Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Apple news, tech tips, and more…

KB Dog

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Most of the leaf peepers come to Vermont too late to see the beautiful fall foliage at its peak. I was riding up in the beautiful part of Vermont known as the Northeast Kingdom and many areas are already at peak. It was a beautiful display of a quilt of colors with bright reds combined with various shades of green, brown and yellow. I look out the window in my bedroom and the maple tree outside is a color-wheel of hues ranging from bright red to neon pink.

    The days this week are cool in the mornings with ground fog and sunny and warm in the afternoons. I drove my little Sprite in today and had to wear gloves but this afternoon, I’ll take the long way home. It is hard to believe that October starts next week and I do want to let all of our local customers know that all of “*Small Dog Electronics’ retail stores*”:http://www.smalldog.com/retail/visit-us-in-store-at-any-of-our-locations will be closed on Tuesday September 30th so that we can count inventory for the end of our fiscal year. Web and phone sales will remain open.

    With October comes Domestic Violence Awareness month. Small Dog Electronics has been a part of Vermont’s “Safe at Work” program since its inception and through posters, resources, and HR policies we do our best to raise awareness and find resources to help our staff. Some time ago, we had an employee that was clearly a victim of domestic violence and as I reached out to find help I came up empty-handed. However, since my wife worked for Planned Parenthood at the time, I was able to find resources and develop a plan. Since then we have participated in working groups and feel this is an important area to be involved in and speak out about.

    In October, we are launching a promotion in our retail stores to funnel donations to women’s shelters in each of the communities where we operate. With several participating brands we will make a donation for each sale to the local shelter. Why would we do this? Yes, we have an interest in combating domestic violence and want our employees to be safe at work or home but we have a commercial and philosophical reason, too. As you know, the margins on our products is very low, in many cases below 10% and you have a wide variety of places to buy these same products. It is difficult for us to compete with big box stores that use Apple products as “loss-leaders” by discounting or on-line resellers that do not charge sales tax. While many companies will simply suck it up and discount their products to compete, we have decided upon a different direction.

    While we cannot compete solely on the basis of price, Small Dog Electronics wants to give you many reasons to choose to buy your next Mac or iPad from us. One way we can effectively compete is through community involvement. Instead of discounting the products we will make these donations to leverage our “money machine” to help the communities where we live. While we have our on-going customer-driven charitable contributions program where we match donations, we feel that the giving generated by these special promotions not only raises awareness about important issues but also lets our customers and our company make a real difference. I hope you agree!

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes special is a simple BOGO – buy one, get one on the Chill Pill portable speakers. This is the product that launched the Chill Pill Audio brand and is still the handiest portable speaker system!

    “*See this great deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001586/at_kb

  • Darek Ashe

    Family: Wife-to-be, Rosa, and two kids, Darek Jr. and Eric Hobbies/Interests: Jet Ski Favorite Books: “A Stitch In Time” Favorite Bands: Phil Collins…

  • Apple picking might be in store this weekend but we are also heading over to the annual British Invasion, the British car show…

  • KB | Rokform RokShield V.3 Case for iPhone 5/5s

    Multi-tasking at its best. This iPhone 5 case accomplishes max protection and style, all while keeping your hands free to go about your busy life. With the included Adhesive Car Mount, you can mount your iPhone 5/5s to just about any flat surface (try our favorite, the car dashboard!). The removable rubber bumper gives you added protection when you need it and a slimmer profile when you don’t, making this one of the best protective iPhone 5/5s case available.

    *FREE shipping!*

  • Vermont Goes Hands-Free

    A few months back when the legislation banning handheld electronics devices while driving went through I started to begin writing about products we either carried or brought in to help with this transition. Below is a list of our top products for adapting to this new legislation.

    Mounting your iPhone in the car: We have three great options for this. The first two use a 3M sticky to attach the mount where ever you see fit. The “*Rokform*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001583/at_kb is both a case and a mount, allowing for either landscape or portrait view. “*Nite Ize Steelie*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85723/nite-ize-steelie-car-mount-kit works on a magnet system and is a personal favorite of mine. It allows for a variety of angles and the magnet is handy when not in the car. Lastly are the “*Belkin FM/AUX power stands.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=belkin+tunebase These plug into the power port (AKA the cigarette lighter port for those of you old enough to remember when cars came with these!) in your car and hold the device, while also connecting to your stereo with either FM or AUX.

    Bluetooth adapters have become popular as well. These adapt the AUX input in your car to Bluetooth so you can keep your phone in your pocket as it connects wirelessly to your car stereo. “*Belkin*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85667/belkin-caraudio-connect-aux-with-bluetooth and “*Outdoor Tech*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001584/at_kb both make great adapters which both include a mic. Their center buttons will also activate Siri to allow for hands free messaging or voice dial.

    Headphones and earpieces will also work. We carry a variety of Bluetooth headphones that include a microphone allowing for hands-free talking. “*Beats*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001582/at_kb and “*Outdoor Tech*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=outdoor+tech+wireless make both in-ear and over ear Bluetooth headphones. Many of our wired headphones include microphones allowing for a hands free conversation. Earpieces from “*Jabra,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/84770/jabra-wave-bluetooth-headset-w-microphone “*Jawbone,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=jawbone+era+bluetooth and “*Plantronics*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/86014/plantronics-m25-earset are also great choices. Like headphones they allow you too keep the conversation going hands-free after you get out of the car.

