Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • GarageBand '11 New Features Overview

    GarageBand ’11 was released today at Apple’s Back to the Mac press conference, as part of the new iLife ’11 multimedia productivity suite….

  • iPhoto '11 New Features Overview

    iPhoto ’11 was released today at Apple’s Back to Mac press conference as part of the new iLife ’11. Some of the standout new features include:

    New Full-Screen Modes iOS-like full-screen mode for editing and viewing photos Use every inch of your display to browse and edit your photos. This is much more advanced than the full-screen editing available in previous versions of iPhoto. More screen real estate means a bigger workspace for perfecting each shot or creating nifty iPhoto projects.

    Facebook Enhancements – Share your photos and view comments without ever leaving iPhoto. iPhoto and Facebook are now even better friends. iPhoto even shows you all of your Facebook photo albums, including the ones you published using another application. You’ll always know which photos you shared (or didn’t share) on Facebook, because iPhoto keeps track of that for you.

    Emailing Photos – iPhoto now includes eight Apple-designed themes that you customize with your own images and words. Rearrange photos with a simple drag and drop, adjust the image mask, or change the size and style of your text. Plus, iPhoto optimizes your message so it’s never too big to send. iPhoto also works with popular email services like MobileMe, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, and AOL. And since iPhoto keeps track of all your email messages with photos, you’re free to open a sent message, make changes, and share it with someone new, anytime you want.

    New Slideshows – New animated themes — like Holiday Mobile, Places, and Reflections — give your photos movement and help you avoid typical, photo-by-photo, fade-in, fade-out slideshows. Each shot is centered and framed perfectly, thanks to face detection. And the animated themes include their own soundtracks, so your photos and music play together flawlessly.

    Big Leap in Books iPhoto ’11 makes it even easier to create professional-quality books using your own photos. Building your book starts with a new dynamic Theme browser. Pick a theme, and an even smarter Autoflow instantly goes to work, placing your images for you. Higher-rated images are featured more prominently. Photos taken on the same day appear together. And all the while, face detection ensures that photos of people are cropped and framed properly. Change the background color, font, layout, and more. Add eye-popping full-bleed, two-page spreads.

    Letterpress Cards – For the first time, traditional printing techniques join modern digital photography on a large scale. With iPhoto ’11, you can create custom letterpress cards personalized with your photos and text. Each iPhoto letterpress card is made from premium paper and produced using a centuries-old printing method. Then it’s digitally processed with your photos and text. iPhoto letterpress cards are available in 15 beautifully crafted themes complete with matching envelope. There’s just something about the elegant look and feel of a letterpress card.

    As John Gruber from Daring Fireball tweeted: “Can you imagine any other computer company offering letterpress as a mass-market printing technology?”

    iLife is a $49 upgrade for existing Mac users, and comes free with every new Mac. It’ll be listed on our site for sale and shipment shortly.

  • DroboPro FS Free Drive Promotion

    Data Robotics is running a great promotion on their newly released DroboPro FS model through the end of the month. Buyers are eligible…

  • Big Cat Halloween

    Ostensibly we’re posting this in honor of Apple’s tradition of naming OS X releases after the big cats (and maybe Lion is next)….

  • Specials

    Be sure to ask about our Consulting special in-store: *Purchase AppleCare and take 50% off your first hour of consulting!*

  • Attention Vermonters and New Hampshirites: Recycle Free Oct. 23!

    *If you have old, broken, and obsolete electronics, you can recycle them for FREE on Saturday, October 23rd.* We are holding two events–one in our new Manchester, NH location at the Mall of New Hampshire and one at 30 Community Drive, S. Burlington, VT (Ben & Jerry’s offices)–from 9am – 3pm.

    *WHEN: Saturday, October 23, 2010 from 9am – 3pm*
    *WHERE:* “*Mall of New Hampshire, Manchester, NH*”:http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Mall+of+New+Hampshire,+Manchester,+NH&sll=44.450387,-73.144741&sspn=0.053673,0.08214&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=The+Mall+of+New+Hampshire,+Manchester,+Hillsborough,+New+Hampshire+03103&z=15 *and* “*30 Community Drive, S. Burlington, VT*”:http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ben+%26+Jerry’s+Homemade+Inc,+South+Burlington,+VT&sll=44.452715,-73.139248&sspn=0.055019,0.08214&ie=UTF8&hq=Ben+%26+Jerry’s+Homemade+Inc,&hnear=South+Burlington,+Chittenden,+Vermont&ll=44.450387,-73.144741&spn=0.053673,0.08214&z=14&iwloc=A
    *WHAT: All computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, cell phones, stereo equipment, digital phones, VCRs, televisions, old cables, connectors, adapters. __We will collect everything electronic except for household appliances.__*

    *Be sure to see our website for a full list of what’s accepted* (and what’s not): “Smalldog.com/ewaste2010”:http://www.smalldog.com/ewaste2010/at_tt

    All of the ewaste collected will be responsibly processed in the US by WeRecycle. While a small percentage of the ewaste can be salvaged, in most cases ewaste is broken down so elements such as tin, copper, silicon, beryllium, carbon, iron, aluminum can be reused in other electronics. Plastic, steel and glass can also be recycled. Certain waste goes to to manufacturer take-back programs.

    Hope to see you there!

  • New iPods in stock!


    We now have the newest iPods on demo in all three locations and new stock is landing every day. Stop into one of the retail locations and try out one of the newest iPods from Apple!

  • From the Archives: Imagine Life Without AirPort

    With something set to be announced tomorrow at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, CA tomorrow, I thought this blast from the past fitting to set the mood. Hapy wrote about the introduction of AirPort for this newsletter August 2, 1999. We’re well on our way to one thousand issues of Tech Tails!

    bq. The AirPort is Apple’s wireless LAN technology, introduced with the iBook, that allows you to use your iBook without the constraint of wires. The two products that you must purchase include a LAN card for your iBook and the AirPort base unit. The LAN card is installed easily underneath the keyboard of the iBook. The AirPort is a small, spaceship-looking device that includes a 10BaseT ethernet connection and a 56K modem. You can use the ethernet connection if you have a DSL or cable modem. Currently, the only way to use the ISDN would be to get an ISDN router.

    bq. Apple includes its Software Access Point with the AirPort card. This software includes Setup Assistant, Wireless Network Application, Wireless Control Strip Module, and Wireless Access Point Configuration Utility. These tools allow easy setup of the wireless network. The network features 40-bit data encryption, 11Mbps access speed, and the ability to share a single Internet account among up to 10 users (though TidBits reports successful networks with 30+ iBooks).

    bq. AirPort uses the IEEE 802.11HR Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) standard, which transmits data at up to 11Mbps, but it is also compatible with the 802.11 2Mbps. This gives the AirPort compatibility with a wide range of wireless devices for your other computers. I will be adding additional devices to Small Dog’s product list for your PowerBook and Power Mac computers in September. The AirPort uses the 2.4GHz radio band and has a maximum range of 150 feet.

    bq. I think that the AirPort is a truly revolutionary device that will change the way in which homes and schools use computers. I would hope that anyone who purchases an ibook (even if it is your only computer) would also add the AirPort base unit and card for the ultimate in portability. However, sending email from the bathroom is frowned upon!