Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • New MacBook Pros Announced Today!

    The MacBook Pros have been updated! All models (13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch) sport new and refined features.

    All new 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch MacBook Pros include:

    * 4GB of RAM (expandable to 8GB)
    * Updated glass Multi-Touch trackpad, which now supports inertial scrolling
    * An updated notebook battery that delivers longer battery life on a single charge (up to 10 hours of wireless productivity on the 13-inch models)
    * Widescreen LED-backlit display
    * Sudden Motion Sensor to protect hard drive data
    * Slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive
    * Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately)
    * AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
    * Gigabit Ethernet port
    * iSight video camera
    * Two USB 2.0 ports (three on the 17-inch MacBook Pro)
    * One FireWire 800 port
    * SD card slot
    * Updated MagSafe Power Adapter

    All 13-inch MacBook Pro models now include faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors, 4GB RAM, a 10-hour built-in battery and the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor. With 48 processing cores, the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M is the fastest integrated graphics processor on the market, ideal for graphics intensive applications or high performance games. The GeForce 320M is apparently a custom production just for Apple.

    The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two configurations: one with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 250GB hard drive priced at $1,199; and one with a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 320GB hard drive priced at $1,499.

    Bigger changes are found in the 15-inch and 17-inch models. They now ship with the 2.4GHz or 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 processor, with an option to upgrade to the more powerful 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 processor. While at first glance the processor clock speed is the same as the previous generation, the processor architecture in the i5 and i7 intel processors is completely different than the previous Intel Core 2 Duo.

    Apple states that they are the fastest dual-core processors available, with a smaller nanometer process, Hyper-Threading, and Turbo Boost, that improve performance up to 50% from previous models.

    All 15-inch and 17-inch models include two graphics processors, the new NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M for peak performance and Intel HD Graphics for energy efficient operation.

    The powerful new GeForce GT 330M is more than twice as fast as the GeForce 320M. Apple’s updated automatic graphics switching determines which graphics processor an application needs and switches instantly between processors to deliver peak performance and long battery life. Tightly integrated hardware and software allow the new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro to deliver 8 to 9 hours on a single charge.

    The 17-inch MacBook Pro includes a high resolution 1920 x 1200 display, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro is now available with an optional high resolution 1680 x 1050 display. Customers can also upgrade their MacBook Pro with new 128GB, 256GB and 512GB solid state drives. Both the 17-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro screens can be upgraded with an anti-glare coating for an additional fee.

    As the industry’s greenest notebook lineup, every Mac notebook achieves EPEAT Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design. Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.

    All Macs come with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music.

    Sure, the above two paragraphs are Apple PR speak–but not only are they true, but they (Snow Leopard and green tech) are two major reasons we love Macs!

    “Click to see all 13-inch MacBook Pros”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook_Pro_13in

    “Click to see all 15-inch MacBook Pros”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook_Pro_15in

    “Click to see all 17-inch MacBook Pros”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|MacBook_Pro_17in

  • Happy Tuesday,

    Apple today announced revisions to the whole MacBook Pro line, adding substantially faster processors and graphics cards to the line. Of note is the auto-sensing graphics system. The MacBook Pros for some time had dual graphics systems: one was a more energy-efficient integrated system that shared main RAM, and the other was a dedicated graphics processor with its own dedicated memory. Users had to change the setting manually, then log out and back in, to affect the change. That’s happening transparently now, which is a relief!

    The energy efficiency gains come not only from this graphics system, but also from the battery itself. Apple continues to refine its batteries, which are advertised as lasting between eight and ten hours on a single charge. Most remarkable is their 1,000 charge/discharge cycle lifetime. Most all other laptop batteries on the market today will begin show severely degraded performance at 300 cycles. This is a big environmental win, and also lowers cost of ownership for everyone over the long term. Of course, it also means fewer toxic substances winding up in landfills or needing proper recycling.

    Ed has a full write-up in this issue. As always, keep in touch.

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

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  • iPhone OS 4 Preview Looks Great

    On Thursday, Apple previewed iPhone OS 4, which they are calling “the biggest and most exciting iPhone software update yet.” It has to…

  • I am off to Hong Kong and to China to attend a couple of trade shows and to visit manufacturers. I’ll be looking for cool new products to import for later in the year and firming up plans for the Hammerhead line of iPad cases and screen protectors.

    The weather here in Vermont has been incredibly mild for April with record-setting high temperatures. I hope that if there is going to be a late season snowstorm that it happens while I am gone!

