Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Electronic Signing Made Easy

    I was at a customer’s office the other day helping to set up their new Mac system. It was a busy construction company and they needed help getting wireless scanning operational. I noticed that they were using Adobe Reader for their PDF files, so I introduced them to “*Preview*”:https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201740. Once I set the Finder to open PDF files with Preview instead of Reader, I showed them how to access the scanner to scan documents right from Preview.

    As I had them practice this, I noticed that much of their scanning needs were for documents that they would print out, sign, scan and then email to clients. When I showed them how to use the “signature” function in Preview they immediately saw the value and time saved. So, I know many of you already know how to use this tool, but I thought I would go over it so you too can use your electronic signature.

    Preview is used to view and edit PDFs and images, import images from a camera, import documents and images from a scanner, add pages to a PDF and also to take screen shots. When you have a PDF that needs your signature, the old way of doing this would be to print out the PDF, sign it, scan it and send it back. With Preview you can skip some of that work. You can capture your signature using your trackpad or better yet, using your camera on your Mac.

    ! Annotate > Signature > Manage Signatures*. When you select *Create Signature* you have a choice of trackpad or camera. While signing on your trackpad is okay, I prefer the camera method. Here you take a white piece of paper and sign it. Then click on *Camera* as the means of capturing your signature and hold up that piece of paper to the camera on your Mac. Once you align the signature on the blue line you can hit *Done* and your signature is stored. If you don’t like the first try, click *Clear* and do over.

    To add your signature to a PDF document click on the *Sign* button !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4295.png! or use the path *Tools > Annotate > Signature* to select the signature. Once it has been placed on the document you can drag it to where you want it, then use the handles to adjust its size. Save the document and you can include it in an email with your signature. Remember that the *Save As* command is sort of hidden now but to get to it simply hold down the *Option key* when you select *File.*

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Okay…no weather report. I’ve had a few customers remind me that most of my readers are up in the frozen Northland so I am skipping that part of my intro. It was a busy week with my daughter and my grandkids visiting but we managed to survive even though sometimes I felt like a crotchety old man with a crooked stick telling kids to stay off my lawn. But we got to spoil them and hand them back to mom and dad so that works.

    Apple’s big “*Spring Forward event*”:http://www.apple.com/live/ is on Monday and we expect to hear about the Apple Watch and more. Do not forget to set your clocks ahead 1 hour for Daylight Savings Time before you go to bed on Saturday. There have been a lot of rumors and information coming out about the new Apple Watch and it will be good to get some clarity about all the cool things it will do before it hits the market in a couple weeks.   In addition to acting as the front-end for ApplePay, it is said that the watch might be able to replace your fob to start your car, your room key at some hotels, and I am sure that integration with HomeKit and HealthKit will amaze us.

    We are doing a March Mayhem promotion on Sonos that allows you to pick up your dream Sonos system now and take up to two years to pay without interest. I have become a real fan of Sonos. I have a nice setup at my house and the Sonos controller on my iPhone, Mac, and my iPad. Last night I got hung up reading a book way into the wee hours, listening to reggae music and I kept having to advance the sleep timer since I didn’t want to stop reading. So easy to do by just clicking to the Sonos App and changing it. If you have been putting off getting a Sonos system, March Mayhem may be the time!

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive features the Apple Certified Refurbished MacBook Pro with Retina display. This 13-inch model features the 2.4GHz i5 processor 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD drive and of course, the Retina display. It normally includes a 1-year Apple warranty and 90 days of free Apple technical support, but we are bundling this MacBook Pro with AppleCare so that you will have 3 years of Apple warranty coverage and 3 years of free Apple technical support. Because 128GB may not be enough storage for everyone, and because we want you to have an easy way to back up your Mac, we are also include a 1 TB Seagate Backup Plus slim portable drive. This package would normally cost you $1340 but, exclusively for Kibbles & Bytes readers, this week this bundle is $100 off at $1239.99.

    “*Check it out here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001788

  • The Safety and Security of your Personal Information

    With all the headlines these days about data breaches, hackers, and spyware it is understandable that the safety of your information in cyberspace is on everyone’s mind these days. When we hear about companies such as TJ Maxx, Target and, most recently, TurboTax (hmm…companies that begin with the letter “t”…) getting hacked and potentially losing critical customer information, it can make consumers hesitant to use a lot of this brilliant new technology.

