Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • MAC TREAT #95: Crush Those Pages File Sizes

    Recently, I created a Pages document that grew to be unusually large in file size due to the images that I was using. The Pages file was roughly 140MB, so even exported to a PDF, it only shrunk to about 50MB–still too big for an email.

    Rather than resize the images that I put in the document itself, there’s an easier way.

    In Pages, select *File > Reduce File Size.* This will resize the images according to how large they actually appear in the document itself.

    *140MB > 1.2MB?* Success!

  • Saturday iPod Seminars Coming to S. Burlington Store!

    So you just bought an iPod touch or iPhone, but have no idea where to even start.

    *Never fear!* Our South Burlington location will be starting iPod touch seminars on Saturdays at 3:00. If you are unsure of how to use your new device to its full potential, we will be going over a plethora of different things to do with your iPod touch or iPhone including setting it up, finding a wireless network, configuring mail, syncing with iTunes, using Safari and the multitouch functions, games and much more.

    We will also be touching on many of the really excellent apps that you can find in the App Store. Feel free to stop in and listen. Bring your iPod touch or iPhone!

  • _Dear Friends,_

    I’m back in the beautiful (but soaked) Green Mountains. We had a wonderful trip through the south and had great visits to three extraordinary Apple Specialists: Springboard Media in Philadelphia, PA, PeachMac in Athens, GA and MacAuthority in Nashville, TN.

    In between, we had some extraordinary motorcycle riding and a lot of fun. One unique thing in our industry is the level of cooperation and collaboration between Apple Specialists. There is a lot of sharing of ideas and best practices and I have always found my colleagues in this industry to be willing partners in making our businesses better.

    Both MacAuthority and PeachMac were gearing up for their tax-free holidays and we are starting to stock up for our August 22nd tax holiday here in Vermont. On that day only, Vermonters will not have to pay tax on their purchases up to $2,000. We are stocking up with products and even if you are not in Vermont to save the tax, we will have some great bargains and bundles for that day. See our “Tax Holiday FAQ here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/taxholiday

    I had an experience of extraordinary customer service on my way into Philly. My motorcycle lost its clutch. I’d pull on the lever and nothing would happen. This is not a problem when you are moving, but try getting a motorcycle going once it has stopped! I thought I had broken a cable, but when I realized that I had a hydraulic clutch, I knew it was more serious. Using my GPS, I located the nearest Victory dealer who just happened to be open on a Sunday afternoon and who volunteered to pull a slave cylinder off of a new motorcycle so that we would be able to get on our way. Paws up to “Rollin’ Fast Cycle”:http://www.rollinfast.com/index.htm in Lebanon, NJ–they get it!

    I missed a few new product announcements while I was on the road–Final Cut Studio, Logic and the 2TB Time Capsule–and learned that “deflagrates” is a financial term as referenced in Ed’s coverage of Apple’s spectacular quarterly financials results.

  • *Greetings!*

    Welcome to this special edition of Best in Showroom! With all of the excitement surrounding Vermont’s Tax Holiday on August 22nd, both of our retail locations are preparing early, and based on the feedback we’ve received from you, our loyal customers, we’re sending this friendly reminder so you won’t miss out on the savings!

    We’re now taking preorders, so we encourage all customers who will be making a tax-free purchase to come into the store or call in before August 22nd to reserve your order. The machine still needs to be paid for in full *on August 22nd,* but with preordering, you’ll save the hassle and the wait during one of the busiest times of the year. You can rest assured that your order will be ready to go when you are!

    Remember Vermont is waiving sales tax for all orders under $2,000, so “LOTS”:http://www.smalldog.com/macs of machines qualify! This could save you some serious dough if you’re back to school shopping, shopping for your home or office or just want to grab some fun gadgets. As always, if you have questions about any of our bundles, “printer rebates”:http://www.smalldog.com/specials/74220 or other specials, we’re here to help.

    Have more questions? “Read all about the Tax Holiday on our FAQ here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/taxholiday

    Additionally, we have other news that just couldn’t wait until next month’s issue! We’re introducing free iPod/iPhone seminars on Saturdays in our S. Burlington retail location. And, now’s your last chance to sign up for Google Boot Camp this week in Burlington! Read on for more information.

