Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Osprey Packs

    This year, we’ve started carrying a selection of Osprey’s tech-friendly backpacks and shoulder bags. The first thing that struck me about this brand, and excited our team to carry their product was the similarities between Osprey and Small Dog. Just like our company, Osprey was founded a couple of good people with a dedication to quality work. Founded in 1974, the Osprey brand has primarily focused on hiking packs, with materials designed for extreme conditions. Recently, they have developed the Portal Series, designed for modern organization, with the mobile Apple user in mind.

    My favorite model in this series is the “Cyber” panel-style daypack. The Cyber boasts a 26 liter capacity, yet somehow maintains a sleek and slim profile. Unlike a lot of Osprey packs, the compartments include document sleeves with organizer pockets and zippered back compartment that fits a laptop up to 15 inches. Due to the Polyester construction, the pack weighs 1 lb. 15oz. My favorite thing about this series is their consideration for accessory transportation. They have included a bottom compartment, with a dedicated pouch designed for your MagSafe Adapter, External Hard Drive, and any other cables you may need. With a 15″ MacBook Pro, and iPad Air 2, the pack is just about at full capacity. I would recumbent this bag for anyone who needs to commute with multiple Apple products, but if all you are commuting with is a single iPad, the Cyber offers you a neat and stylish package to get from point A to B, with extra space for much more.

    If you are looking for a new bag for spring, stop by the South Burlington store to check out the Osprey selection. All month long these packs will be 50% off while supplies last. We also carry the Beta Port Courier pack, which offers a unique, see-through compartment to store your iPad. This allows you to access your iPad’s touch screen without taking it out of the bag. It may seem like an unnecessary feature, but I would suggest trying it out in the store and see how you like it. All three of the main designs we carry come in the Canyon Orange color, in addition to Black Pepper, Grey Herringbone, and a “Tenacious Teal” you’ve gotta see! Come see us at Small Dog if you have any Osprey questions!

  • AudioEngine

    Prior to starting with Small Dog, I was in the market for a new pair of speakers. My main criterion was audio quality without emptying the wallet, and the AudioEngine brand kept showing up. Extremely well reviewed and with a great price point they were on my short list. Once I got to hear them in the store, my decision was made. I went with the A5+ and could not be happier. Crisp and clear at all volumes and with a great low end, they have no problem shaking the living room when cranked up. I’ve also tied in a subwoofer for a solid 2.1 home theater. Add in a USB port for charging and aux/RCA ports for connections and they can’t be beat! Looking for a smaller desktop pair? The A2 does the job and can handle all but the largest spaces. Want wireless? The B2 Bluetooth speaker gives you portability and access from all your devices! With great products and even better customer service, you can not go wrong with anything in the AudioEngine lineup.

  • Kevo Smart Lock

    This week our Key West team went over to Don’s house to check out the home automation he has going on, which is very impressive. I felt like I was in Back to the Future between his Sonos equipment, remote cameras, his Nest thermostat controller and his new Kevo entry system.

    If you have ever arrived at home juggling an armload of groceries you know how difficult it can be to get into the house without having to drop everything to unlock the door. With Kwikset’s Kevo lock, available here at Small Dog Electronics, you can gain entry to your home or office without the need for a key. Using Bluetooth wireless technology, the Kevo lock reads an eKey code stored on your iOS device and lets you unlock the door with a touch of your finger. It also creates a log of door openings and closings. The lock is fairly easy to install and does exactly what it is supposed to do. If you are ready to lose your traditional keys, it is worth checking out.

    **Design and Installation
**

    The Kevo Bluetooth lock comes with a single cylinder deadbolt locking assembly, an interior housing, two traditional keys, a keychain fob (pre-enrolled for the lock), two eKeys, four AA batteries, and all the mounting hardware you’ll need to install the lock. You also get installation instructions, a user guide, and a drilling/boring template if your door is not already prepared for a deadbolt.

    At first glance the Kevo looks like an ordinary deadbolt lock. In fact, you won’t notice anything different about it until you get up close and actually touch it, at which point a ring around the cylinder displays a spinning blue light. That means the lock is looking for an iOS device with an authorized encrypted electronic key (eKey) or an enrolled keychain fob. If it finds one, the light will turn green, flash twice, and the lock will open. If not, it goes dark. When locking the door from the outside with a fob or smartphone, the blue spinning light will change to amber, flash once, and the lock will engage. The light ring uses different colors and flashing codes to let you know things like when the batteries need changing, if the smart device or fob is out of range, an unauthorized device is trying to gain access, or the lock is jammed.

