Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Apple news, tech tips, and more…

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  • In an internet of things, how many things do you really need at once?

    Hi folks, its Moses, here again, to dish out my signature opinions about technology and it’s many roles in our lives, specifically focusing on how we can minimize our clutter and confusion without sacrificing uptime/redundancy and convenience. To keep things relatable, I’m focusing on the multiple mobile devices and accessories in each of our possession, in addition to often redundant hardware. I could discuss dedicated servers and nodes and routers that help connect all the individual devices we’re relying on for so many things day to day as well, BUT let’s keep it to one part of the picture for the moment. Similarly, when Home Automation comes into the conversation, we will begin to conceptualize every utility in our home as a connectable configurable and highly efficient part of our ecosystem of hardware and software. It’s a revolutionary way to look at networks and automation; the concept of Sync has been elevated to the next level (at least that’s the idea). So I’ll try to keep this simple and point out that most reading this likely have at least one cell phone, a laptop, desktop, tablet, external hard drive, TV, game console and/or external battery pack along with cables, adapters, chargers, headphones, speakers, microphone, controllers and many other input devices like keyboards and mice. That is such a small list but already seems overwhelming! Add onto that the list of antiquated technology that is all around us. 

    Now I will admit, I have not heard every single experience of this phenomena, but over the years I have seen that people have far too much technology they don’t need (for instance, old CD and DVD players, radios, CRT monitors, PC desktops from 10 years ago, tons of cables that have incompatible connections, etc.) and far too little of the technology that could really help them evolve their daily routines and focus on what’s important with support for today’s demanding expectations/standards. The products we choose to support offer the level of artistic design that makes many mundane or repetitive tasks lose some of their monotony and discomfort while opening doors to creative expression and exploration in ways we never thought possible or at least accessible for end users.

    One of Apple’s missions, and one of ours too, is to help you reach your personal and professional goals, whether you’re playing, creating, exploring or recording with tools that are as intuitive as possible and designed with user-friendly features, assisting you in expressing yourself and immersing yourself in art and information through an internet of things (as we love to call it). Part of that mission involves users getting curious, joining the conversation and redefining the way they are looking to use their technology to develop the perfect ecosystem for their unique needs. Small Dog is here to open the door for you, we’re by your side the whole way, but you are the explorer and the world of possibility can be as vast as your imagination. Come by sometime and see how things have changed; it’s absolutely wild that we’ve got inductive charging for computers you wear on your wrist, people are now seriously considering using an iPad Pro instead of a MacBook, and the new iMac Pro that could be the only computer you’d ever need for almost any project. We have solar powered battery packs for hiking around trails with your phone at full charge, there are speakers that float on water, headphones that wirelessly auto pair like magic, we even have flower pots that water your plants for you on a perfectly optimized schedule and report soil health! And, add to this list, locks that can be controlled remotely, linked to security cameras, all wireless and app-based. Its quite the world we’re living in. 

  • Hello everyone!

    Last week, my introduction was focused on backing up your SD card data during a photo shoot, or immediately afterwards. I was excited to see the response from our readers, and I hear that a lot of you are practicing this same back up method yourself. As always, we love to hear from our customers, especially if you have questions, but always welcome general feedback. It helps us come up with our next article topics.

    On that note, I am going to move forward with the photography theme and talk a bit about frame rates. Very exciting stuff, you might want to get some popcorn and put on your 3D glasses, this is going to be a thrill! 😉

    While frame rates only apply to videography, I think it is important these days that photographers educate themselves on video settings, considering their DSLR is most likely capable of shooting amazing footage. The 5D series has become a staple in the independent filmmaking community. With the right lens, settings, and color correction, your DSLR is capable of achieving that professional, filmic look.

    One key element to pay close attention to is your frame rate. The movie standard is 24 frames per second, and I strongly recommend exploring the difference between 24, 30, and 60 frames per second. This is often abbreviated to FPS, and settings for this can be found in your DSLR menu, similar to how you’d select your still image format. If you watch frame rate comparisons on YouTube, you’ll see that 30FPS offers a bit smoother action, and you can imagine where that would be more useful. At 60FPS, you’re creating enough frames to allow for half speed playback, given fluid motion at 30FPS, with the effect of slow motion. This is a handy effect for action and sports, and is also available on your iPhone. On the newer iPhone models, you can shoot in 240FPS, which gives you insanely slow motion. I found the 8 Plus allows you to adjust your regular video settings, allowing you to record at 24FPS in 4k. This would be extremely useful for collecting footage that would be later used in a film, giving a natural match to the rest of the footage. Give it a shot (pun intended) and let us know what you think! Enjoy today’s articles, and have a nice week!

