[NPMUG] [Fwd: Kibbles & Bytes #613: Mac Treat #77, iPhone 3.0 Software Update, Don's Soapbox, Product Reviews]

[Fozard]

view in plain text <http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/kb613/text-only/> 
or web browser <http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/kb613/> 	 
Kibbles & Bytes | News, commentary and tips & tricks for the Mac 
community | SmallDog.com | 800-511-MACS <http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/>
  	
#613: Mac Treat #77, iPhone 3.0 Software Update, Don's Soapbox, Product 
Reviews

	 
  	  	 
  	

Dear Friends,

Well it is official, it became spring at 7:44AM today. There is still 
snow in the yard and the roads are muddy but winter is over. The signs 
of spring are evident from the Robin I spotted in my yard this morning 
to the crocus buds pushing through the snow. The river is high but the 
gradual warming has limited the ice jams and we have not had any serious 
flooding yet (knocking heavily on my wood desk).

With spring comes some heightened activity on our annual Earth Day 
eWaste recycling day, which will be April 18th this year. We have moved 
the event to the local high school because last year we pretty much shut 
down the whole area with traffic as cars were backed up in both 
directions with people waiting patiently to drop off their ewaste. This 
year we have support from Apple, Ben & Jerry's, Green Mountain Coffee, 
SymQuest, 7th Generation, Chittenden Bank, Canon, Chroma Technology, the 
Chittenden Solid Waste District and our new recycling partner WeRecycle.

WeRecycle is one of only a handful of eWaste recyclers that has signed 
the Basel Action Network's <http://ban.org/> e-Stewards Recycler's 
Pledge of True Stewardship and has met the strict BAN criteria for 
ewaste recycling. (e-Stewards website: www.e-stewards.org 
<http://www.e-stewards.org/>) We collected over 130 tons of eWaste last 
year in our 4-hour event, making it the largest one-day event in the 
USA. This volume also allowed us to be the first and only electronics 
retailer to be able to claim that we recycle more ewaste than we sell 
each year.

I am proud to report that the Vermont Retail Association gave us the 
Greentailer of the Year award yesterday at a ceremony and lunch in 
Burlington. We are very proud to be recognized for our commitment to one 
of our bottom lines--planet!

Apple announced the iPhone 3.0 software on Tuesday and the new features 
include much-desired options such as tethering (using your iPhone as a 
modem for your Mac), cut and paste, open core location (permitting 
turn-by-turn GPS) and MMS support. With over 100 new features and 1000 
new APIs for developers, this is a major advancement in the iPhone and 
iPod touch platform that will make it even more compelling and will open 
the door for additional devices to take advantage of the power and 
versatility of the software, App Store and Apple's hardware (more below).

And just in case you were wondering, nope, we still are not allowed to 
sell the iPhone. It is a constant source of customer inquiry and 
frustration. It is somewhat unbelievable that Apple feels that a 
customer would have a better experience at Walmart or Best Buy than at 
Small Dog Electronics or the other Apple Specialists. We will keep 
asking, pleading and cajoling Apple and perhaps one of these days, they 
will see the light.

	 
  	  	 
  	MAC TREAT #77: Get in Character 	By Kali Hilke 
<mailto:kali at smalldog.com> 	 
  		 
  	

Ever wonder where those pesky specials characters that aren't written on 
your keyboard (e.g. ¢, ©, ®, â"¢) are when you're writing? They're 
all listed in Character Palette--part of OS X.

Easy access can be found either as a part of your other Apple Apps (such 
as Mail, TextEdit, Stickies, etc.) or in the International panel of 
System Preferences. (System Preferences > International > Input Menu)

If you find that you use these symbols a fair amount and would like to 
see them quickly, check the Character Palette checkbox and "Show input 
menu in menu bar." The latter will display a little flag icon in the top 
righthand corner of your menu bar (how patriotic!).

Another tip for finding some symbols that you use more than others is to 
remember the keyboard shortcuts. Here's a cheatsheet for my most popular 
ones:

    * Accent Acute (´): Option-E
    * Bullet (âEUR¢): Option-8
    * Cent (¢): Option-4
    * Copyright (©): Option-G
    * Degree (Ës(): Option-K
    * Registered (®): Option-R
    * Trade Mark (â"¢): Option-2

And, for Mac users, one we've mentioned before and use a lot of:

    * Apple symbol (): Shift-Option-K

Note that fonts may handle characters differently!

