Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • iPhone 6 Rumors

    As the September/October months approach, everyone starts to get the Apple announcement inch. More specifically: Will there be a new iPhone? We’ve seen a fair amount of rumors floating around the internet these days about what the new iPhone 6 will feature. I’ve gathered some of the most persistent rumors and compiled them for you folks who are interested.

    *Power Boost*

    I feel like every time a new iPhone is released, they claim the battery will be better than before. However, this time analysts are claiming that the iPhone 6 could be released with a 2,100mAh capacity battery which is a big bump up from the 1,560mAh battery on the iPhone 5s. Bigger batteries generally have a greater capacity, which equals better battery life.

    *Two Larger Screen Size*

    The new iPhone is said to feature a 4.7-inch screen version as well as a 5.5-inch screen — the latter being released at a later time. There have been some photos floating around the web showcasing a super thin iPhone with a screen that extends to the edge of the phone.

    *Updated Features*

    Updated features of the phone include a super slim frame, an A8 chip, 13mp camera, health monitors and apps, 4.7-inch screen (like I mentioned above) and apparently, there are mixed reports as to whether or not the new phone will contain sapphire glass.

    *Release Date*

    Reports are leaning towards a September release date — more specifically, around September 9th. October 14th is also said to be an immense day — however whether that is an iPhone or iPad launch is unknown.

    We all get just as excited as many of you do for these dates, as Apple honestly tells us nothing about what is going to be released. When we do get word of an event or release, the day generally consists of all of us Small Doggers gathering in the conference room to watch the Keynote on the overhead projector and take bets on what the latest and greatest is going to be.

    We’re excited and hope you are as well. As always, upon official word of an announcement or event, we’ll keep you posted in Kibbles & Bytes!

  • Fare Thee Well, Kibbles Readers!

    It’s hard to believe that it’s been over seven years since I came to Vermont to take a job at Small Dog. I had been working at another Apple Specialist in New Hampshire in the three years prior, and was excited to immerse myself in the Vermont community and culture. And immerse myself, I did.

    From the “*competitive bocce tournaments*”:https://www.flickr.com/photos/smalldog/sets/72157622474907880/ and the “*Annual Halloween Costume Contests*”:https://www.flickr.com/photos/smalldog/sets/ to the “*eWaste Recycling Events*”:https://www.flickr.com/photos/smalldog/sets/72157617001479815/ and of course, the innumerable customer-focused materials and content we provide via the website, our newsletters and retail stores, I have thoroughly enjoyed the fun, community-minded way of life that Small Dog affords.

    I was hired as the ‘Marketing & Design Dog’ in 2007, later created a more social media-centric position as a Web, Social Media & Publications Manager, and for the last two years, was the Director of Marketing. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow and learn in such a fast-paced, creative environment, and will certainly miss my days here in the “fishbowl” (read: large, open office, often subjected to Don’s “Reggae Thursdays”).

    Perhaps most notably, I will miss contributing to Kibbles & Bytes, Small Dog’s longest-running weekly e-newsletter (shout out to all of our readers who have been subscribing since ’96!), both as a writer and editor. In the last few years, I’ve actually wished that I could write more, but it’s been really cool to be behind-the-scenes for (just about) every issue we’ve published since July ’07!

    Overall, Kibbles readers are thoroughly engaged, and you often take the time to email us and let us know what you’re thinking, whether it’s because of a particularly divisive Soapbox or a Mac Treat that has you thinking. Keep ’em coming.

    Thanks for the memories — and as always, thanks for reading!

    __Note: On my very last day here, my trusty computer crashed, taking my almost-completed article with it. Because of course. Hope you enjoyed the rewrite; best wishes to all of our loyal readers out there — I’ll miss you!__

  • Kali Hilke

    Small Dog veteran, marketing maven, co-writer and editor of Kibbles & Bytes for many years is leaving Small Dog Electronics today. She will be sorely missed and has made significant contributions to the company, not only by the work she does but also by her unwavering commitment to the company’s social mission.

    Always with a smile, a laugh and high energy, Kali has been great to work with and I know you will join me in wishing her the very best in her next adventure.

  • _Dear Friends_,

    I spent some time this week with the enviable combination of motorcycling in the Green Mountains and listening to business pitches from entrepreneurs with businesses that ranged from bridal wear, to carved bears, to solar furnaces. It was a great experience both to meet and listen to the pitches and to ride with some of the most influential business leaders and investors. Even the Lt. Governor, Phil Scott, joined us for a ride to St. Johnsbury.

