Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Don’s making the voyage home this week from Key West back to the Green Mountains. He’s in for a bit of a shock when he gets back. Mother Nature seems to have gotten a bit confused this week. I mentioned in the fall that I was taking a new stance on winter and was going to embrace it this year and I truly did my best though we didn’t see much snow. But when we get a snow in late April, I choose to just ignore it. I didn’t bother to shovel off my deck and I left the hose to water my horses just thrown on the ground. In the end both these decisions only made my life harder. I had to lug water buckets for my horses as my hose was not only frozen to the ground, but frozen itself because I didn’t take the time to drain the water out of it. All the slush and snow I ignored on my deck was a sprained ankle waiting to happen and my screen door only opened halfway once everything froze back up. Well, let’s just hope this was finally the last of it and spring will finally show up for real. It always looks a little funny when the trees are starting to bud and there is still snow on the ground.

    The snow this week was a bit of a shock to many of us, and so was the latest financial report from Apple. For the first time in 13 years, Apple’s financial report showed lower than expected sales figures. iPhone sales showed their first decline since their release and iPad sales have been sluggish for several quarters now, but we’ll have more on this later in Kibbles.

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive is perfect for the on-the-run Mom on your list or anyone who is on the go and trying to fit time in for themselves between home and the office. This week only, save $40 on this perfect on-the-run bundle. Get the OutDoor Tech Kodiak mini, the BlueAnt Pump Mini headphones and the Belkin Slim-Fit Plus armband for “**$99.97**.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002212 This bundle is perfect for ensuring the mom who does it all can keep can keep her phone going to capture those special moments or squeeze in an important call during her workout.

  • Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

    Here at Small Dog, we frequently see computers with malware infections. Many people fall victim to scammers online that trick them into downloading software that harms their computer and makes it impossible to browse the Internet. Fortunately, software exists to counter this. The one that we typically recommend is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

    Malwarebytes is free application that can scan your computer for known malicious software. It is frequently updated to allow it to detect the newest threats. The software is very lightweight at less than 9 megabytes. It does not have many features other than it’s main function of scanning for and removing malware, but it does its job very well. It is also extremely quick to scan for threats, running full scans in only a few seconds on most systems.

    A system snapshot feature is also included. This outputs detailed information about the software installed on your computer to a text file. This can be useful to technicians diagnosing your computer by revealing issues with software that you may not have been aware of being installed on your system.

    Malwarebytes is compatible with Macs running OS X 10.8 or higher, so if you have an older computer you may need to update your operating system to be able to use this software. As always, any time you are considering updating your operating system, ensure existing software you wish to continue using is compatible and that you perform a back up of your computer.

  • Cut the Cord with these Graduation Specials!

    Now through May 23rd take advantage of these Small Dog exclusive specials.

    There’s no better way to cut the cord than with AppleTV and have hundreds of movies at your fingertips! Buy any new 32gb or 64gb AppleTV and get an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard for $35!

    Save $75 on Beats Solo2 Wireless headphones or ** Save $50** Beats Pill+ Wireless speakers when you purchase any new iPad.

    Save up to $100 on all in-stock GoPro Cameras. Never miss a single splash or that once in a lifetime bike trip with a GoPro camera. Small Dog Electronics also carries a HUGE selection of GoPro accessories ensuring that the perfect shots or videos are captured every time.

    Whether you’re looking for a gift big or small we have you covered! Not sure what to get for the Mom or Grad on your list? A gift card is a perfect gift!

  • GoPro is Here!

    Here at Small Dog we are thrilled to announce that we are now carry GoPro in our stores! My favorite camera in our lineup is the “**Hero4 Session,**”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/87803/gopro-hero4-silver, the smallest, lightest and most rugged GoPro camera to date.

    The Session fills out “**GoPro’s**”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=GoPro current product portfolio to six models as the company attempts to continue to lead the market for point-of-view cameras, also known as action cams. These cameras are increasingly used to capture video from the likes of surfers, skydivers, snowboarders, drivers, cyclists and even drones in the the most extreme situations. Here in the Florida Keys GoPro is popular with the local community and tourists alike.

