Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Take Your Surge Protector To the Next Level With a UPS

    “UPS,”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=UPS more than a shipping company, stands for “Uninterruptible Power Supply.”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply These handy devices combine the protection of a surge protector with the peace of mind of a built-in battery.

    While we all know that a surge protector’s job is to protect electronic devices from being fried in a power outage, what’s the benefit of a back up battery? Well, when was the last time you were in the middle of editing an important document, financial file, video or audio recording on your computer and the power went out? Great, your gear isn’t fried but all the work you just did and didn’t save is now lost.

    With a UPS, when the power goes out, the UPS will keep your devices powered long enough to allow you to save the files your working on and then properly shut down the machine. While it doesn’t act as a generator in the sense that it won’t keep you running for hours on end, that extra time to save and shut down properly can save you from the headache of losing data and potentially causing software corruption when the machine shuts down unexpectedly.

    Now that we’re in thunderstorm season, using surge protectors and/or UPS units are more important than ever. It’s also important to note that both surge protectors and UPS units are available to do more than just protect the power source of your machines. Did you know that you can purchase both surge protectors and UPS units with Ethernet and telephone jacks on them? They need to be protected too!

    Now that most people use surge protectors, it’s rare for me to see a machine come in that has experienced a surge through the power jack of the machine. What we do see are machines that have fried Ethernet and modem jacks. On my desk just this week was a Mac mini that was being used with an external USB modem. The modem had fried in a thunderstorm and the customer purchased a new modem but that wasn’t working either. Upon inspection, it appears that the short not only affected the USB modem, but the logic board of the machine that it was attached to. A logic board repair out of warranty is a serious bill; on a Mac mini it’s actually just about the cost of purchasing a whole new machine. Ouch!

    Save yourself money and frustration down the line. Invest in a “UPS back up!”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=UPS

  • Happy Tuesday,

    A fetid skunky cloud wafted over Small Dog headquarters in Waitsfield late last week and I immediately sensed that Owen had something to do with it. Sure enough, he came running back a few minutes later, apparently proud of his new smell. At first, the smell of skunk was so pervasive we couldn’t even tell that Owen was contributing to it, but as the breeze carried the worst of it away, it became apparent that Owen was going to be a problem. Three bottles of Nature’s Miracle later, he doesn’t smell at all when he’s dry, but once he’s wet there is a slight skunkiness that just doesn’t go away.

    I received word from Chris DeRose, a long time Small Dog technician who’s been with the South Burlington store since its beginning, that he’s decided to move closer to home in the Philadelphia area. He’s a gifted technician, and it’s going to be hard to fill his shoes. Chris will be with us until the end of September.

    Thanks for reading, and as always, keep in touch.

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

  • August Specials

    *Mac to School 2009*
    Student or not, you can take advantage of these specials (with the exception of select Adobe Academic titles).

    “View ALL Mac to School 2009 Specials here!”:http://www.smalldog.com/mactoschool_atbis

    Plus:

    “Parallels Desktop for Mac 4.0:”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/72496
    Small Dog is donating $10 to the VT Food Bank for every copy sold!
    *$69.99*

    “4GB iPod nano – Silver”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74072 (3G)
    *$79.99*

    “Chill Pill mobile speakers in Red, Silver or Black”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=chill+pill+mobile
    *$39.99*

  • HP OfficeJet J4580 Review

    Hey, Brian here from the Waitsfield Retail Store. We have a special $70 rebate on the HP OfficeJet J4580 this month, so here are the details!

    This multifunction printer does it all: it **prints** (color & B&W), **scans** (up to 1200 dpi), **copies** and **faxes,** all for **$29.99** after mail-in rebate.

    The HP OfficeJet J4580 prints up to 28 pages per minute in B&W up to 600 x 600 dpi, and 22 pages per minute in color at 4800 x 1200 dpi, and will even print lab-quality borderless photos up to 8.5″ x 11″.

    One of the best features is that the refill ink cartridges aren’t even crazy expensive (which means that you’re saving money over the life of the printer).

    “View color cartridge.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74223 (360 page yield)
    “View black cartridge.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74221 (200 page yield)
    “View XL cartridge.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74222

    Perfect all-in-one for a dorm room!

