Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/3611.gif!:http://www.smalldog.com/seminars

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Our neighbor who rents us space in his barn to store stuff in the winter called me yesterday and said, “I read in Kibbles & Bytes that you are a connoisseur of local sweet corn.” He then came over with an armload of corn, which turned out to be some of the most flavorful of the season. Recently,I mentioned my favorite snack bar, Maynards, on our radio show, Small Dog Speaks, and got a free lunch. Hmmm…I really like fast cars, motorcycles and vacations in Jamaica…

    Labor Day has passed, and Maynards is closed for the season. I have seen an occasional tree turn colors already, but there is still plenty of harvesting to come this month (although there is frost in the forecast for tonight). The special GE financing program that we have been running for the past few months has ended, but we are keeping our relationship with GE intact and will be offering a Small Dog Electronics special financing program in our stores through November that offers interest-free financing for 6 months.

    We have some awesome Apple AirPort wireless networking specials going on right now. Apple refurbished AirPort Expresses for only $79.99, Apple refurbished AirPort Extremes for only $139.99, and new discontinued 2 TB Time Capsules for only $239.99. But wait! There’s more! It is still Mac-to-School time at Small Dog and these “*Time Capsules are $40 off*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900000934/mts-40-off-apple-time-capsule-2tb-dualband at $199.99 until the 15th. (For your student or student of life!)

    We are all looking forward to the iPhone event and inevitable product announcements next Tuesday, as well as Apple’s announcement in China on Wednesday. We will be launching our own iPhone trade-in program to coincide with the expected announcements of iPhones next week, and we will have details soon to share with you. We plan to offer a very competitive trade-in price for your iPhone that may make upgrading to the newer models easier.

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  • New England-based Apple Specialist Announces New Store in Key West

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact:
    Kate Paine, Marketing Partners, Inc.
    Burlington, Vermont
    802-864-6710
    “*kpaine@marketing-partners.com*”:mailto:kpaine@marketing-partners.com

    bq. *Macintosh Systems Solutions announces the sale of the business to New England-based Apple Specialist Small Dog Electronics.*

    bq. KEY WEST, FL – Macintosh Systems Solutions is pleased to announce the sale of our Truman Avenue store to Small Dog Electronics. “We are thrilled that we could find a fellow Apple Specialist that is as concerned with customer service as we are,” said Kim Bassett, President. “We have been happy to serve the needs of the entire Keys community for over 12 years and welcome Don Mayer and his company to the Florida Keys.”

    bq. Small Dog Electronics, the legendary New England-based Apple specialist and Apple Authorized Service store, announces the debut of its newest retail store in Key West, Fl. With the opening of the store in the heart of Key West’s resort hub at 1001 Truman Avenue, the store will feature Mac computers, iPods, iPads and other accessories in Apple’s extensive product line.

    bq. “Perfect for Mac enthusiasts, techies, graphic designers and new customers alike, Small Dog Electronics store in Key West will create a completely different customer service experience for both techies and techie wannabes,” said Don Mayer, Small Dog’s CEO and general ‘Top Dog.’ (He’s passing the Top Dog torch to his CFO/COO son, Hapy Mayer in October.)

    bq. Small Dog Electronics was born from very humble beginnings in a small resort town in rural Vermont about 20 years ago. “The business, in fact, was started in my garage,” Don recalls. “We’ve grown a lot since those days and have since expanded our products and services within Vermont, then to NH and now we decided it was time to head south and what better local, resort place to be than Key West? Key West is very similar to Small Dog’s hometown of Waitsfield, VT and Sugarbush Ski Resort (except if you substitute mountains for beaches and subzero temps for upper 80s and sunshine).

    bq. “We know the locals in store communities; they’re our friends, our employees and our neighbors,” Don says. “We’ve seen that similar sense of community exists in Key West and Small Dog wants to be a part of that.”

    bq. Known for its socially responsible business practices, fulfilling a need and giving back within their community, hiring local people who are excited about providing top-notch customer service and having fun while doing just that is essential. Small Dog was the first Apple retailer in the country to establish an eWaste program where people can bring their outdated computers and electronics to be disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner. It’s that socially responsible consciousness which makes up their “triple bottom line”: People, Planet, Profit.

