Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Weekly News Recap | 2/27-3/2

    *”We have something you really have to see. And touch.”*
    By far, the biggest Apple news this week is that of next Wednesday’s event. We’re not in the rumor biz, and as Don says, we’ll know when you do–but that can’t stop us from dreaming about an all Siri-hosted event (-Dana F.), complete with a touch screen MacBook Air (-Mike D.) and an iUnicorn, a device that will be “all you want it to be always.” (-Raul D.). Join us on March 7 “*on our blog, Barkings!*”:http://blog.smalldog.com as we find out what’s new!

    “*Read more here.*”:http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/02/28/apple_sends_out_invitations_for_march_7_ipad_event_in_san_francisco.html

    *Google’s Privacy Policy Changes*
    Yesterday, the controversial changes to Google’s Privacy Policy took effect. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding these changes, given that they mean more data collected from users each time they search the web, something that Google views as essential to enhance the social media and overall experience on the web. Many users aren’t so sure–see what this means for you:

    “*Read more here.*”:http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-29/news/ct-talk-google-privacy-0301-20120229-16_1_google-account-google-calendar-web-history
    “*Read Google’s Privacy Policy here.*”:http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
    “*Read more on how to turn off search logging here.*”:http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/howto-turn-off-googles-searc.html

    *Apple Named Most Admired Company*
    For the fifth year in a row, Fortune Magazine has named Apple the “Most Admired Company.” Fortune ranks them first in the Innovation category as well. They write, “to say it was another big year for Apple would be a gross understatement.”

    “*Read more here.*”:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/2012/snapshots/670.html

  • MAC TREAT #177: Prep Your Mac For an OS Upgrade

    References to the Mac OS have been popping up everywhere for me lately, from the announcement of OS 10.8’s (Mountain Lion) summer release to Dawn’s memories of 10.2 Jaguar (below) to the recent end of the Lion Up-To-Date program. With all this talk about upgrades, it made me think about the top things that one can do before upgrading his or her Mac’s OS.

    Since Lion is only available from the App Store (and more than likely, so will Mountain Lion upon its release, as retail packaging for software is becoming obsolete), the game has changed somewhat–having a solid, fast internet connection is paramount when deciding to upgrade. These tips, however, are a bit more universal:

    * Check the system requirements: Knowing that you may need a RAM or hard drive upgrade before installing (or worst case, a new computer) is key before you begin
    * Take stock of your important software and peripherals, and don’t be afraid to wait to upgrade if any don’t have a compatible version for the new OS: You don’t want to learn the hard way that the most important app you need for work hasn’t come out with a compatible update yet
    * Clean up those files: Get rid of what you don’t need–delete any duplicate files or unused apps so that you can start with a (semi) clean slate
    * Back up all of your data: Back up everything that’s important at least to an external drive, or more importantly, a bootable disk (try “*Carbon Copy Cloner,*”:http://www.bombich.com/ one of our favorite backup solutions)

    If you have any questions before you go to take the upgrade leap, don’t be afraid to ask us for help.

    Ready to upgrade to Lion? “*Click here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/lion

  • _Dear Friends,_

    Daylight Savings Time is only ten days away, but we finally have found some winter here in the Green Mountains. A couple of snow storms have covered the bare ground and made skiers and boarders smile. I need a new type of car wash–I want to be able to wash my wheels to get the caked snow out of them (which causes the car to shake). My vision is that you would drive in and a lift picks up the chassis a bit and then you gun the car in four big buckets of water.

    Apple has set March 7th as the date for a special announcement and we are all speculating on the new products from Apple; however, we will be right there with you when the announcements happen because contrary to public opinion, in the words of Sargent Shultz, “we know nothing…”. The new product introductions are the most fun with Apple and I can wait for the new tools/toys.

    We welcome Dawn back this week as a regular contributor to Kibbles & Bytes and we are so glad to have her back in the pound!

  • Must Have: Turbo Tax

    Turbo Tax

    “*Turbo Tax*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=turbotax Deluxe was designed to make it easy for you to get the biggest tax refund possible, checking for accuracy and uncovering 350+ deductions and credits.

    Includes free Federal Efile and TurboTax State for completing your state taxes. _Starting at $59.99_

  • Upcoming Seminars

    *iPad in Business Briefing*

    Small Dog Electronics invites you to join a *FREE* exclusive briefing to learn the latest information about how iPad works in a business environment.

