Socks and Shields – The Warehouse Guy

First, a brief introduction. My name is Greg. I’m one of three warehouse guys here at Small Dog Electronics. My role here is primarily inventory management. I help receive, stock, pick, pack, ship, count and search the building for the products (you) our wonderful customers order. Inventory is my career. Tech toys are one of my hobbies. My goal with these entries will be to provide some insight to the some of the low-tech items we sell here at Small Dog—sort of a practical view from the back of the (ware) house. Being on the back end of the tech wave, this happens to be my first blog. I hope you enjoy it.

I’m really enjoying the iPod craze that seems to be sweeping the world. I currently have a used 60gb iPod Photo and a refurbished 512mb Shuffle that I bought here at Small Dog. The 60gb pod has turned out to be very handy as both a portable MP3 player and as a mini hard drive to back up my music and photos on. The Shuffle is new for me and has turned out to be ultra portable. I wear it around my neck and use the earbuds under my ski hat. It’s been great for my commute to work and around the house when the chaos gets too much. Next will be to try it while I’m skating, skiing and then biking as soon as we clear mud season here in Vermont.

I’ve found that it is important to take good care of my pods. When it’s time to trade them in/up here at our trade-in program, I want to get top dollar for them. The two products that I have found the most practical and creative are the Apple iPod Socks for $29 and the ShuffleArt Shields by Mobile Juice for $5. Getting to play with a lot of the iPod accessories here in the warehouse, I’ve found that what works best is a good old (new and clean!) sock. It gives the same level of protection and you actually can avoid scratches and wear that other cases/skins can create. As a bonus, you get a free buff every time you take it out and put it away! Apple socks are nice and stylish. They come in a six-pack with with eye-catching colors like mango, raspberry, lime green and royal purple. I’m saving up for a pack but am currently using a third party product from a local sock maker (Cabot Hosiery Mills). The Shields for the Shuffles are another great product. They are thin stick on films with fun, creative looks like a pack of gum, gothic art or Hawaiian themes. Easy to apply and they do not leave a messy, gummy gu when you want to remove them and try a new look. These products are great if your tired of the boring, clean white laboratory color the iPods come in.

I gotta get back to work now. We just got a truckload of new toys in. 😉 Thanks for reading. Bye for now.

The Warehouse Guy

Similar Posts

  • What's In Your Menu Bar?

    Uploaded with Skitch! I sorta ganked this idea from Life Hacker but it’s something I’ve been meaning to blog about for a while….

  • Cold Weather vs. Your iPhone: Some Tips to Keep It Safe

    There are two things that I am constantly interacting with every day: Vermont’s bitter cold and my iPhone. Apple officially states you can safely use your iPhone between the temperatures of 32 and 95 degrees (F), but if you are like me and live in the real world, you’re probably popping these guys out during times where the radio is trying to tell you to stay inside (yeah right; I’m from Vermont, after all).

    It’s no surprise that the past four years have put a smartphone into the pockets of most Vermonters, but as we drift through these gruesome winter months, a mystery still remains: What are we mountain folk actually subjecting these devices to?

    The first thing to consider — and most important to me — is the battery. The chemicals in the Lithium-Ion batteries totally hate extreme temperatures and will drain much faster than they should. In some cases, your battery will display a decent amount of a charge but in reality, will be on its final leg, and you will discover your phone dying out of nowhere.

    If this does happen, DO NOT TURN IT ON.

    Wait until you get inside and your phone warms up to room temp. Although the effect of cold weather draining your battery is temporary (phew!), you can permanently shorten your battery’s lifespan by trying to power it on immediately after it shuts down. Grandma’s Facebook comments on your pics aren’t going anywhere, so just wait until your phone warms up to check out what she said!

    The next thing the cold will try to kill is your screen! Cold temperatures tend to make your LCD screen way more sensitive then it usually is. Watch how you are applying pressure to your screen, especially if you have any pre-existing cracks and knicks! I had a customer come into the store last week and tell me about how she was talking on her iPhone outside and all of a sudden, heard this pop in her ear. When she looked, the pressure from her fingers mixed with the cold had cracked her screen in half! Definitely keep chats on your phone outside to a minimum!

    One final thing to look out for is condensation. Liquid is the number one enemy to your electronics. Much like your windows, condensation will form underneath your display as your phone travels from the cold to your warm houses. This will cause liquid to damage and corrode your internal parts! This will literally break your phone beyond repair, causing you to have to purchase a new one!

    There are some simple ways to avoid these catastrophes:

    # Keep your phone in a pocket close to your body — DO NOT leave your phone in a bag or in the car
    # Turn it off — your phone can endure a wider temperature range from -4 to 113 degrees (F) if it’s off
    # Purchase a case — not only do these guys provide physical protection, in some cases they provide insulation
    # Charge your iPhone before bringing it outside — this will give your battery the strength it needs to survive
    # Finally, do not get it wet in the snow — perhaps the most obvious one, but please watch where you are busting that phone out!

    So, as a reminder, keep it safe everyone — and be mindful about when you answer that text. Is it really worth replacing your iPhone because you had to check on that smiley emoticon text from mom?

  • World of Warcraft Updated

    I know I’ve written about World of Warcraft many times before but there was just a major update to the game. The new…

  • iPhone – Very Useful in a Thunderstorm

    Well, I broke down and got an iPhone yesterday… And early this morning during a major Thunderstorm/ Power Outage here in Moretown, Vermont,…