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Author "emily"
wrote in 928: Notifications for Gmail, Control your Mobile Data, Mobile Banking .

_Greetings Friends,_

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend! I spent the long weekend breaking in the camping gear with my family as we officially kicked off our summer camping season. It was a little bit chilly, but we still made the best of it! It is nice to spend a weekend relaxing and just enjoying time together. We even managed to survive an entire weekend without cell phones or internet! With all the technology around us, and working with it on a daily basis, I admit it’s a great feeling to disconnect and recharge for a few days. 

This past week I encountered a few machines which were suffering from data corruption. Data corruption can be a very tedious and frustrating process to sort through, in some cases it can actually mean loss of files. Data corruption can not always be avoided, but there are some simple steps you can take when using your machine to try and reduce the likely hood of data corruption. One is to try to avoid force powering down your machine; whenever possible always follow proper shut down and sleep procedures. Avoid force quitting programs as well as just unplugging external drives unless it’s absolutely necessary; force quitting your programs and unplugging drives without properly un-mounting them can lead to data corruption. If you have a program that is crashing on a regular basis, this can be a sign that potentially data corruption had occurred. If you are noticing crashes within your programs, try repairing permission on your disk through disk utility. Installing a solid state hard drive can running regular Time Machine backups is another simple step and precaution one can take to try and minimize any potential corruption to your data. Solid state drives are much more stable than traditional drives. Lastly, keeping your Time Machine backups current could be a real life saver in the event your data does get corrupted. Time Machine allows users to restore from specific back ups. This was a lifesaver for me once with a Windows partition on my machine that ended up with a virus. Thanks to Time Machine I was able to restore data prior to the virus infecting my machine! 

Thank you for reading!
Emily Dolloff
“emily@smalldog.com”:mailto:emily@smalldog.com

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wrote in 189: Best in Show | May 2015 .

Small Dog is pleased to be partnering with RETN for this one-of-a-kind, “*FREE event*.”:http://www.smalldog.com/retntest/ipad-event RETN instructors Ross Ransom and Doug Dunbebin will guide you through the essential features of iMovie 10 in this hands-on workshop. With ample time for practice and questions, you will be walking away from this course with the skills to turn your photos and videos into finished professional-level movies.

*Time*: 9am – 12pm

*Date*: Wednesday, June 10th

*Location*: Black Box Theatre, Main Street Landing 60 Main Street Burlington, VT

*Cost:* *FREE*

“*Register Here!*”:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/top-10-tips-tools-for-making-mobile-movies-tickets-16902800732

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wrote in 189: Best in Show | May 2015 .

We are excited to announce the next edition of our world famous Tech Talk 101 series. Michael Scott Duplessis (Apple Certified Support Professional, Technical Coordinator, and “Tetris afficionado)”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/app-review-tetris-blitz/ is hosting once again this month and will be talking about **Email, Calendars, and Contacts: How They Sync and Best Practices.**

Topics will include:

* Setting up email on your device
* IMAP, POP, SMTP, CalDAV, CardDAV: What DO all these acronyms mean?
* Effectively managing and syncing your contacts
* Creating and sharing calendars
* Plus much more!

This **FREE** event will take place on Wednesday May 27th at 7pm. This event is limited to just 30 attendees and has been filling up quickly. You can sign up starting Thursday May 21st at 7 PM by clicking “*this link.*”:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/email-calendars-and-contacts-how-they-sync-and-best-practices-tickets-16900648294

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wrote in 913: "Step" Up Your Fitness Goals in 2015, MAC TREAT #249: Web Inspector, Travel in Style .

I have been a Vermonter my entire life, but talk all the time about moving south and being done with Vermont winters. This year is no exception. However, the difference this year is that I have decided the best way to handle the winters is to embrace the cold and to once again take up winter sports.

I recently bought new ski equipment so that I can join my oldest daughter on the ski slopes and we also hope to get in some more snowshoeing. Last winter my youngest daughter, Olivia, struggled a little bit with the snowshoes and I hope this year she has a better time with it!

Stay safe and warm everyone!

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

_Don (in absentia), Emily, Rachel, Dean & Mike_

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wrote in 913: "Step" Up Your Fitness Goals in 2015, MAC TREAT #249: Web Inspector, Travel in Style .

_Hello Friends,_

It’s Emily, taking over for Don this week while he is checking out new gadgets at the “*2015 Consumer Electronics Show*”:http://www.cesweb.org in Las Vegas. While Don is perusing the latest and greatest in electronics, the majority of the team is back in Vermont just trying to just “*stay warm*”:http://i.giphy.com/5ZdW3tadQFppS.gif and it seems like most of the country is as well! I have lived in Vermont my entire life, but that doesn’t make it any easier to get up in the morning and see 20 below zero and know you still have to feed horses before going to work. Complaining aside, I love my horses dearly and have learned that when it’s this cold, it just means I need to move a little quicker through barn chores. This past morning was particularly chilly. In fact it was so cold I thought it best to lug my frozen water buckets inside to thaw by the fire rather than trying to bang the ice out of the buckets and have them crack. Don and I often give each other a hard time about temperatures…well mostly it’s Don bragging about it being sunny and 75 in Key West. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a little pleasure hearing it was in the 40s in Las Vegas earlier this week. It’s good for him to not become too soft when it comes to colder temperatures!