    **To redeem the $70 mail-in rebate, simply purchase the HP OfficeJet J4580 along with a new Mac between now and September 26, 2009.**

    “Check out all the bells and whistles here, and come in to see us!”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74220

  • August Class Schedule

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

    Mac Basics Level Two:
    “Sunday, August 9, 2009 5:15pm to 6:45”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74030

    Absolute Mac Basics:
    “Sunday, August 16, 2009 5:15pm to 6:45”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74034

    Absolute Mac Basics:
    “Sunday, August 30, 2009 5:15pm to 6:45”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74035

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

  • Mac to School Essentials Bundle

    School is coming!

    We’ve created a *Mac to School Essentials Bundle for MacBook + MacBook Pro 13in* that will put everything you need together in one package AND save you money (over $50, to be exact)!

    Bundle includes: iWork ’09, 3-Year AppleCare Protection Plan, Surge Protector, Ethernet Patch Cable, 2GB Flash Drive, and Hammerhead MacBook Sleeve.

    “View it here;”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag19258_atbis come on in to buy!

  • Product of the Month: August 2009

    *Closeout Aluminum MacBook!*

    *MacBook 2.0GHz 2GB/160/SD/AP/BT*

    Save up to $300 on this original unibody aluminum MacBook with closeout pricing!

    *Only $1099.99!*

  • Contest Mania: July Winners + A New Chance To Win!

    We had some awesome contests going in the month of July, and we just wanted to take a minute and congratulate our winners!

    **Higher Ground Les Claypool Contest**

    * **Grand prize/1GB iPod shuffle winner: Jake J.**

    **Nothing But NOODLES Contest**

    * **1st prize/8GB iPod nano winner is Stephanie W.**
    * **2nd prize/$50 Nothing But NOODLES gift card goes to Mia A.**
    * **3rd prize/$15 iTunes gift card goes to Kris O.**

    Thanks for all of your submissions, and if you didn’t win this time, we have a **new contest** going on: we’re pairing up with Healthy Living to bring you some other great prizes.

    Just pop over to our S. Burlington Retail Store or Healthy Living on Dorset Street during the month of August to **enter to win a 1GB iPod shuffle from Small Dog or a $100 gift card from Healthy Living!**

  • The Importance of Surge Protection

    We saw more severe thunderstorms over the weekend, and each storm brings a surge of power-related repairs into the shop. Instead of the…

  • iHome iH9 iPod Alarm Clock Review

    I wanted to get an iPod Docking Station for our kitchen and I have been really pleased with the iHome iH8 that we have in the bedroom, so I decided to give the new iHome iH9 a shot.

    There are a couple of upgrades on the iH9 that are worth mentioning. First, it comes with a remote that can be used to control both the iH9 as well as the iPod that is docked. There is also a way to program the snooze button for different lengths of time if the standard nine minutes is not enough.

    By far though, I think the coolest feature that iHome has added to the new unit is what they call 7-5-2. This allows you to set up the alarm to go off either at the same time every day, just on weekdays or just the weekends. Also, the iH9 has a battery back up, so if you lose power there is no need to worry about re-setting the clock and alarm.

    After checking out all of the new features, I think I will end up putting the iH9 in the bedroom and moving the iH8 down to the kitchen. We’re currently running a special on the **iH9 for $79.99, which is $10.00 off the regular list price.**

    Stop by either the Waitsfield or South Burlington showroom to hear how great the iH9 sounds!

  • It's That Time of Year…

    No, not “__that__”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_and_holiday_season time of year. Parents are rejoicing and kids are frowning because Mac to School season is here!

    We are kicking off August with loads of great specials to get you and your student ready for the coming school year. Notebooks are a must-have for most students, and one of the best deals out there is on our **closeout aluminum MacBooks.** Check it out as our Product of the Month (right)!

    __Writing, writing, writing.__ For all those papers students will be writing, we have **Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition on sale for $129.99.**

    __Need a printer to print all those papers?__ We have an all in one printer from HP that is **just $30 after a mail-in rebate when you buy a new Mac.**

    __Protect that new laptop!__ We have a great new line of **Hammerhead notebook sleeves** in, a Small Dog exclusive. They are made from reversible neoprene and offer great protection without adding bulk to an already overflowing school bag!

    __Back up, back up, back up.__ Failed hard drives are some of the worst stories we hear during the school year from frantic parents and students as these disasters can come at the worst time for students. Small Dog has you covered with **back up solutions starting at just $79.99.**

    Browse our specials online at “Smalldog.com/mactoschool”:http://www.smalldog.com/mactoschool, stop by our stores or call our sales team!