Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Apple news, tech tips, and more…

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  • Announcing the Semi-Annual Garage Sale!

    We’re clearing out faster than ever before. Though it may not be as big as past years, this summer’s “*Garage Sale*”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale still has dozens (upon dozens) of items at fantastic prices.

    With top brands including products from Apple, Beats by Dre, LaCie, Samsung and more, there’s an extremely limited quantity of these deals priced to sell out fast. You could potentially outfit your iPod, iPad or iPhone for $5 or less!

    Here are some “highlights of the haul,” with the disclaimer that things go __very__ quickly, so we cannot guarantee availability. First come, first served!

    *Lot A036 (New) – Apple iPod Shuffle (1st Gen) Dock – $2.00*
    *Lot A015 (New) – LaCie FireWire 400 to FireWire 400 data cable (6-pin to 6-pin) – $1.00*
    *Lot A102 (New) – Hammerhead 11in Sleeve for MacBook Air – Purple/Charcoal- $1.00*
    *Lot L074 (New) – DODOcase Book Cover for iPad 2 & iPad (3rd gen) – Black w/Red Liner – $10.00*
    *Lot L158 (New) – Brenthaven Prostyle II Carrying Case (Sleeve) for 15″ MacBookPro – Black/Copper – $4.00*
    *Lot P025 (Demo) – Samsung SyncMaster S19B150N 19″ LED LCD Monitor – $50.00*

    Of course, there’s a ton more, so check it out at “*Smalldog.com/garagesale*”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale! *Remember — The Famous Garage Sale is ONLINE ONLY. No calls please; orders will not be taken over the phone.* Thanks, and happy shopping!

  • Apps for the 4th

    “*Grill-It! XL – Recipes for the Grill*”:https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id364726159?mt=8

    Along with fireworks, grilling ranks up there in terms of musts for the 4th. People who have the day off want to be outside enjoying the weather and eating some delightful-charred food. Use this app on your iPad to find the perfect recipe for the grill — whether it’s meat or veggie based, you’re sure to find some inspiration here.

    “*July 4th Fun, Facts & Trivia*”:https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id494896475?mt=8

    Sure, we might celebrate this day as a National holiday, but do you know why? Use this app to quiz yourself and others and learn a thing or two while you’re at it! What did people celebrate before 1776? Find out when you download this app!

    “*NOAA Hi-Def Radar*”:https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id458225159?mt=8

    We Vermonters know we have to have a weather app on our phones at all times. We know all too well that the weather can change from being warm and sunny happiness to torrential downpour and miserable very quickly. Download this app so you know how wet or dry your fireworks or BBQ experience will be.

    “*Beer Wizard*”:https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id511370906?mt=8

    With summer holidays come BBQs, and with BBQs come eating and drinking. I gave you an app already for the eating part, so let’s move on to the drinking side of things. Nothing like a cold refreshing beer to go with that burger or dog! Check out Beer Wizard to help you pick the perfect beverage to pair with your food and mood.

    We hope everyone has a fantastic 4th of July! Be safe and enjoy the day!

  • Testimony | Steelie Car Mount

    Recently, I’ve written about RokForm, the Just Mobile Deluxe Car Kit and Belkin’s Car Tune as solutions to mount your iPhone in the car. However, I found that like most accessories, it’s all about what fits the user and in this case, your vehicle.

    While manufacturers list most accessories as being universally compatible, we all know with the way cars are set up, that just isn’t the case. Some cars’ cigarette/DC power ports are no longer openly accessible, but rather, tucked away in the center console. The suction cup on the Just Mobile is great, but not for use on all windshields or dashboards. Side note: A friend of mine forgot his phone in it one summer day and it overheated, disabling the phone until it cooled back down (if you’ve had this happen, there’s a specific “temperature” screen that appears).

    As a product manager, I have to know all this, and in turn, find a solution for everyone. I tried the *Nite Ize Steelie Car Kit* and I was skeptical at first — a magnet and my iPhone? Hmm… Well, go figure; it is one of the best iPhone accessories I’ve ever used, and not just for the car, but everyday use. The car kit comes with two pieces: a metal ball that mounts to your car and a magnet that mounts to your iPhone (or a to the case on your iPhone).

    Mounting the ball is simple; just use the included alcohol wipe to clean the spot where you want it, dry the surface, and mount the metal ball. This metal ball is what the iPhone will attach to, ensuring you can use the iPhone at any angle or tilt, in landscape or portrait view. I mounted mine pretty high since I mainly use it for GPS. If you mainly use your phone for music or hands-free calling via Bluetooth, I suggest mounting it more out of the way. Next, attach the magnet to the *center* of your iPhone. I will admit that I didn’t center mine and I regret it; luckily, you can buy replacement pieces if needed. Once you have attached both pieces via their 3M sticky, you’re ready to go.

