Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Small Dog Gift Guide: Staff Picks

    It may be Friday the 13th, but we’re feeling more generous than superstitious. We’ve asked a few of our employees what their favorite gifts are this season — either to get or to give, of course — and we have highlighted a few of the best. (For those of you on a budget, don’t worry; check out the article below for our best gifts under $25!)

    *Will,* __Product Manager:__

    * *Retina anything* – *from $449.99*
    That’s right, Apple has added the crystal-clear Retina screens to just about everything, so naturally I want them all (I guess I’m spoiled because once you see it, non-Retina displays just start to look fuzzy…!). The “*iPad mini with Retina*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=iPad+mini+with+retina is the latest to join the party and it’s stunning! A 7-inch display packing more pixels than a new 4K TV. We’ve also got the new “*13-inch*”:http://www.smalldog.com/Macs/MacBook_Pro/13in/With_Retina_Display and “*15-inch*”:http://www.smalldog.com/Macs/MacBook_Pro/15in/With_Retina_Display Retina MacBook Pros where 1080p appears to look small. Of course, there’s also the “*iPad Air,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/iPads/ipad/iPad_Air the lightest, thinnest, most awesome iPad yet. Happy Retina Holiday to all…!

    * “*Drobo 5D*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/82341?utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast&utm_campaign=Kibbles – *$699.99*
    For all those storage hogs on your list (know a photographer or videographer?), nothing beats the new Drobo 5D. A 5-bay RAID unit with Thunderbolt connectivity that can be configured with up to 20TBs. That __twenty__ with a two and zero; crazy storage capacity. Plus, it has a slot for an mSATA card that can be used for super fast transfers for the stuff you use every day. The best part is that with Drobo software, you don’t have to fill it all at once or even with identical drives. It’s the gift that keeps giving — well, more storage space, at least.

    * “*WeMo*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/82549?utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast&utm_campaign=Kibbles – *$99.99*
    The DIY home automation toy for the “has everything already” person on your list. Use the WeMo switch to to control your Christmas lights or check on your significant other who “forgets” to turn things off in the morning. Use the light switch to take control of the lights in or outside your house. Driving home from work in these dark and cold northeast nights, ensure the lights are on when you pull in with remote-accessible light switches. Or for the prankster, it’s a way to have fun with family and friends — hook the switch up to the TV and right when the a pivotal play is happening in the big game, oooops! Who did that? 🙂 *Get free shipping through 12/18* with code *KBWeMo*!

    *Hapy,* __President and CFO:__

    * “*Apple TV*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/80135?utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast&utm_campaign=Kibbles – *$99.99*
    I find myself using this awesome device more and more! Apple has updated them to pack even more entertainment choices. My #1 use is actually just as a wireless sound router so I can use AirPlay from my MacBook, iPad, or iPhone, and rock the house from my iTunes library, though Netflix and iTunes movie rentals are a close second. It hasn’t quite replaced my satellite TV as my television provider, but it is starting to be 50/50 whether I am watching feeds from the satellite or from my Apple TV. Use code *KBTV* to get *free shipping through 12/18!*

    * “*AirPort Express Base Station*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/83765?utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast&utm_campaign=Kibbles – *$79.99*
    We have Apple Factory Refurbished AirPort Expresses for $79.99, so there has never been a better time to extend your network in your home. These also feature an audio output port, so I can use AirPlay to stream music to my stereo system from my MacBook, iPad, or iPhone, which is awesome!

    *Rob,* __Business Solutions Manager:__

    * *Photo Book from iPhoto* – *from $29.99*
    So here’s one that adds some personalization! I love this feature in iPhoto — you can take the pictures on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and with a few simple clicks, produce a very nice Photo Book that your family will love. Go to your iPhoto Library, find the photos you want to use, and click Share at the bottom. You’ll have the option to select ‘Book’ under the Create menu. Go get it started! (Currently using iPhoto 9, though the options may be available in earlier versions.)

    *Kali,* __Marketing Director:__

    * “*Chill Box*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001189/at_kb – $74.99 (usually $99.99)
    Chill Box speakers are my go-to this year. I feel like it’s one of those gifts that seems universal. The Chill Box doesn’t have a docking system, but that’s what I like about it — no matter what phone/device/computer/gadget the recipient has, it’s always nice to have a compatible extra set of sweet-sounding speakers around. We have four colors in stock, and I’m seriously having trouble picking which ones I like best (because I also may not be able to escape without getting myself one…after everyone else is taken care of, of course). So, dad/mom/brother/cousins, spoiler alert: I’m giving you the gift of garage/office/kitchen/bedroom sound this year. Pairs nicely with an “*iTunes Gift Card!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Gifts_and_Swag/Gift_Cards_and_Certificates

    For more holiday gift ideas and special deals, visit “*Smalldog.com/holiday*”:http://www.smalldog.com/holiday?utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast&utm_campaign=Kibbles No matter what you’re getting or giving this holiday season, be sure to share it with family and friends!

