Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Product Lines, What What!

    Just like how wartime brings new technology, the same goes for big sales events at Small Dog (well, maybe not “just like…” make peace!). We’re rolling out our Moms, Dads and Grads campaign, and with it, comes a new tool that we are very excited to share with everyone.

    Our IT team has been hard at work trying to come up with a solution to make it easier for our customers to see all the amazing specials we have over the next few months. We have some creative minds working for us, and they did exactly what we wanted.

    Two words: *Product Lines.*

    Now that might not mean much to you, but let me explain. Apple has a lot of different configurations for their computers and sometimes we want to offer specials on any or all of them. In the past we were unable, but now we have given you the power to select which computer you want and given the special, pick the secondary (and tertiary and so on) products as well!

    You can see this system implemented in a few of our specials we have for our “*Moms, Dads & Grads*”:http://www.smalldog.com/grads campaign. The easiest example I give you is for our “*Chill Pill BoGo*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900000729?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=mdg special. When you click that link, you will be taken to a page that looks very similar to any of our other sale pages, with one big exception.

    Located under the ‘Add to Cart’ button are two drop down menus full of Chill Pills in their assortment of colors. With these menus, you can pick whichever color Chill Pill you want, and then pick the color you want to get for free! Easy-peasy!

    For a bundle that is a little more complex like our “*Save $60 on Any 13in MacBook or 11in/13in MacBook Air with AppleCare Purchase,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900000725?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=mdg you see two drop down menus under the add to cart button like before, but this time it is a list of computers and cases to choose from. You can play around, mix-and-match and everything from the price to the pictures and even the shipping date will change based on what you have selected.

    Well, we hope that this new functionality on our site really helps out our customers. I know that everyone here at Small Dog is super excited to have this feature! Now keep in mind, this is new for us, so we would greatly appreciate any and all customer feedback so we can tweak this tool to best suit our customers.

  • WWDC 2013

    The Worldwide Developers Conference is coming up in San Francisco on June 10-14. Too bad, so sad if you didn’t remember to buy your tickets, because it’s already sold out (whaaat?)! Apple announced the ticket sale time a day in advance instead of selling them the moment they announced details (which made some people in other countries a bit mad) for the annual conference. Last year, tickets sold out in under two hours. So how quickly did they sell out this year? In record time: under two minutes. Bonkers!

    Each ticket costs $1,599, which is not cheap. But that also means that Apple just made a quick 8 million with 5,000 attendees (not including costs to produce the event, of course). You were also only allowed one ticket per person and five per organization. What’s the bang for your buck? Apple proclaims, “an invitation to inspiration.” There are over 100 sessions with insight into the latest technologies in iOS and OS X.

    Apple will also be making conference video available during the conference itself for the first time, which is not normally available until after the show concludes. This is nice for developers who weren’t quick enough to grab tickets in that two-minute window.

    We’re hoping to see some product announcements during the conference — although it has been rumored that new products won’t be announced until fall. Maybe new software? Perhaps iOS 7? Only Apple knows what Apple has planned, but we’ll be sure to tune in to see what happens!

    Be sure to check out our “*blog, Barkings!,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com for live updates from the keynote and summaries of the announcements.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    By the time you read this our newest store in Rutland, Vermont will be open for business. The Grand Opening is this Saturday, so if you are in the area, please stop by at 116 West Street. We have lots of one-day only specials, giveaways and prizes — it should be some fun! The weather is warm and sunny, so I hope we have a good crowd.

    I really want to give a shout-out to Jen Mayer and Emily Kenyon for building the most beautiful store in Rutland. The project was on time and mostly on budget and the results are outstanding. There are thousands of details in opening a new store and their leadership pushed this project. Here’s just one picture of the new store:

    rutland tables

    Come to Rutland and see the new store if you get a chance; I am sure you will love it!

    Have you ever been at one of the big box stores and been offered an extended warranty for that lawnmower you just bought? I know that I always turn these down because the value is not there. Too many people put AppleCare Protection plan in the same category, but I think it’s so different that I always recommend it to our customers. First of all, the extension of the one-year Apple warranty to three years is very significant. Almost any out-of-warranty repair on your iMac or MacBook Pro will cost you more than the cost of AppleCare. If you need a new screen or logic board or drive, the cost of that out-of-warranty repair will make you wish you had bought AppleCare.

