Kibbles & Bytes Blog

It is getting to be Apple picking season again. We started doing “Apples to iPods” with the State of Vermont and the Apple Growers years ago. Each year, to encourage people to get out and pick apples, a wooden apple is hidden in each participating orchard. One lucky apple picker gets the prize when they find that apple. In the past, it was iPods but now it is Apples to iPads as the winners will receive an iPad mini when they find the wooden apple. The state of Vermont dropped out of the promotion but this year we are working with the Vermont Fruit Growers Association to keep the tradition alive.

I hope that you have an awesome Labor Day weekend. I have some brutal relaxation planned!

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

Don & Emily

I have been a fan of Notes for years! I started out using the sticky note program on my mac and used it for everything, and sadly, I mean everything including usernames and passwords. Thankfully I learned many years ago safer means of account login storage and abandoned my sticky note ways on my Mac.

What I missed most about my sticky notes was a quick and all in one location for things I needed to jot down; hello and welcome Notes! Notes has been out for many years and it’s certainly nothing new on iOS or macOS. Notes is an incredibly versatile program and one that I rely on heavily as another tool for keeping me organized and in order. I’ve written in the past about reminders, but I admit, try as I might I just can’t get away from Notes and I find its versatility in features to be something that reminders just can’t compete with. There are several features within the Notes program that go beyond just taking a simple note, and I want to share some of my favorite features.

Syncing

I think the ability to sync my notes across all of my devices is hands down the number one reason I use and just can’t break away from this handy little app. I can write a note on my computer and it automatically sends the note to my iPad and iPhone. With iCloud turned on and note syncing, your notes update across all devices that are logged into your iCloud account. There is one catch to the auto syncing that is new in the last year or so. In order for your iOS devices and your Mac to get your notes you do need to make sure that in addition to to iCloud being turned on, all of your devices need to be running the latest OS. Last week I had an issue where my notes were syncing from my iOS devices to my Mac, but not from my Mac to my iOS devices. A quick look at my devices revealed I hadn’t run my most recent software updates.

Drawing

Did you know that you can draw within the Notes program? Notes allows you to actually write a note in your own handwriting, and also allows you to draw. There is even a handy ruler so you can draw straight lines. There are a variety of colors to choose from to add a pop of color, and you have a choice of a pencil or two marker options. The details aren’t as responsive or detailed as that of, say, the iPad Pro, but this little feature allows for handy on-the-go creations. You can easily and quickly sketch out an idea via e-mail, text and even social media. This feature only really works on the iOS but you can do some similar actions on the Mac via Mark Up.

Mark Up

Within Notes you can insert a pictures from your photo library (on the Mac you can just drag and drop the image into your note) and then you can mark it up! You can draw over the image, add text, shapes and more. I recently used this feature specifically when I was working to re-model and paint a room in my house. We took pictures of the room and used the mark up feature to finalize what colors and changes we were going to make in the room.

Locking Notes

Another cool feature with the Notes program is that you can lock the notes. The only information that is viewable in the note is the title. A passcode must be entered on the computer or iOS device in order to see what is in the note. This is a great way to keep things just a little bit more secure on your devices. While you should keep things like passwords and account information securely stored in your keychain, this is another option. Admittedly if you’re given a code or access to something and need the information temporarily, it’s more practical to jot it in Notes and lock it. Likewise if you’re a busy person and you find yourself making notes about a special event or gifts, it’s nice to know you can keep wondering eyes away from your information and keep the surprise.

Notes, the little app that does so much!

I have written about Apple’s commitment to accessibility in their products and, in particular, their MFI Hearing Aid program. Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids and sound processors designed specifically for iPhone and iPad. These advanced hearing devices provide outstanding sound quality, offer many helpful features, and are as easy to set up and use as any other Bluetooth device. You can quickly access the features and settings of your paired hearing device by triple-clicking the Home button. Glance at the battery status or change the left and right volume, together or separately. And quickly apply your audiologist’s environmental presets as you go outdoors or enter noisy locations, like restaurants, without having to rely on additional remotes.

I first corrected my hearing with MFI hearing aids four years ago. I discovered that I was not understanding voices, especially British female voices on TV and Grace kept having to repeat herself (not that she is British). As I went to get my hearing checked I discovered that it is not so much the sounds I didn’t hear but the fact that my brain was not interpreting the sounds I heard because they were not clear enough. Hearing aids are actually aids to your brain to interpret the sounds you hear.

I went to an audiologist and was told I needed $7500 hearing aids. Well, that sticker shock turned to annoyance when I discovered that high prices at audiologists were just an insurance scam. I say this because I went to Costco, got the exact same hearing exam and ended up buying Costco hearing aids for $1799. When I confronted my audiologist she basically admitted that she kept prices high so she could charge that higher price to those that have insurance.

This is going to sound like a commercial for Costco and I guess it is but I cannot be happier with my experience with the Costco Hearing Center. The first hearing aids I got back then were made by Resound and were basically identical to those $7500 ones the audiologist wanted to charge me. Costco does the exam, the fittings and all the programming, but their excellence doesn’t stop there. They provide an annual hearing exam and will replace domes, sport loops and clean them any time you want. Their warranty cannot be beat and the best place to buy hearing aid batteries, bar none, is Costco. But they really exceeded my expectations when I asked them if I could give my old hearing aids to a friend that could not afford them. Not only did they encourage that but they told me that they would re-program them for him and treat him like a new customer for free. They even let me leave them with them so he could pick them up at his appointment at Costco.

