Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • SMTP, POP3 and IMAP Mail Settings

    Other common questions we get from customers at the Service Counter involve email on their portable Apple devices. The most common one is: “I changed my email password this morning, and I can receive new mail, but I can’t send mail anymore. I get an error that my password is incorrect, but I’ve re-entered it and know it’s right.”

    SMTP, POP3 and IMAP are all protocols for communicating with mail servers. A protocol is simply a set of rules for how an email client (Outlook, OS X’s Mail, your iPhone, etc) communicate with your mail provider’s servers (Gmail, Hotmail, FAHC, GMAVT, UVM, etc.).

    Clients use either POP3 or IMAP to receive mail from mail servers, and SMTP to send mail to servers. For receiving mail, IMAP is newer, and today, more implemented than POP3. IMAP is a two way highway between your device (called the “client”) and your provider. It can completely sync all of your different configured devices, phone, computers at work and home, tablet, etc., with the provider’s server. So if you read, write, delete or move mail around in folders on one device, it is synced with the server and then with all of your other devices.

    POP3 is less flexible. It was used heavily when server space was less available for providers to allow long term storage for all of customer’s email. Mail clients configured to use POP3 instead of IMAP as their receiving email protocol can download their email, which they can then keep on their computer/device while at the same time deleting it from the server. Then all mail is kept locally. This was popular when email storage space was limited AND one’s only access to email was from a single computer at home or work.

    SMTP is the protocol for sending mail from a client to a mail server. Mail goes from your client to the mail server differently than it is received. Why this is so doesn’t really matter here, but when you change your email password, the important thing to remember is that on many devices, including iPhones, you must change your password for both incoming and outgoing email.

    If after a password change for your email, you find you can receive mail on your iOS device but can’t send it, there is just one more step to take care of it:

    * From the “Home” screen, tap the “Settings” icon
    * Tap *”Mail, Contacts, Calendars”*
    * Select the account you wish to modify
    * Tap *”SMTP”* under *”Outgoing Mail Server”*
    * Tap the *primary server*
    * Enter your new password in the *”Password”* field

    After that, you should have no problems sending mail.

  • Adobe Suite CS6 Master Collection

    The Adobe Suite CS6 Master Collection includes the major Adobe products: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Flash, Premiere, and Fireworks, along with a host of other additional programs that compliment these, such as Flash Builder, Bridge, and Prelude. The CS6 suite doesn’t feel like as much of an upgrade as CS5 did, but there are some solid improvements.

    Every program has now adopted the darker color theme After Effects has used for prior versions, allowing you to focus more on your work than on the interface. They’ve also consolidated the many individual windows and panels into one frame, as opposed to several like before. Each program includes one window, which makes the interface more organized.

    I’ve also noticed they’ve made integration with other programs a lot easier. There are plugins and individual components that help integrate Cinema 4D (a 3D-rendering program) with After Effects, and vice versa, and there’s more support for SVG files in Illustrator and Photoshop.

    Though the improvements are nice, in a way, CS6 feels more like a software update as opposed to an entirely new release of the programs. If they had included the early versions of their upcoming line of products — the Adobe Edge programs — then it would have felt worth the price tag.

    Web design and development seem to be a fast-evolving arena right now, with new little tools and add-ons popping up every week online, so I’m surprised a company like Adobe didn’t try to have more of a stake here. Maybe those will be included in their now member-based suite, Creative Cloud.

  • !(image)http://blog.smalldog.com/images/3049.jpg!

    Our Manchester, NH, Rutland, VT, S. Burlington, VT, and Key West, FL stores have their own Facebook pages!

    Keep up-to-date with local news, classes, and specials for the location nearest you.

    Like us:

    * “**Manchester, NH Retail Store Facebook Page**”:https://www.facebook.com/smalldognh
    * “**Rutland, VT Retail Store Facebook Page**”:https://www.facebook.com/smalldogrld
    * “**S. Burlington, VT Retail Store Facebook Page**”:https://www.facebook.com/smalldogsbtv
    * “**Key West, FL Retail Store**”:https://www.facebook.com/smalldogkw

    You can find our company Facebook page here:

    * “**Small Dog Electronics HQ**”:https://www.facebook.com/hellosmalldog

  • Mac Insomnia

    From time to time, customers come in with a general issue that their laptop or desktop doesn’t ‘sleep’ when they tell it to. Occasionally, I’ve seen this on my own computers since I switched to a Mac. Sometimes, it can be an actual hardware malfunction, but most of the time, there is something within the software that prevents the computer from sleeping.

