the font.

Or let’s say you are a member of the Lawyerist LAB or a local email list, and you want to share your client intake checklist or your flat fee retainer. Better remember to change the font before you share it, or turn it into a non-editable PDF, because you’re only allowed to share an editable document with fewer than 20 people.

What if you write a blog and decide to embed Equity in your blog, as Butterick recommends? Be careful with those landing pages; you only get three domains. And make sure you don’t get too popular. At 100,000 monthly pageviews across those three domains, you’ll have to remember to contact Butterick for a bigger license (which isn’t identified on his website).

And the thing is, the Equity license is better than most other font licenses I have come across, and it still rules out some fairly normal usage.

What is a font, anyway

It turns out that, even if you get past the license, a font is a much more complicated thing than you might think.

I looked into buying Futura because I thought it would be a good display font for one of my websites. My Google search led me to Linotype, where the page for Futura lists twenty-two different styles, all sold separately. You want to be able to use italics or boldface—or both? They don’t come together, and the “value packs” aren’t much help.

So even if you know what font you want to buy, you still may not be able to figure out what you actually need to purchase.

Fonts are for designers, not normal people (and lawyers)

In the end, I’m beginning to realize that fonts are not meant to be purchased by normal people (or normal lawyers). They are meant to be purchased by typographers and graphic designers. Unless you speak fluent typographese, you are probably better off sticking with the fonts that came with your software, no matter how much Butterick trash talks them.

But definitely get a copy of Typography for Lawyers. Even if you can’t put the font advice into practice, the rest is well worth the $25 purchase price. Edit: I just bought the Kindle edition so I would have a copy on my iPad.

By the way, I am hoping Matthew Butterick stops by to tell me I’m just being a dummy and this is all very user-friendly and I’m reading the licenses wrong and shopping at the wrong websites, or something. I really do want to take his advice and use better fonts, if I can.

(photo: Shutterstock)

Normal People (and Lawyers) Shouldn’t Buy Fonts is a post from the law firm marketing blog, Lawyerist.com

I bought the Jawbone ICON HD + NERD mainly to use as a Skype and Google Voice headset (I haven’t had a “land line” for my law firm for probably five years). Despite the awkward name, this product is just the popular Jawbone ICON headset packaged with the NERD, a tiny Bluetooth USB dongle that makes it easy to use the Jawbone with Skype, Google Voice, and other computer-based VOIP software.

My last headset was a Logitech ClearChat wireless headset, which was great until it died less than a year after I bought it. Thinking it would be nice to have a headset I could use with my phone, as well, I snapped up the Jawbone.

Price and features

At just over $100, the Jawbone ICON HD + NERD is a pricey Bluetooth headset. If all you want is a headset to go with your smartphone, you can find a variety of well-rated options for less than $50. Of course, the Jawbone turns out to be a cut above the rest, and none of the cheap options will cooperate with Skype, Google Voice, or other VOIP software.

That’s the main reason I was drawn to this headset. If, like me, you rely on Skype or Google Voice for your phone number, you ought to have something better than your computer’s microphone and speakers for making calls. That’s where the NERD comes in. It’s a tiny Bluetooth dongle that, when plugged in, keeps your headset connected to your VOIP software—that’s the idea, anyway.

The Jawbone headset itself can be worn with an over-the-ear hook, or you can go without and use the included earpieces to wedge it in your ear. Which will work for you largely depends on the shape of your ears. I like the ear hook thingy for extra security.

There is a Jawbone utility available for your computer as well as an app for your smartphone. Both allow you to get extra functionality out of your headset. I particularly like the ability to change the robot voice from the default. (I went with the spy girl.) You can add other Jawbone apps to your headset, as well, for things like voice dialing and changing default behaviors. Basically, you can customize your device a bit, which is a nice touch.

Form, fit, and finish

There is a reason Jawbone Bluetooth headsets cost a bit more. The ICON HD is extremely well-designed, well-made, and beautifully packaged. It also feels surprisingly solid despite its tiny size and feather weight.

There are just two buttons on it: a switch on the underside to turn it on and off, and a button on the back for adjusting the volume, answering calls, and various other functions, depending on where and how many times you press it. If that sounds like it might get confusing, it mostly doesn’t. I don’t have any trouble using the controls correctly, and I appreciate that there aren’t a bunch of buttons to fumble around with.

My only problem is that I just can’t seem to find a combination of earpiece and ear loop that will keep the headset firmly connected to my head. I’m probably just shaped funny, but I’m guessing others will share this difficulty. I’m not sure whether the blame lies with Jawbone’s design, or if it’s just really hard to get a lightweight headset that fits well in an infinite variety of ears. My guess is the latter, so I’m not laying the blame for this at the feet of the Jawbone’s designers.

Performance

Connected to my smartphone (an Android phone, in my case), the Jawbone ICON HD is fantastic. Sound quality is excellent, and it is easy to pick up calls from the headset instead of reaching for your phone.

Regardless what it is connected to, battery life is excellent. I seem to get about 5+ hours of talk time per charge. It doesn’t seem to lose much charge while sitting on my desk, either, so I generally charge it about once a week. Obviously, if you talk more than I do, you’ll need to charge it more frequently, but most people should be able to make it through a day on a single charge without trouble.

The disappointment for me, so far, has been the NERD. Which is too bad, because the NERD was also the whole reason I bought this headset. I have found connectivity to be spotty, at best. Sometimes I pick up a call, and the headset has apparently lost its connection to the NERD, which is plugged into a USB port less than five feet away.

In Skype calls, the headset often cuts in and out, so that the other party to the conversation is constantly asking me to repeat myself—or worse, going on as if they heard me when they didn’t. Sound quality while using the NERD is disappointing even with the connection is solid. To me, the call sounds like it is taking place in a tunnel while standing next to a noisy steam grate. It compares favorably to the first cell phone I owned over a decade ago, but that’s about it.

The problem isn’t with Skype, either. With my previous Logitech wireless headset, I got fantastic sound quality—better than I have ever gotten using a land line. Heck, I get great sound quality using my computer’s microphone and speakers. Just not with the NERD. It isn’t the headset, either. I get great sound quality using the Jawbone ICON HD with my smartphone. It’s just the NERD that sucks.

Summary

If you are looking for a fantastic Bluetooth headset for using with a smartphone, get the Jawbone ICON HD, but skip the NERD. It looks great, works great, and is, in short, a great Bluetooth headset.

But if you are looking for a good Skype headset, don’t get the ICON HD + NERD. Talking to clients and opposing counsel using the Jawbone NERD makes you sound like you can’t afford decent phone service, even if you are using one of the more expensive Bluetooth headsets on the market.

Review: Jawbone ICON HD + NERD Bluetooth/VOIP Headset is a post from the law firm marketing blog, Lawyerist.com