Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Follow-up: Wireless Sync with iTunes

    In an attempt to keep my article last week short and sweet, I may have oversimplified some things a bit. So, to clarify two points:

    For sync purposes, “wireless” refers to not having to plug the device into the computer using the USB sync cable. While you do need a wireless network for this to work, the system that has all your music on it (where you sync your device) does not have to be using wireless. It does have to be on the same network, however, so if your music is on an iMac connected with an Ethernet cable and your iPod is connected to your wireless network, then your device will sync with your computer. If you have an AirPort Extreme with a main network and a guest network, your device must be using the main network in order to connect to your iTunes library, since the guest network is isolated from the main network.

    Second, when you synchronize your device, it is connecting directly to your computer through your local network, not through iCloud. While you can set your music and photos to be shared via iCloud, the Sync button in iTunes or on your device connects the two devices together directly. As mentioned above, synchronizing with iTunes can only happen when you’re on the same network as the system with your library, but iCloud will sync as long as you have some form of a connection to the Internet. In iTunes, there are options to sync Contacts, Calendars and Notes to your device. If you already have these items set to sync through iCloud, you’ll get a warning that checking these off in iTunes may cause duplicate items.

    Hopefully that clears it up. Sorry for the confusion!

  • Product Review: Edifier Prisma 2.1

    The Edifier Prisma 2.1 speakers are as physically attractive as they are auditory. The speakers are of an elegantly minimalist yet modern design; available at our retail stores in your choice of black or gem blue, the Edifier Prisma’s matte exterior and simple lines will compliment both your Apple hardware as well as the room in which they sit. The wired controller features an aluminum volume knob, a headphone jack and an AUX input to easily connect your iDevice without needing to unplug from your computer.

    In terms of sound, the Prisma delivers clean, bright sound that is loud enough to fill a small to medium-sized room. The 5-inch subwoofer delivers impressive ‘oomph’ and includes a separate bass control knob so you can fine tune the sound. The Edifier Prisma speakers are great all-around speakers whether you’re watching a movie, listening to music or playing video games.

  • The Unsung Server

    If you haven’t noticed, the most recent update to the Mac mini (July 2011) was quite a huge one. It’s a great injustice that the mini is pushed aside by so many Apple shoppers.

    A customer recently brought in an Xserve that required quite a bit of work. This customer ended up paying twice the cost of the current “*Mac mini Server*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=mac+mini+server&refinecat=Apple|Mac_mini to repair the Xserve, simply because they couldn’t believe a Mac mini could compete with a machine like the Xserve. Well, it can.

    A website I visit very often for simple Mac performance comparisons is Primate Labs’ “*Geekbench*”:http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/mac-benchmarks/. They have tested most Mac models and are fairly immediate at testing newer ones as they are released. The best part about Geekbench is that they score each and every Mac. So, for someone who isn’t very tech-savvy but needs some kind of simple performance comparison, this is it.

    The current generation of Mac mini Server received a performance score of 9456 from Geekbench. That’s higher than an Xserve (Early 2009) with Intel Xeon E5520 2.27GHz (4 cores), and very close to a Mac Pro (Mid 2010) with Intel Xeon W3530 2.8GHz (4 cores). Both of these machines are about 10 times the physical size of the Mac mini Server. Granted there are a few limitations to the Mac mini, such as the lack of both graphics card expandability that comes with the Mac Pro and the multiple hard drive bays standard on both the Xserve and the Mac Pro. However, Thunderbolt is a very up-and-coming technology that’s included on the Mac mini Server and could eliminate these shortcomings. There are already a few options for daisy chain-able external hard drives that utilize Thunderbolt.

    With all this said, the Mac mini is not the best choice for all server-type applications, but you have to admit that given its physical size, very low cost and low energy consumption, it really is a magnificent machine.

  • South Burlington & Manchester Store Anniversaries

    We’re celebrating the 5th anniversary of our “**South Burlington, VT**”:http://www.smalldog.com/burlington retail store and the 1st anniversary of our “**Manchester, NH**”:http://www.smalldog.com/nh retail store from November 16th-20th with exclusive in-store specials and giveaways.