    I did some Apple forum research a while back about it, and found various suggested solutions — none of which worked for me. I finally came across a user who combined a nice little GUI to a helpful Terminal command with an application called “Sleep Check.”

    Sleep Check essentially makes use of the Terminal command *”pmset -g assertions”*. The command itself lists certain power assertions in the Mac OS that, when active, will prevent the system from sleeping. One example of these power assertions is Internet Sharing, which allows you to share the internet connection on one computer with another computer or device.

    While the coding in Terminal can be incomprehensible to the average user, “Sleep Check” adds a very simple, but pleasant interface to the power assertions command, informing you exactly what is preventing your system from sleeping, and how to disable it. When these conditions have been disabled, Sleep Check will finally put your Mac to sleep.

    Sleep Check is a very small, unobtrusive application that takes up about 98KB of hard drive space.

    “*Downloaded it here.*”:http://blog.graceabundant.com/2011/08/29/mac-osx-lion-not-sleeping/

  • *Greetings from Manchester!*

    With Fall in full swing, the leaves are not the only thing changing — our store is, too! As you already know, Apple’s latest addition to the iPhone family is bursting with new colors and offers budget-friendly answers to those stuck in 2-year contracts. iOS 7 has received mixed reviews from consumers, but those of us in the know understand the upgraded speed and functionality that it brings, and can help you with any questions.

    iPad in Business was a solid success, with many Manchester business leaders and professionals in attendance. The 100-year-old Palace Theatre served as a whimsical backdrop for Peter Kerns from Apple to present some of the newest innovations available.

    Apple’s refresh of the iMac line-up makes them more powerful than ever. All five of our retail stores now have the new iPhone 5s and 5c available to take a test drive, so head on in. Can’t decide on what color you want? Buy all of ’em and give them as holiday gifts to your friends and family!

    Sean Bourque, __Manchester Retail Store Manager__
    “**sean@smalldog.com**”:mailto:sean@smalldog.com

  • October Specials | 10.2013

    “*iPhone cases $5 off*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=iphone.

    “*Speck Cases for MacBook Pro $10 off*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=speck+macbook+pro&page=1

    “*Urbanears $15 off*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=urbanears.

    “*Save up to $20 of iHome*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=ihome.

  • _Greetings!_

    Fall is here, and I went to the first (and probably my only) fair this past weekend. The Deerfield Fair, in Deerfield, NH, is what I believe to be the best fair in the NH area and by far has the largest turnout. It’s always crazy to get in and all I really do is gorge on tons of unhealthy food — but it’s always worth it. I love fall more than any other season with all the seasonal foods and beers. It’s nice to wear layers once again.

    Apple just released an update to iOS 7 — 7.0.2. This update fixes the security issue where one could bypass the lock screen without entering a passcode via the Control Panel. I also like to think that it makes my phone a little zippier, but that could just be me. I do love iOS 7 more and more every day — I have been using it for about 4-5 months now, so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me an email. I’ll always answer to the best of my ability.

    Have a great week and layer up!

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

  • This used MacBook features a fast 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, large 120GB hard drive, 2GB of memory standard with the…

  • Grace and I are hopping into our cars with the three dogs and a bunch of stuff for the drive down to Key West where we will be spending the next 60 days or so helping to get that store going. I have a trip to New Mexico and China in there, too, but it should be fun to work on this new venture down south; I am really looking forward to the challenges.

    Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Don, Kali & Stephanie_

  • iOS 7 and the Myths of Upgrading

    I’m sure iOS 7 is not going to be easy for a lot of people and I’ll even admit, when I downloaded the beta several months ago, there were some aspects that had me disappointed at first glance. There is sort of a feeling that you have no choice about whether or not to upgrade, but I want to clear that up a little bit.

