The Hammerhead Capo Case for iPad mini is a versatile hard shell case available in a variety of vibrant colors. Enjoy various viewing positions, solid protection and easy access to all the buttons and ports.

A great case that travels well offering protection and easy access! *Enjoy free shipping for the next week!*

Rokform iPhone 5 case accomplishes max protection and style, all while keeping your hands free to go about your busy life. With the included Adhesive Car Mount, you can mount your iPhone 5/5s to just about any flat surface (try our favorite, the car dashboard!).

*Enjoy free shipping for the next week!*

_Dear Friends,_

My Gonzaga Bulldogs are out of the running, but “*March Mayhem*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem/march-mayhem continues at Small Dog Electronics! Winter is maintaining its grip on Vermont with March becoming the coldest March on record. It seems like good maple sugaring weather and a long season of cold nights and sunny days making the sap run.

Small Dog Electronics judges our success by the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. We know that we must operate a profitable business in order to make progress on any initiatives for people and planet. With the sun shining more during the day as the daylight hours increase, so does the output of our solar array in Waitsfield that provides 100% of the electrical power for our S. Burlington store and well over 50% of the power used by our headquarters. Most businesses are “incorporated” which, if you break down that word into its Latin components (something I do from 4-years of Latin in high school), means to “form a body.”

A business has a footprint on our society and culture that is bigger than any individual body. We create waste, we pay wages, we build buildings, we move goods and with that greater footprint comes a greater responsibility (the ability to respond). That is the basis of our company’s unwavering commitment to socially responsible business practices. It is what we strive for. We are not perfect, but each week at our management meeting, we entertain ideas regarding how we can demonstrate our commitment to people and planet, and we specifically ask what can we do to reduce our carbon footprint.

My special for Kibbles & Bytes readers this week is the last of the iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi models. This is a great opportunity to get a full-size iPad at a great price. We bought some of the now-discontinued iPads when Apple replaced the iPad 2 as the entry-level iPad with the iPad 4th generation. I am going to bundle this White iPad with a Hammerhead Folio case (in your choice of colors) and a Hammerhead neoprene carrying case as well. *This bundle is $359 and includes all three items.*

“*Purchase it here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001326

Ok, not really.

However, it seems like this week there were numerous articles that popped up all over the interwebs with the headlines: “Apple Patents [insert cool Apple-like invention here].”

The three Apple patents that have surfaced most recently are:

* A touch-based cover for iPad with trackpad
* Smudge-resistant sapphire coating
* Transparent texting to help people who walk and text (ha!)

*Touch-Based Cover*

Most of us have seen Microsoft’s Surface, which is a tablet that can pair with a cover-like super thin keyboard. However, in true Apple fashion, their patent contains a unique twist that makes it very different from anything that is out on the market currently: the whole cover acts as a trackpad and supports Multi-Touch gestures. Gestures would include the ones we currently use to operate our iOS devices, but there might be more added as well. I think this is definitely the right direction to go for the future of our iOS devices.

*Smudge-Resistant Sapphire Coating*

Apple also filed a patent for “Oleophobic coating on sapphire” which adds further evidence to back up the claim that Apple will use sapphire glass for their future device displays. Oleophobic, which is an oil-repelling coating, would be added to the displays to help reduce fingerprints on the glass. There are a few hiccups that need to be worked out as some oleophobic treatments do not mix well when applied directly to the sapphire glass, but the $578 million deal that Apple signed with sapphire producer GT Advanced Technologies is a good indication that sapphire displays are joining the Apple family.

*Transparent Texting*

How many YouTube videos have you seen where people are walking and texting and run straight into a lamp post or telephone pole? Yeah, there are a lot. I don’t necessarily agree with this patent as I think people need to unglue their faces from their phones from time-to-time, but hey, times have changed.

Apple would like to help those who would like to walk and text. This would be a transparent texting system and would replace the background on the phone’s text app. Using the rear camera, the user would be able to see what obstacles are ahead.

I’m wondering how well this would work as a lot of people have their phone facing towards the ground and therefore you might not necessarily see what is up ahead. While I appreciate Apple trying to think ahead, I’m going to go all old school here and say that people might need to stop walking while texting and pull themselves away from technology for a hot second — but that’s just me.

It’ll be interesting to see what comes of these patents — hopefully we’ll find out more in September when Apple announces new products!

Check out the newest lifeproof family member for iPad Air — the fre case! Heavy-duty protection for your lighter-than-air tablet. Featuring LifeProof’s four-proof protection, fre shields Air from drops, dirt, and complete submersion.

If you are interested in one of these cases, please visit one of our “*retail locations*”:http://www.smalldog.com/retail or call our telephone sales department at 800-511-6227!

Wanna be heard? Blue Microphone can help! Their mics are great for podcasts, recoding vocals or instruments, and improving clarity on VOIP or GoToMeeting calls.

Check out the three models below, oh, and *enjoy free shipping!*