    But the benefit of AppleCare goes much much further — instead of 90 days of free tech support on your hardware, Apple operating system and Apple software, you get three years of this award-winning support. Trust me, on the 91st day of your purchase, when you call Apple tech support, you will be asked for your credit card number before you can talk to someone — even if your problem is simple. With AppleCare, you do not have that worry and AppleCare tech support is there for you for three years. Not your ordinary extended warranty, AppleCare is one of the best values from Apple!

  • WWDC 2013

    The Worldwide Developers Conference is coming up in San Francisco on June 10-14. Too bad, so sad if you didn’t remember to buy…

  • SPECIAL | Top Tier Protection With The Otterbox Armor

    !(image)http://blog.smalldog.com/images/3441.jpg!

    Get the number one protective case for your iPhone 5/4S and *save $20 this month!*

    Armor is available in Arctic, Neon Green and Electric Orange for iPhone 5 and Neon Green for iPhone 4/4S.

    *Otterbox Armor Series:*

    Orig.-$99.99- | Now $79.99

  • SPECIAL | Mophie Juice Pack For That Extra Boost

    !(image)http://blog.smalldog.com/images/3440.jpg!

    Is your iPhone feeling run down? Juice it up with the Mophie Juice Pack! Complete case and battery combo gives you the protection you want with the extended battery life you want.

    For this month we are offering $10 off all Mophie Juice Pack cases. Here’s the run down:

    *Air for iPhone 4/4S (Black)*
    Orig. -$69.99- | Now $59.99

    *Air for iPhone 5 (Black)*
    Orig. -$99.99- | Now $89.99

    *Air for iPhone 5 (White)*
    Orig. -$99.99- | Now $89.99

    *Plus for iPhone 5 (Black)*
    Orig. -$119.99- | Now $109.99

    *Pro for iPhone 5 Outdoor Edition (Orange)*
    Orig. -$149.99- | Now $139.99

  • SPECIAL | LaCie Rugged Drives For On-The-Go

    !(image)http://blog.smalldog.com/images/3439.jpg!

    *LaCie Rugged Mini Disk 7200RPM 3.0 Portable Hard Drive – 500GB*
    Orig. -$89.99- | Now $80.99

    *LaCie Rugged Mini Disk USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive – 1TB*
    Orig. -$124.99- | Now $112.99

    *LaCie Rugged 7200RPM 3.0 Triple Interface Portable Hard Drive – 500GB*
    Orig. -$129.99- | Now $109.99

    *LaCie Rugged 5400RPM 3.0 Triple Interface Portable Hard Drive – 500GB*
    Orig. -$119.99- | Now $99.99

    *LaCie Rugged 5400RPM 3.0 Triple Interface Portable Hard Drive- 1TB*
    Orig. -$169.99- | Now $149.99

    *LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt SSD Drive – 120GB*
    Orig. -$199.99- | Now $179.99

    *LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt Hard Drive -1TB*
    Orig. -$219.99- | Now $197.99

  • Rutland's Grand Opening!

    !(image)http://blog.smalldog.com/images/3426.jpg!

    Mark your calendars — we’re excited to announce that the *grand opening of our fourth location in Rutland, VT will take place on Saturday, May 4.*

    We’ll have goodie bags, giveaways, specials, and fun in store, so come on out! Check out our “*Grand Opening Flyer*”:http://images.smalldog.com/pdfs/rutland-grand-opening-flyer.pdf for all the details!

    Look for more details on “*our blog,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com on “*Facebook,*”:http://www.facebook.com/smalldogelectronics and in next month’s issue of Best in Showroom. You can also see more details on our “*Rutland Store page*”:http://www.smalldog.com/rutland

  • SoundMatters FoxL: The World's Best Portable Speakers

    Indeed, the SoundMatters FoxL Portable Speakers may be the world’s greatest portable speakers! Hiking, camping, or just enjoying a sunny day at the beach, this little speaker is so portable, it fits right in your pocket! Don’t let the size fool you though, it has incredibly powerful bass for its size with audio quality incredibly crisp and punchy.

    While working at NASA for eight years, SoundMatters’ CEO developed miniature hi-fio audio speakers using rare earth magnets. Fast-forward to the present — the world can now enjoy the amazing flagship FOxL platinum speaker, which features 20 hours of playback on a single charge. That’s double what the previous model had.

    They don’t stop there! They have gone all-out with awesome accessories as well including my favorite, a bicycle handlebar mount to listen to tunes as you cruise around. Another option is the Car Kit Clip, which clips your FoxL to your dashboard in order to hear phone conversations clearly while driving.