    Some concerns people have with iOS 7 speaks to a macroscopic issue with technology, i.e. that invariably all hardware/software evolves over time and the aesthetic manifestation of such change is arbitrary by nature. Somebody (or some company) has to make an executive decision about how a system will look and function. There is no way to please everybody, so it works by the law of averages — what’s going to work best for the most people.

    Consumer technology that succeeds is always utilitarian. You can see evidence of this with companies like Alienware, a company that designs machines specifically for gamers since that’s their only market. They know that they will never be a household name like Apple because their scope is too focused.

    One of my largest gripes with the 21st century is that we are not doing an honest job teaching consumers — particularly elder consumers — how to properly transition into large-scale computer implementation in daily life. It used to be, as recently as 20 years ago, that to get the most out of a computer, you would need to know how to program and have memorized a litany of line-item keyboard commands.

    Consumers were given the Kool-Aid when graphical user interfaces became mainstream on Windows and Mac, making it easier for “anyone” to use a computer. Unfortunately, the technology was not — and still is not! — foolproof, and in order to get the most out of our devices, there is a certain level of tech literacy one needs to possess. It’s like having a car; the more you understand about how it works and how to maintain it, the less likely you are to have an expensive repair.

    With computers and mobile devices, they don’t do just one thing [vis-a-vis drive you from point A to point B as a car would], but rather they facilitate (or try to facilitate) multiple aspects of our lives.

    Technology can be a little bit misleading in that everybody expects it “just to work,” because that’s how companies like Apple sell their products. In a majority of cases, the device does “just work” and you can go on your merry way cluttering your desktop, not keeping your files organized, etc. and expecting that over the years the computer will continue to “just work.” These are the sorts of people who don’t do a lot of research or, if they do, they find the wrong sources, and feel they have to, for instance, upgrade to the latest operating system immediately.

    In the case of iOS 7 you __did not__ have to upgrade right away. It is very unfortunate that Apple, or the tech industry in general, makes customers feel that you are forced to upgrade. In a lot of cases, you are forced to upgrade because in order to run the latest version of something, it requires the latest incarnation. (See: New printer, older computer) But in key cases (like this one), it isn’t always necessary.

    Eventually though, no matter what, we all have to move forward. In order to continue using technology and to rely on it, we have to agree to the “terms and conditions” of technology consumers. One of those conditions is that, by nature of scientific achievement, the world of computing grows and shifts quicker than just about any other industry. The “good ole days” of computers could refer to as little as four years ago and that gap is continually closing.

    These topics are of great interest to me as I reconcile my frustrations with people who aren’t educated about technology with the reality that my generation/the industry just doesn’t do an honest job to get that education out there. We’re so thrilled to show you all the things that the devices can do — and there are MANY cool things you can do! — that we lose sight of the disclaimer that “this is not a self-repairing, self-sustaining system and you should learn a little bit about what can/will go wrong over time.”

    Thoughts on this? “*Email me!*”:mailto:christopherb@smalldog.com

  • REVIEW | The Way It Should Look: Apple iPhone 5 Dock

    I’ve worked here for over five years and the iPhone 5 was my first iPhone (I know, I know). When I got my iPhone 5, the first two things I wanted were AppleCare+ (I’ve broken the glass on my iPad 2 three times now) and a dock.

    I drove all the way to the Apple store in Nashua NH to buy and register AppleCare+ because, at the time, we were unable to sell it. I asked the sales associate for AppleCare+ and to point me in the direction of the new iPhone 5 docks. “There isn’t an iPhone 5 dock.” WHAT?! I was shocked.

    I know it’s not a ground breaking accessory, but it’s Apple — I just expected this to exist for the devices with the Lightning connector. My phone just didn’t look right in the multiple third party ones I tried.

    Well finally, the introduction of the iPhone 5s has also brought us the Apple Lightning Dock! As expected, it looks amazing, clean, slim, and of course, white. It contrasts nicely with my black (not Space Gray) iPhone 5. The price is in line with the previous generation Apple Docks: $29.99.

    It also has one feature that I’ve always liked: line-out. This allows you to plug in a stereo or desktop speaker system into the back of the dock. The key feature is that it disables the volume control of the device, meaning the speaker system volume is the only control, producing a cleaner sound over the stereo.

    Wondering where it’s been your whole life? “*Get yours here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/84213/apple-iphone-dock-for-iphone-5-5s