	 
  	  	 
  	iPhone 3.0 Updates 	By Kali Hilke <mailto:kali at smalldog.com> 	 
  		 
  	

At Tuesday's iPhone 3.0 event in Cupertino, CA, Apple announced changes 
to the iPhone software and a new version of the Apple Developer Kit. 
Here's a rundown of what we can expect:

For End-Users

    * Cut and Paste capabilities. To copy and select, users will
      double-tap (or tap and drag to select longer parts of text) and
      then paste. It will work between applications.
    * Spotlight searching.* Big news! Now you can search your Mail: To,
      From, Subject and Entire Message, just like in Apple Mail.
      Calendar, Notes and even iPod will support the search feature as well.
    * Landscape Orientation. All main applications will be able to
      support landscape orientation. Safari already features this, as
      well as many other third-party apps. (My husband will definitely
      appreciate this since he hates the small typepad!)
    * MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) support. Users will be able to
      send and receive photos, audio files and contact info. Plus, the
      new Messages application will be able to forward and delete
      messages (either individually or multiples) in addition to its MMS
      support.
    * Shake-to-Shuffle. Now, shaking your iPhone or iPod touch will
      shuffle your music--a key feature in the iPod nano and iPod shuffle.

Other features include automatic updating, networking/sharing between 
iPhones/iPod touches (see below), Parental Controls, YouTube 
enhancements and more. It's also been reported that the iPhone also will 
be able to support new accessories, such as FM transmitters.

See Apple's iPhone OS page here. 
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/>
Read Apple's press release here. 
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/03/17iphone.html>

    * Available this summer (no further details at this time)
    * Free for iPhone users; $10 for iPod touch users

For Developers

    * More than 1,000 programming interfaces for the iPhone. That way,
      they'll have more ways to create feature-rich applications for the
      App Store.
    * Peer to Peer Connectivity, This new framework allows any
      application to communicate between devices using Bluetooth. Gamers
      will be able to add a multi-player experience and others will be
      able to share data between devices.
    * Apple Push Notification service. Apple is now allowing third-party
      apps to utilize their "push" service--users will be alerted to new
      information even when the application isn't running.
    * See the full list of features in the iPhone SDK here.
      <http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/sdk.html>

We'll update with more info as soon as we hear it!

	 
  	  	 
  	Single Payer: The Economic Recovery Solution to Health Care Reform 
By Don Mayer <mailto:don at smalldog.com> 	 
  		 
  	

START SOAPBOX

There is a lot of talking going on about reforming the way health care 
is delivered in this country and how solving this dilemma is an 
essential part of our economic recovery. Unfortunately, the one solution 
that will do the most to reform health care is not on the table. This is 
single-payer health care. In a single payer system, one entity--usually 
the government--acts as the "payer" for health care. This is medicare 
for all--the most efficient government run health care system in the 
world. That may come as a surprise, but the administrative burden in 
medicare is a few orders of magnitude lower than the burden of our 
private system.

Similar to most of the industrialized world, each American would be 
entitled to comprehensive health care. All hospitals, doctors, nurse 
practitioners, nurses and other health care providers would bill one 
entity for their services. Care would be based upon need, not upon the 
ability to pay, what kind of job you have or if you have insurance.

Hospital billing would be eliminated. Instead, hospitals would have an 
annual lump sum global budget. Medical providers would either receive a 
fee-for-service, salary or negotiated fee. Where we now have gigantic 
billing departments at hospitals, at doctor's offices and at insurance 
companies who sent out those difficult to understand EOBs. Under a 
single payer program, much of this overhead and administrative burden 
would be eliminated.

We are already using public financing to pay for over 50% of the cost of 
health care via medicare, medicaid, government employees and local 
government taxes (i.e. school taxes). A single payer plan would save 
over $150 billion in administrative costs according to a GAO report in 
2002. Further, a report by the Congressional Budget Office projected 
that single payer would reduce the total health care cost by $225 
Billion by 2004--despite the expansion of comprehensive coverage to 
everyone.

