Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring gift ideas from Small Dog staff members here and on “*our blog*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/. Stop by often to see what we think would make great gifts this year!

“*Kensington SlimBlade USB Trackball*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/72931/at_kb: “The absolute best pointing device for business use.” –Hapy Mayer

“*Promise Pegasus R4 4TB (4x1TB) RAID System w/ Thunderbolt*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/78664/promise-pegasus-r4-4tb-4x1tb-raid-system-w-thunderbolt/at_kb: “SEXY!” –Rebecca Kraemer

“*Hammerhead Bluetooth Keyboard Case for iPad 2 in Black*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/78445/hammerhead-bluetooth-keyboard-case-for-ipad-2-black/at_kb: “When I’m out of town and don’t want to carry my computer, this keyboard really comes in handy when I need to do lots of work on my iPad.”
–Grace Mayer

“*AppleCare*”:http://www.smalldog.com/applecare: “Ya, it’s not that snazzy, flashy or even cool, BUT it’s a life saver if ever needed, and they will be thankful they had it.” –Will Frascella

“*One-on-One Consulting at Small Dog Electronics*”:http://www.smalldog.com/consulting: “This is a great gift for anyone who has a Mac and yearns to learn more. We offer a variety of onsite and in-store options and can cater to most any needs.” –Rob Amon

My home theater setup is pretty straightforward: my MacBook Pro (MBP) connected to a TV using a “*Hammerhead HDMI cable*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/75585/hammerhead-hdmi-flat-cable-6ft/at_kb and a “*Dr. Bott Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/78692/dr-bott-mini-displayport-to-hdmi-adapter-audio-video-version-black/at_kb. This worked great for watching movies on DVD or streaming from Netflix or TV shows on Hulu. However, every time I wanted to pause the show or select which commercial experience I would prefer (my current preference is the daycare run by robots, although I don’t remember what company the ad is for so it is more successful as a short film than as an ad) I would have to get up off the couch to make the selection.

I was considering a Magic Trackpad and an Apple wireless keyboard when I thought to myself: “The iPhone has a touch-screen interface and an on-screen keyboard, so there must be some way to make it work as a controller for my computer.” A quick Google search led me to “*Mobile Mouse Pro*”: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/mobile-mouse-pro-remote-trackpad/id289616509?mt=8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30.

This app is exactly what I was looking for. It combines a trackpad with a keyboard, is rated 4.5 stars at the App Store, and only costs $1.99. I immediately installed it on my iPhone and installed the free companion software on my MBP. I opened up the app and it connected almost instantly to my computer through the Wi-Fi signal in my house. The default screen is a trackpad on top and a keyboard below, so I was ready to test it out.

At first it was a little difficult to move the cursor where I wanted, as very small motions would make it take large jumps across my TV screen, but with a little practice I was able to keep it under control. The keyboard is very similar to the iPhone’s native keyboard, so I was able to get used to it very quickly. This app works great for media and surfing the Web from its default screen and also has specially designed screens for these functions, which makes browsing even easier.

The movement of Mobile Mouse Pro’s cursor is a little clunky and the keyboard is pretty small, so if I were using software that required more precision in my movements, the Magic Trackpad and Apple wireless keyboard connected with a “*Magic Wand*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/77851/twelve-south-magic-wand/at_kb would be a much better solution, but for my purposes this was exactly what I was looking for.

_Dear Friends,_

This November was one of the warmest ever in Vermont, and though all the snow has melted, we know more is coming. We had a very successful launch of the holiday season with Black Friday sales. I worked up in the South Burlington store and had fun reconnecting with old customers and meeting new ones. All of our stores were very busy, and the Small Dog team was effective in handling the crowds. It sure does not hurt that we are selling the hottest products on the planet from Apple.

Our Apple rep was here this week and presented us with an award from Apple that recognized our growth last year. We got a very nice framed copy of the statement from the Think Different campaign:

bq. Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

While the iPad was clearly the winner on Black Friday in terms of sheer volume, the most popular Mac right now is the 13-inch MacBook Pro. We have both the current model and the recently discontinued model in stock. We also have a good stock of iPhone 4S in stock now at all three of our our retail stores.