    Patrick McCormack
    patrickm@smalldog.com

  • Black History Month – Octavia Butler

    Octavia Butler was an acclaimed science fiction author who, among other honors, won both the Hugo and Nebula awards multiple times. Born in…

  • I’ve got the same projects yet to complete this weekend as last weekend, and I might just have to catch the Super Bowl, too. A little construction, some gardening, some motorcycle mechanics and hopefully just a bit of laying in the hammock reading my latest fave sci-fi author, Elizabeth Moon.

    I was struck by Elon Musk’s Boring Company foray into flamethrowers. With a video of Musk playing with one, they sold 20,000 units in five days. I have a lot of respect for Musk and his sci-fi into reality ideas but I condemn this detour! Who needs a flamethrower? Just what we need…. more weapons out there! What is he doing preparing for the zombie apocalypse? What a waste.

    And that is my editorial comment for this week! Thanks for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    Don & Emily

  • Black History Month – Octavia Butler

    Octavia Butler was an acclaimed science fiction author who, among other honors, won both the Hugo and Nebula awards multiple times. Born in Pasadena, CA she started writing sci-fi at age 10. An outspoken critic of racism and a feminist, Ocatvia Butler was a prolific writer with award winning books such as Kindred, Xenogenesis, Bloodchild, and hundreds of others.

    Her female heroes were fascinating and her social criticism was detailed and relevant. She envisioned a true multiracial future.

    She met science fiction writers Harlan Ellison and Samuel R. Delany at a Screenwriter’s Guild of America workshop and soon after sold her first story Child Finder. She was the first science fiction writer to win the MacArther Fellowship in 1995. She once described herself:

    Who am I? I am a forty-seven-year-old writer who can remember being a ten-year-old writer and who expects someday to be an eighty-year-old writer. I am also comfortably asocial—a hermit…. a pessimist if I’m not careful, a feminist, a Black, a former Baptist, an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive.

    Octavia Butler passed away in 2006, but I have long admired her and enjoyed her visions of the future! If you haven’t had the pleasure of her work, why not try it?

  • Apple Elevates the Street

    I caught a news story about how archaeologists have used new laser technology to discover a huge Mayan settlement in Guatemala. A huge city with elevated streets, canals, etc. Elevate became the word to describe Apple’s 1st quarter financial results. The newswire was full of stories about how Apple was not going to hit their numbers, that no one was buying iPhones and then, boom, the facts are released.

    Apple posted the best-ever quarter in the company’s history with sales of $88.3 billion and a profit of $20 billion on those sales. At a profit of $3.89 per diluted share both revenue and earnings were a record. Keep in mind that this year was a 13 week quarter vs. a 14 week quarter a year ago when Apple posted revenue of about $10 billion less and $0.50 less earnings per share.

    Apple sold 77.3 million iPhones in the three months and their installed base of devices is up to some 1.3 billion units. Tim Cook said that the iPhone X, which everyone had been trying to say was a failure, has been the top-selling iPhone every week since it shipped.

    Apple Watch was also up significantly. Although Apple does not report unit sales of Watch they did indicate that this was the best quarter ever for the Watch with Apple Watch Series 3 sales up more that 100% over Series 2 sales last year. This is our first year of selling the Apple Watch, and I have been amazed at just how strong the demand is for the Apple Watch.

    This was also the third consecutive quarter of revenue growth for the iPad, with an astonishing 13.2 million iPads sold. Mac sales slumped a bit with sales down about 4.8% with 5.1 million Macs sold. We are seeing more and more customers that are finding that the iPad meets all their computing needs so increasing iPad sales and declining Mac sales are not that surprising.

    Apple services revenue was up by 18% year over year at around $8.5 billion and other products which include Apple Watch, Apple TV, Beats, iPod and a few others was up 36% at $5.49 billion.

    Apple guidance for the next quarter (ending in March) was a bit below what some prognosticators are pulling out of their ears. Apple projects revenue of between $60 to $62 billion which is still about 12% higher than last year’s numbers.

    Apple also indicated in the follow-up call that they will be re-patriating their cash horde and paying $38 billion in taxes to do so. With about $163 billion (net of debt) in that stockpile, Apple indicated that their goal was to get to net zero on the stockpile of cash and will be updating their capital return program and M & A activity.

    Congratulations to the entire Apple team for a job well done and an amazing record-smashing quarter. Apple is one of the world’s largest companies and owns some of the world’s most important social responsibilities because of its huge impact upon society. I am pleased to see Tim Cook recognize that when he said business can be a force for good in the world.

