iPhone 5

ByMike Moffit

As Don mentioned, the announcements of iPhone 5 and the new iOS were quite exciting. The iPhone 5 has features that are very appealing and a few new features (Lightning) which some famous folks (Al Roker) have been complaining about.

New design – thinner, lighter, larger display
This is what you’ll first see that’s new about the iPhone 5. Things have been “sleekened”. I picture Jonathan Ive bent over a clay mold, carefully shaving fractions off with his blade when I see the thinness of the final product.

Faster chip
What caught my eye as the most appealing features of the iPhone is the faster chip. Inside the new phone is the A6 chip. The A6 chip offers up to twice speed as the current A5 chip and better graphics performance. What is awesome is that this chip is efficient in its use of power. You’ll still get up to 8 hours of talk time.

Other improvements
The Retina display appears to be awesome as well with 326 pixels per inch. I guess that you can’t really tell how awesome if you’re looking at a Retina image on a non-Retina display can you? That is a question for the philosophers among us.

Support for LTE improves cellular speeds but just like the A6 chip, it does so without severely draining the battery, according to Apple.

Improved camera, audio and EarPods will certainly make using the iPhone 5 really nice. I’m looking forward to testing out the EarPods to see how they feel.

The feature that has some people complaining is the new Lightning adapter. If you’ve been an Apple fan for some time, you know that adapters change. This was true for the iPod and it’s true for the iPhone as well. If you’re wondering why Apple chose another proprietary port, they’ve been doing this for years, too. I for one am not bothered by Lightning as long as it does what is intended. I don’t have a huge number of accessories so I probably won’t even need to get an adapter to go from 30-pin to Lightning.

Then the question is, should you upgrade. Definitely if you have an older iPhone 3G, 3GS or 4. If you already have a iPhone 4S, you might want to try one out in person before you commit unless your the type that has to have the latest. I’m eligible for a phone upgrade next month, so I’ll be upgrading phones then.

Small Dog Electronics is an AT&T provider and we anticipate having the iPhone 5 in our retail stores close to or on the September 21st date. Quantities might be sketchy at first. But certainly come by to check them out.

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  • Food for thought – by Kerry Westhelle

    As much as I like to think I am actually a grown-up and can pull off a dinner party with ease, I am in reality the type of person who obsesses over menu and drink choices and usually ends up cooking way too much food and driving my family nuts in the process. 

    Once I take a deep breath and relax, I realize that deep down in my heart I know that a few good dishes paired with a signature drink is the best route, and then I ask people to bring fillers. I always used to feel guilty when people would ask what they could bring and never really took them up on it, but now I am prepared with a list. 

    One of my favorite go-to entertaining apps is Mixologist. You can browse by drinks, category, or ingredient. Have some apple cider in your fridge (and who in VT in the fall doesn’t) and are hosting a football and bonfire party? Simply choose cider under the ingredients and you will be provided with an abundance of drink choices from an Apple Pie Shot to a Winter Highball. Ingredients, directions, and glassware suggestions are provided. You can even search by garnish, not surprisingly there is only one drink listed under “clam”.

    Want to challenge yourself to try something new on a dreary night? Choose the Random section and hit Mix It Up and be ready for some new and exciting suggestions. Three random suggestions I received were the Breezy Point, the Duck Fart, and a Creamy Rum Liquor. 

    A handy bartending guide is also provided giving tips on a well-stocked bar, terminology, glassware, and tips and tricks of the trade. I myself have a pretty slim selection of glassware but if I find an amazing drink that I want to feature at a fancier party I’ll make the effort to go out and purchase a few (cheap) glasses just for the event. 

    Someday I’ll be the consummate entertainer, complete with a hostess gown and bar cart from “Society Social”:http://www.shopsocietysocial.com , but until then Mixologist will help me impress guests with ease. 

    To see this app in iTunes, “click here”http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mixology-drink-recipes-free/id320926534?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 .

  • iPod touch (5G) was also announced

    The newest iPod touch was also announced on Wednesday. This is the 5th generation of iPod touch. It will be coming in 5 wonderful colors/combos – Black/Slate, White/Silver, Pink, Blue, Yellow and in two different capacities – 32GB and 64GB. Adding colors on a personal level is fantastic but a nightmare for anyone who has to sell them. I’m torn whether I like the yellow or pink better in the photos.

