Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Practice Safe Browsing

    There are many terms that are synonymous with Mac such as “ease of use”, “it just works” and “right out of the box.” “Virus” is not one of the terms that you would think of with an Apple computer. Viruses have not been very common in the Mac world, but they have existed from time to time – but only under the classic MacOS (OS 9 and below). With Apple becoming a larger portion of the market share they are becoming a more enticing target.

    While there are no MacOS X viruses today, there has been word of some on the horizon. One in particular is the BlackHole RAT (Remote Access Trojan). This can cause any number of problems starting with fairly innocuous things such as telling the user “I am a Trojan Horse and have infected your computer” to sending your Mac in to an endless reboot cycle. While it is currently true that Macs don’t get viruses, remember that a virus is just a piece of software that results in unwanted events. Viruses can come from any number of locations, including suspicious websites, emails, and applications.

    Though this news may sound ominous one should not worry. Apple has recognized that these risks are coming and has been working with security experts to finalize virus protection implementations on their newest distribution of OS X version 10.7 Lion. Lion includes a number of innovative changes to Mac OS X and will be available this Summer.

    Aside from the efforts of Apple to keep their operating system nearly impervious to viruses, there are a number of good anti-virus solutions out there. ClamXav is a great open source free antivirus program that is simple, straight forward, and, in Mac tradition, easy to use. Another anti-virus solution I would recommend is Sophos, which you can try for free or purchase the full version at a nominal fee. Though paid solutions at their core do the same functions programs such as Sophos offer many more options and are backed up by greater support.

    These solutions work very well to keep your Mac virus free, but remember the first line of defense should always be discretion. If a website, email, or application looks suspicious, do not proceed. Apples are designed to keep you out of trouble. For example when Safari warns you before proceeding to a website, or before opening an Application downloaded from a non-Apple source. This is not to say that every website the invoke a warning or every application that is non-Apple is going to infect your computer with a virus. In general, if a website, email or Application does not look legit research it before proceeding. Google is your friend.

  • Apple Processors Power iDevices

    This past week, Apple introduced iPad 2, and it’s twice as fast with 9 times the graphics processing capabilities while maintaining 10 hours of battery life. If you look at the iPad’s tech specs page, you’ll notice that it’s powered by a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip.

    This is an upgrade from the current iPad’s A4, a single-core system-on-a-chip introduced last year that also powers the iPhone 4 and the 4th generation iPod touch. The A4 and A5 are systems-on-a-chip that pair an ARM CPU with a PowerVX GPU, a mobile architecture that consumes much less power than x86 processors from Intel that Apple implements in their Macs.

    Apple has been using ARM CPU architecture for its power efficiency since its original iPod with processors clocking in at 90 MHz. When Apple introduced the original iPhone in 2007 it featured a 412 MHz Samsung ARM processor. As an integral part of the iPhone, iPod, and eventually the iPad, ARM processor architecture would be an integral part of Apple’s business strategy.

    In 2008, Apple acquired a fabless semiconductor company by the name of P.A. Semi. In 2010, Apple acquired another fabless semiconductor company by the name of Intrinsity. Neither of these companies actually manufacture chips (Samsung has been providing the processors for Apple since the original iPhone and iPod touch in 2007), but since the A4, Apple has been able to leverage their engineering to control the future of its devices. Without Apple’s ARM-based acquisitions, working closely with Apple’s existing hardware and software engineers, Apple’s iPhones, iPods, and iPads would not have the battery life, the multi-touch responsiveness, or the graphics performance they currently (and will) have. They would thus not have the market share, the revenue, the hundreds of thousands of apps, and of course, the customers that they now have.

  • Tip of the Week: Firmware Downgrades

    Apple releases firmware updates for its devices now and again, but it seems that AirPort and Time Capsules see the most updating. Perhaps that’s because computers usually see only one update during their lives while AirPort products tend to last longer than computers. Firmware is low-level “software” that generally lives in some sort of flash memory, and controls the most basic functions of a computer or other electronic device like power flow, how various components interact, and at what speed.

    In an AirPort base station or Time Capsule, the firmware also controls function of the ethernet and USB ports. A recent firmware update to the AirPort Extreme base stations rendered the AirPort Disk function unreliable. AirPort Extremes allow you to hook up an external USB hard drive that can be accessed over the network–a killer feature–but the 7.4.2 firmware is reported to bring frequent disconnections of hard drives. The only fix was to restart the base station through AirPort Utility, or by power cycling the device.