There simply is no other plan that provides this type of savings and 
this type of universal coverage. The notion of mandates on individuals 
or companies does not save this money and the loopholes will be 
abundant. The Band-Aids that are being considered maintain a huge 
dispersed bureaucracy to handle collections and payment and will not 
provide the savings, much less the universal care that everyone 
professes to desire.

How does this relate to economic recovery? The single most 
uncontrollable element of overhead is health insurance. The automakers 
are saddled with health care costs that represent a great cost in the 
value of a car than the steel it is made from. The cost to cover an 
employee and family exceeds the minimum wage in many states. When I 
started in business, I was able to cover an employee and their family 
for $1500 a year. Now, that same coverage (actually, inferior coverage) 
costs over $14,000!

The most common source of labor strife is health care costs as employers 
try to push more of this cost burden onto their employees through higher 
deductibles, co-pays and premiums. Worse yet, the system is voluntary 
and an employer can simply drop coverage or reduce benefits without 
recourse. In fact, it might be a competitive advantage in seeking 
business. If your overhead is lower because a company does not offer its 
employees health insurance, it can bid lower for business.

Economic recovery will be significantly hampered and slowed if we do not 
address health care reform and I applaud President Obama for recognizing 
this fact. I find, however, his reluctance to even give single-payer 
consideration to be short-sighted and dooming health care reform to 
'fiddling around the edges.'

It is time to join the rest of the industrialized world and adopt 
universal health care with a single-payer health care system. Of the 27 
industrialized nations in the world, only one does not guarantee its 
citizens universal access to comprehensive health care. That one is the 
USA and resolving that is one of the first steps to full economic recovery.

END SOAPBOX

	 
  	  	 
  	REVIEW: 4 Door Media RoadMice Wireless Mouse 	By Art Hendrickson 
<mailto:art at smalldog.com> 	 
  		 
  	

While at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Don came across a 
booth with an assortment of officially licensed mice in the shape of 
popular automobiles. Upon returning to our world headquarters, the 
RoadMice flyer he grabbed was tossed on my desk with orders to bring 
them in.

Seeing the Concept Camaros, Dodge Chargers, Ford Mustangs, and Corvettes 
online didn't do this neat input device justice. These mice are very 
close in look and scale as the real life autos they mimic. We have 
chosen a few colors for each of the cars, including a Highway Patrol 
badged Chevy Concept Camaro.

While the real thing may be a gas guzzler, the RoadMice are not battery 
guzzlers! The RoadMice Mouse automatically goes into battery save mode 
when left idle for a few minutes.

Each mouse has its own VIN number, and when you register online, one is 
granted access to an official Certificate of Title as if you had just 
been to the DMV. I printed mine out and am planning on signing it over 
to the next owner someday. ;-)

Using Radio Frequency wireless (it comes with a USB dongle), the mouse 
is easy to connect once you install the two AAA batteries and find the 
little switch on the bottom to turn it on. After syncing the mouse to 
the dongle, I was mousing wirelessly within minutes of opening the 
package. These are fully Mac/PC compatible.

The two-button RoadMice also have working headlights. Click the left 
side button and the left headlight comes on, etc. The scroll wheel also 
lights up when used. The smooth functionality of this 800 DPI optical 
wireless mouse is much appreciated thus far, and most people who've seen 
these agree that they will be a hot seller.

My new Atomic Orange Corvette has really souped up my computer, and I've 
already gotten used to cursor movements after just a day or two of use. 
There's always a slight delay in response compared to a wired 
equivalent, but as I say, it just takes a little getting used to, and is 
comparable with Apple's own wireless mice with regard to functionality. 
I made one adjustment to my iMac's System Preferences to allow the mouse 
to track a little more slowly to assure precise control.

Although owning a new car may seem out of reach, I assure that you will 
not be disappointed with the milage you'll get if you obtain one of 
these great wireless mice from Small Dog Electronics. Most of us love 
cars, and what a great way to express who you are by getting your 
favorite model, and in such a great, functional replica!

See the full list of 4 Door Media RoadMice on our website here. 
<http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=road+mice>

Kibbles-only special: Save $5 on the Highway Patrol Camaro Wireless 
Mouse - $32.99 <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18906/at_kb>
Offer valid until next Friday, 3/27, or while supplies last!