    bq. “We look forward to becoming a part of the fun-and-sun-loving crowd in Key West,” said Cindy Caminite, store manager. “To find out the latest, visit “*Smalldog.com/keywest*”:http://www.smalldog.com/keywest and stop by the store at Truman Avenue to see what we’re about, check out our certified Apple tech service, plus our fun and funky lineup of Mac accessories. Bring in your favorite 4-legged friends to say hello, too. And while the name implies ‘small dogs’ — any sized dog is welcome. There’s a new dog in town and we want to meet each of you.”

    bq. __About Small Dog Electronics__
    Small Dog Electronics, New England’s top Apple Specialist, was founded in 1994 by the father-and-son team of Don and Hapy Mayer. Small Dog has been nationally recognized as a socially and environmentally responsible company and employer. For more information about Small Dog Electronics and their five Apple-certified service and retail locations, visit “*Smalldog.com/retail*”:http://www.smalldog.com/retail

    Twitter: “*@KW_smalldog*”:http://www.twitter.com/KW_smalldog
    Facebook: “*smalldogKW*”:http://www.facebook.com/smalldogKW

    ###

  • Meet the Key West Team!

    *Cindy Caminite, Store Manager*

    I got my first Mac in 1989 and I was hooked. I was born in small town PA — no culture, no arts, no stimulation. I knew I wanted more than my little town offered, and I found it all when I moved to California. Several moves (and states) later, I decided I wanted to work in the Apple world and I found myself in Colorado.

    I became an Apple Certified Mac Technician (ACMT), which basically means I am certified to fix your Mac! When they closed my store there, I wanted to stay in the Apple world, and I am so happy to have found Small Dog Electronics. My journey to Key West has taken me through a few other cities and stores, yet one constant has been the amazing Apple community.

    We have a great team here, and we’re excited to get to know everyone here in Key West a little better — stop by the store and say hi!

    __To read more about Cindy,__ “*check out her bio here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/cindyc

    *Danielle Nguyen, Sales Associate*
    “*Read her bio.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/danielle/

    *Joe Lytton, Sales Associate*
    “*Read his bio.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/joel/

  • Greetings to the Conch Republic from the Green Mountains of Vermont!

    I’m Don Mayer, the founder and CEO of Small Dog Electronics. We are so happy to announce that we now have a retail store in beautiful Key West, Florida! We have acquired the assets of Macintosh System Solutions and have re-opened the store on Truman Avenue as the latest Small Dog Electronics location. __(See the full press release below.)__

    Small Dog Electronics was born in 1994 as an internet-based business, selling discontinued and refurbished products on the web, back in the days of AOL chat rooms. We operated out of my house in the small town of Warren, VT, until we outgrew it as demand increased (and my wife Grace told us that there was just too much styrofoam all over the place and she wanted her house back). My son, Hapy, would come over on Sundays to help me with the books, and I ultimately convinced him to join me long-term.

    As the online business model evolved, so did our strategy. A few years ago, we launched a “clicks to bricks” initiative, with a focus on brick and mortar stores. We have now expanded to include five retail locations. As we’ve grown and adapted, one thing has remained clear: we are committed to world-class customer service. Being able to provide solutions in-store and interacting with customers face-to-face is something that’s incredibly important to us.

    However, we want to have an impact in other ways. We have always identified as a socially responsible business that measures its success by a triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. Small Dog Electronics strives to provide the best working conditions and benefits to our employees, and we immerse ourselves into the local community. In Vermont, we pioneered free, environmentally-friendly “*ewaste recycling,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/recycle and we hold collection events on an annual basis. We also use energy-efficient systems and have a large solar-photovoltaic array at our headquarters here in Waitsfield that powers 100% of our South Burlington, VT store and beyond.

    For more about us, our mission, and what we do, check out: “*Smalldog.com/about*”:http://www.smalldog.com/about/
    For more on our Key West store, visit: “*Smalldog.com/keywest*”:http://www.smalldog.com/keywest/

    We’re excited to bring friendly faces, awesome Apple products and of course, fun (including the dogs!), to Key West. If you have any ideas or suggestions or just want to bend our ear, both Hapy and I would love to hear from you.

    Thanks for reading!

    _-Don_
    “*don@smalldog.com*”:mailto:don@smalldog.com

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  • iOS Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting your iOS device can be a tricky thing if you are technologically challenged. First and foremost, there aren’t many people out there who can actually repair your device. The feat of opening your iOS device, repairing the problem part and sealing it back up isn’t easy, and in most cases, causes something else to go wrong.