    I am reaching the home stretch on my Norton Commando project. I have gotten Mark, who is an electrical engineer in addition to a programming wiz to help me with the wiring and then it is just a matter of putting on the gas tank and trying to get it started. I hope I don’t have too many left over parts…

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

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
    _Don, Kali & Ed_

  • iPad Reaction from Facebook & Twitter

    Here are some thoughts from some of our Twitter followers and Facebook friends about iPad.

    “FaceBook”:http://facebook.com/smalldogelectronics?ref=ts

    *Travis H.* First impression of iPad… is to wait. No Flash support in Safari, No external ports, and a non-wide screen display… [It’s] not clear who the target audience is? But my photography does look incredible on it…

    *George B.* Yes–very impressive product! My wife has been using it for hours.

    *Nancy A.* I love mine! Arrived about noon on Saturday. Synced a couple movies, TV shows, music and photos. Bought a book (to see how that works). Apps bought and loaded. Twenty minutes later I was snug as a bug in a rug with a mug of hot tea and a copy of Sense and Sensibility (free book!) on my lap. WONDERFUL!

    I’m not looking for high-techiness. Mostly just wanted a good ereader. I’ve used the iBook program AND the Kindle for iPad. I love iBook more–turning the page is an art form in itself! I’ve found all the books I teach in Western Lit. I had heard about back-lighting issues and such, but playing with the adjustments (Accessibility has a button to turn the black/white screen) lessened any residual glow and I read myself to sleep last night without bugging my darling husband.

    I bought a VGA adapter so I can do Keynote presentations in the classroom. I can’t wait to go on vacation without lugging all the books I like to read (usually bring about six books–one to finish, one to start, and a few in case I realize the books I brought suck… ha ha ha). I’ve had no issues with Wi-Fi or recharging. Apps from my iPhone work fine–even Bejeweled2 (just hit the 2x button). As you can tell, I am HAPPY!

    *Debby C.* I love Weatherbug, Star Walk (beautiful night sky/constellations, IMDB… loaded ePub and PDF books (ReaddleDocs reader), downloaded Jane Austen also! Safari is a bit buggy with some sites where it works on Mac OS X. Otherwise, email, maps, Twitterific, makes it one hot device! Small book stand purchased for $12 at Staples holds it very nicely upright on the desk, as well as purchased a $20 netbook case. Loving it!

    *Michael B.* I’m LOVING my iPad. It arrived on Saturday, and I’ve added close to four pages of apps (mostly free; however, I did purchase Pages). I teach English and would love to have a true word processing app that is more in line with what I’m used to using. Pages is okay, but it needs some additional functionality to make it appropriate for teachers. I see the Blackboard has an app. Unfortunately, my school uses D2L. An app there would be perfect!

    “Twitter”:http://twitter.com/hellosmalldog

    *@MikeLuoma* Would like to point out you can get books by #vt authors thru iBooks for the iPad… like mine. 😉 #BTV

    *@DrKoob* No problem. I am lusting after an iPad but have to wait for 3G. Reading everything I can find on it. That’s my experience.

    *@liseski* My iPad experience in 140 characters or less[sic]? Easy. Not in Canada yet. 🙁

    *@Madmotion* How about a “photo!”:http://blog.tizra.com/2010/04/best-freaking-web-browsing-machine-ever.html

    *@HeidiAmes* 15yo dragged me to @hellosmalldog to see iPad. Oh boy. Tried to retain my usual nonchalant attitude, but secretly, I WANTED ONE.

  • First Impressions of iPad from Facebook and Twitter Friends

    @DrKoob No problem. I am lusting after an iPad but have to wait for 3G. Reading everything I can find on it. That’s my experience

    @liseski my iPad experience in 140 characters or less? Easy. Not in Canada yet 🙁

    @Madmotion how about a photo http://bit.ly/cH6u1j

    HeidiAmes 15yo dragged me to hellosmalldog to see iPad. Oh boy. Tried to retain my usual nonchalant attitude, but secretly, I WANTED ONE.

    FaceBook:

    Travis Harris First impression of iPad.. is to wait. No flash support in Safari, No external ports, and a non wide screen display.. Not clear, who the target audience is? But, my photography does look incredible on it..

    George Brownfield Yes – very impressive product! My wife has been using it for hours.