  • Dear Friends,

    It is hard to believe we are already in February. My gardens down here are really flourishing now that the nutrient-sucking Ficus tree is gone. We have tomatoes, cilantro, basil, hot peppers and lemons all coming in and the farmer’s markets seem to have more and better produce.

    I miss Vermont but not that much when I get a call from the heating oil company saying they can’t get up my driveway because it is a sheet of ice! We did get the driveway sanded and the truck was able to make it up to deliver the fuel. I also asked Hapy to go over and change the batteries in my Arlo cameras, which he did. My cameras allow me to always enjoy winter from here!

    We now have an iMac Pro on display at our S. Burlington store. Come on it and check out the fastest Mac ever!

    News manipulation is nothing new but the blatant propaganda we are all learning about is really the tip of the iceberg. Stock manipulators have been messing with the news for some time, leaking tidbits of unverified news that might influence the price of a stock. With Apple, this week it came with a highly unreliable report of production cuts on the iPhone which got picked up and amplified just before Apple released its financials. Suspicious? Yeah. Meanwhile, Apple sold over 22 million iPhones in the 1st quarter, has a 44% market share and just posted the most sales and profits of any quarter ever! Those are facts, folks.

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes Exclusive features the configure-to-order MacBook Pro 13-inch non-TouchBar unit. It has a 2.4 GHz i7 processor, 16GB ram and a 256GB SSD drive. It is silver in color. It is a demo model with a 1-year Apple Warranty and we are bundling it with AppleCare+ to extend the warranty to three years. This includes accidental damage coverage (with deductible). This week only for Kibbles & Bytes readers the bundle is only $2079.99!

  • Terminal Tidbits

    Most Mac users know if they want to know what’s “under the hood” of their Mac, they could boot into the OS, click…

  • Motorcycle mechanics, yard work, crafts fair, Academy Awards movies and a party are all on tap this weekend down here in Key West. I am going to build a foundation for the garden shed we are replacing and we have to hit our favorite garden center up in Big Pine for some plants to grow on our newly installed trellis.

    I wish I had a HomePod but I guess I have to wait until Apple decides that their partners are worthy of selling this new product. I understand that Apple has its own outlets and that those guys with the blue shirts are a big customer, but I would expect a little more loyalty to the channel that stuck with Apple during the darkest hours and are the most adamant evangelists for the brand. But then again, the older I get the more patient I become (isn’t that sorta backwards?) and I know it won’t be long before HomePod is on our shelves.

    Thank you so much for being loyal customers of Small Dog Electronics and for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    Don & Emily

  • HomePod

    Move over Echo and Google Home, HomePod is officially available today for pre-order from Apple, and, in the coming weeks, we hope to be able to offer it as well. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at HomePod. HomePod is a music system, a note taker, a translator, a timer and the hub of your home with its HomeKit controls. Unlike some of the other smart speakers on the market, Apple is focusing on Music with this new product. The HomePod acts like just about every other smart speaker, but what makes it a step above the rest is in the sound quality.

    HomePod is just under 7 inches tall and features a seven-tweeter beamforming array which allows better control of the sound and produces a more room-filling sound. It also has a large woofer for deep, clean bass. HomePod can adjust the sound accordingly, be it sitting on a shelf or sitting on a table. It can also adapt to the acoustics of the room giving you the best sound quality possible based on the environment the HomePod is in. You will also be able to add multiple HomePods to a room for stereo effect.

    HomePod is smarter than regular speakers with its A8 chip, which provides it with processing power equivalent to an iPhone 6. Software running on the HomePod gives it spatial awareness, so it can sense it’s surroundings and adjust the audio quality automatically for the best listening experience. You can use Siri to easily set timers to remind you it’s time to flip your burgers, and its six microphones ensure it doesn’t miss a request. You can ask Siri to read you the news, let you know the weather forecast and even transfer a phone call to the HomePod. Not to worry, if you prefer the comfort of buttons, HomePod has basic buttons and you can either single, double or triple tap to get it to play/pause, skip tracks and more. In software updates scheduled for later this year, you’ll be able to control multiple HomePods in different rooms as well as the feature of stereo mode when you have more than one in a room.

    But wait, what about controlling your lights? HomePod aims to put your Google Home and Echo into retirement, so, of course, it can do that! Hopefully, you made sure all your smart home devices were compatible with both HomeKit and your smart speaker. Your HomePod will control your devices the same way you’re controlling them through AppleTV and Siri with one exception. Now you can put down the remote, and just say “hey Siri” without worry of needing your phone nearby or what to do if your Apple Watch is still on its charger.

    I am eagerly awaiting the side by side comparison between my Echo and my new HomePod!

