A few weeks ago I read someplace about a drawing for two iPad Apps, “TranscriptPad” and “TrialPad,” from a company called Lit Software. The only catch was that I had to Tweet or Facebook about it (which I won’t usually do). However, since TranscriptPad looked like it might be of practical use to ALJs and hearing officers, I entered the contest in the hope of winning.
To my surprise, on August 28th I was sent an email informing that I won a copy of TranscriptPad! After installing the app to my iPad, configuring it, and transferring a transcript to it via DropBox, I was surprised to discover how much more useful the app was than say, reading a transcript in PDF format.
It has an auto-scroll feature that can be easily slowed or sped-up to make reading without having to turn the page a pleasure. Transcripts can be imported into TranscriptPad via Dropbox, iTunes, or email and annotated with colored flags and colored highlighting. This, along with its search feature, will help to make decision writing more pleasurable– no more post-it notes sticking out of the top of a paper transcript marking testimony or evidence for later reference– a real time saver!
My biggest peeve is TranscriptPad’s lack of intuitive operation. While the app installs without a problem, I couldn’t easily figure out how to get my transcript into it through DropBox or how to create annotations. I visited TranscriptPad’s website and discovered that a Quick Start Guide is available but, inexplicably, isn’t installed along with the sample case files. Once found, it gave me the information I needed to navigate the app. That hiccup aside, TranscriptPad appears to be extremely worthwhile and should help expedite decision writing. For government salaried ALJs and hearing officers, however, the $50 price tag may be too steep.
Is the potential time-savings worth the expense? You’ll have to decide that for yourselves.
| TranscriptPad Cost: $49.99 Pros Cons |
No consideration of any kind has been accepted for this review. The author was told that he won a copy of TranscriptPad in a random drawing, and there was no expectation of a quid pro quo. The opinions expressed herein are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of NYSALJA.