Long ago, they made me a customer for life. That is why I returned for new Hearing Aids since I wanted the updated technology. I found that Costco’s price dropped a couple hundred to $1599 and now their HAs were made by another Apple MFI supplier, Rexton. You can see all the Apple MFI Hearing Aid suppliers here.

I bought the new Kirkland Signature 8 and I am very happy with the new hearing aids. The Rexton Smart Direct app is easy to use; they paired immediately with my iPhone. One of the great benefits of the MFI hearing aids is that they stream phone calls, messages and music right to your hearing aids. I was having trouble with my older hearing aids not streaming immediately; when someone called me I would have to ask the caller to wait while the streaming got its act together. These newer models stream immediately. Even better, I played some music and, while the older HAs sounded sorta tinny and were not good for listening to music, the KS8s sound like a good quality ear bud. I guess I will be going through batteries faster as I secretly listen to Maria Brink and In This Moment in my ears and know one will be the wiser!

Live Listen is another great Apple hearing enhancement. Let’s say you are in a crowded hall listening to the new Democratic candidate for Governor in Florida, Andrew Gillum and can’t hear too well. You can activate Live Listen on your iPhone and place your iPhone on the podium or near the speaker and it will act as a microphone for your hearing aids. Pretty cool.

How to Pair and Connect your Hearing Aids

When you pair a Made for iPhone hearing aid to your iOS device, audio from your iOS device goes to your hearing aid. To pair your hearing aid, follow these steps:

• Open your hearing aid’s battery doors.
• On your iOS device, tap Settings > General > Accessibility > Hearing > MFi Hearing Aids.
• If Bluetooth is off, turn it on under Devices.
• Close your hearing aid’s battery doors. Your iOS device will search for your hearing aid.
• Under Devices, tap the name of your hearing aid.
• Tap Pair when you see the pairing request on the screen. If you have two hearing aids, you’ll get two requests. Pairing could take up to a minute.

Controlling Your Hearing Aids

The Rexton Smart Direct app is very full featured and allows you to control volume, bass and treble, as well as a host of other features such as a remote microphone (live listen), alert tones, switching between program, presets and much more. My Costco fitter set me up with 4 of the available 6 programs. I have found that I only use two, one is “automatic” which seems to cover 90% of the situations and the other was “restaurant” which basically makes the microphones more directional in noisy situations. I now have automatic, Noise/party, Live Music and Outdoor/Traffic. There are also settings for Cafe, Cinema and Group Conversation.

The Apple iPhone hearing app in the accessibility system preference will also allow you to control many of the features of your hearing aid. You can use a shortcut to get to that screen by triple-clicking the home button or on the iPhone X the side button. You can use your iOS device to see your hearing aid’s battery life, adjust the volume, turn on Live Listen, and more. To control your hearing aid, use Settings or the Accessibility Shortcut.

Set preferences for features that you control with your iOS device by going to Settings > General > Accessibility > Hearing. Then tap MFi Hearing Aids.

Play Ringtones
You can play ringtones through connected hearing devices.

Audio Routing
Choose the default device for audio playback.

Control Nearby Devices
Use your iOS device to adjust the settings of hearing aids that are on the same WiFi network and connected to your iCloud account.

Audio Handoff
Continue listening to media through your hearing aid when you switch between your iOS devices. For example, if your hearing aid is connected to your iPhone but you start watching a movie on your iPad, the hearing aid automatically switches to the iPad.

Control on Lock Screen
Quickly make preset and volume adjustments on your hearing aid right from the Lock Screen on your iOS device.

You can also tap your hearing aid’s name in Settings to:

• View battery life
• Adjust volume levels for either or both hearing aids
• Choose an audio preset
• Turn on Live Listen
• Unpair your hearing aid

Between these two apps, Apple’s MFI hearing aids and Rexton Smart Direct you have a lot of control over your hearing. In real life, while I do use these from time to time, I can also change programs and volume by the little rocker buttons on the hearing aid itself.

Apple has made a real contribution with MFI hearing aid compatibility and it has come a long way in the few years that it has been available. As you know I am a beta tester for the new iOS and some versions have broken MFI hearing aid compatibility in the past. A real testament to Apple’s commitment to accessibility is just how quickly Apple engineers jumped on the problem and solved it after my bug reports.

Are you saying “what?” a lot? Are you pretending to hear and just nodding? Don’t put off getting your hearing checked. There are great solutions, especially at Costco that will stimulate your brain and let it interpret those sounds coming into your ears. One of my greatest memories from when I first got my hearing aids was suddenly hearing the beautiful sound of the birds singing and the creek bubbling that I had all but forgotten existed.

Dear Friends,

Don’t like the weather, here hold my beer. It was nearly 100 degrees yesterday with very high humidity and now tonight temps supposed to drop down to the 40s. I can see some tinges of red on the maples and now that school has started it sure seems like summer is over. Well it is NOT! Labor Day weekend is upon us and then we can put a stick in it.

All of Small Dog Electronics stores and offices will be closed on Monday to celebrate Labor Day.

No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Of course, our website will be working and orders will ship again when we re-open on Tuesday.

This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive is my HomePod/AirPod bundle. Take your choice of a White or Space Gray HomePod along with a set of Apple AirPods. Both of these “pods” are some of Apple’s best creations. The AirPod has been incredibly popular and a sorta status symbol these days. The HomePod has been a bit slower to gain popularity but I have to say that I love my HomePod! I also have Amazon devices but our go-to source in my home is Siri on HomePod. HomePod can be your HomeKit hub and Siri will answer your trivia questions, but it really excels at cranking out the tunes. You will be amazed at the sound quality and how it adjusts to fit your room. This week only take $20 off the combo at only $489.98