    The Session has a new cube-shape form factor that distinguishes it from its earlier, more rectangular GoPro siblings such as the Hero4, Silver and Black. It’s also much lighter than those models and that square shape, included mounting frames and quick-release buckles, let you rotate the camera so it’s right-side up and lower profile, something that’s not easily done with other GoPro cameras. Another Session difference is that it’s waterproof down to 10 meters (33 feet) without the need for an enclosure. By contrast, the Hero4 Silver and Black are almost twice as bulky when snapped into the wraparound housings that are required to keep them dry. You might think having to use a housing isn’t the end of the world and it’s not, but there have been several times when I’ve needed my GoPro to be waterproof and didn’t have the case. I’ve wanted better audio, but only had the completely sealed waterproof back. The Session’s waterproof build solves this. Also, the housings for other Hero models only have one mounting point on the bottom. The included frames are included for mounting the Session take advantage of the camera’s cube design. This means that no matter how you attach the frame’s mounts, to the top, bottom, left or right, you just position the camera in the frame so it’s right-side up. If you have to mount it upside down, the camera will automatically flip the video 180 degrees when you start recording.

    Come into our stores and check out all of our GoPro camera’s in stock and our huge selection of “**accessories!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=GoPro?search=GoPro&page=2&refinecat=Cameras_and_Scopes?search=GoPro?search=GoPro&page=2&refinecat=Cameras_and_Scopes|Action_Camera

  • Mark your calendars!

    Small Dog Electronics is thrilled to be teamed up with Technology for Tomorrow and AARP of Vermont to put on a FREE seminar on Saturday May 7th from 9am to 12pm. This event is open to all and we will be going over basic internet safety and security, and an introduction to iPhones and Facebook. Sign up today for secure your seat! This event is designed to go over basic introductory information PLUS you can enter to win a FREE iPad!

  • Cut The Cord

    May is just around the corner, and it’s the time of year I really start to think about summertime fun and what projects we want to complete while the weather is warm. We’ve already got all kinds of summer projects on our list including building a new horse barn. We’ve made some progress on this giant list but the weather hasn’t exactly cooperated. It’s in the 70’s one day and the 30’s the next. Sure it’s expected this time of year, but like many, in addition to a mountain of projects, we have a full calendar of summertime fun planned as well. We set a goal to do our very best to have the bulk of our projects done before June. Between long weekends and working when we get home from work, we just might get things done provided it stops spitting snow!

    Not only is May a big month for mountains of to-do projects, but it’s also a big time of year for those “**graduating**”:http://www.smalldog.com/congratsgrads/congratulations-grads (and let’s not forget Mother’s Day). Celebrate the Mom or Grad in your life by helping them to cut the cord! Buy any new iPad and get **$75 off Beats Solo2 Wireless** headphones or **$50 off Beats Pill+**. Not sure an iPad is right? Arriving later this week is the latest “MacBook”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/88186/macbook-12in-1-1ghz-m3-8gb-256gb-rose-gold. It’s ultra-lightweight and incredibly powerful.

    The latest Apple TV (32GB or 64GB) is another great option. The App store for Apple TV is expanding every day and surfing available options is now even easier with the Siri remote and the ability to connect a Bluetooth keyboard. Make this very special time of year perfect with the perfect gift from Small Dog Electronics!

    Emily Dolloff
    “emily@smalldog.com”:mailto:emily@smaldog.com

  • Macbooks and Macbook Air Upgraded

    Apple announced some changes to the 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Air this week. Let’s talk about the MacBook Air first. Apple discontinued the 13-inch MacBook Air models that had 4GB of RAM and made them sport 8GB. There were no other changes to this model but the additional RAM comes at no additional cost as Apple doubled the RAM but kept the price the same at $999 for the 128GB SSD unit and $1299 for the 256GB SSD.

    With just this minor update to the MacBook Air we can speculate that perhaps this unit is on its way out within the next year. The MacBook Air does not have the Retina display nor does it support the latest in Intel mobile processors. On the other hand, it is Apple’s best selling laptop.