    Lastly we added some great visor Bluetooth options. These add a physical speaker to your visor for hands free communication. Both the “*Jabra*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001581/at_kb and “*Plantronics*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/86036/plantronics-k100-bluetooth-speakerphone-visor attach to your visor, then to your cell phone via Bluetooth. With answer and hang up buttons it’s a great way to go hands free. This is an especially great choice for those who don’t have any AUX or Bluetooth built-in and prefer to not wear headphones or an earpiece.

  • Install a New Keyboard in iOS 8

    One of the neatest features of iOS 8 is the ability to install third-party keyboards which can be used system-wide in all apps. There have been sort of clumsy app by app methods of doing this before but now these keyboards can be your default keyboard.

    Installation is simple and it is easy to change once you have installed. The first step is to go over to the App store and find the keyboard(s) you like and download those apps. I have installed “*Fleksy*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id520337246?mt=8 ($0.99) but others include “*TouchPal*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touchpal-keyboard-emoji-gesture/id909654683?mt=8 (free), “*Swype*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swype-keyboard/id916365675?mt=8 ($0.99), “*TextExpander*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/textexpander-3-+-custom-keyboard/id917416298?mt=8 ($4.99), and “*Swiftkey*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swiftkey-keyboard/id911813648 (free). I know there will be dozens of others and Apple has improved their keyboard with iOS 8 but these keyboards may serve your needs.

    To install a keyboard you go to *Settings >General >Keyboard >Add New Keyboard*. You will see any third-party keyboards you have downloaded in the list. Simply select the one that you want to use and Apple will warn you of the dangers of granting developers access to the data that you are typing (i.e. credit card numbers, passwords, etc.) This is basically a warning that Apple is no longer responsible for that information should you choose to use the keyboard. You might want to investigate the specific developer’s privacy policies.

    Once you select the keyboard you are presented a box to check with says “Allow Full Access”. This is the box that allows the keyboard to be used with any app. Once you click that, Apple warns you again, saying: “Full access allows the developer of this keyboard to transmit anything you type, including things you have previously typed with this keyboard. This could include sensitive information such as your credit card number or street address.”

    Scared? Well, definitely check out the privacy policies of the makers of the keyboard app. Fleksy, as an example, states that Fleksy is designed NOT to receive or log such sensitive data and goes into some detail as to what they can collect and how that data is always separate from a link to your personal data. I do encourage you to read the privacy policies of the keyboard developers.

    Once you have given the keyboard permission to have full access you can access the keyboard by simply pressing and holding the “globe” icon on the Apple keyboard and choosing the keyboard. Then you can use those apps to customize your new keyboard. You can switch back to the Apple keyboard either from the keyboards settings panel or by pressing and holding the globe or in the case of Fleksy the “123” button.

  • Install iOS 8 and Share With Your Family

    It is time for you to upgrade your mobile operating system. I am sure that Apple will come out with some mind-blowing statistic about just how many of us upgraded to iOS 8 since its release but since you are going to upgrade soon, let’s talk about just what you need to do before you upgrade. The upgrade is easiest by an “over-the-air” upgrade so the one thing you MUST do before you send the signal to Apple’s servers to send it over is to BACKUP! Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and do a complete back-up. An iCloud backup will save some of your data but if you want it ALL saved you must do this on your computer. Once you have a current backup, let ‘er rip and upgrade to iOS 8 by going to *Settings > Software Update*. Make sure your device has a full battery or is plugged in before you start. Please note that this update requires around 6GB of free space on your phone, so if you do not have this much room available, you can still upgrade via iTunes on a computer that does have 6GB of free space.

    Once you have iOS 8 and begin to explore all the new features you will be able to activate one of the greatest new features of this new OS: Family Sharing. Once you and your family are running iOS 8 on their iPad, iPhone and Apple TV you will be able to share all iTunes account purchases including apps, movies and music between up to six people in your family.

    bq. ??editor’s note: Apple recognizes and supports all of the different kinds of families out there (and Small Dog does too, of course!), so this can be any group of people that you choose but please note that you can only change to a different Family Sharing family once per year.??

    You can become the “Family Organizer” by going to *Settings > iCloud >Set Up Family Sharing*. If you set it up first you become the organizer and your credit card will control family purchasing on the iTunes, App and iBook stores. As a parent or guardian you can designate yourself as such and control your kids purchases by activating the “Ask to Buy” feature. All of your current purchases, whether they were made with your account or another family member’s account, will be available to share. New purchases will need to be made with your credit card to be shared. All you need to do is click on “Add Family Member” and an email will be sent to that person to be added.

    Another interesting new feature that I am not so sure I like is that Find My iPhone data is also shared with family members. If you want to be incognito, you will have to disable this through the “Share my Location” setting in the iCloud settings.

