[This 2001 article was featured in the Discovery Update newsletter. As of 2006 there is still a need for this type of adapter on some machines.]

A problem has surfaced in recent weeks where attorneys who have purchased new laptops have not been able to hook their computers to the court reporter's system in a deposition. If you haven't bought one this year [referencing 2001] and aren't planning to in the next couple years, you can skip this article. Otherwise, you should read it before your next deposition.

There has been a change in computer design which has been made to simplify computers and cut down on their costs. Formerly, computers would generally have a wide array of different types of connectors on their back which could be used to connect to various external devices such as keyboards, monitors, mice, printers, scanners, the Internet and court reporters.

Realtime connections have used a type of connector developed in 1969 called "RS-232." This is the familiar 9-pin connection as shown here:

In 1995 a new type of connector hit the market called USB (Universal Serial Bus) which enables computers to connect theoretically up to 127 external devices to a single port on the computer. It also offered 10-40 times the speed of earlier types of connections.

Pictures courtesy of the USB Implementers Forum

It took a few years for this type of connection to catch on, but once Apple started using them in the i-Mac, other computer manufacturers did as well. Now it has gotten to where some units, called "legacy-free computers," only have USB connections.

The advantage is that this reduces the number of components in a computer, thereby cutting down on the cost and weight. The downside is that these computers can't connect to older types of equipment. Realtime software, including LiveNote, CaseView and e-transcript binder, do not support USB connections. Neither LiveNote nor Stenograph (CaseView) plan to rework their programs to support USB according to the marketing reps we spoke with. They are looking at a new wireless connectivity standard called "Bluetooth," but that won't be available for several years.

In the meantime, there are two things an attorney can do if their laptop only has a USB port. One option is to just get a rough disk from the reporter at the end of the deposition. The other is to purchase a device called a "USB Serial Adapter" (pricing averages about $30) which will allow them to connect up to a realtime deposition. To see what this connector looks like and to get other information on it, click here for IOGear.com. This type of adapter may also be found at electronic stores such as Radio Shack.

More information on USB ports is available from the USB Implementors Forum, www.usb.org. The FAQ's section gives a good overview of the technology.