    Nancy Ashworth I love mine! Arrived about noon on Saturday. Synced a couple movies, tv shows, music and photos. Bought a book (to see how that workds). Apps bought and loaded. Twenty minutes later I was snug as a bug in a rug with a mug of hot tea and a copy of Sense and Sensibility (free book!) on my lap. WONDERFUL! I’m not looking for high techiness. Mostly just wanted a good ereader. I’ve used the iBook program AND the Kindle for iPad. I love iBook more — turning the page is an art form in itself! I’ve found all the books I teach in Western Lit. I had heard about back-lighting issues and such, but playing with the adjustments (Accessibility has a button to turn the black/white screen) lessened any residual glow and I read myself to sleep last night without bugging my darling husband. I bought a vga adapter so I can do Keynote presentations in the classroom. I can’t wait to go on vacation without lugging all the books I like to read (usually bring about six books — one to finish, one to start, and a few in case I realize the books I brought suck… ha ha ha). I’ve had no issues with wi-fi or recharging. Apps from my iPhone work fine — even Bejeweled2 (just hit the 2x button). As you can read, I am HAPPY!

    Debby C. I love Weatherbug, Star Walk (beautiful night sky/constellations, IMDB… loaded ePub and PDF books (ReaddleDocs reader), downloaded Jane Austen also! Safari is a bit buggy with some sites where it works on Mac OS X. Otherwise, email, maps, twitterific, makes it one hot device! Small book stand purchased for $12 at Staples holds it very nicely upright on the desk, as well as purchased a $20 netbook case. Loving it!

    Michael B. I’m LOVING my iPad. It arrived on Saturday, and I’ve added close to four pages of apps (mostly free; however, I did purchase Pages). I teach English and would love to have a true word processing app that is more in line with what I’m used to using. Pages is okay, but it needs some additional functionality to make it appropriate for teachers. I see the Blackboard has an app. Unfortunately, my school uses D2L. An app there would be perfect!

    Robert B. my interest is over against One Laptop Per Child, a few of which we use in after-school public tutoring program for mostly children of immigrants Yesterday at 1:13pm · · Report

  • iPad Impressions (Hands-On Version)

    I really want to write a full iPad review for this week’s Kibbles & Bytes. But I have to be honest–my thoughts are biased in favor of “I love it! It’s amazing! This is both a new kind of computing and the future of computing!”

    I’ve yet to see someone who isn’t impressed with iPad when they start using it–even the dyed-in-the-wool iPad doubters and Apple haters. It’s a simple and very, very well-built device. It feels solid in the hand, like it will last a long time.

    And I will emphatically say that iPad isn’t just a “big iPod touch,” because now iPod touch seems more like “just a small iPad.” And it’s excellent to be able to use certain touch-based apps on a larger screen.

    I admit that iPad seems to be made just for me, as I have long desired an affordable handheld digital reader that can access the Internet at any time. I’m a reading junkie. There is a lot of web-based content and content wrapped in PDFs that I’d like to read, but simply don’t enjoy reading on my computer. I’m in front of a traditional computer enough. iPad puts that content into my hands. For me, it’s far more comfortable to read a handheld device with traditional font sizes than text from a computer. So far, iPad helps me focus more on the content I’m reading– with better information retention–than reading on a regular Mac.

    But iPad obviously offers much more than an easy and enjoyable way to read digital material. It’s a blob of digital clay. As many have said, make of it what you will.

    Finally, one of the most interesting things about iPad is how it raises existential questions about technology in a certain group of reviewers. iPad leads people down a path of questioning from “Who is this device for? and “How can I use it?” to “Do I really need or want more technology in my life? If so, why?”

    Here are some new iPad reviews that are thought-provoking and cover all the bases:

    *TidBITS:* “Why the iPad Is a Blank Slate, and Why That’s Important.”:http://db.tidbits.com/article/11152

    *Daringfireball.net:* “The iPad.”:http://daringfireball.net/2010/04/the_ipad

    *Arstechnica.com:* “Full Review.”:http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2010/04/ipad-review.ars

    *New York Times:* “The iPad in the Eyes of the Digerati.”:http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/the-ipad-in-the-eyes-of-the-digerati/

  • Prepping My iPad

    My initial reactions to the iPad are almost all positive; I see areas for improvement but using the iPad is just a pleasurable experience. I’ve been taking it to meetings and drew quite a crowd when I was down at the State House today for some meetings.

    In preparation for my trip abroad, I have set up some applications that you might find useful. The first was “IM+”:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/im/id296246130?mt=8 ($9.99; link opens iTunes) which is an integrated instant messaging application. It has some awesome features, including an integrated web browser and will handle just about all of the instant messaging accounts. It has one bug that is pretty annoying, though–it will not work with Apple’s Jabber server and legacy SSL. I am hoping they fix that soon, but I have a work around with “BeeJive”:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beejiveim-with-push/id291720439?mt=8 ($9.99; link opens iTunes).