As many people have predicted and anticipated, home automation is one of the big attractions at CES this year. Countless companies and developers are rolling out new products and expansions to “*Apple’s HomeKit*”:https://developer.apple.com/homekit/ are no exception. Schlage has updated their smart lock system, allowing iPhone users to unlock their home with just their voice. iDevices is another company that’s been working on accessories to Apple’s HomeKit and released a switch that allows users to control appliances, lights and more. With this switch you can even use Siri to to tell your switch to make a light brighter! Other cool products coming out of CES this year are new Bluetooth headphones from Sennheiser: the Urbanite XL. These headphones have a built-in touchpad that allow users to skip songs, take phone calls, and adjust the volume. You can also pair these headphones to two devices at once, so you can listen to music on your computer and not miss a call on your phone! Of course one of the drawbacks to seeing and hearing about all of these new gadgets is that they all aren’t available for purchase just yet, but we expect in the coming weeks and months to see more of these products readily available. In the meantime, it leaves us all plenty of time to map out and plan where all of these gadgets will go in our homes and offices!

In honor of home automation, this week we have some great deals on products from WeMo. Wirelessly monitor your home from afar, turn on the lights before you get home and control the brightness of your room, all from your iPhone!

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wrote in 184: Best in Showroom | December 2014 .

This holiday season we want to make it as easy as we can to make sure your gift buying is as stress free as possible. We have put together a great bundle for anyone with a new Mac on their holiday shopping list.

Buy any new Mac from us (excluding Mac mini) with AppleCare and get some great extras! We will give you a **FREE** “Chill Box”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/83669/chill-box-bluetooth-speaker-by-chill-pill-audio-tuxedo-black and a **$50** Small Dog gift card! The Chill Box is a wireless speaker that is portable, works on Bluetooth and can be utilized with computers, iPhones and the iPod touch. You can use the gift card for additional items you might want to purchase, like an external hard drive, or save the gift card as a great stocking stuffer! Save even more money by buying the “Canon MC472”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85729/canon-pixma-mx472-wireless-inkjet-photo-all-in-one-w-airplay Airplay printer for just **$50.**

In one stop at Small Dog you can get a jump start on your holiday buying and ensure that you’re getting everything the tech lover on your list will need for this holiday season!

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wrote in 908: Merging Keychains, Staying in Touch, MAC TREAT #248: Guided Access, Jump On It - Thanksgiving Week Long Sale .

Ok, let’s face it: the holiday season can be stressful. You probably have endless lists of wants from family, friends, and the kids. I know this firsthand. With two small children in my house I think I have a new list every other day. It’s overwhelming at times to think of all the gifts to be purchased and where to find them, especially with a diverse group of individuals to buy for!

This year we are hoping to make the idea of gift giving a little less stressful for everyone. We have gifts for the tech junkie on your list and those who might be new to the scene. We are working to stock our shelves with last minute stocking stuffers, gadgets and accessories you never knew existed and, of course, Apple products and accessories! We don’t want any of our customers to feel like they need to fight the crowds to get a great deal, so we are running some great weeklong promotions featuring some great BOGO deals. You can get one for a friend and one for yourself and not feel guilty.

Starting this Saturday, both online and in-store, you can *save up to $200* on a new Mac and great accessories. With the purchase of any new Mac (other than the Mac mini) with AppleCare you get a Chill Box, a $50 Small Dog gift card, and save $50 on a Canon printer! We will also be offering *$15 off* any iPad case with the purchase of an iPad in addition to any sale price on iPad cases.

“*You can see all of the great deals online NOW through Sunday November 30th here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/thanksgiving

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wrote in 183: Best in Showroom | November 2014 .

It’s been two years since we saw an update to Apple’s little desktop computer: the Mac mini. This machine has finally received the kind of specs bump you’d expect after so long. Among other new features, it has new 4th-generation Intel processors and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. The base model carries a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 5000 graphics processor, a 500GB hard drive, and 4GB of memory. The top-of-the-line model has a 2.8 GHz dual-core processor, Iris graphics processor, 8GB of memory, and a 1TB fusion drive. As an added bonus, as Phil Schiller says it is “the world’s most energy-efficient computer.” While the internals might be new, the design still looks a lot like its small, silver 2012 counterpart, and it seems to occupy the same position as a low-cost, low-profile alternative to the iMac. It’s going to start shipping today starting at just $499!

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wrote in 183: Best in Showroom | November 2014 .

Apple’s all-in-one desktop recently received an amazing upgrade in the 27 inch model. The 27 inch iMac now offers a resolution of 5120 pixels by 2880 pixels, or 14.7 million total pixels! That’s **SEVEN TIMES** as many as you would find in a high-definition television! Despite the added pixels, the iMac remains thin at 5 millimeters. We are lucky enough here at Small Dog to have this incredible machine on display and customers and staff alike have all been agog as they admire how incredible images look on the display! The 5K iMac starts at **$2499.99** and features a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz, 8gb of RAM, a 1TB fusion drive and the AMD Radeon R9 M290x 2GB video card. We are sure this machine is popping up on many Christmas lists this year! We do expect high demand for this amazing machine, so if you are thinking of checking it off your holiday gift giving list we recommend putting an order in today!

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