I was over the moon when I decided to come back to Small Dog. Well, for one reason, I’d be back working with my husband, Art, as well as my old friends. But the main reason I am ecstatic to be back is because I LOVE technology. I love everything about it: from the crazy secrecy of an Apple announcement to the getting a first-hand look at something that is brand new.

There are three product announcements in my history at Small Dog that really stand out. The first was the Bondi-blue iMac. We set it up on a table in the middle of the SD office and just stared at it. The second was when Mac OS X 10.2 came out as this caused quite a stir and I believe that Art and I stayed here until midnight to hand out copies. The third product announcement that was truly memorable was the first iPod. At the time, I don’t think that we really knew that we were holding the “technology game changer” in our hands. In hindsight, these were truly pivotal moments for both Apple Computer and Small Dog Electronics.

And now we are on the brink of another announcement as Apple sent out invitations that appear to be announcing a new iPad on March 7th. But like you, I just have to wait for the news. Perhaps this will be a product launch that sticks in my memory for years to come.

Back by popular demand: Regularly $14.99, these are over $10 off for a limited time (includes free shipping!). Choose from Jack Skellington, Minnie Mouse or Kermit the Frog. Pick a pair up for your favorite kid or kid-at-heart! Hurry–limited quantities available!

*A Kibbles & Bytes exclusive: $8.99 for one week only or while supplies last.*

_Dear Friends,_

Daylight Savings Time is only ten days away, but we finally have found some winter here in the Green Mountains. A couple of snow storms have covered the bare ground and made skiers and boarders smile. I need a new type of car wash–I want to be able to wash my wheels to get the caked snow out of them (which causes the car to shake). My vision is that you would drive in and a lift picks up the chassis a bit and then you gun the car in four big buckets of water.

Apple has set March 7th as the date for a special announcement and we are all speculating on the new products from Apple; however, we will be right there with you when the announcements happen because contrary to public opinion, in the words of Sargent Shultz, “we know nothing…”. The new product introductions are the most fun with Apple and I can wait for the new tools/toys.

We welcome Dawn back this week as a regular contributor to Kibbles & Bytes and we are so glad to have her back in the pound!

Need an inexpensive pair of ‘phones? Look no further than the sweet, retro styling of the Sony MDR-110LP Headphones. Wear them once, and you’ll be transported back in time to the days of New Coke, a booming economy and your Sony Walkman.

*Originally $35, these are marked down to $5.99–priced to -fly- moonwalk.* Well worth the nostalgic trip, my friend!

*”We have something you really have to see. And touch.”*
By far, the biggest Apple news this week is that of next Wednesday’s event. We’re not in the rumor biz, and as Don says, we’ll know when you do–but that can’t stop us from dreaming about an all Siri-hosted event (-Dana F.), complete with a touch screen MacBook Air (-Mike D.) and an iUnicorn, a device that will be “all you want it to be always.” (-Raul D.). Join us on March 7 “*on our blog, Barkings!*”:http://blog.smalldog.com as we find out what’s new!

“*Read more here.*”:http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/02/28/apple_sends_out_invitations_for_march_7_ipad_event_in_san_francisco.html

*Google’s Privacy Policy Changes*
Yesterday, the controversial changes to Google’s Privacy Policy took effect. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding these changes, given that they mean more data collected from users each time they search the web, something that Google views as essential to enhance the social media and overall experience on the web. Many users aren’t so sure–see what this means for you:

“*Read more here.*”:http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-29/news/ct-talk-google-privacy-0301-20120229-16_1_google-account-google-calendar-web-history
“*Read Google’s Privacy Policy here.*”:http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
“*Read more on how to turn off search logging here.*”:http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/howto-turn-off-googles-searc.html

*Apple Named Most Admired Company*
For the fifth year in a row, Fortune Magazine has named Apple the “Most Admired Company.” Fortune ranks them first in the Innovation category as well. They write, “to say it was another big year for Apple would be a gross understatement.”

“*Read more here.*”:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/2012/snapshots/670.html

References to the Mac OS have been popping up everywhere for me lately, from the announcement of OS 10.8’s (Mountain Lion) summer release to Dawn’s memories of 10.2 Jaguar (below) to the recent end of the Lion Up-To-Date program. With all this talk about upgrades, it made me think about the top things that one can do before upgrading his or her Mac’s OS.

Since Lion is only available from the App Store (and more than likely, so will Mountain Lion upon its release, as retail packaging for software is becoming obsolete), the game has changed somewhat–having a solid, fast internet connection is paramount when deciding to upgrade. These tips, however, are a bit more universal:

* Check the system requirements: Knowing that you may need a RAM or hard drive upgrade before installing (or worst case, a new computer) is key before you begin
* Take stock of your important software and peripherals, and don’t be afraid to wait to upgrade if any don’t have a compatible version for the new OS: You don’t want to learn the hard way that the most important app you need for work hasn’t come out with a compatible update yet
* Clean up those files: Get rid of what you don’t need–delete any duplicate files or unused apps so that you can start with a (semi) clean slate
* Back up all of your data: Back up everything that’s important at least to an external drive, or more importantly, a bootable disk (try “*Carbon Copy Cloner,*”:http://www.bombich.com/ one of our favorite backup solutions)

If you have any questions before you go to take the upgrade leap, don’t be afraid to ask us for help.

Ready to upgrade to Lion? “*Click here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/lion