K&B SPECIALS | 09/24/10 – 10/01/10

On Wednesday, Apple rolled out updates to their series of mobile iWork apps via the App Store. The collective updates bring many new features to the apps, along with significant bug fixes. According to iTunes, the following features are new in Version 1.2.

“*Pages:*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fpages%2Fid361309726%3Fmt%3D8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

*New Features:*
* Copy documents between Pages and your MobileMe iDisk or a WebDAV service.
* Option to display the word count for your document.
* Support for opening .txt files from Mail.
* Ability to group and ungroup objects.
* Import and export existing footnotes, endnotes, sections and tables of contents.
* Import and export Pages ’09 tables with image background fills in cells.

“*Numbers:*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fnumbers%2Fid361304891%3Fmt%3D8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

*New Features:*
* Export spreadsheets to Microsoft Excel (.XLS) format.
* Copy spreadsheets between Numbers and your MobileMe iDisk or a WebDAV service.
* Ability to group and ungroup objects.
* Open CSV files from Mail and other apps.
* Import and export Numbers ’09 tables with image background fills in cells.

“*Keynote:*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fkeynote%2Fid361285480%3Fmt%3D8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

*New Features:*
* Export presentations to Microsoft PowerPoint (.PPT) format.
* Copy presentations between Keynote and your MobileMe iDisk or a WebDAV service.
* Support for audio in builds when importing Keynote ’09 presentations.
* Ability to group and ungroup objects.
* Add animated builds to grouped objects.
* Lens Flare, Spin and Wipe build animations.
* Revolving Door, Swoosh and Wipe slide transition animations.

*Bug Fixes:*
* Improved export of tables with customized boarders.
* Improved font matching when importing documents and spreadsheets.
* Improved creation and editing of hyperlinks.
* Improved text options for tables including font, size and color settings for individual cells.
* Improved usability and reliability when when sharing via iWork.com public beta.
* Improved reliability when importing documents with large images.
* Improved reliability when importing and exporting documents with overlapping objects.
* Improved handling of fonts when exporting documents.
* Improved reliability and performance when importing.

You might remember that last week we invited you to RSVP on Facebook to our Grand Opening event at the Mall of New Hampshire, and that this would automatically enter you to win a brand new iPod nano in the color of your choice.

Well, we decided to actually give away *five* iPod nanos to people who RSVP’d one way or another to this event. That means *five* people will win an iPod nano in the color of their choice.

“Click here to RSVP on Facebook!”:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147158478653069

Don’t use Facebook? Send an email to “ed@smalldog.com”:mailto:ed@smalldog.com and I will enter you in a list of RSVP partners, and you’ll also be entered to win the new nano in the color of your choice.

To celebrate the kickoff of the fourth annual Apples to iPods event here in Vermont (and the fourth that we’ve been a part of), I have apples on the brain. Not Macs right now (unless you’re taking about the tart McIntosh variety), but sweet, juicy apples.

We’re headed into prime picking season, and all of us here at Small Dog look forward to some fresh local flavor! So, without further ado, here are my top ten apple varieties that we’ll see in the Vermont orchards this year:

# *McIntosh*
Described as the “quintessential New England apple,” the McIntosh proves to be excellent for most things, either on its own or baked into dessert deliciousness.
# *Tolman Sweet*
Originally found in Massachusetts in the late 1700s, the Tolman Sweet is touted for (of all things) its sweetness. It’s a favorite for cooking and most notably used in applesauce, since the natural sweetness lends itself so well to unsweetened varieties.
# *Fameuse/Snow*
These fine-textured apples have their origins largely in the Lake Champlain regions. Right now is prime ripening time, as these soft, juicy and very sweet apples are best in late September to early October.
# *Jonamac*
These are a blend of a reddish-pink over greenish base color. Best in early to mid-September, these are excellent dessert apples.
# *Spartan*
These are a tad firmer than a McIntosh, with a crisp, fine-textured, juicy and flavorful taste. Spartans are perfect to store as they keep well.
# *Northern Spy*
No, these were not named after “Ed’s pup.”:http://www.smalldog.com/contact#thepups Originally found in upstate New York, Northern Spys have a dark purplish-red color over a greenish-yellow base, with “broad, short, broken, bright red stripes.” They’re firm with a sweet flavor.
# *Liberty*
These are described as a “quality dessert apple” with a crisp, juicy flavor. They’re ripening now in late September.
# *Melba*
Another great dessert apple with a firm, crisp, fine-textured flesh and a “refreshing, vinous flavor.”
# *Honeycrisp*
These are a favorite around here as well, with a very firm texture and sweet crunch. Ed maintains that these make fantastic caramel apples!
# *Golden Delicious*
These, for me, are a nostalgic apple. Some say (cough… my husband …cough) that they’re “too soft,” but I say they’re perfectly sweet and fantastically good with some extra sharp Vermont cheddar!