  • iPad Air IN STOCK

    What has been our most-requested gift this year? You guessed it: iPad Air. Between the buzz that Apple has created around the newest and thinnest iPad yet and the zealous gift-givers of the world, it’s been at the top of many lists.

    *We now have select iPad Air models in stock* (in limited quantities, because, you know, it seems to work like that) *in all five of our locations.*

    “*See all models here.*”:http://smalldog.com/iPads?mc%5B%5D=iPad+Air

    Hurry in to grab one and cross that baby off your list!

  • _Dear Friends,_

    It was zero on my way to work this morning and my car was out of spritzer fluid, so it really seemed like the depth of winter. I had to stop and grab some snow to wipe on my windshield to see better. At one point on the East Warren road, I had to slow down to let a rafter of wild turkeys cross the road, happy that Thanksgiving was over and that they made it!

    Meanwhile, when I check the cameras in our Key West store, I see customers in shorts and swimsuits, but the holiday season is clearly in full swing as many customers are coming into our stores to check out the latest iPads, Macs and the great bargains we have on headphones, speakers and other accessories. This year we are devoting 1% of our sales at retail to charitable organizations, the *Vermont Food Bank* here in Vermont, and animal rescue organizations in Manchester and Key West. I am very moved by the positive reactions we have gotten from our choice to give back rather than overly discount.

    We have a fairly extensive collection of headphones and earbuds at each of our stores and online, with offerings from Beats, Urbanears, Sennheiser and JVC. With a wide selection of colors and styles, we hope to be the go-to store for headphones. We also have a big selection of speakers, and if you haven’t checked out our own Chill Box or the Chill Pill Speakers by Chill Pill Audio, I urge you to come in and listen.

    As you look at Apple products like iPads and Macs, remember that AppleCare is a vital addition to that purchase. With a Mac, AppleCare Protection extends the hardware warranty from 1-year to 3-years and free technical support from Apple from 90-days to 3 years. The cost of AppleCare is less that almost any potential out-of-warranty repair so it is a great value. With iPads and iPhones, AppleCare Plus extends the 1-year warranty to 2 years and free technical support from 90-days to 2 years, but __also__ adds accidental damage coverage so if you drop that iPad and it is run over by that snowplow behind you, as long as you have the pieces (for a low deductible), Apple will replace that unit!

    *Of course, through 12/31, you’ll get a $50 gift card with any Mac and AppleCare purchase,* with some additional discounts in-store as well. See our best and brightest holiday specials at “*Smalldog.com/holiday!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/holiday?utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast&utm_campaign=Kibbles

  • Editor's Note: Mavericks Installation Options

    In “*our last issue,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/techtails/tt894/ we incorrectly listed the author of Mavericks Installation Options. The article was written instead by Taylor Amon. (Sorry, Taylor!)

  • Storage Too Full

    MacBook Air, by its physical nature, has less data storage capacity than its traditional HDD-utilizing brethren. While read/write speed is remarkably better, those professionals who own Airs or Pro Retinas and have enormous libraries of music, photos, and/or videos will discover they require external hard drives for their complete collections.

    Then there are those of us who know that we don’t have thousands of large media files. Even the surest among us can, however, get choked in the storage department and I speak as the (usually) happy owner of a MacBook Air housing a meager 64GB SSD.

    I’m never too surprised to have customers with the same machine come in with the same system warnings — that their startup disk is almost full. My latest Air check-in had this issue and, though her user directory clearly indicated the culprit was somewhere within, it was not in the obvious places: photos, music, and movies. Holding the option key, I clicked “Go” in the toolbar to access the Library directory (this user had 10.7) and discovered a large directory in Application Support called iLifeAssetManagement, taking up almost 20GB — quite a substantial amount on a 64GB drive.

    Upon a quick foray into Google, I learned the iLifeAssetManagement directory is where OS X stores Photo Stream data; that is, if you’ve configured iCloud. See, if you’re manually adding photos to the iPhoto library from your iOS device (or using Aperture or even Image Capture), Photo Stream is going to be duplicating whatever you’re copying unless you’re super diligent about trimming what’s in there: most of us aren’t, and besides, Photo Stream is one of the most reliable and easy ways to cloud-back up your photos.

    In most users’ cases, this situation won’t come up though it has come up enough for the lovely people at OS X Daily to write an article about it. The solution for a majority of Tech Tails readers is obvious: choose how you want to get your photos onto your Mac and just use that method. If you want to make sure to do this correctly, check out the OS X Daily article for detailed steps and screenshots.