  • Going Dutch with Apple Pay Cash

    Let’s say you are out to lunch with some millenial friends, one of whom picks up the check and says, “Just send me your share via Apple Pay Cash.” Say what?

    Apple Pay Cash is Apple’s new person-to-person payment service, designed to make it easy for individuals to send and receive money. It’s perfect for repaying a friend who buys concert tickets or a relative who picks up some groceries for you. Or rather, it’s perfect if your friends and relatives use iPhones with iOS 11.2 or later—for green-bubble Android acquaintances, you can rely instead on cross-platform services like Venmo, Circle, and Square Cash. I’ve been sending money to my granddaughter at BU with Apple Pay Cash instead of Venmo and it works great..

    Here’s how to start using Apple Pay Cash:

    First, if you haven’t yet enabled Apple Pay, go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Add Credit or Debit Card, and follow the prompts to add at least a debit card. You will also need two-factor authentication turned on in Settings > Your Name > Password & Security—regardless of Apple Pay, two-factor authentication is essential for security. With Apple Pay enabled, tap Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Apple Pay Cash and run through the setup process. You might also be asked to verify your identity after setup—it just might be necessary to send or receive more than $500 in total for that really fancy meal you are having.

    When you’re done, you’ll end up with a new Apple Pay Cash card in the Wallet app. It’s a virtual card that stores money you receive and works like any other debit card for payments. If it doesn’t have enough money on it to cover a payment, you can choose any other debit or credit card you’ve added to Apple Pay. You can also add money to it or withdraw money to a linked bank account. You’ll want to use a debit card when adding money or paying beyond your balance with Apple Pay Cash, since then there is no transaction fee. A credit card incurs a 3% fee.

    To send or request money via Apple Pay Cash, you use Messages. While in an iMessage thread (blue bubbles) with the person with whom you want to exchange money, make sure the app drawer is showing (tap the app button if necessary) and then tap the Apple Pay button in the drawer.

    A panel appears with a dollar amount, + and – buttons, and buttons for Request and Pay. Use the + and – buttons to set the amount, or tap the dollar amount to show a keypad where you can enter an exact amount, with cents if necessary. Then tap Request or Pay to insert the transaction into the message. It won’t be sent until you tap the black send button, so if you change your mind, you can tap the little x to delete. Lastly, you’ll be prompted to verify the transaction in the usual Apple Pay fashion, which means authenticating with Face ID on the iPhone X or Touch ID on all other iPhones.

    You can even use Siri to initiate transfers—“Send my mother $15.” or “Ask my sister for $4.99.” And if you have an Apple Watch with watchOS 4.2 or later, you can also send money from the Messages app, or send or request money via Siri. On the watch, double-press the side button to confirm the transaction.

    The recipient can store their money on their Apple Pay Cash card and use that to pay for stuff or transfer right into their bank account. I discovered when sending money to Khadija, that it takes 3-4 days for the money to be successfully transferred to the bank account so if you need immediate cash that might not be the best way.

    Frankly, the only downside to Apple Pay Cash is that it works only within the Apple world. But as long as you want to exchange money with Apple-using friends and relatives, it’s fast, easy, reliable, and one less reason to visit the ATM.

  • Dear Friends,

    Apple’s long awaited HomePod got its release date this week and it looks like supplies will be limited. Apple is not releasing them to their independent resellers just yet but we will certainly let you know when we have them for sale. I look forward to checking out Apple’s entry into this smart speaker market. Check out Emily’s report below.

    I was disappointed to learn about the misguided action to slap a huge tariff on solar panels. A 30% tariff means that the cost of solar electricity just went up substantially. That is very shortsighted as there has been some real progress with the installation of solar renewable energy for electricity. This installed capacity is an insurance policy for the future. We installed a large array at our headquarters about 7 years ago and it has provided most of the electricity that we use at our facilities in Vermont. We have severely limited our carbon footprint by installing this array. There is no way we could have afforded to do that if the prices were 30% higher. This is a mistake that undermines the world’s efforts to combat climate change.

    The big strangler fig tree in our yard that got damaged by Irma is gone. It was quite the project that culminated with the big stump grinder that turned it into mulch. I think that tree was sucking all the nutrients from our yard and everything seems to be growing much faster now. We even have some lemons on our tree!

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive takes off on the HomePod home automation features. Did you know the the HomePod can replace your Apple TV or iPad as your HomeKit hub? This week’s exclusive is a home automation starter kit. This kit includes a Philips Hue starter kit, an August lock and a Honeywell Lyric thermostat. Each of these items is HomeKit compatible and can be the start of your smart home! Normally this bundle sells for $449.97 but for our Kibbles & Bytes readers it’s only $389.99