    Keep your eye on “**smalldog.com**”:http://www.smalldog.com/ and our “**Facebook page**”:http://www.facebook.com/smalldogelectronics for coming announcements of our featured deals. Hope to see you there!

  • Staff Favorite: The Magic Trackpad

    Okay, so the Magic Trackpad isn’t really all that new. But before the release of OS X 10.7 Lion, you could get away with not using it because Touch Gesturing was still in its beginning stages and was primarily just used to describe navigation on the iDevices. However, for Lion users there are many benefits to using the Trackpad instead of a mouse: Mission Control, Launchpad and scrolling between full-screen apps immediately spring to mind.

    You might ask, “But isn’t the Trackpad only on the MacBook Pro models?” Or perhaps you’re thinking, “I have an iMac, and it didn’t come with a Magic Trackpad.”

    Well, do I have some news for you! The Magic Trackpad can actually be purchased separately, or if you’re just chomping at the bit to get started with the Magic Trackpad right away, we can swap out the Magic Mouse and give you the Magic Trackpad the same day you purchase your brand new iMac! Come on down and try it on our demo iMac–you’ll really be glad you did!

  • __*It’s starting to get a little bit colder…*__

    For some this is the perfect time of year: the hint of snow soon arriving makes those who participate in winter sports start foaming at the mouth. But for those who don’t go out much, why not use the colder temperatures as a great excuse to get to know your Mac and/or iDevices a little bit better!

    With the release of Mac OS X Lion over the summer, and the launch of iOS 5 and iCloud a few weeks ago, there are many new and exciting things to learn. Come in out of the cold and take a Sunday night Mac Basics class, or set up a one-on-one lesson with one of our sales professionals. We’ll help you get more comfortable with some of the best devices on the planet!

    -Lonnie, Tim, Peter and the South Burlington retail team

  • Happy Tuesday,

    Look at your calendar. Now look out the window. Now look back at your calendar. It says it’s autumn. Now look back out the window. Sadly, the scene out the window isn’t autumnal.

    New England saw its first snowfall of the season last week, and there was a significant storm over the weekend. It probably won’t stick around for long, but I’m sure our inventory master Art is happy to see the white flakes falling!

    I’m looking at my calendar, and it says Halloween. In honor of that, the Manchester store staff dressed up for trick-or-treating in the Mall, and all stores held their annual Costume Contest on Monday. You can view our staff putting on their best (and worst!) on our “*Flickr feed*”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/smalldog/sets/72157627895580417/.

    Thanks for reading this issue of Tech Tails.

    Glenn

    “*glenn@smalldog.com*”:mailto:glenn@smalldog.com

  • 2011 Halloween Costume Contest!

    Carl as Boy Scout Lance as Garth Algar Seth L as Walter White Matthew as Captain America Peter B as Devil’s Advocate Tim…

  • Save $20 on the LaCie 1TB Rikiki GO Portable USB Hard Drive. Tough and mobile with tons of storage capacity! Just $118.99.

    Because we want to give you the best deals AND stay in business, Deal Retriever deals are valid for one week only. Quantities are limited; offers good while supplies last.

  • It is always important for us to remember that it is you, our loyal customers, who make Small Dog Electronics a success. We measure customer satisfaction using the Net Promoter Score and survey each transaction. These numbers are vital to our survival, so we pay a lot of attention to how we score in customer satisfaction.

    Before Jennifer started here at Small Dog, she gave me a book called “Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty Is Priceless.” While I think the author’s premise is not fully valid, I do believe that there is a difference between satisfaction and loyalty, and we at Small Dog Electronics are committed to building customers for life. This is because the life-cycle value of a loyal customer far exceeds the profit we may make on any single transaction. As long as we keep that in mind and focus on making customer loyalty our goal, I think we will find we have a lot of satisfied customers.

    Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
    _Don, Kali & Stephanie_