    A final word of advice: from time to time, investigate your startup disk and see what’s taking up space (highlight a directory and hold Command+I to Get Info) and, if you see something abnormally large, make it a learning opportunity.

  • Cross-Platform Diagnostic Software

    Apple provides some excellent diagnostic tools, particularly for newer hardware. But memory and hard disks often require third party utilities to troubleshoot thoroughly. The Mac operating system also supports many fantastic third-party utilities. However, as Apple computers fully support most other operating systems and software, this allows us to use a wide range of software tools. Two utilities we use often are pieces of Windows software.

    The primary disk scanning software we rely on is Victoria. Victoria is a hard disk surface scan software that runs under Windows, and provides a low-level scan of the entire disk for either SATA or IDE drives. It reports on each individual block, and sorts them into categories based on health. We use a bootable utility disk named “*Hiren’s BootCD*”:http://www.hirensbootcd.org for running it. This is a free download for a bootable CD with a lightweight Windows XP installation. It contains many utilities, some of which will be relevant to Mac troubleshooting, and some not. Unfortunately the current version, 15.2, does not support the keyboards on Apple computers, which renders it useless (so we use the older 15.0).

    “*MemTest86*”:http://www.memtest86.com is an incredibly lightweight (several-hundred kilobytes) utility, which similar to Hiren’s BootCD, is burned to a CD and booted off of. MemTest86 thoroughly tests all Random Access Memory in the computer it runs on, with virtually no overhead. Whereas running memory tools in a standard operating system prevents the test from finding errors in the sections of RAM actively used by the operating system. While it looks like a Windows bluescreen error, it will give an obvious red highlight if an error is found. MemTest86 is also available on the Hiren’s BootCD.

    If you are so inclined as to give these a try, some research into using these tools effectively is definitely recommended before diving in. With the BootCD in particular, we definitely recommend caution, as there are many tools on the disc for erasing drives and other such activities. We are not responsible for any issues caused by using these!

  • How to Create a Recent App Stack

    If you have been using Macs for a while, you may have noticed in 10.5 Apple introduced a new feature called Stacks. Stacks are shortcuts to the contents of folders right on your dock. Here is a Terminal trick that will allow you to create a stack that will show the most recently used applications. All you need to do is open up the Terminal application and enter the following:

    *defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add ‘{ “tile-data” = { “list-type” = 1; }; “tile-type” = “recents-tile”; }’*

    After that you should see a new line appear, enter:

    *killall Dock*

    This will restart the dock, and you will see a Stack called *”recent applications.”*

  • So it happened.

    Mother Nature finally gave out and snow hit the grass here in New Hampshire. Vermont probably got hit a little earlier than we did, especially up in the northern part of the state. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, though. I was able to clear off my car in no time and the roads were clear, as if nothing ever happened. I wish winter would always be like that and maybe I wouldn’t despise it most of the time…

    The holiday season is here and if you’re buying a gift for Christmas, there’s no better way to prepare than to come into Small Dog and learn about the hottest gifts we have. Find out what makes that new MacBook, iMac or iOS device — that’s why we’re here. Of course, when you purchase any Mac and AppleCare, you get a $50 Small Dog gift card to give to someone else (or keep for yourself). There’s no expiration date! We also have really great discounts on other hot brands and products, so come check out our selection of headphones, speakers, and more.

    Without any further ado, I bring you Tech Tails!

    Have a great week everyone!

    Barry
    “*barry@smalldog.com*”:mailto:barry@smalldog.com

  • With MOTO TC Monster, your house becomes a (virtual) smoke-filled, mud-spattered arena as your iPhone puts you behind the wheel of a monster…

  • Still adjusting to the change in climate, but I found my winter boots and clothes and am searching for snow tires for my new rig. My Infiniti comes with Infiniti “personal assistant” that I got to test on my way back from Key West.

    It was getting late, and we needed to find a place to hole up that allowed dogs. So, I pushed the button and was connected to my assistant, who found a place nearby, made the reservation — and here’s the part that impressed me — she was able to send turn-by-turn directions right to the GPS in my car. Gotta love technology!

    Thanks for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
    _Don, Kali & Stephanie_

  • SPECIAL | Get $10 off Urbanear Plattan + Get Free Coloud In-Ear Headphones

    Urbanear headphones are the best! Coming in tons of fun colors, they are sure to be a hit for yourself or a gift for a loved one. For the Holidays, we’re offering *$10 off* Urbanears Plattan over-ear headphones as well as throwing in a *free* pair of Coloud in-ear headphones. That’s a serious deal for the serious music lover!