    The phone easily attaches to the metal ball and allows for great viewing at several angles. It’s very secure (well tested on our VT dirt roads), and looks stylish when not in use. I’ve taken a few car trips using the GPS and it’s great; in line view so you don’t take your eyes off the road, and easily removed when you get out of the car. Now here’s the best part: there is a magnet on your phone, so it can now stick to __any__ metal surface.

    So why do I need a magnet on my iPhone? Think about it — in the kitchen, we need a timer or recipe up, so slap it on the fridge! In the garage, you may want to look at directions, so slap it on the tool chest out, of harm’s way. Working on the car? You guessed it, slap it on the car and watch the YouTube video on how to change your oil. It’s fantastic!

    I understand that you may not want this magnet on your phone all the time, so we’re going to give you a free sample case to stick it on if you prefer, and you’ll get free shipping on both! Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Happy 4th of July!

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Happy Independence Day! Some very powerful words were written on July 4, 1776:

    bq. ??”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”?? “*See it here.*”:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Us_declaration_independence.jpg

    My home town of Warren, VT has a great parade today and I will be found someplace under the Prickly Mountain people-powered float which remains a secret — known only to the about 200 people involved in building and carrying it. Later, it is the traditional strawberry daiquiri party up at my house and fireworks up at Sugarbush that night. Happy Birth Day USA!

    Be sure to check out Small Dog Speaks each Thursday on Radio Vermont, WDEV. Emily and I will talk about Macs, iPhones, iPads, the weather, horses, dogs, motorcycles or just about anything. And we will answer your questions on the air. You can catch the “*stream here*”:http://i1.stretchinternet.com:8000/wdev or give us a call between 1 and 2 each Thursday at 877.291.8255!

    My Kibbles & Bytes exclusive this week is on our Hammerhead Jacket case for the iPhone 5 or 5s. We have many different colors and styles of this rugged case including our own exclusive “Hammerflage” design. This week only for Kibbles & Bytes readers, we have a BOGO on Hammerhead Jacket cases — buy one, get one! I know you might like to change up your case from time to time, so here’s a great way to get two rugged Hammerhead Jacket cases for only $14.99!

    “*Grab this bundle here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001541

  • iOS 8: The next big thing!

    Coming this fall, an **all new operating system for your iOS devices!** Apple calls it “the world’s most advanced mobile operating system” and it seems as though they may be correct. A couple of interesting features have already been released, as well as many others that will arise with the experience of using it. 

    **iPhoto:** every photo on every device will now be available on the iCloud Photo Library. It occurs automatically, and there is a ton of new editing options to go along with it!
    **iMessaging:** make it more personal than ever by adding your actual voice to the message! 
    **Keyboard:** the keyboard will suggest sentence completions, using vocabulary pertinent to the receiver!
    **iCloud Drive:** you can now work on any file at any time on any device!

    Our CEO and Top Dog, Don, has already been using the beta, and after the last update, seems to be really happy with it! We will be **updating our class offerings** once the new software is released to the public, so stay tuned for info on those if you’re in the Rutland area.

    The operating system seems to be capable of nearly anything! It will be available to the iPhone 4s, 5, 5c, and 5s, the iPad 2, 3, 4, Air, and both iPad minis.

  • Meet Keith

    Today I want to take a moment to introduce Keith Macleod. Keith has been a member of the South Burlington team for just shy of a year. Our own computer gaming guru, Keith is the man to see if you need help getting the best gaming performance out of your machine. Want some suggestions on fun iOS games and apps? Keith has you covered there too (check out his article on Monument Valley!). All of this knowledge comes from Keith’s aspirations to one day start a video game company himself. Other than video games, Keith is extremely knowledgeable about film photography and computer networking. So if you need any help, regardless of whether its on what game to play or what router to buy, come to SB and talk and look for Keith. 

  • Get Ready to Go 'Mac' to School!

    Hello from Small Dog in South Burlington! We’ve had another exciting month at Small Dog as we finally get a taste of Vermont’s short and sweet summer. June has been full of great promotions, and incredible announcements from Apple that have all of us anticipating the fall releases.

    We’re in the middle of summer now, or as we like to refer to them, “Dog Days,” but that hasn’t stopped us from gearing up for back to school. We’re excited to announce our back to school campaign is live until September 14, so you’ll have plenty of time to get yourself or your child ready to go back.

    We’ve gotten aggressive with the savings this time, and you’ll find that we have some of the best around (and even more savings than that giant company I won’t name…). You can save **up to $250** on a Mac bundle, and **up to $100** on an iPad bundle. The Canon Pixma MX472 is already discounted $25, and you’ll save an **additional $20** on top of that when you purchase with any Mac (final price: $54.99).

    Our Mac bundle includes a 4th year of labor, which is fantastic for all of those students headed to school for the next four years. The AppleCare Protection Plan covers three years of parts and labor for a new machine (plus Apple phone support), so covering at least the labor cost should something break in that fourth year is a worthwhile investment. Any of our sales associates can tell you more!

