_Dear Friends,_

We are in an alternating weather pattern here in Vermont with rain one day and sun the next. The strawberries are ready and it is such a relief to finally get real berries–not the ones that are in the stores in the winter that seem to have no taste but a long shelf life. The deer are munching at my garden this year and my baby plants, especially the broccoli and peas, seem to get eaten each night. We are using some old-time Vermont remedies to keep them at bay; Hammerhead and I have primary responsibility for deer repellent application.

Speaking of Hammerhead, he so much loves going to our South Burlington store. I drop him off at the store when I have meetings up in Burlington and he goes right to work as our “greeter.” He meets every customer, most of whom stop to pet him and all of whom seem to smile after his greeting. The kids especially like him and he is so gentle and tolerant of them.

Our new Hammerhead Verso iPad cases have been a big hit and our initial production run is nearly sold out. More are on the way and we are very happy with tis product–I think it is the best iPad case, but then again, I am very prejudiced. This product was a direct result of my visit to China in April where I visited the leather factory where the cases are made.

I think the new Mac mini is a great improvement over the previous model and it is much easier to upgrade the RAM. Plus, it now includes an HDMI port to make it easy to connect to your TV. See more details in the article below.

The Garage Sale is still going strong, set to be live until the end of the month!

**Newly added products from Speck, Altec Lansing, LaCie, Logitech, Seagate and more, with many prices slashed over 40% from their already-reduced Garage Sale prices.**

“Smalldog.com/garagesale”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale

*START SOAPBOX*

As we invent more and more ways to communicate with each other, it is also important to establish standards for appropriate times to use that technology. There was a move to allow cell phone use on planes that at first, I thought would be just fine. That was until I imagined myself trying to read a book (I do a lot of reading on airplanes) and being surrounded by people yapping on their cell phones. And why is it that someone wandering around talking into their Bluetooth earpiece is more annoying than someone actually talking into a phone?

This year, the Vermont legislature passed a law that bans texting while driving. DOH! That was the good news I guess, but our legislators did not have the courage to ban the use of handheld cell phones because–yes, you guessed it–it is an election year. I reached out to the legislators as a motorcyclist to appeal for this handheld ban.

I have taken my own informal survey as I ride my motorcycle around Vermont and I would estimate that fully 15-25% of drivers are talking on their cell phones when they are driving. As I ride by them, I glance into their vehicles and it is clear from their body language that their attention is, at a minimum, divided. Many seem to have most of their attention on their phone conversation and only a little on the road. People in their cages (as we on two wheels call car drivers) seem to think they are invulnerable.

Distraction from cell phone use extends a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of 0.8%, according to a study by the University of Utah. Driving while distracted is a factor in 25% of the accidents that are reported to the police. Carnegie Mellon reported that driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%!

These are sobering statistics that I can verify as I ride my motorcycle. I have had drivers on cell phones cut me off, swerve into my lane or make other bone-head moves because they are just not paying enough attention and a motorcycle is smaller than a car.

I think it is time for legislation that bans handheld cell phones from drivers and stiffens the penalty for their usage. While the use of a hands-free device also is a distraction, it is clearly not as serious a problem. The problem is even more serious for teenage drivers, who have the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes. Texting, looking at email, checking your stocks or any other fiddling with your handheld device is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated and perhaps the penalties with license suspensions should be made similarly strong.

*END SOAPBOX*

“Chime in on our blog, Barkings!”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/distracted-drivers-and-technology/
__Image credit: JDPower.com__

Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.4 yesterday through Software Update. This revision offers numerous stability, compatibility, and security improvements over Mac OS X 10.6.3 which was released in March. The new update includes Safari 5 as the default browser, improves VPN connections, and resolves a host of miscellaneous software issues. A full list of changes can be found “*here.*”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4150

Apple rolled out numerous MobileMe enhancements during a scheduled maintenance period last evening. Mainly focusing on the web aspect of the service, the update brought changes to Mail, “Find My iPhone,” and a host of other features.

Upon logging into the web interface, users will notice a redesigned iPad styled Mail view, as well as a universally simpler design. Pushing the “cloud” aspect of the service, all web apps are now stored in a blue cloud icon in the upper left corner of the screen. Clicking the cloud opens an icon bar similar to that which appears when pressing Command + Tab in OS X. Aside from a new Gallery icon and minor UI tweaks, the other apps remain largely unchanged.

While Webmail already provided a very robust desktop styled experience, new improvements have made it even better. Apple has enabled both widescreen and compact views, rules to keep your mailbox and folders organized, single-click archiving, and a formatting toolbar. For a full synopsis of the new Mail features click “*here.*”:http://www.apple.com/mobileme/news/2010/06/the-new-mobileme-mail-available-to-all-members.html

The other most notable change is the release of the new “Find My iPhone”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Ffind-my-iphone%252Fid376101648%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30 app in the App Store.

Previously a web only service, Find My iPhone is now a free app which can be downloaded onto any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Imagine being able to track a stolen or lost iPhone almost instantly by borrowing a friend’s device and launching the new app. Just like the web version of the utility, MobileMe subscribers can have the lost phone display a message with sound, remotely lock it, or even wipe the phone of all personal data.

Apple has also doubled the length of the MobileMe free trial period from thirty days to sixty. If you’ve never tried the service, the new features make it a great time to start. We’ve got a great deal on it too! “*Save $10 instantly and get an additional $30 back when purchased with a new Mac!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag19829/at_kb

Apple slyly released a major update to its smallest desktop system this morning. The Mac mini has received both a redesign as well as exceptional performance upgrades. Featuring Apple’s new unibody manufacturing process, the mini now sports a 1.4-inch-thin seamless aluminum enclosure and styling similar to the iMac and MacBook Pro lines.

Catering to the wishes of many, Apple has finally included an *HDMI* port in addition to a Mini DisplayPort on the new mini. This move solidifies the Mac mini’s niche as a media computer/server in addition to an affordable desktop solution. The only other new port inclusion is that of an SD card slot to make transferring photos a breeze.

The *NVIDIA GeForce 320M* graphics card, featured on Apple’s latest notebook releases, has also found its way onto the mini. Offering a 2x speed boost over the previous card, the 320M enables the new mini to take on a multitude of tasks with relative ease. Ranging from creative work to gaming, the mini is now an even more versatile machine than before.

Apple has also addressed the mini’s upgradability. A weak design point of the original mini required professional service for RAM upgrades. In the new mini, however, Apple has included a removable bottom panel which offers direct access to the mini’s RAM slots. This DIY upgrade system will enable even basic users to confidently upgrade their machine. The mini can now be configured with up to 8GB of RAM, which combined with the boosted graphics and processor speeds offers a lot of performance potential.

Similar to the previous generation, the mini also is available in a server edition. This more expensive version omits the optical drive in favor of 1TB of storage making it an ideal match for anyone seeking an affordable, compact, and efficient server. Speaking of efficiency, the mini is also the world’s most energy-efficient desktop computer! Due in part to its largely recyclable design, the mini now requires less packaging, and includes a built in power supply, saving on space and making it up to 90% efficient.

All of these changes position the mini as a unique contender in Apple’s desktop lineup. Ideal for basic to intermediate users as well as media enthusiasts, the new mini is slated to be a perfect primary or secondary machine. To learn more about the new Mac mini, click “*here.*”:http://www.apple.com/macmini/