    The iPod touch is now thinner and lighter and they now sport the new EarPods, a new Retina display, 5MP iSight camera and iOS 6. And your beloved Siri will now be on the iPod touch!

    Here are the key features of the latest iPod touch
    * New EarPods
    * Retina display
    * New iSight camera
    * A5 chip
    * Siri
    * New Lightning adapter
    * Bluetooth
    * Airplay

    The new iPod touch (and the really cool matching loop) will be available in October. You can “order here”:http://i.smalldog.com/search?x=0&y=0&search=%285g%29 .

  • iOS 6

    Don also mentioned iOS 6 which I am really looking forward to checking out when it’s available. I am a complete software junkie and whether it’s Mac or iOS, I love to be the first to try it out.

    Some of the enhancements to iOS 6 include:

    • Maps – uses a vector-based engine everything should look better; tilt and rotate; turn-by-turn navigation, local search, Siri, and Traffic.
    • Siri – your friend will now open apps as well as answer questions about sports, movies and restaurants
    • Facebook – is now integrated into the iOS. The integration means that you can now post directly from Maps, Photos, Music
    • Safari – Off-line viewing with Reader and iCloud Tabs so you can start browsing on one device and pick up where you left off on another device.
    • Passbook – a new e-ticking app

    *Phone – includes smart reminders to remind you when you missed a call; Do Not Disturb; ability to message if you can’t take a call.

    But my favorite enhancement…you won’t be asked to enter your password every time you want to download a free application!

    iOS 6 supports iPhones from the 3GS onwards, the fourth generation iPod touch and the second and third generation iPad.

  • Other smaller announcements

    The other items that Apple mentioned either very briefly or not at all add up to quite a bit of extras. iTunes is now iTunes 11 and with this the iTunes store was overhauled. iTunes 11 will be available in October. What stuck out in the keynote was the MiniPlayer which is now, truly mini.

    The new EarPods look cool, too. Apple claims the EarPods will stay in the ear, which is my biggest complaint. I’m looking forward to hearing what these sound like as well.

    Lightning to 30-pin Adapter will allow you to connect your 30-pin accessories to devices featuring the Lightning connector.

  • Grace is off driving to Louisville to visit her mother. She took the little dogs, so Hammer and I are batching it while she is gone. I am heading to Cupertino next week for some meetings with Apple, but I’m planning on getting out on the motorcycle this weekend. Busy busy times here at Small Dog Electronics with new products, new stores and new opportunities.

    Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
    _Don, Kali & Dawn_

  • _Dear Friends,_

    So many Small Dog employees were streaming the Apple product announcements on Wednesday that our connectivity suffered and slowed down the website. Exciting announcements from Apple! While the iPhone 5 got the most press and is the highest profile product announced, there were other very meaningful announcements, too — iPod nano and iPod touch. But perhaps the most important announcement was that iOS 6 will be released next Wednesday.

    I really do not think that either the iPhone or the iPad would be nearly as successful as they have been without the complement of the most powerful mobile device operating system — iOS. As a developer, I have been running the pre-release version of iOS 6 on my iPhone and iPad for a few months, and believe me, you are going to love it! It brings new features and capabilities that will make your mobile life easier.

    Some are simple, such as the ability to swipe your finger down in the Mail app to get new messages, while others bring whole new functionality to your iPhone or iPad. I have played with Maps and with its turn-by-turn directions and multiple views, I no longer need the Garmin app that was my mobile GPS before iOS 6. The enhancements to Siri are great, too. I love the sports functionality which allows me to delete a few apps that I have used to keep track of scores.

    We will talk about the new products and features here in Kibbles and complete information will be on our website. We are taking orders for the iPhone at each or our stores but we do not yet know how quickly they will ship. On the other hand, my guess is that the shortages will be short-lived if all of the production reports can be believed. The new iPods will be shipping in October.

    We have a great selection of Apple Factory-Refurbished MacBook Pro 17-inch models currently in stock. We have not had Apple refurbished products in stock for some time, but that used to be our main product offering. These MacBook Pros each carry the same 1-year Apple warranty as new Macs, and are eligible for the AppleCare Protection Plan as well. If you want a 17-inch MacBook Pro for under $1,500, now is your chance! To make it even a better deal, we are discounting AppleCare if you purchase it with your 17-inch MBP.