    Setting up VPN to get into the Small Dog internal network was very simple and is quite stable. I used another application called “Desktop Connect”:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/desktop-connect/id364907570?mt=8 ($11.99; link opens iTunes) to activate VNC so I can log into my main computer which I will leave at the office. This means I can grab a file or look at my keychain.

    Mail is faster than the mail client on the Mac for some things like filing mail, however, the lack of a junk filter and support for rules makes maintenance more difficult. The unified mail client that is coming in the fall with iPhone OS 4.0 will also be useful.

    There is so much I love about the iPad that I do not have time to talk about it all, but I will be updating this adventure in computing from China and when I return. I believe that having the iPad on the 18-hour flight will make it shorter and I am confident that for email, web and of course, the China train schedule application I downloaded, it is going to be a perfect traveling tool.

  • iPhone OS 4 Preview

    On Thursday, Apple previewed iPhone OS 4, which they are calling “the biggest and most exciting iPhone software update yet.” It has to be, since the smartphone marketplace is vastly more competitive now then during any previous iPhone release.

    iPhone OS 4 will include over 100 new user features for iPhone and iPod touch owners to enjoy. A new software development kit (SDK) offers over 1500 new APIs for developers to create apps that are “even more powerful, innovative, and amazing.” A developer beta is available now.

    iPhone OS 4 will ship this summer for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and the second- and third-generation iPod touch and for iPad in the fall. Not all features of iPhone OS 4 are compatible with all devices. For example, the new multitasking feature will be available only with iPhone 3GS and the third-generation iPod touch (32GB and 64GB models from late 2009). It’s not clear if some or any iPhone 4.0 features will be supported by the first generation iPhone, alas.

    “Click here to watch the Keynote video.”:http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/1004fk8d5gt/event/

    With iPhone OS 4, iPhone owners will enjoy over 100 new features that make it easier to interact with apps, manage email, read books, and more. New features include the following:

    *Multitasking* – Developers will have access to seven multitasking services, which will allow tasks to be performed in the background while preserving performance and battery life. So you’ll be able to make a Voice over IP call while playing a game or checking email, find a restaurant on Urbanspoon while listening to Pandora, and more.

    *Game Center* – Game Center is Apple’s new social gaming network. Users can invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking, track their achievements, and compare high scores on a leader board. *(We think this will be huge.)*

    *Folders* – Organize apps into folders with drag-and-drop simplicity. Get faster access to your favorites and browse and manage up to 2160 apps at once–many more than the current limit of 180 apps.

    *Even Better Mail* – See messages from all your email accounts displayed together in a unified inbox, switch between inboxes more quickly, organize messages by threads, and even open attachments in third-party apps.

    *iBooks* – The best way to browse, buy, and read books on a mobile device. Easily flip through the pages of a book you’ve downloaded from the iBookstore while listening to your music collection. Browse tens of thousands of books–many of them free–by title, author, or genre. You can even check out reviews and read sample pages before you buy.

    *iAd* – A breakthrough mobile advertising platform from Apple. With it, apps can feature rich media ads that combine the emotion of TV with the interactivity of the web. For developers, it means a new, easy-to-implement source of revenue. For advertisers, it creates a new media outlet that offers consumers highly targeted information. *(Some people think this will be terribly obnoxious. We’re waiting to see, as it could be a boon for developers. And if it really is annoying, iPhone sales will suffer. Apple isn’t likely to let that happen.)*

  • Contest Time!

    *Random Facebook, Twitter and newsletter winners!*
    For the next two weeks, we are going to be giving away an iPod gift pack to a random winner (three total) from our “Facebook fans,”:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Small-Dog-Electronics/18904017006 “Twitter followers”:http://twitter.com/hellosmalldog and our “newsletter subscribers.”:http://www.smalldog.com/newsletters#subscriptions

    If you’re not already in our Facebook group, you can join here:
    “Small Dog Electronics on Facebook.”:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Small-Dog-Electronics/18904017006

    __Not on Facebook?__ “Sign up here.”:http://www.facebook.com

    Do you use Twitter? We post Mac tips, tricks, news, contests and more on our Twitter feed. “Click here to follow us on Twitter.”:http://twitter.com/hellosmalldog

    Of course, many thanks to all of you who read our newsletters every week. We haven’t forgotten you–we’re pulling a random subscriber from Kibbles & Bytes to win as well.

    We’ll be announcing the winners in our 4/30 issue of Kibbles & Bytes. Good luck!