    The changes to the MacBook were more significant. They added a Rose Gold (er…pink) color which might actually be a nice option for some. More importantly, Apple went to the new sixth-generation dual-core Intel Core M processors which run at clock speeds up to 1.3 gigahertz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 gigahertz. The revamped notebooks also feature faster 1866 megahertz memory.

    This new processor yields increases in performance from 15-20% in initial testing. With the Intel HD Graphics 515, the new MacBook has about 25 percent faster graphics performance. Speed has also been enhance with new, faster PCIe-based flash storage.

    The lower power requirements and a slightly larger battery has also improved battery life, with the Apple claiming the new MacBook offers up to 10 hours of wireless surfing and up to 11 hours of movie watching.

    While some were expecting additional ports or an improved FaceTime camera, these features did not make the cut.

    We should have all the models in stock next week as well as some great deals on the newly discontinued models.

  • Next week I will be on the road so it will be fun to see how Emily handles the Apple quarterly results that are going to be announced on Tuesday. I guess I’d better write that up in my hotel room from the road.

    Last year, most of our plants suffered while we were gone. Between the lack of water and the chickens we had to do a lot of work to get them back. I installed a nice drip irrigation system this year but we will still have chicken invasions. For those of you that don’t know, Key West protects wild chickens and they are everywhere. That must be why Grace loves Key West so much!

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

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Emily, Hadley & Amy_

  • Cut The Cord!

    “!http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4711.png!”:http://www.smalldog.com/congratsgrads

    Help the Mom, Dad, or Grad cut the cord this season! Technology is in almost every aspect of our lives, and sometimes it begins to feel like we are tied to our devices. Wouldn’t it be nice to just get up and go to another room, or continue listening to your favorite song out on your deck? There is no need to spend summers tethered to devices, buy any new iPad and save $75 on a Beats Solo2 Wireless headphones or save $50 on Beats Pill+.

    Do you have someone on your list that’s wishing they could capture all those great moment out on the lake this summer? Save up to $100 on a GoPro Camera! Wishing to make the Apple TV experience just a little easier and faster navigation when looking for a favorite movie? Buy any new 32gb or 64gb Apple TV and get an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard for $34.99.

  • Recycling with Liam

    Moving in the right direction: iPhone recycling using Liam, Apple’s ultimate take apart tool.

    I was one of the lucky people here at Small Dog Electronics that was able to invest a little time (while doing other work in my office), observing a live blog of the recent Apple event from 1 Infinite Loop in CA. After a few days, Apple posted the entire keynote to their website and I got to watch, among other portions, the details of their commitment to being a green company and their iPhone recycling effort. Their head of green initiatives, Lisa Jackson, went over what happens when an iPhone cannot be repaired and repurposed. They give it to a highly specialized robot named Liam!

    Liam is a research and development project conceived a number of years ago as the iPhone 5 (for the prototype robot) and iPhone 6 were being developed, as a means of maintaining the commitment Apple has made to be a fully green and carbon neutral corporation. If you add another device to the consumer marketplace and resulting waste stream, the least you can do is allow a means of taking it back. A prototype of the robot kept the phone being taken apart in one place and applying individual tools to it. Liam is more of an assembly line, with 29 different arms taking various components and saving them aside for later use and/or recycling while the phone husk is whisked to another station. A quick list of potentially harmful materials kept out of landfills include nickel, aluminum, cobalt, copper, lithium, and tungsten. Components such as screws, sim card trays, batteries and cameras can all be repurposed and recycled in some way, not to mention various plastic and glass being recovered. Apple claims a 97 percent success rate for component removal despite some phones coming back with visible corrosion from being dropped in water. It’s an iPhone 6/6S-eating monster!

