Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Apple news, tech tips, and more…

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  • Flying With Phones

    For years, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has prevented passengers from using electronics on airplanes, largely during the takeoff and landing procedures. Particularly frustrating have been instances such as Kindle use, where the E-Ink device isn’t using any power or doing anything when a page is loaded, and uses technology comparable to a digital watch to turn the page once a minute. Being told to put devices like this away for ten minutes due to what often appears to be overcautious superstition can be demeaning and incites anger toward airlines.

    Consider this change in policy, taken from a fact sheet released this past Halloween:

    bq. “Last year, Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) Michael Huerta recognized the increasing consumer interest in the expanded use of personal electronic devices on airplanes and decided to reconsider when passengers can use the latest technologies safely during a flight.” __(FAA.gov)__

    Also on Halloween, the FAA wrote a “*press release*”:http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=15254 that announced new guidelines for airlines regarding what devices passengers can use use during flight.

    bq. “Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, with very limited exceptions. Electronic items, books and magazines, must be held or put in the seat back pocket during the actual takeoff and landing roll. Cell phones should be in airplane mode or with cellular service disabled — i.e., no signal bars displayed — and cannot be used for voice communications based on FCC regulations that prohibit any airborne calls using cell phones. If your air carrier provides Wi-Fi service during flight, you may use those services. You can also continue to use short-range Bluetooth accessories, like wireless keyboards.” (FAA.gov)

    Implementation of these policies will be a great boon in coming months to anyone who travels by air. iPhone and iPad users will soon be permitted to continue reading email or watching films during taxiing and after takeoff. The ‘no cellular usage’ is not a big issue, as not many people get signal at 32,000 feet anyway. However, if the airline offers Wi-Fi, some may soon be able to make internet phone calls during takeoff and landing.

    __(Editor’s Note: Now that’s a treat…no trickery! -KH)__

  • There’s something to be said for positivity. It’s oh so easy to grow angry out of frustration with product failure that we forget how far computing has come in the last few years. Yes, the last few years…not the last five or even the last decade.

    Most of you have no doubt encountered Moore’s Law, a postulation of exponential computing capability as opposed to linear progress. Often times, I find myself cursing at diagnostic tools in my office taking “so long” to load or data transfers taking “forever,” that I completely disregard the reality that a few years ago, working on these systems would have been an inspiration.

    And so, in the weeks since I’ve returned from New York City, I’ve made a concerted effort to change the attitude with which I enter my work. You may find it twisted, but I hope to encounter problems so that I’ll discover new ways of overcoming them. When taking tech support calls, I push myself to be extra positive with my tone of voice and my confidence that a solution can be met. Oddly, my mind seems to process things far quicker this way and I come up with options/ideas that wouldn’t have presented themselves in a negative, frustrated state.

    This week, more than ever, I encourage all of us who run into problems with technology to take it as a learning opportunity as opposed to an opportunity to complain about first world problems. Also, as ever, backing up your files will help you keep a smile on your face in the midst of technological adversity. 🙂

    Chris
    “*christopherb@smalldog.com*”:mailto:christopherb@smalldog.com

  • I am driving up to Miami on Saturday to catch the Miami Heat play my Boston Celtics. Not the rivalry that it used to be with the Celtics in rebuilding mode, but we should have a good time in South Beach at the game. The pups will be hanging out at Pampered Pet in Key West.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Don, Kali & Stephanie_

  • Order Online for In-store Pickup!

    Did you know that any of the specials or sales that are listed on “*Smalldog.com*”:http://www.smalldog.com are also available in our retail locations?

    We currently have some great specials listed, including the Brenthaven Collins Folio Case for the iPad mini (on sale now for $24.99), the Scosche StrikeDrive, a car charger for iOS devices with the new Lightning connector for just $14.99, and a full set of iPhone App Fridge Magnets at 50% off, making them just $6.99.

    You can check out which products are on sale by looking at our “*Specials page*”:http://www.smalldog.com/specials, or by signing up for our “*RSS Feed.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/rss

    You can even order right online and *select for pick up in any of the Small Dog locations: South Burlington, Waitsfield, or Rutland, VT, Manchester, NH, and even our newest location, sunny Key West, FL!*

  • Hands on: iPad Air

    I’ve seen Don write about the new iPad Air in a few of his Kibbles intros and obviously I’ve read all about it on various Apple sites, but I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t actually touch one until just a few hours ago. Yeah, I know. Fail.

    I decided to venture out of my safety zone that is the fishbowl here at Small Dog HQ and wander downstairs to the retail store so I could inspect one of these for myself. I probably shouldn’t have done so because now I want one.

    I’ve never actually purchased an iPad; however, my 87-year-old grandmother is on her third one. And not because she breaks them — she’s an “early adopter” who wants the latest and greatest model. Needless to say, she has her iPad Air on order and is ready to take on Spider Solitaire and Candy Crush on her new, super light device.

