Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Apple news, tech tips, and more…

KB Dog

  • The dog days of summer are here! We are in the heat of summer here in Vermont and with it we have seen some pretty extreme weather conditions; even in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont we are not immune from extreme heat and torrential rains. These past few weeks it seems that if it’s not hazy, hot and humid the sky is pouring down upon us. There are still many weeks of summer ahead of us and I hope that mother nature gives us all a little rest from some of these extreme weather conditions we are all experiencing.

    It seems that this time of year, no matter what the weather conditions are, we see an increase in liquid and accidental damage in our service departments. Many of us use our devices wherever we go, even our computers. All too often an unexpected accident causes stress and heartbreak to our customers over an unexpected drop or glass of lemonade across the table. At Small Dog we have recently begun selling “*Safeware*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85003/safeware-mac-warranty-w-applecare-3yr accidental damage coverage in our stores. One of the huge benefits of “*Safeware*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85003/safeware-mac-warranty-w-applecare-3yr is that it works in conjunction with your Applecare, customers whom buy a new computer with Applecare have the opportunity to purchase accidental damage insurance through Safeware to help ensure that no matter what life has thrown at them, their computer will be covered.

    We have been working with Safeware here at Small Dog for about two years now and have been incredibly impressed with how easy the company is to work with and how smooth repairs are for our customers. We feel confident recommending it to all of our customers purchasing a new computer for that added peace of mind.

    Thank you for reading!
    Emily

  • More Dog Days of Summer Specials!

    **Save $20** on the Lacie Rugged Mini, 2TB of storage for just $149.99!

    Keep your iPhone 6 safe in a new case from Speck! **Save $10** on the Candyshell or Candyshell Grip

  • I got the Austin Healey back on the road after laying in the dirt under the car for most of the day and have scrapped up knuckles from trying to get the little bolts back on in the mostly inaccessible space. I want to thank the Kibbles reader who had some experience racing Sprites and advised me to put the temperature sensor in the engine block rather than the radiator. That made the job a bit easier. Now I just have to change out the actual gauge and I should have a working coolant temperature gauge.

    We are doing the planning for our trip to Sturgis. We got new tires for Grace’s bike and I’ll be playing motorcycle mechanic again as I replace brake pads before the long trip. We will be heading across Canada to the UP in Michigan, through Wisconsin and Minnesota and through S. Dakota to the Black Hills.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    Don, Dean & Scott

  • Dog Days of Summer!

    “!http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4461.png!”:http://www.smalldog.com/dogdaysofsummer/summer-sales

    Don’t let a little accident ruin your summer fun. Small Dog knows that you’ll be playing outside and in the sun all summer long, that’s why we are keeping you safe with our great deals on Safeware. When you purchase any new iMac, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with AppleCare you get FREE accident insurance from Safeware!

  • Keeping Up with Ever-changing Browser & Internet Security Standards

    Encryption is used to keep your private information safe on the Internet, whether it’s credit card numbers and contact info, your search queries, or iMessages to loved ones, by making them unreadable by anyone other than the sender and the intended recipient. The last year or so has been crazy in the realm of Internet security, with a number of vulnerabilities and weaknesses being found in various encryption methods & software. It seems to have been further snowballing lately as security professionals scrutinize all the pieces of the puzzle, but it’s all with the goal of keeping everyone’s personal information safe.

    While security professionals are improving encryption methods & software, companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla are working to make sure that they’re including those improvements in their operating systems and web browsers. The Payment Cardholder Industry (i.e. credit card companies) have data security standards (“*PCI DSS*”:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payment_Card_Industry_Data_Security_Standard) which everyone from merchants (including us) to banks need to comply with to ensure that personal information and credit card data is handled securely from end-to-end. Other industries have similar requirements and many tech companies also strive for the greatest in security. Naturally, with the ever changing Internet security landscape, those standards are changing as well. Some of the most recent changes will mean that a lot of older computers, devices, and browsers will no longer be able to access some secure websites.

    So, how can you ensure that your data is secure and that your devices will be able to connect to all the secure websites you frequent on your Macs and iOS devices?

    First, it’s important to run the newest major version of OS X on your Macs and iOS on your iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch) that your devices will run. Fortunately, “*OS X 10.10 Yosemite*”:http://www.apple.com/osx/ is a free download and will run on Macs released as far back as 2009 (or earlier, depending on the model). iOS 8 is also a free download and will run on iPhones & iPads released back to 2011. Of course, it’s always best to verify your software and peripherals are compatible with the latest operating system version prior to upgrading to new major version (e.g. OS X 10.9 Mavericks to OS X 10.10 Yosemite or iOS 7 to iOS 8).