    Apple’s intentions are great, but the sad truth is that the process of recovering phones is still somewhat failing. Returning iPhones to Apple is only a voluntary thing. They are trying to make it worth your while by offering an Apple gift card with value depending on the condition of your device (all models back to iPhone 5 may have value). Their website has a mail in option for credit process as well. It’s called the “**Apple Renew**”:http://www.apple.com/recycling/ program. Apple is making iPhones at a furious rate compared with how much time it takes to tear them apart, so actual recycling of the entire iPhone 6/6S line seems an impossible battle. Also, Liam currently only takes apart that one model. It would seem that they are forced to build a whole new warehouse sized building to contain the next version of Liam each time a new model is unveiled. A necessary cycle, but a vicious one considering the rate at which new devices are introduced. Still, you have to start somewhere.

    Kudos to Apple for leading the way in showing there is a responsible method for both introducing and recycling their products. By building these goods in carbon neutral facilities and receiving them back and breaking them down, Apple lives up to its declared goal of impacting the environment as little as possible. We all hope other manufacturers are willing to follow Apple in this ever important endeavor.

  • Earth Day 2016

    It’s April 22nd, which means it’s Earth Day! I thought in honor of the day, I’d revive an old topic I wrote about some years ago and provide an update about how things have gone since then.

    Back in 2011 I stared developing plans for building a micro photovoltaic power station. I wanted something that would be reasonably compact, semi portable and capable of providing a few hundred watts of 120V AC power. Looking back it’s amazing to see how long I had been developing my idea. I built several 10-15 watt prototypes. For those I built my own controllers and regulators.

    After I became more confident with how things worked and what was going to work and what wouldn’t, I started drafting plans for my full-size power station. Around February of 2014 I finally pulled the trigger and placed an order for all of my carefully chosen components. I ended up deciding on a 50-watt polycrystalline panel, “**Genasun**”:https://genasun.com/ 5A MPPT controller, “**Concorde Sun Xtender**”:http://www.sunxtender.com/ 34 amp hour AGM battery, and a “**Samlex**”:http://www.samlexamerica.com/ 300-watt pure sine wave inverter. The system was small enough that it was kind of overkill to have detailed monitoring, but I chose to use a “**Bogart Engineering**”:http://www.bogartengineering.com/ Trimetric 2025 to monitor everything.

    Over time I cleaned up the system, mounted everything to a relatively portable board and stored it in my apartment connected to the panel which I mounted outside. It’s been two years, so what have I learned?

    * I learned that AGM batteries are really nice, but they’re not indestructible. During my first year, I relied on the station very heavily. I would often dip pretty far into the battery’s reserves, though never more than 50%. Still, doing this consistently, and struggling to keep it charged properly in the winter months meant that after a year the battery wasn’t able to maintain voltage under load anymore. In March of 2015, I replaced the 34-AH battery with a 42-AH battery from the same manufacturer. I’ve been much more meticulous about keeping that battery charged properly and it’s still running very well a year later. I use my Trimetric meter to automatically warn me if the charge condition that I set for the battery has not been met in more than 48 hours.

    * I also learned just how much it was possible to rely on my power station for every day things. Currently, my “**AppleTV (3rd generation)**”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Apple/Apple_TV, iPad Air, and iPhone 6 are all powered pretty much exclusively by the station. I can do that year round. In the summer, I’m able to add on things like my floor lamp, my “**MacBook Air**”:http://www.smalldog.com/Macs/MacBook_Air, 27-inch display, and a fan to cool off. I could probably run all those things for 2-3 hours without dipping into deep battery reserves and 4-5 hours if I really had to. Apple’s notebook computers are very power efficient, and the MacBook Air is one of the most power efficient. That was a major factor in my decision to buy it over a MacBook Pro.

    * I’ve become __extremely__ aware of how much power things consume, even in every day life. I’ll often just think of some thing and I automatically think, “Could my system power this?” 300 watts is actually a lot. It’s enough to power most desktop computers, virtually all laptops, certain heating pads, fans, and more, but some things we use casually take a TON of power. Hair dryers (over 1000 watts generally), clothes irons (over 1000 watts) and pretty much anything with a heating element use way more power than I can generate.

    So as we get further into 2016 I’m excited for yet another summer with my power station. I don’t have any upgrades in mind. I had always considered adding more generating capacity, but that would make my little system a bit too large. I think it’s a good size right now.

    Happy Earth Day!