    Like everyone else’s first impression that I’ve heard, I thought, “it’s so light!” and was a little unsure of whether or not I was ??actually?? holding the iPad Air. The Air seems so much smaller than the previous generation because of the new bezel design mimicking that of the mini. It’s an illusion, as it does have the same 9.7-inch display like the rest of the full-sized iPads.

    Bottom line: I’m quite impressed and it’s going to be tough for me not to get one. You might not think they’re that impressive until you actually have one in your hands. If you haven’t checked it out yet, stop by one of our “*retail stores*”:http://www.smalldog.com/retail/visit-us-in-store-at-any-of-our-locations and play around with one on demo — you, too, will want one!

  • MAC TREAT #204: For Reinstalling, 'R' is the New 'C'

    Ever wondered how to reinstall your OS without a restore disc? Every new Mac OS update is available in the App Store, so new Macs haven’t shipped with a restore disc in a few years. In fact, many new Macs have no optical drive whatsoever. I know we’ve been saying this for a while, but the time is rapidly approaching where discs will be completely obsolete.

    I recently had a conversation with Chris B., our handy Waitsfield tech and phone support guru, where I told him that I thought I might need to reinstall Mavericks on my home iMac. To troubleshoot some of the issues I was having, he recommended some other things first — which I plan to try — but he reminded me that although restoring/reinstalling is a different process than I was used to, it is still easy and straightforward.

    So — for those of you who have gotten used to using Command-C to boot from your OS disc, listen up: ‘R’ is the new ‘C’.

    Here’s the drill:
    Hold down Command-R during startup and OS X Recovery will launch. It lets you choose from common utilities, including Disk Utility to check or repair your hard drive, erase your hard drive and reinstall a fresh copy of OS X, or restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup. Additionally, you can use Safari to get help from Apple Support online, but I imagine most users care more about the Disk Utility options that have been familiar since the dawn of the Mac OS.

    Note: As always, before reinstalling your OS, make sure you have a viable backup if possible.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    If you haven’t seen the new iPad Air yet, you should really check it out. I have spent some time with it this past week, testing cases and getting iPads set up for customers here at our store in Key West. It is simply amazing — blazing fast, super light and thin. I compared it to the original iPad 1 with a customer, and we were both amazed at how much the iPad has changed in such a short time. We quickly sold out of our initial allocation of the iPad Air but have more in stock now, so stop in at any of our stores for a first-hand look!

    It has been fun working in this newest and smallest of the Small Dog stores, meeting customers and getting ourselves established in this community. Hammerhead has been the official store greeter and seems to like it here, too. It is a bit of a new experience to greet customers in bathing suits at the store, but this is Key West, so going with the flow is the name of the game. There are lots of friendly customers and the store is off to a great start. I am pleased to report that Taylor Amon will be joining the Key West crew. Taylor will be moving from Vermont in a couple weeks to join our team here.

    The Chill Pill Audio newest speaker, the “*Chill Box,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=chill+box is popular down here. With great sound, battery life and Bluetooth connectivity, this portable speaker is perfect for so many uses. Grace and I carry one with us when we travel, and watch movies on my MacBook Pro or we take it with us to the beach. I even used it this summer in my Austin Healey. For only $99.99, it is a very nice portable speaker and a great gift for the holidays!

  • Big sound in a small package! The A2 was designed for your desktop but is also perfect for smaller rooms. A great upgrade…

  • Notes on Mavericks (A Cautionary Tale)

    Mac OS 10.9, Mavericks, was released recently, and surprise: it’s free! Let’s just start downloading, amiright? Well, sort of. Here are some things…

  • Order Online for In-store Pickup!

    Did you know that any of the specials or sales that are listed on “**Smalldog.com**”:http://www.smalldog.com are also available in our retail locations?

    We currently have some great specials listed, including the Brenthaven Collins Folio Case for the iPad mini (on sale now for $24.99), the Scosche StrikeDrive, a car charger for iOS devices with the new Lightning connector for just $14.99, and a full set of iPhone App Fridge Magnets at 50% off, making them just $6.99.

    You can check out which products are on sale by looking at our “**Specials page**”:http://www.smalldog.com/specials, or by signing up for our “**RSS Feed.**”:http://www.smalldog.com/rss

    You can even order right online and **select for pick up in any of the Small Dog locations: South Burlington, Waitsfield, or Rutland, VT, Manchester, NH, and even our newest location, sunny Key West, FL!**

  • APP REVIEW: Limbo

    Limbo: perfect game for Halloween night (or any other night actually)! Limbo, by Playdead, is probably one of my favorite games of all…

  • It has been fun working in the new store here in Key West and getting a taste of the island life. I know my team figured I would be spending a lot of time on the beach or under the water, but so far it has been busy days of work.

    I hope I get some time off to tour around and play over the next few weeks while I am here, but I love meeting customers and talking with them — not only about the great products we sell, but how they use them and what brought them in to Small Dog Electronics.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
    _Don, Kali & Stephanie_