    So if you’re looking for a truly dynamic sound, look no further than FoxL.

  • Mac Rumors: iWatch??

    Nick Bilton reported for The New York Times that Apple is “experimenting” with smart watches, made of similar glass to that of the iPhone. The watch is expected to generate more than $60 billion in sales for the year of 2013, according to Citigroup Inc.

    Apple has a team of about 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device that may perform similar tasks those of the current iPhone and iPad. The watch will be made of glass that can bend to one’s wrist with a Multi-Touch sensor throughout the device.

    While some people think that the Apple television is a better financial decision than the production of the new watch, this is false, simply because gross margins on watches are about 60 percent. That is four times bigger in comparison to televisions. Apple is moving toward watch production to help compensate for slowing growth in other areas, such as iPhones and iPods.

    Apple has recently seen a “slump” in their stock, and they are experiencing heavy competition with Samsung. Creating a watch “can be a $6 billion opportunity for Apple, with plenty of opportunity for upside if they create something totally new like they did with the iPod — something consumers didn’t even know they needed,” noted by Oliver Chen, and analyst of Citigroup Inc. According to most, the new Apple watch is a good idea for economic purposes, and it is foreseen to be a very trendy product.

    So be on the WATCH for the new Apple iWatch at some point this year.

  • Pong's Got it Goin' On

    Since the iPad mini was first released, the selection of cases have been few and far between. Sure, cases like the Hammerhead Folio and Otterbox Defender are great standouts in the line up, but they don’t give the user the right options or usability they need for their devices, in my opinion.

    I wanted a case that was able to stand in multiple positions, that was lightweight and portable, and most of all, had a sleek and thin design to complement the mini. Just when I thought I wouldn’t get what I wanted, the Pong case was introduced here at Small Dog Electronics.

    Pong features a slim, sleek design that complements the mini perfectly, available in either black or red, giving your iPad some style! The case’s front contains built-in magnets, giving it multiple standing positions; fold it one way, and you have an upright stand, fold it the other way, and you have a comfortable viewing angle while sitting. Most notably, this stand type gives both portrait and landscape views, the first of its kind sold by Small Dog!

    That versatility alone gives the case a leg up on the competition, but some of its additional features truly help it shine. The case possesses a built-in antenna which gives it the ability to extend the radius of both Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. This is an impressive feature, particularly for those who rely on the cellular functionality to keep them connected on the go. In addition to this, the case is built from radiation-reducing plastics and synthetic material, making it a safe, practical and desirable choice.

    All of theses capabilities are available for $99.99, a steep price point some might say, but I think it’s well worth it for the myriad of features the case provides. In my experience with cases for mobile products, there is usually one thing they do well, to the exclusion of everything else. This tiring habit of narrow functionality is broken by the Pong, a refreshing change to a market rife with particular cases for particular jobs.

    Between the variety of features and sleek design, the Pong is a sure choice if you’re willing to spend a little money to get a lot out of a case. In the time I have had my mini, this case has helped make the device my favorite among the tech world, and it continues to be a product I recommend again and again.

  • Rad Grads and Rugged Dads: An Ancient Prophecy

    Sup pups?

    Did you feel that weird sensation, too, when you stepped outside today? My mother told me stories when I was young about how this thing called “the sun” used to appear in the sky — now it’s making a comeback! You know what that means, right? The ancient prophecies say that with the heat will come some Mac accessory deals to blow all you rad grads and rugged dads off of your winter seat!

    The ancient scrolls speak of a group of young brilliant kids known as ‘the graduates’ embarking on a quest to ‘better the world.’ Although we weren’t mentioned in said scroll, we have some great used and refurbished MacBooks starting at $549 to help them on their quests. Also, there is said to be a celebration for fathers around the same time, paralleling the grads, creating a balance in the equilibrium of the earth.

    For both, we have equipped them with many deals on their journeys, including sales on Mophie Juice Packs and the Otterbox Armor Series for their iPhones and LaCie Rugged External Hard Drives, which are said to hold the key to “a better world” (or at least a backup of it).

    But when should we expect the end of times? The day ‘the world changes’ is when our new Rutland store opens THIS Saturday, May 4th! Now we will have four retail locations as checkpoints for you grads and dads to check in and get your goods for the battle of the earth.

    Jonny and the S. Burlington team
    “*jonny@smalldog.com*”:mailto:jonny@smalldog.com