    Luckily, it’s very easy to revert to earlier firmware versions using AirPort utility, found in the Utilities folder on any Mac running Leopard or Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6). Along the left side of AirPort utility, you’ll see your base station. Click once on it, then click the Manual Setup button on the right side of the window. This will bring up the configuration options. In the Summary section, click on the word Version to show a list of previous firmware versions. You can move back one version or several, but I’d advise only to backtrack one step and only if you’re having specific issues not resolved by standard troubleshooting tactics.

  • Happy Tuesday,

    We woke up yesterday to a somewhat unexpected dumping of snow. While this Nor’easter was predicted, the snowfall amounts we saw and continue dealing with were much greater than the forecast called for. After a rainy weekend and lots of snow melt, my first-floor windows facing into the wind are covered by the drifting snow.

    One of the most spectacular and destructive phenomena in Vermont and other cold climates is the flooding resulting from ice dams. The Mad River had frozen quite solidly over the course of the winter, and all that rain broke up the much of the ice. These foot-thick slabs of ice can become lodged in narrow parts of the river and create massive flooding. Just across the field, I can see the snowmobile trail and Meadow Road underwater. Surely, the field and road will be left littered with monstrous sheets of ice until Spring truly arrives.

    We closed our South Burlington, VT store yesterday, as the roads weren’t plowed, and many of us simply had to wait to get plowed out. Waitsfield operated with a skeleton crew, and while UPS and FedEx let us down, our mailman Jason came right on schedule with the US Mail.

    As always, thanks for reading, and keep in touch.

    Matt
    “matt@smalldog.com”:mailto:matt@smalldog.com

  • GarageBand for iPad – Overview

    GarageBand for iPad marks the debut of Apple’s music creation software on an iOS device. Since the App Store opened its doors in…

  • iMovie for iPad – Overview

    iMovie for iPad was announced at Apple’s media event Wednesday. The new app—which draws substantially from its OS X and iPhone 4 counterparts—takes…

  • I must admit, though a Vermonter born and bred, the chilly wind, ice and snow of the past few weeks has been getting to me. I’ll be taking a vacation of my own next week to sunny California where I’ll hopefully have a chance to thaw out.

    Things may have been somewhat quiet in Cupertino since the launch of the Verizon iPhone 4 last month, but now it’s evident what Apple was working on. Between the souped up MacBook Pros introduced last week and the incredible iPad 2, it’s a great time to be an Apple fan.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your (mini) Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Ben_

  • GarageBand for iPad

    GarageBand for iPad marks the debut of Apple’s music creation software on an iOS device. Since the App Store opened its doors in 2008, hundreds of 3rd party developers have released music creation apps of different types. GarageBand for iPad is the culmination of these efforts. Packing tons of Multi-Touch-based instruments, loops, samples, and effects, GarageBand for iPad delivers features for professional musicians and budding enthusiasts alike.

    GarageBand features an abundance of Touch Instruments ranging from acoustic drums to synths. The app includes three acoustic drum kits, several drum-machine-inspired drum pads, a wide range of keyboards, and over 70 synthesizers. All of these instruments recognize and respond to hard and soft taps, varying dynamics accordingly.

    In addition to Touch Instruments, GarageBand also features a collection of Smart Instruments. These instruments–intended for novices or those looking to lay down a quick groove–feature easier chording, strumming, and grooving. Included in the mix are Smart Guitars, Smart Keyboards, Smart Bass, and Smart Drums.

    Supplementing the onboard instruments are virtual guitar amps and stompbox effects compatible with actual electric guitars. The app contains nine classic and modern amps, and ten stompboxes ranging from trippy phasers to classic fuzz distortion. You can even create a customizable pedalboard within the app. GarageBand also includes an Audio Recorder for vocals or any other acoustic instrument. A series of eight effects can be applied for both practical and humorous applications.

    Similar to its OS X equivalent, GarageBand for iPad’s strengths are not limited to its recording options. Contained within the app is a powerful multi-track editor, allowing users to mix levels and fine-tune tracks to create sonic perfection.

