Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • _Dear Friends,_

    We have reached full peak foliage season here in Vermont with an amazing display of colors and just a hint of snowflakes on the mountain tops last night (Kerry pointed out that makes for snow on June 1st and October 1st this year) . It is the time of year to take the back roads and go slowly to enjoy the change of the seasons.

    Way back in the old days when I would cut my own firewood, I would complain about the poplar (cottonwood) trees as they are not quite hardwood for heat but not softwood either. A friend reminded me that the poplar is the first tree with green leaves in the spring and the last with green leaves in the fall. The poplars are a beautiful contrast to the reds, yellows and multiple shades of brown that mark the hills now.

    We closed our retails stores on Wednesday and part of Thursday this week as we transition the company to a fiscal year that ends September 30th each year. This allows us to get more and less expensive attention from our accountants and it makes a world of sense given the importance of the October to December quarter (now our first quarter) to retail sales. Hapy, Lucie, Art, Katie, Tim, Jaime and Cindy are all working hard to count the inventory, make adjustments and close out our short year.

    A couple of customers scolded me for being so harsh on Mark last week. It was all in good humor–you see, Mark is a friend first and employee second; it is my duty as a friend to bust his chops from time to time. I have known Mark for over 20 years and he has worked with Small Dog Electronics for nearly its entire existence. I worked with Mark before that, too, as he sold me CDs when they were the new way to distribute databases and applications. Mark is one of the members of Small Dog’s senior management team and his messy desk is legendary here at Small Dog Electronics.

    We were able to pick up a few of the recently discontinued 15-inch MacBook Pro 2.66GHz with the larger ExpressCard slot. “These are a great buy while supplies last at $1899.99”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73305 and if you buy AppleCare with the MacBook Pro you can save an additional $10, too.

    I downloaded some new apps for my iPhone in anticipation of my trip to Asia. I grabbed Skype so I can call home when I have a Wi-Fi connection and also some localized utilities like a hot spot finder for Hong Kong and a translator program. I also downloaded a couple of books to my Kindle account so I have them on my iPhone for the long trip.

    This will be my last intro to Kibbles for a few weeks as I travel first to Taiwan and then to China and finally, to Las Vegas for the Apple Specialist Owner’s Retreat on the way back. Kali and Ed will keep you informed and entertained while I am away and I’ll try to get them some reports along the way.

  • Get Greed out of Legislation

    As I watch the battle over health care reform play out in Congress and on the airways, I am struck with how much…

  • October Specials

    *500GB Apple Time Capsule, refurbished*

    *$149.99*
    “Click here to order online.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74079

    *Lenntek Sonix Earphones*

    SX-800 Red Earphones
    *$19.99*
    “Click here to order online.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73830

    *iPod classic (160GB) with a free Rap Cap!*

    *$249.99*
    In-store only.

    *MacTrak*
    Computer theft is unfortunately something that seems to be on the rise, so we have started to carry a great piece of software called MacTrak by GadgetTrak.

    *We will be offering a one year subscription for $10–normally $29.99.*

    Stop into either of our retail stores to find out more.

    Ask us about more specials and deals on clearance items, discontinued and demo products!

  • October Class Schedule

    Each class is taught by an Apple Product Professional and features take-home materials.

    *Absolute Mac Basics:*
    10/11/09 5:15pm to 6:45pm
    10/18/09 5:15pm to 6:45pm

    *Mac Basics Level 2:*
    10/04/09 5:15pm to 6:45pm
    10/25/09 5:15pm to 6:45pm

    For a detailed description of our classes, “find out more here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/classes

  • CAR Tune In Review

    The CAR Tune is back and better than ever! This FM transmitter and car charger works with all iPods with a dock connector (sorry shuffle), as well as the iPhone, iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS.

    With the CAR Tune you have the option to transmit over twelve different FM frequencies, which is really nice because you are always guaranteed a crisp, clear transmission. Because the CAR Tune is also a charger, you never have to worry about your iPod or iPhone running out of battery power.

    The CAR Tune is currently available for $34.99; clip or mention the coupon in this issue and take $5 off for the month of October!

  • Mac Classes Coming Soon To Waitsfield

    Would you like to learn more about your Mac, but don’t want to drive to Burlington to take a class? I am very excited to announce that we will soon be hosting classes at the Waitsfield location. They will be held on Saturdays from 5:15 to 6:45 PM and we will post the dates on our “Classes page”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Classes as soon as they are available for signup–we hope to hold our first Absolute Mac basics class by the middle/end of October. (We do ask that you pre-register for the class.) Damian Paone will join me in teaching the classes.