    Second, make sure you’re applying the latest OS & security updates. This is relatively straightforward as the App Store on iOS & OS X (or Software Update on Mac OS X 10.6.8 and earlier) will show you available updates. In OS X 10.9 Mavericks & OS X 10.10 Yosemite you can make sure important system & security updates are installed automatically (this is best if you have high speed Internet) by checking the “Automatically check for updates”, “Download newly available updates in the background”, and “Install system data files & security updates” checkboxes in the App Store pane in System Preferences. That way, you won’t even need to remember to check. Similarly, on iOS you can automatically download updates & apps by going to Settings > iTunes & App Store and turning on the “Apps” and “Updates” switches.

    Third, and most important, is to run the most modern & secure web browser you can. Apple’s own Safari browser (which is included with OS X and iOS) is fast, efficient, and has excellent integration features, but it is only kept up-to-date for the current & previous version of OS X and the current version of iOS. Fortunately, there are other good alternatives which you can run on older, and current, versions of OS X (listed below by OS X version):

    OS X 10.9 Mavericks – OS X 10.10 Yosemite (Intel):

    * “*Safari*”:http://www.apple.com/safari/
    * “*Chrome*”:https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/index.html
    * “*Firefox*”:https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

    OS X 10.7 Lion – OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion (Intel):

    * “*Chrome*”:https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/index.html
    * “*Firefox*”:https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

    Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (Intel):

    * “*Firefox*”:https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

    Mac OS X Tiger 10.4 – Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (PowerPC G3/G4/G5):

    * “*TenFourFox*”:http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/

    Safari will be updated automatically along with other OS X updates, but Chrome, Firefox, and TenFourFox will need to be kept up-to-date separately. Fortunately, they each offer an option to automatically check for updates, so you’re alerted when a new version is available. By doing this, you can rest assured that you’re taking full advantage of all the hard work that the security industry is putting in to keep everyone safe.

    Additionally, for those who are running an old PowerPC Mac with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard, the team behind TenFourFox have done an amazing job producing a custom version of Firefox to keep your Mac compatible with new websites and recent security improvements. Other parts of a version of Mac OS X that old are going to be inherently less secure than the latest version of OS X, but a browser can help keep your old Mac useful a little longer.

    Naturally, there are still phishing attempts, insecure websites, and malicious software that you’ll want to keep an eye out for, but by keeping your OS and browser up-to-date, you’re greatly reducing risks from invisible, undetectable theft of your information.

  • Long Live the iPod

    Apple refreshed the iPod line, breathing new life into the staple of Apple’s music box offering. While the changes to the iPod shuffle and nano are mostly more vibrant colors, there have been some significant changes to the iPod touch. These changes even pushed Apple to jump from version 5 to version 7 of the best selling iPod touch.

    But first color changes. Instead of silver, space gray, purple, pink, yellow, blue and green the new iPod nano comes in space gray, gold, silver, pink and blue. The new pink and blue colors seem much deeper and vibrant. Otherwise, the nano is the same nano as before. The iPod shuffle has the exact same color changes and choices.

    The iPod touch has been Apple’s best selling iPod for some time and this upgrade is significant. The colors have been changed to add gold and match the nano and shuffle and the size and weight of the iPod touch remains the same, but under the hood there are some big changes. Replacing Apple’s A5 processor is the powerful A8 processor with M8 motion sensor making for the most powerful iPod ever. Instead of the 5 megapixel camera in the 32GB and 64GB models on the older version, all iPod touch models now have an 8MP iSight camera just like the iPhone 6!

    Wireless connectivity has been improved with support for 802.11 ac and the move from Bluetooth 4.0 to 4.1. The annoying iPod touch loop has been eliminated, finally, too. These new iPods will run iOS 8.4 which also gives access to Apple Music.

    The prices remain the same at $199 for 16GB, $249 for 32GB and $299 for 64GB. They tell me there is a 128GB version for $399 but in Apple’s wisdom they have decided to make that one exclusive to Apple and we will not have the 128GB iPod touch for sale at Small Dog. Don’t ask me why.

    The iPod touch should just be re-named as the iPad nano as it fits way better in the iPad line and frankly, I do not see much of a future for the rest of the iPod line. It was a great run and I still use my nano and classic iPods but most of the time I am using my iPhone or even my Apple Watch to listen to music. On the other hand, the iPad nano–oops, iPod touch is a very powerful device that runs iOS 8 and does just about everything an iPad does, too.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Strawberry season is about done and everywhere but on Prickly Mountain blueberries are ready now. My blueberries are still green and not nearly as prolific as the last few years. And of course, the micro climate at my house puts everything about a month behind the sunbelt over in the Champlain Valley. My perennial garden is in full bloom though and is beautiful. Many years ago when Hapy bought his house in Fayston there was a huge perennial garden there that he did not want so I got my friend Cate to dig it all up and plant it at my house. She has a landscaping service and uses my garden as her “feeder” stock so she takes care of it and it flourishes from her decidedly green thumb. I think I make out best on the deal with beautiful flowers all summer and fall.