    If you know how to install a door lock, the Kevo installation process is fairly simple and should only take ten minutes or so. Even if you have no prior experience the installation guide is very straightforward and easy to follow. Don said replacing his single cylinder deadbolt lock was a snap. Once the old lock was removed he installed the Kevo cylinder and deadbolt mechanism using the existing mounting holes in my door. He then attached the Bluetooth and power/data cable from the cylinder to the internal housing and secured the housing and the cylinder to the door using the supplied bolts. Don manually engaged the deadbolt to see if it extended and retracted smoothly, made a quick adjustment to the bolt housing, and was ready to program the lock.

    Once the free app is downloaded from the Apple App Store, it walks you through the setup and registration process. First, you have to enable Bluetooth, location services, and notifications on your iOS device. Once you create an account using your email address and three security questions, you are ready to enroll your device as the Owner, which gives you full rights. The included fob is already paired to the lock. At this point you have to remove the battery cover from the lock’s interior housing, press and release the program button, and hold your device against the back panel. After ten seconds or so the lock beeps and the app asks you to name the lock. You can then calibrate the iOS device to enable the lock’s inside/outside security feature, which uses a sensor to prevent unauthorized entry while your fob or smart device is inside your home. Once calibration is complete (it took Don less than a minute), the Kevo lock is ready to go.
    The Kevo comes in three finishes: Polished Brass, Venetian Bronze, and Satin Nickel. Additional keychain fobs cost $25 each, and extra eKeys are $1.99 each. Kwikset covers the Kevo with a lifetime finish and mechanical warranty, and a one year electronic warranty.

  • Dear Friends,

    I never imagined back in 1995 when I started Small Dog Electronics in my garage on Prickly Mountain that 20 years later we would have four retail stores and well, a 20-year old business! Back then it was a one-man show and buying and selling Macs was a bit more than a hobby but I still bump into some of you that bought your first Mac from me in my living room. Hapy used to come over on Sundays and help me with the books and soon I twisted his arm into joining me at Small Dog Electronics. When Grace tossed us out of the house we ripped up my strawberry patch and built an office space next to the house. We soon outgrew that and eventually moved our headquarters to Waitsfield. I still remember those stalwart UPS drivers carrying huge loads of Macs up my icy or muddy driveway, though.

    We never really wanted to do retail, however, customers came to visit us regardless and one day as I was processing payroll with a family on the couch in my office and others wandering around the warehouse, it was clear we needed to do something to serve our live customers, so our first retail store was opened in Waitsfield. So many people were driving from Chittenden county to Waitsfield and the sort of perfect storm of opportunity led us to open the South Burlington store which quickly became our flagship.

    Our experiment with another large store over in New Hampshire was not a success and we reluctantly closed that location but opened smaller stores in Rutland and acquired another Apple Specialist in Key West, Florida. Now with four retail stores and 20 years of history, we are ready to celebrate our anniversary this month and all year long.

    The most common question that I am asked is: “Where did the name Small Dog Electronics come from?” It was at another company when we were searching for a name and my friend and employee Wendy Cohen suggested Small Dog Electronics. Of course, I pooh-poohed that idea. Fast forward a few years and I am again thinking of a name and watching my small dogs play. I didn’t want to name the company “Mac-this” or “Data-that” so I decided Small Dog Electronics was perfect, and I still think it is!

    Please join us in celebrating our 20th anniversary by coming into one of our retail stores, talking to our team and perhaps taking advantage of some of the 20th Anniversary specials we are running all month!

  • Hey, back when I was 20 and Neil Armstrong was landing on the moon, I could not even imagine being in the same job for 20 years. But as we launch Small Dog Electronics’ 20th Anniversary I could not be prouder of all the Small Dog team for making it happen over the years and to our awesome loyal customers, some of whom bought their first Mac up on Prickly Mountain in my living room, our friends at Apple for their support, and all of our vendors over the years. It has been an awesome ride!

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Rachel, Dean & Mike_

  • MARCH MAYHEM

    *St. Patrick’s Day*
    *Lots of basketball*
    *SPRING* ….*finally!*

    The second half of our March Mayhem is coming to an end. But before time runs out we are highlighting a few items that are perfect to ring in the new season, a favorite here in VT: Mud Season. The sale ends Tuesday, so be sure to check out all the specials at: “*smalldog.com/marchmayhem*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem/march-mayhem-2015

    *Trade-In and Trade-Up*
    !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4336.png!
    This rechargeable case provides you with twice the battery life of your iPhone 5S/5 for twice the adventure this spring. The Space Pack is the worlds first battery case with built-in storage which allows you to carry up to 8,000 more photos, 7 hours of video, or 4000 more songs with you…wherever the adventure takes you.

