In re-researching case management apps for an upcoming presentation, I again stumbled across RLTC: Evidence. Its web-site, accessible here, lists all the wonderful features of this particular case management app: many file formats are supported, users can add annotations to existing files, the app can project onto a tv or monitor via Apple’s SVGA cord, etc. I was interested in what appeared to be a very useful app, but in trying to conduct further research, I was met with peculiarities and roadblocks:

• The app didn’t appear on the Apple app store
• The home web-site had broken links for the app’s help file and Apple app store
• The reviews about the app seemed to stop in 2011

Interestingly, there isn’t a database of deceased apps, an app doesn’t receive an obituary–there is no real definite way to determine if an app is no longer with us. And, moreover, the grander question of “why did this app fail?” is never answered. Was this app too expensive? Did one of its competitors do a better job (Exhibit A, TrialPad and Client File come to mind) of filling this particular niche? What was the reception of this app from the legal community?

Even out of the chaos of the internet arises a peculiar rule: heaven isn’t the ultimate destination for deceased apps, it’s more the stasis of a digital purgatory.