If you’re anywhere near Vermont over the next couple of months, be sure to check out the Apples to iPods event, which kicked off yesterday at “Shelburne Orchards!”:http://www.shelburneorchards.com/nicks_corner/shelburne-orchards/ If you find a wooden apple in one of the 24 participating Vermont orchards, you could win an iPod or even an iPad!

“See all of the details here.”:http://www.vermontvacation.com/applestoipods.aspx

See below for Grace’s famous apple pie recipe!

On Monday, developer Applidium released their iPad version of VLC Media Player. Like its desktop counterpart, VLC for iPad is a versatile and high quality media playback application.

The biggest draw of the iPad version of the player is that it essentially eliminates the need for users to convert their video to iPad suitable resolutions and formats. Though it is not compatible with every format (we had trouble with a .flv file in our initial test) the app does significantly broaden the iPad’s playback capabilities.

If you have existing video files on your Mac that you haven’t had the time to convert for on-the-go viewing, VLC should handle the existing file types without issue.

According to the developer, a version for the iPhone and iPod touch is currently in the works, though a tentative release date has not been set.

Click “*here*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fvlc-media-player%2Fid390885556%3Fmt%3D8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 to download VLC for iPad.

_Dear Friends,_

I am writing from 30,000 feet as I head home from meetings in Cupertino, CA. San Jose > Denver > Philly > Burlington > Warren, VT. I left at 6:30AM and if all the flights work out, I should be back home by midnight. It is a lot of traveling for a day’s worth of meetings but it was definitely worth it. I sit on the Apple Reseller Advisory Council with a number of other Apple Specialists and we had a full day of meetings with both the sales and service side of Apple.

I have to say I have never been more bullish on the relationship with Apple, the partnership we enjoy with both the sales and AppleCare teams and the prospects for Apple products and future. There was a sense of excitement, energy and commitment at the Apple campus that was clearly evident by everyone I spoke with while at the meetings. We took some time to reminisce about just how far we have come over the past 8-9 years with the most spectacular American business story still unfolding.

The Manchester, NH store is becoming more and more real as walls and floors are installed, furniture and fixtures are arriving and the Small Dog purchasing team is busy buying inventory to stock the new shelves. We are very excited about expanding our operations to the Granite State and Katie and Matt have hired an awesome team to serve our New Hampshire customers from day one and bring our own special brand of customer satisfaction to this new location.

In addition to our Manchester, NH grand opening, I’m also excited to say that we are continuing our ewaste recycling day tradition with our *4th annual event on October 23, 2010! We will be hosting not one, but two events on that day–one in Manchester at the Mall of New Hampshire and one at Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in S. Burlington, VT. Both events are free to the public and will go from 9AM – 3PM.* Be sure to check out all of the details here if you’re planning to come by: “Smalldog.com/ewaste2010.”:http://www.smalldog.com/ewaste2010

I am pleased to announce that we have a new limited quantity of Chill Pills that will be in stock next week. In addition to Black, we will have some Blue, Red and Purple Chill Pill speakers available. “They will be listed here once they arrive!”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=chill+pill

I am hosting a party this weekend for my mom’s 90th birthday at my house up on Prickly Mountain. My mom has been one of the most positive influences in my life and it will be fun to celebrate this milestone birthday with her.

I asked her what she wanted for her special day and even though she has a MacBook that she uses all the time, she said she wanted an iPad to keep her mind sharp. I tried to tell her that it’s tough to sharpen her razor-sharp wit and wisdom but I think Hapy and I might just have to see what she can do with the latest technology.

Happy Birthday Mom! You can send her birthday wishes at “lucille@smalldog.com.”:mailto:lucille@smalldog.com

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team
_Don, Kali, Ed & Ben_