    We look forward to seeing you. Thanks for reading this special issue of Best in Showroom!

    Katie
    “katie@smalldog.com”:mailto:katie@smalldog.com

  • Total Nuclear Disarmament Now

    Start Soapbox This week marks the 64th anniversary of the first use of an atomic weapon. The US atomic bombing of Hiroshima marked…

  • Cool "How To" With Your Flip Camera

    The past few months here at Small Dog we started carrying Flip Video Cameras. These small, lightweight and power cameras can record in…

  • Special Deal On Closeout Aluminum MacBooks!

    Get $100 off on a “closeout aluminum unibody MacBook bundle.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag/19332

    This bundle features a snappy new 2.0GHz aluminum MacBook with 160GB hard drive, and 4GB RAM (upgraded from 2GB RAM). Also included is the essential 3-year AppleCare plan and a free Hammerhead neoprene protection sleeve. We’re offering all this for *$1349.99,* discounted from $1449.99, plus free shipping and no sales tax on orders that ship out of Vermont.

    Add a “250GB portable Rugged Drive from LaCie for $79.99”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/71493 and “Microsoft Office for $129.99”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/70713($20 off) and you’ve got the perfect Mac-to-School solution!

  • Computer to TV: Can We Talk?

    On Monday, the “Burlington Free Press”:http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090803/BUSINESS/908030303/1003, Vermont’s largest-circulation newspaper ran an article I wrote entitled “Computer to TV: Can we talk?.” It’s a brief overview of a couple of ways to get media from your computer to your television and home entertainment system. “Click here to check it out.”:http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090803/BUSINESS/908030303/1003

    How do you get media from your computer to your home entertainment system? Apple TV? Video game console? Mac mini? Simply patch-cable connection? Or do you connect your iPod to your TV or home entertainment system with cables or a dock of some kind? Let us know, and we’ll use your ideas in a future newsletter and blog article!

  • Tip of the Week: Forgotten Passwords

    Every so often I find myself in a situation where I can’t remember a password, and instead of trying each and every one of perhaps twenty passwords I use in various places, I can just open up Keychain Access from the Utilities folder and find what I need quickly and easily.

    I like to select the “All Items” category on the left side of the screen, and then use the Spotlight-style search box on the top right of the screen. For example, if I needed to log into an AirPort base station I haven’t accessed in a year, I would search “base station” and Keychain Access would then display all the AirPort base stations I’ve ever accessed. The nice thing about this program (which is found on every single Mac made in the last four years or so) is that it requires only one password to give you access to all the others.

    Another great feature of Keychain Access is the Secure Notes section. This allows you to jot down confidential information that’s protected behind a password.

  • Repair of the Week: iBook G4 Wireless

    A 12-inch iBook G4 came in this morning with a sealed box containing an AirPort Extreme Card, and the repair ticket indicated that we were to install the card, max out the RAM, and install Leopard. “Easy enough,” I thought.

    It turns out that the unit already had an AirPort card installed, but it wasn’t being recognized. Further, this iBook was a last-generation 1.33GHz model, which had a combination AirPort and Bluetooth card installed, not the available-at-retail AirPort Extreme card used in older products. It had been over a year since I’d been inside an iBook, so it took a little while for me to get to its innards. I was hoping that simply re-seating the AirPort card in its slot would bring it back to life, but no such luck. I swapped in a known-good card, and it still wouldn’t work. I assumed at this point that it’d need a new logic board, as the logic board houses the slot the AirPort card plugs into.

    I sometimes get “tunnel vision” when diagnosing, and go straight for the most likely culprit instead of taking the proper diagnostic route. Step one is __always__ reset PRAM and PMU, and I’d forgotten this important step. Before I could really diagnose the issue as based on the logic board, I had to reassemble the unit to the point where I could turn it on and use the trackpad. A short while later, I reset the PRAM and PMU and sure enough, the old card worked just fine.

    The moral of the story is to never dismiss the simplest explanation for any problem!