Meet the Small Dogger: Mike Bagtaz

What can be better than getting a *FREE* $30 case to go with your fancy new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro? Saving more money on AppleCare. Our prices are $20 lower than Apple’s.

This bundle will get you a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with a Hammerhead Neoprene Case and AppleCare Protection Plan with a total savings of $50 compared to what you would pay on Apple’s website. Sit back and enjoy the savings while you get lost in your Retina display.

Throughout the year, we’ll be doing some much-needed updates to this newsletter and to the blog, though they’re a little ways off. As always, we welcome your feedback, so I encourage you to “*email me*”:mailto:kali@smalldog.com if you’d like to tell us what you like (or don’t like!).

Thanks for reading!
_Kali, Steph & Mike_

Recently, it came time to update our email signatures company-wide for the new year. I thought this sounded like a fun job to do, so I hopped right on the saddle before I knew what I was getting myself into. What I found is that amidst all of the things Apple does well, their signature utility in Apple Mail is a big pain in my butt!

Through various attempts to create a signature using rich text instead of plain text, I finally had to simply give up on the endeavor and try to use HTML. Long story short, there are inconsistent layout and copy/paste issues with links and fonts, and it’s less than ideal when your goal is for consistency among employees across the company.

The HTML process went so much smoother, and I was able to recreate a signature exactly how I wanted it. The problem with HTML signatures, however, is that they are not supported by all mail clients. Since we cater to a very diverse customer base, we need to make our things work for the lowest common denominator, so to speak. Therefore, it was back to rich text for me.

Thankfully, all of my prior work wasn’t all for naught! If you’re someone who wants a sophisticated signature for personal (or business) use on either one or just a few computers, HTML is a nice option. You can easily get what you want out of a signature in Apple Mail by using a combination of HTML and rich text. (Note that the following instructions use only text and no images, though images could be added to HTML if desired.)

* The first thing you have to do is create the signature you want in HTML. (I use Sublime Text 2 for my coding.)
* Once it is created, open it up in a web browser like Safari.
* From there, simply select the entire contents of that page using the shortcut “command+a” and copy it all using “command+c”.
* With that in your clipboard, open Mail go to *Mail > Preferences > Signatures.*
* Add a new signature by hitting the “+” symbol and paste what you copied earlier into the window on the right.

All of your formatting should be preserved and everything will now be in rich text rather than HTML. You now have the signature you always wanted without the headache of fooling around with Apple’s signature utility in the Mail app!

Feeling artistic? The Twelve South Compass will act as your easel and the Hammerhead Stylus as your brush. Simply toss your iPad into the mix and you’ve got the start to a digital canvas for creating wonderful masterpieces in apps like “*SketchBook Pro*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sketchbook-pro-for-ipad/id364253478?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30.

Not only are you saving $15 on the total price, but it also ships for FREE. That’s a total savings of $20!

If you are looking for a case to use with your MacBook, then look no further. We have appropriately priced this sleeve at $4.99 to give you the maximum amount of savings possible.

In the ever classic black, it is the perfect accessory to protect your Mac.

_Dear Friends,_

It’s Kali, writing for Don this week — he, Hapy and Jason W. are out in “*Vegas, baby, Vegas!*”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV1HSscPYSY at the “*Consumer Electronics Show*”:http://www.cesweb.org (commonly known as CES to the tech-inclined masses). CES is always an exciting show, since the world’s technology giants (save for Apple) showcase their latest wares for all to ogle.

Already, we’ve found that the announcements haven’t disappointed. Samsung unveiled a “*110-inch 4K LED TV,*”:http://www.techtree.com/content/news/2380/ces-2013-samsung-world-s-largest-110-4k-led-tv.html which Don frequently stated beforehand that he was most excited about (well that, and to see all of the Apple-inspired -knockoffs- products). A 4K TV is also known as Ultra HD and boasts a 3840 x 2160 resolution — amazing. We’re hoping Don still has his retinas intact when he returns. We’ve also seen the release of a “*1TB flash drive from Kingston,*”:http://www.pcworld.com/article/2024220/kingstons-1tb-thumb-drive-packs-massive-storage-capacity-in-tiny-package.html which most of us can’t imagine actually needing in real life, but it sure is cool to think about (much cooler than the roughly $3.5 grand price tag it’s rumored to have)! And finally, for something both Matt and I noticed as parents of toddler-aged children: the “*iPotty,*”:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20957844 a training potty with a built-in waterproof iPad attachment. Oy…

But, back in the Green Mountain State, which is largely covered in the fantastic white stuff at the moment, we’re enjoying the winter weather and feeling energized by the fact that it’s a “fresh new year,” as Don would say. The holidays have come to a close, and we’re concentrating on what 2013 will bring us (and what we’ll be making happen) — most notably, a new store in Rutland, VT come springtime.

We have some tips for you regarding Apple Mail and iTunes, as well as another installment of “Meet the Small Dogger.” Enjoy!