    Family sharing also includes a special Family iCloud Photo Stream for your group. Once you post a photo it is available on all family member’s devices and notifications will be sent. There is also a Family section of the Apple Reminders App which shares reminders and to-dos.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Frost and freeze warnings are out tonight as we truly hit the end of summer. We have pretty much harvested the garden, leaving only the root crops to dig up. This year we got hit by tomato blight and my beautiful tomatoes were ruined by this fungus. We’ll make sure to rototill the garden thoroughly to prevent overwintering but this blight came fast and basically killed the tomato plants in a couple of days.

    Grace and I drove the Sprite over to the Tunbridge World Fair which used to be quite the wild fair when I first got to Vermont but now is a great family agricultural event. Aside from eating some fair-food we liked to see the animals, especially the oxen and Grace spent some time in the chicken barn. Of course, we had to compare our vegetables to the ones that won ribbons at the fair, too.

    Apple released iOS 8 to the public on Wednesday and Apple’s servers were busy as thousands downloaded this latest version of the mobile operating system. Apple also released an update to Apple TV which added Beats Music and some support for iOS 8 features such as Family Share. The new iOS 8 upgrade is free and is a must-have for your iPhone and iPad.

    Apple also released a statement on privacy that is quite welcome. You can find out more at the new “*Apple privacy web page.*”:http://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-built-in/ Tim Cook sent an open letter to customers where he said:

    bq. Security and privacy are fundamental to the design of all our hardware, software, and services, including iCloud and new services like Apple Pay…Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don’t ‘monetize’ the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better. Plain and simple.

    With iOS 8 Apple actually cannot bypass your passcode and access data that is on your device and made it clear that it is not technically feasible for them to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data if you are running iOS 8. This does not apply to iCloud which means that data stored there may be subject to government seizure. And no backdoors, either, which has been the “street rumor” lately. Tim Cook said: “I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services…We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.” We applaud this unique stance by Apple.

    Vermont has passed a ban on hand-held electronic devices in cars in an attempt to combat distracted drivers. While I still see a lot of people on their phones the law goes into effect on October 1st. We are featuring a number of hands-free solutions for our customers. One that Emily has tested and loves is the Jabra Tour Bluetooth in-car speakerphone. It mounts on your visor, easily pairs with your phone and transmits battery charge information to your iPhone when in use, too. This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive is this Jabra hands-free solution which comes with a single-port USB car charger. I am going to bundle it with our Hammerhead 2-port car charger which will allow you to charge two devices at once or to use in that second vehicle. This bundle is $10 off for Kibbles & Bytes readers at only $74.98.

    “*See this great deal here!”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001581/at_kb

  • TT | $10 off All iPhone 5/5C/5S Cases over $19.99

    Save $10 on all iPhone 5/5C/5S cases over $19.99!

    Please enter this coupon code when you check out: *casecase5327*

    “*See all of our iPhone 5/5C/5S cases here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/iPhone_Accessories/Cases

  • A Service Department Update from South Burlington

    Everything has been moving quite quickly and under full load here in South Burlington. With school back in session and a busy summer carrying over into the new season, our turnaround times haven’t been higher since I first started here. With all of the newer models that have come out within the last two years, new problems have arisen with new solutions.

    These days a lot of portables (AKA laptops) have been coming in with a new issue: No power, doesn’t turn on, and will not charge. This particular problem requires normal diagnostics and so the machine would get queued to be looked at by the next available tech. Once the machine makes it to the front of the line, it is often the case that I have grabbed the machine to begin testing and have noticed that the battery is stone cold dead. No juice in it whatsoever. I plug the machine in and wait. The MagSafe power adapter light will come on green, then change to amber, signaling that its charging the battery, then a few minutes later once the battery has enough power, the computer will self power on, which is normal, and then will pass all our testing.

    Its believed that this issue is a caused by software bug within the firmware, the base system that manages the hardware. We also believe that this symptom could also be caused by a power surge. Since its hard to diagnose without the ability to dive into the firmware and if there is no sign of a surge, such as burned-out circuits, all we can do is give it a clean bill of health after it passes our testing and send the machine home. If your Apple laptop is experiencing this symptom, try putting it away for a few days before trying to power it on again. Leave it unplugged, closed and alone and it may power on when you try it in a couple days. Otherwise feel free to visit us at Small Dog Electronics and we can run diagnostics just to be sure.

    In other news, our backup system is running much better now that the compression and deletion process are almost automated. We have plenty of space for backups on our RAID and our “*external hard drives*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Storage_and_Backup/External_Hard_Drives are selling like hot cakes. We can’t stress this enough: Having a backup system at home is priceless (see Erich’s article above for an easy way to make this happen). Many a time I have had to break the news to a customer that their data is unrecoverable and that the only way to get it back would be to use DriveSavers, a data forensics company. Their services are expensive, but if the data is that important, they are the ones to try to get it off the failed storage module.

    On one last note, with college back in session the number of liquid spilled machines has started to climb again. ??(editor’s note: All non-alcoholic beverages of course.)?? Liquids near electronics need to be watched closely. When liquid spills onto any electronic device, that device is usually fried pretty quickly. In very rare cases a machine has dried out and started working again, but these are extremely few and far between.