On April 22, 2006, PowerSoft Innovations Corporation announced the newest software product in its line of tools for managing time and money in offices. At the conclusion of LawStream training sessions at the Haven Conference Center and Resort on Gabriola Island, British Columbia, those attending the sessions were given the first public look at a product that was introduced as SmartWeal (and which is now known as LawStream). Reactions to the announcement were quick, positive and enthusiastic. Audience members immediately recognized the added value and opportunities for increased productivity in an application that can not only store and organize information in offices, but that can also let users create their own documents and other reports. Comments like "We're going to get that", "Awesome!", "I love that spell-checker", and "There's so much you can do with it" were typical of the reactions to the announcement. Click here, for background information on the "LawStream Classic and LawStream Story": plenty of details on the relationship between LawStream Classic (formerly known as LawStream) and LawStream (formerly known as SmartWeal), and on the ways they differ.

Evolution:

By keeping up with our users' expectations, we keep ahead of our competition!

By continuously keeping up with lawyers' requests, we have been able to continue to build our user-base, and enhance the software we offer. From the early days of our first product (the Time$aver Law Office program), we have stayed current with the latest hardware and software advances. When we were selling Time$aver, one of our challenges was to take advantage of the move from 400K floppy disks to 800K floppy disks! We're now facing the challenge of developing an application that will satisfy the needs of all law offices with the latest hardware and software - whether they are Windows users or Macintosh users.

Direction:

We're not only evolving - we're evolving in the right direction(s)!

We have tried (and succeeded) to make LawStream an application that will work for everyone. In some respects, that goal has limited some of the things we have been able to do; for example, we chose to limit the screen size of the LawStream workspace, so it would "fit" on any normal screen size. The current LawStream will continue to be maintained, for those who want integrated law office management for the hardware and system software they have been using. Our new software (LawStream (previously known as SmartWeal)) will be enhanced and marketed for those who want to remain at the cutting edge of hardware and software technology.

Analogies tend to fall flat as soon as they appear, but consider this one: some people might have the need for an SUV to handle different transportation needs, while other people might prefer the smaller size and economy of a more basic around-town car; neither is necessarily better than the other, but each has advantages over the other. For quite a while, we have wanted to respond to the demands of those LawStream users (and prospective users of our software) who wanted us to offer more in our software, but we have not wanted to abandon those LawStream users who prefer the core feature-set of LawStream. Now, with the two applications, we can offer solutions for cutting-edge users with the latest hardware and software (and demands for more features), while continuing to support and enhance a product that will satisfy the needs of users who don't need or want the extras offered in LawStream.

We have even considered a stripped-down version of LawStream for those who only want timekeeping and billing, but we have not made any commitment to that sort of product. Having two products is enough for us to handle for now, rather than getting into a "small, medium and large" (or "tall, grande and venti") suite of applications!

Not just for Macintosh users:

"Intel Mac" users aren't the only ones who have "Intel inside". As a Universal Binary application, LawStream offers the same enhanced features to Windows users, that it offers to Intel Mac users. Of course, LawStream also works on advanced PowerPC Macs.

Not just for "Intel Mac" users:

Even if you are a Mac user but not an Intel Mac user, LawStream will work on your computer (provided your PowerPC Mac is fast enough, and has enough RAM and screen space). You won't be able to take advantage of the increased speed of the new Intel Macs, but you will still be able to enjoy the enhanced features offered in LawStream.

Not just a new chip: LawStream offers much more, including the following (come back to this site, and watch this list grow, as we release information about specific new features!):

1. a larger workspace: it will let you organize all your LawStream work more effectively, and provide easier access to the various types of information available from your LawStream data file;
2. background themes on some common entry windows: to give you a more pleasant work-area, and to make it easier to navigate;
3. faster processing time: the data base engine that we use to "drive" the new LawStream (Pro version) takes advantage of the processing power of the latest computer chips and operating systems (whether for Mac or Windows), to increase LawStream's processing power, and to increase your own power at work.
4. tighter reports: the report generator in LawStream's new Omnis Studio 4.2 data base engine contains several new features, including the ability to anticipate the size of any section of a report, so it will move to a new page only when necesssary to do so.
5. and, of course: the integrated word processor and spell-checker