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Cuddle up with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, tea, or whatever you fancy and get lost in your first book of 2015! Don’s deal is just too good to pass up this week. Purchase an iPad mini (2012 edition) with 16GB of storage and WiFi connection for only $245 and get a free Hammerhead Capo case!
_Dear Friends,_
Nearly every year the biggest consumer electronics show, CES in Las Vegas is upstaged by Apple. Apple does not attend this gigantic show but the influence of Apple’s products and technology can be seen everywhere at the show. Jason and I were in Las Vegas for three days last week and my “*iPhone Health App*”:https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/health/ said that I walked over 20,000 steps each day. The show fills the entire Las Vegas convention center and the Westgate, Sands, and Venetian expo centers. It is simply massive.
I remember, many years ago, coming to CES about the time that the candy-colored iMacs were introduced at Macworld Expo and being shocked at how many vendors at the show were taking Apple’s cue and releasing products with brightly colored plastic. Every year it seems that Apple has the greatest influence on consumer electronics even though they are not present at the show and this year was no exception. Of course, there was the iLounge with everything iPad and iPhone and hundreds of other booths offering cases and accessories for Apple’s iOS devices. But different this year was the emphasis on some of Apple’s new tools, mainly “*HealthKit*”:https://developer.apple.com/healthkit/ and “*HomeKit.*”:https://developer.apple.com/homekit/ There were of course, many companies trying to get the jump on the Apple Watch by offering wearable devices but there seemed to be a lot of waiting for that new product from Apple.
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The main convention hall had a lot of products for health and fitness that worked with HealthKit. There were lots of home automation products with HomeKit and a bunch of car audio manufacturers and cool cars had CarPlay compatibility. On a whim, Grace and I decided on the last day to go over to the Sands for the exhibits at that venue and there was a whole section of the floor devoted to Health and Fitness with a lot of HealthKit compatible devices and a whole section on Home Automation with HomeKit. We ended up spending the whole day there.
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Aside from the huge Apple influence at the show, there were some other remarkable products on display. A couple years ago there were maybe one or two booths that showed drones and it was certainly a fringe technology. This year there was a whole section on drones with some the size of your hand and some that were very sophisticated. Robotics in other forms were also big at the show with everything from an automated solar panel cleaner to a grill cleaner to these moveable remote controlled displays on a stick from iBeam. It was looking more and more like all the “drones and robots”:http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/13/the-fascinating-frightening-drones-and-robots-of-ces-2015/ from Star Wars.
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There were, of course, the usual selection of new TVs with curved 4K OLED being this year’s buzz. Last year it was 3D TV, which seems to have disappeared now. It was a good show, good meetings, and exciting to get a glimpse of future technology.
This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive is my favorite eReader – the iPad mini. I just don’t buy books anymore but read on my iPad mini and we have a handful of leftover iPad minis (2012 edition) with 16GB of storage and WiFi connection. Available either in white or space gray these are *only $245* for Kibbles & Bytes readers and I will give you a free Hammerhead Capo case with your purchase (a $25 value!).
“*See this great deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001713
Just Mobile Gum++ is the redesigned backup battery for smartphones, tablets and USB-powered devices. You can refill the Gum++ from USB using the supplied cable, and its five LED indicators help you keep track of remaining charge so you’ll never be caught without power again.
Transform your iPad Air into the ultimate viewing and typing experience with the Targus Versavu Keyboard case. With this protective Versavu Keyboard case, it’s easy to find the most comfortable viewing or typing angle and get a whole new perspective on the traditional iPad case.
Concerti cases provide 360-degree protection with its hybrid silicone inner case. The inner case also has a unique soft ledge design that provides dozens of adjustable viewing angles. The front cover supports iPad’s auto-wake/sleep function and includes an elastic strap to keep the front cover securely in place when closed.
This year, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday and national holiday, Small Dog Electronics is focusing attention on diversity. Small Dog Electronics celebrates diversity as part of the intrinsic values of our company. We believe we are all equal members of one human family and that our company and our community are strengthened by inclusion. Our community is stronger when we do not judge others on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Being different makes us better and enriches our lives. We fundamentally believe that equality and human rights are essential ingredients of humanity.
I think that Dr. King’s national holiday is often overlooked rather than celebrated. I think it is fantastic that our country celebrates a national holiday in honor of the ideals of equality, diversity, non-violence and peace that Dr. King devoted his life to espousing. Diversity still seems to evoke some controversy and I was pretty surprised at some of the push-back I got regarding our marketing with the Celebrate Diversity message. I do not see how that is different from “Peace on Earth” during the Christmas holiday, “Love” during Valentine’s Day, “we love moms during” Mother’s Day, or “give thanks” during Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, we feel it is an important message (a message we have used in our advertising for over a decade) and that it is particularly meaningful now.
Learn more at: “*smalldog.com/celebratediversity*”:http://www.smalldog.com/celebratediversity/celebrate-diversity
Won’t you join us in the celebration?
You may be the only person that uses your Mac and if so, you probably do not need to learn much about Users & Groups but if you share your Mac from time to time with friends or family, knowing how to set up Users and Groups can be handy.
When you open the *User & Groups* panel in *System Preferences* you can add or delete new users. When you do this you will be confronted with a pop-up box that will ask you to choose a user type. Here’s a run-down of the various types of user:
*Administrator*
An administrator user can add and manage other users, install apps, and change settings. The new user you create when you first set up your Mac is an administrator. Your Mac can have multiple administrators. You can create new ones, and convert standard users to administrators. Don’t set up automatic login for an administrator. If you do, someone could simply restart your Mac and gain access with administrator privileges. To keep your Mac secure, don’t share administrator names and passwords.
*Standard User*
Standard users are set up by an administrator. A standard user can install apps and change settings for his or her OWN use. Standard users can’t add other users or change other users’ settings.
*Managed User*
Users who are managed with parental controls can access only the apps and content specified by the administrator managing the user. The administrator can restrict the user’s contacts and website access, and place time limits on computer use.
*Sharing Only User*
Sharing-only users can access shared files remotely, but can’t log in to or change settings on the computer. To give the user permission to access your shared files or screen, you may need to change settings in the File Sharing, Screen Sharing, or Remote Management panes of Sharing preferences.
*Group*
A “group” allows multiple users to have the same access privileges. For example, you can grant a group specific access privileges for a folder or a file, and all members of the group have access. You can also assign a group specific access privileges for each of your shared folders.You control a group’s access to your shared folders by setting access permissions in the File Sharing section of Sharing preferences.
*Guest User*
Guest users can use your computer temporarily without you having to add them as individual users. You can set restrictions and guests can access only the items you want to share. Files created by a guest are stored in a temporary folder, but this folder and its contents are deleted when the guest logs out. The guest account works with the Find My Mac feature of iCloud, which can help you find your Mac if you lose it. You can locate your Mac if someone finds it, logs in as a guest, then uses Safari to access the Internet. Guests don’t need a password to log in, can’t change user or computer settings and can’t log in remotely when remote login is turned on in Sharing preferences. I use the guest user when giving a presentation in Keynote so that my email and Messages apps don’t constantly interrupt my presentation.