    Check out the specials at “**Smalldog.com/dogdays**”:http://www.smalldog.com/dogdays and come on in to any of our stores to pick up everything you need to head “Mac” to school.

    Keep in mind that our special financing promotion is running simultaneously, so qualified applicants may be able to may an interest-free purchase for up to 18 months! Of course, terms apply, so you can check out more at “**Smalldog.com/finance**”:http://www.smalldog.com/finance or ask any one of our sales associates.

    That’s it for now — please enjoy this month’s collection of news, reviews, specials and more, and we hope to see you in the store!

    -Patrick
    “**patrickm@smalldog.com**”:mailto:patrickm@smalldog.com

  • The emails are already flying about just what the Prickly Mountain 4th of July parade float will be this year. We tend to wait until the last possible moment to make the choice, have a strict $300 budget and our floats are always people-powered. My place is usually someplace under the float where we have installed cupholders to use as I carry the float down the parade route.

    Grace and I are heading down to Boston on Monday to catch the Cubs vs. the Red Sox but we still want to get out to Wrigley sometime this year to see the Cubbies, too.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Stephanie & Mike D._

  • SPECIAL | Buy Two Lightning Cables, Get a Free Dual Port USB Charger

    A Lightning cable to end all Lightning cables! This Apple MFI Certified Cable was designed with aluminum ends for durability and a flat design for zero tangles!

    Buy two of these and you get a *FREE Hammerhead Dual Port USB Charger for iPhone/ iPad & iPod* The Hammerhead Dual Port USB Charger features two USB ports and 12 watts of power output which means you can easily and quickly charge two devices at one time.

    *Enjoy this special for the next week!*

  • Just a Few Days Left for Dads & Grads Specials

    There’s just a few days left (until *6/30*) to take advantage of our Dads & Grads specials that we are running “*in-store*”:http://www.smalldog.com/retail and “*online.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/dadsandgrads/ If you still haven’t bought your grad anything, there’s still time!

    Our in-store financing, however, will still be going strong through the end of the year. Every product in the store is eligible (excluding services). There’s no minimum requirement for 6-month financing, and if you purchase an iPad or Mac, you may qualify for either 12- or 18-month financing, pending approval.

    * *6* month offer: No minimum amount
    * *12* month offer: Purchases of $499 – $998
    * *18* month offer: Purchases of $999 and up (until 10/31)

    Click here for more details: “**Smalldog.com/finance**”:http://www.smalldog.com/finance

  • Last Week it Was iMac, This Week it's iPod

    Yesterday, Apple announced an update to the iPod touch. Nothing major (those announcements are always saved for their Keynote presentations ) but it may excite some of you out there.

    A while back, you may recall, Apple released a 16GB touch that was pretty much a dumbed-down version of their 32GB and 64GB versions — no rear-facing camera, only came in silver, etc.

    However, now every 16GB iPod touch comes in all colors (pink, blue, yellow, black and silver), and has a rear-facing iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording, 4-inch Retina display, A5 chip, and a front-facing FaceTime camera for selfies and video chat.

    The 16GB will come in at $199, 32GB at $249 and the 64GB at $299. With the decline in iPod sales over the years, it seems like a good move on Apple’s part — even if it’s still one of the top sellers in the non-cellphone media players category.

    “*Check them all out here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Apple/iPod/iPod_touch/

  • HDD or SSD … What's the Difference?

    SSDs (Solid State Drives) are “flashing” on to the scene and altering the entire computer storage landscape as we know it. So why are SSDs being utilized more now than the traditional hard drive (HDD) and how are they different from one another? Well, let me tell you…

    The traditional spinning HDD has a stack of physical discs or “plates” that will spin at a rate of at least 5400RPM and has an arm that moves back and forth to read the information stored on these plates. On these plates is where all of your information is stored: your photos, documents, music, etc.

    Conversely, an SSD has chips that do not move at all. On these chips are, you guessed it, all of your information: your photos, documents, music and so forth. The SSD is nothing more than a big ol’ thumb drive that’s built into your computer and holds much more information. Having more individual moving parts, like an HDD does, means there is the possibility of smaller issues arising with each separate part, therefore creating more opportunities for malfunction of the hardware or, in some extreme cases, complete drive failure. With an SSD, there are no moving parts hence there is much less opportunity for the same types of failures and malfunctions. The fact that there are no moving parts is how they get the name “Solid State”.

    With the traditional HDD, you typically will have more room for storing information. While the SSDs have typically less storage space, the access speed to the data on the drive is almost 3 times faster than that of the HDD, allowing ??everything?? on your computer to communicate at a faster rate. This means that your applications, install times and updates will run that much faster.

    Why choose a Solid State Drive over a traditional spinning hard drive? Because they are faster and more reliable, saving you headaches in the future. They are definitely a SOLID choice!