App of the Week: Cool App to Navigate the ABA Techshow

In less than a week many of us will descend on the Windy City for the 2012 ABA Techshow and what better way to navigate the masses than a spanking new mobile app. And it’s a good thing too, since reception can be spotty at best in some of the rooms and especially the vibrant exhibit hallways.

At first glance the app looks very useful if only for the schedule and list of exhibiters. Here’s a breakdown of the features:

Exhibitors – A list of exhibitors by name and category. It includes their booth location, brief description and contact information. Great feature.

Schedule – there are two of these — an Attendee Schedule which you need a mobile registration code to access, and a Public Schedule. You’ll also need the code to access the Contacts feature. The code is included with your registration confirmation.

Special Events – Make no mistake, Techshow is a social event and this will be your very handy guide.

ABA-LPM – This is just a link to the ABA Law Practice Management Section on the web. Not terribly useful. A reminder that less (buttons) is more.

Register – Again, this just seems like a link to the registration web page, a clunky process. Not sure that this was necessary. We can, and generally prefer to do this on our laptops.

Twitter — Now this is really cool. You don’t have to access Twitter and enter the #ABATECHSHOW hastag to find out what’s being tweeted about the show, it’s right there on the app. A nice touch.

Blog – View a mobile version of the ABATECHSHOW Blog.

Maps – Very useful feature. Includes maps of the Chicago area, Exhibitors, and meeting rooms.

Notes – A potentially useful feature, if I could actually take notes on it. All I get is a blue screen.

Messages – Not sure why they named this feature “Messages” since it’s a place to start planning your trip by scheduling your favorite education sessions. A nice feature.

QR Code – There’s even a built in QR code scanner to capture marketing materials and contact information.

Overall a great app, available for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices. If you’re planning on attending Techshow, I recommend getting this free app now and start planning your time there. I’ve learned that without advanced planning the experience can be less than optimal.

The Rocket Matter crew will be there so stop by Booth 512 and say hi.