    *Manchester, NH*
    Thursday, March 15th,
    Two sessions: 9:00am or 1:30pm

    *South Burlington, VT*
    Wednesday, March 21th,
    Two sessions: 9:00am or 1:30pm

    *Waitsfield, VT*
    Thursday, March 29th,
    1:30pm

    “*Find out more here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/events

  • Classes – March 2012

    Absolute Mac Basics at S. Burlington: Sunday, March 4th, 5:15PM – 6:45PM Sunday, March 18th, 5:15PM – 6:45PM

  • A Boy Enters Limbo…

    I’ve always had a soft spot for indie games. Starting with Braid, I’ve been a fan of indie titles for many years. I never had the chance to play Limbo when the game was first released for the XBOX 360 in 2010, but just looking at screenshots of the game, I could tell that it was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

    I had to play this game, and was worried that it wouldn’t be available to a MAC or PC user. For a while it wasn’t, but as of this year, it’s available to Mac users. (And it was definitely worth the wait.)

    Here’s how it works: You control a boy who’s searching for his sister. Along the way, he travels through a forest that has many traps and has a gigantic spider living within it, to a crumbling city that has very few human inhabitants.

    The game literally exists in the shadows, and there is very little sound to speak of–except for the crunching of the ground beneath your feet. It’s a very cool game, but it may not be for everyone due to its darker look and subject matter. However, for those of you looking for a unique gaming experience, don’t hesitate to give this game a try.

    Limbo is available on the “**Mac App Store for $9.99**”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/limbo/id481629890?mt=12%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 and on Steam for $9.99.

  • The Quick-Connect Lens Solution for the iPhone 4/4S

    If the iPhone’s camera wasn’t already good enough, the Olloclip just made it that much better. This small and simple attachment easily connects to your iPhone to add three new lenses: fish eye, wide angle, and macro.

    The fisheye lens will capture a full 180 degree field-of-view, the wide-angle doubles that of the normal lens, and the macro applies a 10x multiplier giving you extremely detailed close-up shots. All three are combined making it easy and convenient to switch between. Whether you’re a professional or a beginner, the Olloclip will give your photos a stylish touch.

    The Olloclip includes a microfiber cleaning cloth bag–pick one up at our store for only $69.99!

  • Upcoming Events

    *Vermont Women’s Expo*

    Join us at the Vermont Women’s Expo
    Saturday, March 10th
    Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center
    So. Burlington, VT

  • A2: The New Standard for Multimedia Sound

    A little while back the speakers that I have been using since college finally decided to give out and forced me to look for a new pair. I decided that I wanted to go with AudioEngine. We have both the A5+ and the A2 models in the store for demo and they both seemed like solid choices. Now I just had to choose which one I wanted.

    The A5+ seemed like the easy choice. They were big and beautiful and had a massive sound. I wanted something that I could listen to anywhere in my apartment through AirPlay with my AirPort Express. The A5+ would have no problem with that whatsoever. Even on 1/4 power volume the speakers rock the store. I then realized that if I were to go with these speakers that I would not be able to use their full potential until I had a place of my own (or at least sound proof walls and floors). My apartment was simply too small to handle the sound of these speakers without my neighbors complaining. So I decided to take a look at the A2 speakers.

    They are a lot smaller then the A5+ and I worried that they just wouldn’t put out as nice of a sound quality as the A5+. However once I started demoing them in the store all my fears were put aside. The A2s have amazing sound quality and power that is unmatched by other speakers of the same size. They have deep, rich bass without losing everything else in the mix as well. These would have no problem being heard throughout my entire apartment. So I decided to go with them.

    The setup was extremely easy. I connected the two speakers with the included cable, plugged in the power cord and chose the input (both 3.5mm aux jack or RCA connection). I was instantly pleased with them as soon as I started playing my music. They had a great sound and fit perfectly in my apartment. Bottom line: if you’re looking for a great-sounding system without taking up a ton of space, these are a fantastic buy.

  • A Nod to the Analog-Era of Rock

    The first two things that will catch your eye with the Skullcandy Vandal Speaker Dock are its style and design. This dock is cooler than ice with its “retro guitar amp” style.

    Skullcandy took a different approach to design, combining vintage and modern with dials for on/off, bass, and treble, and push buttons for pause, input and volume control. This would look great in a living room, man cave, or office. While designed for most models of iPhone and iPod, the Vandal gives you flexibility by having a standard 3.5mm input jack and cable to play almost any device through it.

    The Vandal controls the volume settings of the device connected to its dock, so changing the volume can only be done using the dock’s controls. The controls on the dock itself could be more intuitive, however. My first instinct would be to have the volume control be a dial and on/off a button, but they are opposite. You can definitely bypass that using the remote, but either way you won’t mind the controls when you hear how it sounds.

    I was very surprised with the quality and depth of sound that the Skullcandy Vandal produces. I turned the bass all the way up, and you could feel the vibration of every beat through the table. To get similar sound quality out of a competitor’s speaker dock you’d easily be looking at a couple hundred dollars. For the price, Skullcandy delivers value with the Vandal. It’s easy to set up, plug in, and start enjoying your music. Whether you’re looking for a rich listening experience, or something to rock out with big sound in your room, the Skullcandy Vandal Speaker dock has you covered.