    Apple released new beta versions of Mac OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 to developers this week. Each version seems to add a bit more stability and some new features. This latest version of iOS 8 seems to have disabled some apps that will launch and then quit, but either later versions will fix this or the app developers will update their apps when the final version is released. I really think you are going to love some of the new features that are working well now, especially Continuity and Handoff; Apple is spending a lot of time fine-tuning HealthKit and HomeKit so that they may become just as valuable.

    Our Dog Days of Summer, Back-to-Class promotion is in full swing with some of the best deals we have ever offered on Macs and iPads. Be sure to check out the savings! The weather hasn’t exactly been typical (or tropical) with night time temperatures in the low 50s and highs during the day staying comfortably in the 70s. While most of my garden is doing great, vegetables that like heat, such as eggplants, are not doing so well up on Prickly Mountain.

    For this week’s Kibbles & Bytes special I am going “old school” and offering the 160GB iPod classic in silver so that you can carry your entire music collection with you wherever you go. And because you listen to a LOT of music, I think you need a good set of over-the-ear headphones, and what better combination than a set of original Beats Studio Headphones with active noise cancellation in bright red?! This combination normally sells for $500, but exclusively, while current supply lasts, you can get this music bundle for $75 off at $425!

    “*Make sure to get his deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001564/don-s-ipod-beats-combo

  • Nate will go over three major aspects of iPhoto: *Organization* (of course!), *Editing* and *Sharing.*

    Among dozens of other things, you’ll learn how to import, create and merge Events, how to use the built-in tools to adjust and tweak your photos for best results, and the ways in which you can easily share your photos with others.

    __Note: Topics cover features available in iPhoto ’11. Previous versions have similar relevant features, but participants may get the most out of these tips if they’re using the current version of iPhoto (found on Macs c. 2013 and later and running Mac OS 10.7+).__

  • What We'll Cover

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  • Tech Talk 101 Series: "Getting Organized with iPhoto"

    Join us *Wednesday, August 13th, for “Getting Organized with iPhoto,”* the first 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!

    Nate Poirier, Macintosh Consultant and Apple Certified Sales Professional, will present some tips and tricks during the hour-long session, with ample time for questions. Read on for details of what he’ll cover!

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    Tech Talk in South Burlington

  • SOAPBOX: The Failure of War

    Start Soapbox Each night after dinner, my wife and I watch the national news. It has been so depressing lately that, even though…

  • It is hard to believe that it is August already, but that means sweet corn! Going out to get sweet corn is one of my favorite excuses to jump on the motorcycle for a ride. I grill it on the barbecue and always tend to eat too many ears.

    Thanks for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
    _Don, Kali & Stephanie_

  • SOAPBOX: The Failure of War

    ??Start Soapbox??

    Each night after dinner, my wife and I watch the national news. It has been so depressing lately that, even though I want to be informed, I can hardly stand watching. The constant news of war and people killing each other in the name of religion, territory or riches is simply senseless.

    You know that I have often predicted in my “*annual prognostications*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/kb861/ that this would be the year of confirmed alien contact. But let me tell you, if I was an intelligent alien, I would stay way, way away from this planet. War is barbaric, uncivilized and the case can be made that wars do not solve any problems.

    I certainly see that in recent wars. We sent our sons and daughters to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan and I would challenge anyone to give me a list of problems that they have solved. In both cases, the situation is worse, not better, and thousands and thousands have died and suffered.

    The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting my entire life, and while I unequivocally support the right of Israel to exist in safe and secure borders without rockets raining down on them, I cannot justify the indiscriminate violence against Palestinian civilians which is causing such dramatic suffering. Of course, I do not have a solution to the stand-off, but it saddens me and alarms me that each side so easily slides into war as the answer.

    Syria, Ukraine, Somalia, Nigeria, Central America, Central African Republic and literally dozens of other smaller wars are causing such widespread suffering, displacement and death that I just start thinking about Albert Einstein’s famous quotation, “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

    Until we eliminate war as a means of “solving” problems, the most important challenges facing humanity — poverty, hunger, climate change, health care, education — cannot and will not be addressed, and we will slip deeper into the haves and have-nots. The strong, the weak and ultimately, innocent people will continue to be the victims.

    War is simply a failure. A failure of humanity to think clearly. Before our country went to war in Iraq, we put out a big sign in front of our headquarters that had the simple message “NO WAR.” I think it is time for us to put up another that says “END WAR.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, a notable military man, President, and General, has perhaps summed it up best:

    bq. ??”Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.”??

    ??End Soapbox??