    “*Guide 10 Solar Recharging Kit with Nomad 7*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001785/march-mayhem-save-20-on-guide-10-solar-recharging-kit-with-nomad-7
    !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4337.jpg!
    Sure spring cleaning is just around the corner, but do you find yourself losing valuable items like your car keys, handbag, and camera on a regular basis? With the App Proximo and these two accessories you’ll be able to track your valuables. Proximo will alert you with a customizable alarm the moment you move a pre-set distance away to let you know you’ve left something valuable behind.

    “*View all the specials here*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem/march-mayhem-2015

  • LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt & USB 3.0 Mobile Review

    A most sensible and useful gift idea for any occasion is the LaCie 1TB Rugged v2 Thunderbolt & USB 3.0 Hard Drive.

    With its robust and proven rubberized case design, this LaCie storage device has the larger capacity you need for backups, along with the excellent support of a trusted name brand in the computer industry. The Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 interfaces on this hard drive mean the access to your data is quick and uploads complete faster than you can say, “Bob’s your uncle!”. This hard drive is bus powered, so there is no external power supply required; one less cable cluttering your desk area, and one less AC outlet you will have to free up. With up to 385MB/s, this model is one of the fastest bus powered storage products on the market right now.

    Small Dog Electronics’ price is just $189.99. “*Shop here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85863/lacie-rugged-hard-disk-thunderbolt-usb-3-0-drive-1tb

  • What's the Deal with Spotify Premium?

    I have always been somewhat of an audiophile and have been a Spotify user for several years now. For those who are unfamiliar with Spotify, it is a commercial music streaming service allowing the user to browse or search music by artist, album, genre, mood, playlist, or record label. Besides the extensive library of music Spotify offers (over 15 million songs) and its clean interface, the thing that I love about Spotify is all of the great features it has. I am able to build playlists, read artist bio’s, browse tons of pre-made playlists, and see what other members are listening to. I have also been able to discover more music than ever through Spotify’s integration of Facebook, Twitter, and third-party apps.

    Spotify offers three tiers of membership: Free, Unlimited ($4.99 per month), and Premium ($9.99 per month), however Unlimited is no longer offered to new members. I have recently upgraded to Premium which understandably offers more capabilities than the free version. With Premium, I am able to do all of the aforementioned but without the annoying advertisements that the free version is riddled with. Premium also offers a higher sound quality and the ability to download music to listen to offline which was truly the selling point for me. With the ability to download and store music via the cloud, I am able to take my music with me wherever I go. As an avid snowboarder, I love the ability to take the playlists that I have created with me to the mountain and listen without worrying about using up my data.

    Another benefit of Spotify Premium is its relatively new Connect feature. This enables you to play music from Spotify’s catalog but through Wi-Fi-connected speakers, TVs, laptops and other devices as long as they are on the same wireless network. Additionally, you can use the Spotify app on your mobile device as a remote, allowing you to adjust volume and switch tracks from afar. Once again, Spotify Connect is only available with a Premium membership.

    To use Spotify, you will need to install a local client. PC (Windows 7, Vista, XP) and Mac versions are available. You can install Spotify by visiting “*www.spotify.com.*”:https://www.spotify.com/us/

    Happy listening!

  • Apple TV – Some Hints and Tips

    If you are like me you are using your “*Apple TV*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/80135/apple-tv-3rd-gen to access more and more content. You might also be a little annoyed at the not-particularly-intuititive interface. Well, there are a number of ways to enhance your experience and make your Apple TV a bit easier. As Apple adds more and more content, you might find some of these helpful.

    *Remote*

    You can control your Apple TV with your iPhone using “*Apple’s Remote App.*”:https://www.apple.com/apps/remote/ I find navigation a bit easier using this app but let’s go over some interesting things you can do with your remote.

    *Subtitles*

    Watching a video and want to access subtitles, closed captioning, or speaker settings? Hold down the *select* button (the round one in the middle) for about *3 seconds* and you will have that menu. This also works when listening to audio if you want to access stuff like Genius, Up Next, browse artist, etc.