    GarageBand for iPad will be available in the App Store for $4.99 beginning Friday March 11th.

  • iMovie for iPad

    iMovie for iPad was announced at Apple’s media event Wednesday. The new app–which draws substantially from its OS X and iPhone 4 counterparts–takes full advantage of many of the powerful new features of iPad 2.

    Using the new device’s built in HD camera, users can shoot 720p video and seamlessly import it into the app for editing. In addition to videos, iMovie for iPad is also compatible with photos from the Camera and Photos apps. Once videos and photos have been imported to the app’s timeline, users can select from eight themes to give their movie a unique feel. Clips can be trimmed and transitions can be adjusted in the Precision Editor–which can be accessed with a pinch gesture. Here, users can adjust video clips to flow smoothly into one another.

    iMovie also includes robust soundtrack support, allowing you to create the perfect score for your personal blockbuster. With support for multi-tracking and direct recording from iPad 2’s onboard mic, users are afforded plenty of options to make their film sound just as good as it looks. The app even includes over 50 sound effects to add to the experience.

    The app includes an array of ways to share a completed movie. Users can publish directly to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and CNN iReport from within the app. Video can also be exported back to the Camera Roll, where it can be emailed, uploaded to MobileMe, or even sent to a friend via MMS on iPhone 4. iMovie users can also take advantage of iOS 4.3’s AirPlay upgrades to stream movies directly to Apple TV. As iPad 2 features up to 1080p video mirroring, movies can also be played on any HDTV by means of the Apple Digital AV Adapter. If you own both an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2, videos can even be transferred between the two devices via iTunes so you can edit on the device of your choice.

    iMovie for iPad is an iPad 2 exclusive app. It will be available in the App Store for $4.99 beginning Friday, March 11th.

  • Apple Announces iPad 2

    On Wednesday, Apple announced the next generation of iPad. To the surprise and delight of the audience, Steve Jobs took the stage at the company’s media event in San Francisco to announce the new product. Far from a mere update, iPad 2 is a complete redesign of the revolutionary device. Featuring the newly announced Apple A5 dual-core processor, iPad 2 is the world’s first tablet to feature a dual-core processor. Promising up to two times the CPU performance and nine times faster graphics, iPad 2 blazes past its predecessor. Even more impressive is the fact that these performance increases do not adversely affect battery life–iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours.

    iPad 2 is also substantially lighter and thinner than its 1st generation forebear. With a design that’s 33 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter, the 2nd generation device not only looks more refined but also is more comfortable to use. Additionally, Apple is now featuring iPad 2 in two bezel colors: black and white–the back of the device is still aluminum like the original.

    As many had speculated, iPad 2 features both front- and rear-facing cameras. Though the specs of each camera were not disclosed, it is a safe bet they are equivalent to those appearing on other iOS devices. The front-facing camera–highlighted during the keynote with FaceTime and Photo Booth demos–provides VGA-quality video at up to 30 frames per second, with VGA-quality still images. The rear-facing camera is capable of 720p HD video at up to 30 frames per second with audio, and still images with 5x digital zoom. The megapixel counts of each camera were not mentioned during the keynote.

    On a more minor note, Apple has added three-axis gyro and a digital compass to the iPad 2, bringing it more robust motion control and location-based services. The second-generation device retains the revolutionary Multi-Touch technology available in the original iPad and other iOS devices.

    Almost as interesting as what Apple changed about iPad 2 is what they didn’t. On a positive note, the iPad retains its attractive price points–both for Wi-Fi and 3G models. This means that the entry-level model still starts at $499, with 3G models starting at only $629. Two aspects of the device that Apple had been rumored to change but ultimately did not are storage capacities and screen resolution. Both models of iPad 2 are still available in the same 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities as introduced last year. While the vast majority of rumors indicating a Retina display similar to the iPhone 4 had been squashed in the months leading up to iPad 2’s release, there were still rumblings of enhanced displays leading up to the device’s launch this week. Though an enhanced display surely would have been well received, iPad 2 sports the same resolution as its predecessor: 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi).

    iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3 pre-installed and will be released by Apple on Friday, March 11th. Starting at $499, models range to $829 depending on storage capacities and 3G capabilities. To learn more about the features of iPad 2, click “*here.*”:http://www.apple.com/ipad/