    The Absolute Mac Basics class is great for people who are new to Apple computers or switching from the PC platform. In this class you will learn the basic functions of your Mac desktop or laptop. There will also be a Mac Basics Level II class, where we will explore Apple Mail, iCal and more applications that come pre-installed on all Macs. We will also teach you how to use Time Machine, your Mac’s built-in data backup system, as well as some other great features that are offered within the Mac operating system.

    To see a more detailed overview of the classes, “click here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/classes. Please feel free to email me (click on the link at the beginning of the article of my name) if you have any questions about the Waitsfield Mac Basics class offerings.

  • MobileMe Ties it All Together – And Can Find Your iPhone Too!

    Apple’s MobileMe has adapted very nicely to the addition of the iPhone and iPod touch. The MobileMe mail program is very flexible. You can access your email from the iPhone, iPod touch, on your home Mac, or even through the web by logging into me.com from any computer that has an internet connection.

    Because MobileMe Mail is an IMAP account, it keeps all of your devices synced so your inbox will look the same on which ever computer or hand held device you are using. **MobileMe also automatically syncs any new contacts or iCal events** that are added to the programs on all MobileMe linked machines.

    The **MobileMe Gallery** is a great way to share photographs by loading them onto the web and then sharing the gallery’s web address with your friends and family you have an up to date web-based photograph album. You can even upload photos to your MobileMe Gallery directly from your iPhone.

    MobileMe comes with a feature called **iDisk,** that allows you to back up up to 20GB of important files to a virtual hard drive on the internet. It allows you to access those files from any browser and from the iPhone when you download the iDisk application.

    I have saved the best feature for last though: there is now an additional feature on MobileMe called **Find My Phone.** It works just as it sounds; if you have the Find My Phone feature enabled on your iPhone you can then log in to your MobileMe account from any computer and the program will actually show you on a map where your iPhone is at that particular moment in time.

    You can remotely set your iPhone to display a message on the screen with a way to contact you in the event that someone finds your iPhone. They will know how to return it even if the phone is locked. If your iPhone is lost a little closer to home (say the cushions of your couch), you can use the MobileMe Find My Phone feature to help locate it by logging on and having your iPhone make a series of beeps until you are able to find the device. That feature even works when you have the phone set to silent.

    MobileMe is currently selling for **$99.99** for the individual one year subscription and $149.99 for the Family Pack, which includes an additional four family member accounts, each with its own email address and 5GB of online storage space.

    **October special:** Get an “instant $30 rebate on MobileMe!”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag19405/ Final cost: $69.99.

    Stop by the Waitsfield or South Burlington showroom to see all the features that MobileMe has to offer!

  • *Greetings!*

    I am happy to report that it is officially fall in Vermont, the maple leaves are approaching peak color, pumpkins are appearing at farm stands, and the local ski areas received their first snowfall last night. A bunch of us who work for Small Dog are winter sports enthusiasts and are counting the days until the ski areas and snowmobile trails open for the season.

    Apple has made updates to the iPod lineup since the last issue of Best in Showroom and the staff favorite turns out to be the new 5th generation iPod nano. The new updated nano includes a built-in video camera, a larger screen and an FM receiver. It is truly amazing that Apple has been able to include a video camera in a device as small as the new nano. Ed, one of our marketing and design managers, recently compared the new nano video to a Flip video camera; “check the comparison out here.”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB76K8hHMqA

    Halloween falls on a Saturday this year so we have decided to hold our annual Halloween contest a day early on Friday 10/30. Each year, our customers are invited to vote on the best costumes and each year our staff and their dogs try to outdo each other. It has become customary for our graphics team to dress up those staff members who forget to participate in extra special Photoshopped costumes. We invite you come back to our website on Friday October 30th to vote for your favorite costumes–there will be a prize or two involved!

    Today marked the first day of our new fiscal year, and that means out with the old, and in with the new. We’re gearing up for a busy fall–the Valley is already buzzing with annual “leaf peepers” who are in town to witness the official change of season. Come in for a visit!

    Tony
    “tony@smalldog.com”:mailto:tony@smalldog.com

  • Apple and the Environment Update

    Ever since Greenpeace rated Apple’s environmental record very poorly some years ago, Apple’s commitment to the environment has evolved quite a bit. I…

  • iWork.com Enhancements

    Apple sent out a note to iWork.com beta users today about some new features and improvements they’ve made to the iWork.com service. From…