    *Organize*

    With more and more content, your Apple TV home page is getting a bit crowded. Just like on your iPhone you can get the icons to jiggle and then you can move them around. Just hold the select button until the icon wiggles and then use the remote to move it up/down or side to side. Press select again and it stops wiggling. But there are some of those icons that you are probably never going to use and it would be nice to just get them out of the way. Easy to do! Select the icon you want to hide and *hold the select button* down for a couple of seconds, then press *Play/Pause* to hide. If you are going to hide a bunch of them it might be easier to go to *Settings* > *Main Menu* > *Toggle Show to Hide*.

    *Getting Home Faster*

    How many times have you had to hit the Menu button multiple times to get back to the Home screen Particularly annoying if you are waiting for stuff to load as you back up through the menus. Well there is an easier way. If you hold down the *Menu* button for a few seconds it will take you Home.

    *Use a Keyboard*

    Using the remote to enter letters can get tiring. If you have a Bluetooth keyboard you can pair it with your Apple TV. Make sure your keyboard is discoverable and then using your remote navigate to *Settings* > *General* > *Bluetooth*. You should see your keyboard listed then and you can select it. The Apple TV will give you a 4-digit pairing code which you can then enter on the keyboard.

    Got any tricks or tips you use with your Apple TV? Drop me an email and I’ll include them in a future issue of Kibbles & Bytes.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    March is winding down but there still is a bunch of snow up at my home on Prickly Mountain where Small Dog Electronics got its start 20 years ago. Next week, we kick off the celebration of our 20th year. I started the company literally in my garage on Prickly. I would go to public auctions around the country, max out my credit cards and have Macs delivered up there. I have to give a big shout-out to the intrepid UPS drivers who came up my steep road in ice, snow, and mud lugging boxes in and out. We could not have done this without them. I clearly recall them putting on chains to get up my road, sliding off and having to get Hap’s garage to tow them out, and walking up my treacherous driveway carrying boxes. There have been a lot of people that went out of their way to help Small Dog Electronics along the way but the guys and girls in brown were a huge part of our success.

    In addition to kicking off our 20th anniversary celebration, April brings us Apple’s 41st Anniversary, the launch of the Apple Watch, and the release of the new MacBook. It is going to be a busy month for sure! We do not have a Twentieth Anniversary Mac to release on our 20th but all month long we will have some special values as we celebrate the end of our 2nd decade.

    As many of you know, we got our start with Apple Refurbished Macs and we are pleased to once again have some limited availability of Apple Certified Refurbished Macs. You can buy a lot of refurbished or used Macs out there but only the Apple Certified Refurbished Macintosh has the Apple 1-year warranty, has undergone Apple’s stringent refurbishment process, and qualifies for AppleCare, too. It is a great way to save some money, have a Mac that is fully tested (including full burn-in testing), and still have the protection of Apple’s warranty and AppleCare.

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes special features one of these Apple Refurbished Macs: the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. This unit has a 2.4GHz i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB Solid State drive. We are bundling it this week with AppleCare to extend your 1-year Apple warranty to 3 years and perhaps more importantly, extend the 90 days of free Apple technical support to 3 years as well. This bundle is normally $1179 (which is hundreds less than a comparable new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro) but for Kibbles & Bytes readers this week you can get this bundle of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and AppleCare for only $1129.

    “*Check it out here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001811

  • MARCH MAYHEM

    *St. Patrick’s Day*
    *Lots of basketball*
    *SPRING* ….*finally!*

    We are embracing the mayhem all month long with specials on monitors, speakers, fitness trackers, backup batteries, cases, headphones and much more! The second half is now underway so it is time to welcome spring with open arms, grab some wireless headphones and your backup drive, and head outdoors.

    *Trade-In and Trade-Up*
    !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4329.png!
    Set your fitness goals and track your progress. Use points to easily measure all your activities, such as walking, running, swimming, and cycling. This device tracks everything from steps to sleep, and will even keep a daily photo food journal. This small device is completely waterproof right out of the box. This is not something you have to carry on your wrist. You can simply clip it to an article of clothing, wear it as a necklace or even attach it to your sneaker during a run.

    “*Goal Zero Torch 250 Flashlight Backup Battery Solar Recharging*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001783/march-mayhem-save-20-on-goal-zero-torch-250-flashlight-backup-battery-solar-recharging
    !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4327.png!
    This fun colored speaker comes in a small package but produces a BIG sound! Great companion for a day outside in the sun. Bring it with you while you plant your seeds or mount it to your handlebar on your bicycle for a ride around town. This speaker wirelessly connects with your phone, tablet, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device.

    Check out all the specials at: “*smalldog.com/marchmayhem*”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem/march-mayhem-2015