    Here are a few ways Apple ensures the safety of your information and a few tips on how to protect your information:

    Passwords, passwords, passwords…they can be the bane of our existence and are so hard to remember: “What password did I use for this site?? Is it case sensitive?? Did I use letters or numbers?? Holy cow that’s a lot to remember. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!?!? That’s the same combination I have on my luggage!!!”

    The strength of your password goes a long way towards protecting your information. As you might imagine, a password like “password1234” is not a very strong password. As time goes by, the requirements for passwords have become stricter and stricter as criminals devise more and more ingenious ways to steal your information. I personally recommend using a name and a year to begin with. This ensures its an easy password to remember, but not easy for someone to guess. Make certain it’s at least 8 characters. Add a capital letter and a special character to your password to make it even stronger! For example “Jenny5309!” is an example of a strong password. It has more than 8 characters, a combination of letters and numbers, a capital letter and a special character. It would be difficult for anyone to guess (unless they happen to have a family member named Jenny who was born in September of 1953.) It’s easy for you to remember because you do!

    Oh and FYI, nobody at Apple, or Small Dog Electronics has access to your passwords. If anyone ever calls or emails and asks you to give them your passwords, please feel free to refuse that information to ANYONE. That goes for any other password you use, whether it be for your email or your bank account.


    Ahh, the iCloud, is it up in the sky? Where exactly IS this cloud and will it follow me around dropping rain on me wherever I go??

    Here’s a great source of information on iCloud.

    Our main concern here is the security of your information. The iCloud uses a minimum of 128-bit encryption and as much as 256-bit to safeguard your information. What is encryption you ask? In the simplest of terms, your computer uses your password like a key to unlock your information. In the case of 128-bit encryption, your computer has THE single key to unlock ONE lock out of a possibility of 6 trillion locks. That’s trillion with a T! As you can imagine, that is a great number of locks to try to pick. Major financial institutions, the government and the military also use between 128 and 256-bit encryption.

    One of the major benefits of owning an Apple computer rather than a PC has always been they are less susceptible to viruses, trojans, malware, and other nasty bugs out there. This is still true, however some still slip through. These programs can wreak havoc on your system and cause general headaches all around.

    “Lets be careful out there.” This applies to the internet as well as the mean streets. Use strong privacy settings on social media sites. Use caution when entering financial information online. Look for a tiny picture of a padlock in the bottom right hand corner of the page you are on. Another way to tell if a site is secure is the web address. Sites with a web address that begins with https let you know the site is secure. Make sure your operating system stays up to date and your firewall is active.

    If you start to get pop ups, advertisements, and other annoyances don’t fret; there is an easy fix. Follow these steps to rid your computer of theses hooligans by following these steps to the letter.

    Woof, arf, woof! (Don’t forget to have fun!)

  • Sign Up, Thursday March 5th at 7PM!

    Click on the link below for a full overview and to register. *_Registration will open Thursday March 5th at 7pm. Please note that there are limited tickets available and have been selling out very quickly._*

    Contact us with any questions via the Eventbrite page.

    “*Register for the event by clicking here at 7pm on March 5th. Enter your first and last name as well as your email address!*”:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/copy-of-tech-talk-101-series-pages-basics-word-processing-for-the-rest-of-us-tickets-15928724243

  • What We'll Cover

    Nathan will provide an overview of all of the great features available in Pages for Mac.

    Topics will include:

    * Basic Editing: Adding, editing, and changing the look of your text
    * Formatting Your Document: Adjusting spacing, margins, and columns
    * Adding Images and Shapes: Spruce up your document to look top-notch
    * Adding Tables and Charts: Give your document professional support
    * Writing and Editing Tools: Access the tools you need to get the job done efficiently

    _Note: This Tech Talk will specifically be covering the Mac version of Pages (not iOS). We will be using the latest version (from iWork 2013), but any version 5.0 or newer will look quite similar. Pages 5.0 requires OS X 10.9 or newer._

  • Tech Talk 101 Series: Pages Basics: Word Processing for the Rest of Us

    Join us *Wednesday, March 11th from 7 to 8pm for “Pages Basics – Word Processing for the Rest of Us”* the next installment in our *_free_* Tech Talk 101 Series. Held in our South Burlington, VT store, these easy-to-follow courses will cover a variety of topics and are designed to help you make the most of your Mac and other devices!