    Apple refreshed the iPod line this week with new colors for the shuffle and nano and some major upgrades to the iPod touch which is Apple’s best selling iPod. With a faster chip, better camera and Bluetooth 4.1 the iPod touch is really an iPad micro.

    We are launching our Dog Days of Summer promotions that are really some back-to-school deals in disguise. We just cannot bring ourselves to be talking about September in July but we have special bundles on new Macs. If you buy a new Mac with AppleCare you get 3-years of Safeware accidental damage coverage for free (a $99 value). Buy any Apple Certified Refurbished Mac with AppleCare and get a $50 Small Dog gift card or buy any new iPad with AppleCare+ and get a free Hammerhead Lightning Cable and Car charger.

    The other bundle we will be promoting is this week’s Kibbles & Bytes special. It is the “Protect your Tools” bundle that includes the ultimate protection bundle which includes:

    * 2-ounce iKleer kit to keep you screen clean
    * Speck hard shell case
    * KB Cover ClearSkin for MacBook Air or MacBook Pro
    * Seagate Slim 1TB back-up drive

    Protect your investment in that new Mac by keeping it clean and protect your data with the included Seagate drive. “*Save $40 on this bundle at only $124.99!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001898

  • El Capitan Top Changes

    As you may or may not have heard Apple has announced a new operating system (OS) for your laptops and desktop computers! OS 10.11 El Capitan is set to arrive as a free upgrade this fall! Now with every new OS there are a selection of Apple users who are scared to upgrade to something that is unfamiliar. Well fear no more because what we have here are the top changes you can expect with El Capitan.

    El Capitan has incorporated a new way to utilize the multi-functionality of your computers! With it’s new Split View functionality in Mission Control you are now able to run 2 programs at the same time! One on one half of the screen and the other on the other half. Say you want to watch a movie and write a paper but you don’t want to disturb your roommates with the TV turned on. Well now you can watch the movie and write your paper all in the same screen!

    Apple has now incorporated a new Spotlight Search that can understand phrases. Before you had to type the specific program or file name in order for spotlight to come up with something. Now you can type something like “photos from last year” and it will find all of you photos from last year in you iPhoto library!

    Notes has become another entity entirely! You are now able to do advanced text editing within your notes app. You are also able to apply links directly from Safari to the notes you are taking as well as locations from Maps! Apple has also added a new Attachments Browser which makes adding photos, videos, or even your own sketches available directly within the Notes app.

    SO there you have it! My favorite new features coming our way with the new El Capitan update scheduled to arrive this fall. Hopefully knowing some new things to expect within the new OS will make everyone’s life a lot easier. As always, when the time comes we will be ready for your questions or concerns! Stop on by any of our locations to ask us about the new OS!

  • Benefits of the iPad

    We understand the importance of reliable communication in today’s business world, and there is no better or more simplistic way to communicate than using the iPad. The iPad delivers all of the same features of a MacBook, but in a compact, light, and convenient manner. We typically see hesitation when it comes to replacing their computer with an iPad, but with today’s list of compatible accessories such as bluetooth keyboards, styluses, drawing pads, small business applications, research applications, and even musical peripherals such as a keyboard, guitar, etc, one can literally use the iPad for anything. It is also important to note that the iPad is compatible with all cloud services such as google drive, drop box, skydive, etc.

    The iPad has been listed as one of the top ten items to purchase for college grads. Sure there is a lot of research and studies as to why everyone is recommending the iPad for recent college grads, but in plain and simple terms, many individuals no longer need the computing power of a personal computer. Graduates and on the go professionals instead need something that can keep them connected with their family and friends while at the same time allow them to be productive and professional in a work environment.

    Come into one of our stores and speak with a sales associate to see why an iPad is right for your college graduate. We can design a solution for someone in any particular field of research or business. And because it’s the dog days of summer, we have a great iPad “**bundle**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001896 that includes a car charger and second lighting cable with the purchase of any new iPad with Applecare+