    Unless it’s Apple, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (like us) repairing your device, it’s likely they aren’t even using actual Apple parts, so the fit might be off or that touch screen you shattered might not be as sensitive as you are used to. Often, the service provider will actually replace the device rather than repair it.

    For most iOS devices (iPhone excluded), we offer a program through Apple to replace your damaged or nonfunctional device at less than new cost. Unfortunately, for the time being, Apple requires everyone to call 1-800-MY-IPHON for help on iPhone-related issues, unless you are near a corporate Apple location.

    When it comes to troubleshooting your iPad or iPod, you need to do a little investigating to figure out what is actually causing the problem. Is it an app or just the OS that triggers it?

    If it’s an application, first remove the app and then reinstall it. If it’s a paid app it doesn’t mean you have to purchase it again; going into the App Store on your iOS device and looking under “Purchased” will display it, and if you have activated iCloud, your device will already know you’ve downloaded it before.)

    If the problem is with the operating system, then there is only one thing you can do: restore your device back to factory settings. Make sure you back it up and run a sync before doing so (if you can), because it will remove everything from your device. Connect your iOS device to your computer with the latest version of iTunes. In the main screen under “Summary” there will be an option to “Restore iPod/iPad.” This is the option that erases it. Click it and follow the prompts.

    If your iOS Device is unresponsive or is locked with a passcode, you will have to do what is called a “DFU” restore. To do a DFU restore, you must press and hold both the Home and Power buttons for about eight seconds. The screen will shut off, and before it comes back on, let go of the Power button while still holding the Home button. Your iPod/iPad will look like it is still off, but your computer will chime and say that it has detected a device in “recovery mode,” and ask if you would like to proceed. Click “yes” and follow the prompts.

    For problems like freezing or app crashing, a soft reset might just be what you need, pressing and holding both Home and Power buttons for about ten seconds or until the Apple logo comes back on the screen. Then, release both buttons at the same time and let it start up normally.

    If none of these troubleshooting steps have solved your problem, then you will have to come visit us and take advantage of our replacement program, because most likely something is wrong physically with the device. Please note that none of the steps above will fix a broken screen — you will have to skip to the last step and come visit us to get it replaced!

  • iOS NAND

    iOS devices like iPhones and iPods utilize NAND flash memory (just like thumb drive or SSD drives). This memory ages over time as it’s overwritten again and again, whether by iMessages, photos or app downloads.

    Bits within a block of data on the storage chips get “stuck”, or become error-prone. These bits are normally corrected by Error Correcting Code on the controller, but this has a limit; the system using the NAND may start acting very strangely afterward, with data and system corruption, or an inaccessible drive.

    Failures can also arise from bad solder connections. Dropping the phone or constant vibration over time could loosen solder joints on the NAND chips, and solder joints that were poorly soldered at the factory could cause issues as well.

    My (now 3-year-old) iPhone 4 has had occasional “bad behavior,” but this was usually rectifiable with a restore of the device. However, for the last couple of months, there have been constant cell network disconnects, forcing me to restart the device or reseat the SIM to get it back. This always came with an “Activation Failed, Restore Your Device” message.

    Yesterday, I attempted to restore it, resulting in an Error 37 or a -1. After about three-dozen restore attempts between two platforms, multiple sync cables, iTunes alternatives, different iOS IPSWs, and other techniques, I threw in the towel. While the iTunes errors were inconsistent, the situation pointed at the firmware not being written properly to the NAND memory.

    Unfortunately, in these instances, we are forced to replace devices. The NAND built into the main logic board is unrepairable and the entire board needs to be replaced. Yet with the age of iOS devices when they tend to fail in this manner, a new device is often a better resolution, given the cost.

    Nothing is permanent, so back up your data!

  • MacBook Pro Feet

    The aluminum unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros have four black hard rubber feet on their bottom panels. On occasion, or with age and abuse, these feet can come off.

    When the feet fall off, a hole, or window into the computer, is exposed. This can be a concern, as a facet of the machine’s design leaves a delicate connection for the display beneath one of the feet, and the others aren’t in the safest location to leave an open hole either.

    Apple considers missing feet to be “damage,” and the loss of said feet is not covered under their warranty. However, Small Dog Electronics is able to offer replacement Apple feet: $15 for the first foot, and $3 per additional. The new foot application is more resistant to damage than the previous ones, and will last longer.

    If you want to take advantage of this service, please bring your machine to one of our service locations! Find one here: “*Smalldog.com/retail*”:http://www.smalldog.com/retail