    Nathan Poirier (Instructor, Apple Certified Professional, and outdoor enthusiast) will present an overview of how to use Pages for Mac and demonstrate its features during the hour-long session with ample time for questions at the end.

  • Tech Talk in South Burlington

  • SPECIALS

    March is a time of St. Pat’s shenanigans, basketball, and spring fever (can you hear the birds chirping?). Small Dog Electronics is celebrating the mayhem all month long with specials on monitors, speakers, fitness trackers, backup batteries, cases, headphones and much more, both “**in-store**”:http://www.smalldog.com/retail/visit-us-in-store-at-any-of-our-locations and “**online!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/marchmayhem
    Stop in Friday March 13 to Tuesday March 17 for some non-advertised specials and test your leprechaun skills…find a clover and receive an additional discount on special items.

    *Friday, March 6 – Tuesday, March 17*

    iLoud Wireless Speaker
    **Save $100**

    Hammerhead Jacket for iPhone 5/5s
    **Buy one, get one free**

    Hammerhead Folio Case for iPad mini & iPad Air
    **Save $10**

    *Wednesday, March 18 – Tuesday, March 31*

    Misfit Shine Fitness & Sleep Monitor
    **Save $30**

    Goal Zero Torch 250 Flashlight
    **Save $20**

    Mophie Space Pack for iPhone 5/5S – Battery Case w/ 16GB Built-in Memory
    **Save $50**

  • Tech Talk 101 Series: Pages Basics

    Join us Wednesday, March 11th from 7 to 8pm for “Pages Basics – Word Processing for the Rest of Us” the next installment in our free Tech Talk 101 Series. Held in our South Burlington, VT store, these easy-to-follow courses will cover a variety of topics and are designed to help you make the most of your Mac and other devices!

    Nathan Poirier (Instructor, Apple Certified Professional, and outdoor enthusiast) will present an overview of how to use Pages for Mac and demonstrate its features during the hour-long session with ample time for questions at the end.

    Click on the link below for a full overview and to register. Registration will open Thursday March 5th at 7pm. Please note that there are limited tickets available and have been selling out very quickly.

    Contact us with any questions via the Eventbrite page.

    Register for the event by clicking here at 7pm on March 5th. Enter your first and last name as well as your email address!

  • Socialize With Us!

    Consider becoming a friend (you already are in real life so why not online?). We are starting to offer some fantastic deals exclusively on Facebook so it might be worthwhile and it is another way to stay in touch with Small Dog Electronics. Click the icon below and “like us” “follow” “tweet” or “retweet” #hellosmalldog

  • Turn your iPad into a Laptop

    When shopping for a case for an iPad, two of the most common features people look for are protection and whether the case has a keyboard or not. Many people are replacing their laptops with tablets as their main portable device, making keyboard cases popular. In the past, people who preferred a case with a keyboard gave up the option to have a very protective case. Then **Zagg** manufactured the Rugged Book, a rugged case that also has a keyboard. The case feels sturdy and is made out of polycarbonate, silicone rubber, and stainless steel. The case opens and closes with a clam shell hinge, making it look and feel like a laptop. The keyboard is backlit and the keys are well spaced. The keyboard has a rechargeable battery that has an average two year charge, meaning you will probably upgrade your iPad before you ever charge your case. Another cool feature of the Rugged Book is the fact that the iPad can be detached from the keyboard, without taking it out of the case. This feature allows for multifunction viewing modes. The Rugged Book is already available for the iPad Air, all iPad mini models, and more recently, the new iPad Air 2.

  • Apple Refurbs are Back!

    !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4273.png!

    It has been a while, but one of the best ways to get an Apple laptop is now available again at Small Dog! What’s a **Refurbished Mac** you ask? It is not a used Mac, but one that Apple can simply no longer sell as new. Before Apple makes a refurbished Mac available for sale, it undergoes a rigorous refurbishment process to make sure it is up to Apple’s tough quality standards. They back it with their standard one-year limited warranty. And you have the option of purchasing an AppleCare Protection Plan for it.

    So what is the trade off? There really isn’t one! While the refurbs typically have the previous year’s specifications, they are more than capable of handling anything that all but the most demanding of users throw at it. Small Dog is now carrying refurbished MacBook Pro with Retina and the MacBook Air. If the price of a Mac has ever scared you off, this is the way to go!