  • ios 9

    iOS 9 is Apple’s newest operating system for iOS devices like the iPhone and the iPad, introduced at WWDC on June 8. iOS 9 builds on the content introduced with iOS 7 and iOS 8, bringing subtle design changes, refined features, improved functionality, and performance enhancements.
    iOS 9’s biggest focus is on intelligence and proactivity, allowing iOS devices to learn user habits and act on that information, opening up apps before we need them, making recommendations on places we might like, and guiding us through our daily lives to make sure we’re where we need to be at the right time.
    Siri is at the heart of the changes, and the personal assistant is now able to create reminders and search through photos and videos in new ways. Swiping left from the home screen also brings up a new screen that houses Siri Suggestions putting favorite contacts and apps right at your fingertips, along with nearby restaurant and location information and important news. Deeper search capabilities can bring up results like sports scores, videos, and content from third-party apps.
    Many of the built-in apps have been improved. Notes includes new checklists and sketching features, Maps now offers transit directions, Mail allows for file attachments, and there’s a new “news” app that learns your interests and delivers relevant content you might like to read. Apple Pay is being improved with the addition of store credit cards and loyalty cards, leading “Passbook” to be renamed to “Wallet” in iOS 9.
    The iPad’s gotten some major feature additions in iOS 9, like split screen multitasking that lets two apps be used at once and a picture-in-picture function that lets you watch a video while doing something else on the tablet. The keyboard on the iPad has deeper functionality with the addition of a new toolbar, and on both the iPhone and the iPad, there’s anew two-finger swipe gesture that makes it easier to select content, cut, paste, and move the cursor on the screen.
    Other changes include wireless CarPlay support, an optional iCloud drive App, built-in two factor authentication and optional longer passwords for better security.
    Along with these features, iOS 9 features significant improvements. Battery optimizations provide an additional hour of battery use under typical conditions, and a new Low Power Mode further extends battery life up to three hours.
    With app thinning and size improvements, many app install sizes are smaller and Apple’s own iOS updates will take up much less space, so iPhone and iPad owners with only 16GB of space will be able to install iOS 9. iOS 9 will also run on all devices capable of running iOS 8, including the iPhone 4s and the iPad 2.
    iOS 9 is currently available to developers and will see a public beta testing period that starts in July ahead of a fall launch.

    Apple’s described iOS 9 as being more “intelligent,” thanks largely to Proactive Suggestions. Proactive Suggestions, the major feature addition in iOS 9, turn the iPhone into a lifestyle management tool and make Apple’s personal assistant Siri more responsive and able to complete more tasks than ever before. Proactive suggestions are systemwide and will work in myriad ways, offering up apps and recommendations at appropriate times.
    For example, if you often listen to music in the morning, iOS 9 will automatically open the Music app to a favorite playlist when you plug in your headphones. If you always open up the weather app to check what’s going on outside, it might open it automatically after your alarm goes off.

    Split-screen multitasking has been a much anticipated feature for the iPad that’s been rumored to be in the works for over a year. With Split-screen multitasking, it’s possible to use two different iOS apps on the same screen, so you can read a website while on a FaceTime call, or watch a video while composing a message in Mail.
    iOS 9 includes three different multitasking features: Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture.
    Slide Over can be activated within any app by swiping left from the right side of the iPad. This gesture brings up a small side pane that displays a secondary app alongside the first app, in a 1/3 screen space arrangement. Choosing a new app for the side pane can be done by swiping downwards from the top of the screen within the pane.

    Picture in Picture, as the name suggests, is a third feature that lets you watch videos or participate in FaceTime video calls while using other apps. When on a FaceTime call or when watching a video, tapping on the home button sends the video to a corner of the iPad’s display. From there, it’s possible to use other apps while you view the video or continue on with the FaceTime conversation.

    In iOS 9, there’s an optional iCloud Drive app that can be installed through the iCloud section of the Settings app. The iCloud Drive app lets you see, access, and manage all of the files that you have stored within iCloud Drive, and will be a welcome feature for customers who have asked for such an app.

    So, as you can see it’s going to be Awesome! There is so much more, so feel free to come in to us at Small Dog Electronics and one of our staff would be excited to show you more.

    Launch date for Beta version is launching in July, so stay tuned….

  • Protect your investment!

    How do you keep your Mac clean (and we’re not talking about the hard drive!)? Well the first thing to remember is that while you may not like a dirty Mac, what your computer hates even more is getting wet! Never spray anything directly on the computer, avoid abrasive cloths and cleaners, and avoid wet cleaning cloths!

    When we clean machines the first thing we do is power off the device and let it cool down. If the computer is warm then there is a high possibility that you will leave streaks on the screen. We like the **Hammerhead** micro fiber towel which you can spray with a bit of **iKlear** so that it is damp, but not wet! Trouble spots can be dealt with with light pressure and a circular motion. Too much pressure (especially on displays) can do more harm than good.

    Another great way to clean your computer is to keep it from getting dirty in the first place! Keyboard covers from **KB Covers** and case protection from **Speck** can help you avoid having to do any cleaning for a longer period of time.

    “**Grab this great bundle for $124.99 and keep your computer looking like new!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001898 Bundle includes keyboard cover, iKlear, speck hardshell case and backup hard drive