	 
  	  	 
  	Phoning Home from SXSW 	By Ed Shepard <mailto:ed at smalldog.com> 	 
  		 
  	

For the past few days, I've been attending both the Interactive and Film 
Festivals at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. It's been an 
inspiring, educational, and amazingly fun experience. This is the first 
extended trip I've taken with an iPhone 3G. It's proven to be far more 
useful than I ever expected, in almost every way.

 From getting around town, to keeping up to date with SXSW's complicated 
and ever-evolving schedule, to getting locations and reviews of 
restaurants, to staying on top of business at home, to taking notes, to 
updating and reading Twitter feeds, the iPhone has hardly left my hand. 
That became especially true when my digital camera inexplicably stopped 
working, leaving me with only the iPhone's built-in (and admittedly 
mediocre) camera.

In a hyper-connected setting like SXSW, the iPhone (or iPod touch or 
other brand of powerful smartphone) is practically essential. For 
example, Twitter has usurped the role of business cards here. Don't get 
me wrong, cards are still exchanged at lightning speed and face-to-face 
time is as important as ever. Yet the ability to use your 
iPhone-Twitter-application-of-choice to instantly connect and follow 
other people and businesses has proved (to me) to be extremely useful.

After this intense period of dedicated, on-the-spot use, I only have two 
complaints about the iPhone (and neither has to do with the lack of cut 
and paste). One is that the battery could be a lot better. At home it's 
easy to keep it charged up, and there have been plenty of open outlets 
and opportunities for charging here. However, there were two times when 
the battery was finally exhausted at the end of my day.

We'll post a top ten tips for maximizing your iPhone's battery next week.

In the meantime, before my next long trip I am definitely buying the 
TruePower iV Extended Battery and Portable Charger for iPhone 2G/3G and 
iPod touch <http://www.smalldog.com/product/73133> It claims to offer up 
to 24 hours of talk time, is compact, and is very nicely built (in the 
USA no less).

Second, I wish the iPhone had a better camera. The iPhone's camera is 
mostly "good enough," but it would be a revelation to have a three (or 
why not, five or seven) megapixel camera built in. A flash and the 
ability to capture video would be even better. Imagine being able to 
truly leave your digital camera at home! I did end up taking many iPhone 
photos since that was my only option. I enjoyed the option to instantly 
upload these to my Flickr page. I have to admit, there were a couple 
late-night instant uploads I deleted first thing the morning after.

Another nice feature of the TruePower iV Extended Battery for iPhone 
<http://www.smalldog.com/product/73133> is that it actually has a built 
in flash. I'm definitely getting one before my next trip!

	 
  	  	 
  	FEATURED SPECIAL | 03/20/09 - 03/27/09 	By Kali Hilke 
<mailto:kali at smalldog.com> 	 
  		 
  	

Ed's SXSW Special: Free Shipping on the TruePower iV Battery/Charger for 
iPhone + iPod touch! <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18907/at_kb>

$89.99

Currently on the road at SXSW!

For a limited time, get free shipping on the TruePower iV Battery and 
Portable Charger for iPhone 2G/3G and iPod touch.

    * Extended Battery adds up to 24 hours of talk time
    * Allows Charging using the Dock Connector
    * Adds a flash to your iPhone's camera
    * Will feel just like your old cell phone from the '90s or your
      cordless phone!

View <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18907/atkb>

	 
  	  	 
  	SPECIALS | 03/20/09 - 03/27/09 	By Kali Hilke 
<mailto:kali at smalldog.com> 	 
  		 
  	

View specials while on-hand supplies last. Please note that some 
specials may not be available in our retail stores; check for availability.

See all specials on our Specials Page. <http://www.smalldog.com/specials>

	 
  	 50% off! PDO Screen Protectors for iPod nano 3G 
<http://www.smalldog.com/wag18908/at_kb>
$4.99 	View <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18908/atkb> 	 
  	 MacBook Air 1.6GHz, 2GB / 80GB, SuperDrive, iWork '09, free 
shipping! Save $30 more via rebate! <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18896/at_kb>
$1349.99 	View <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18896/atkb> 	 
  	 iPod classic 160GB Black, Chill Pill Speakers, FREE AC Adapter For 
Chill Pill, FREE 3-day Shipping! <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18688/at_kb>
$339.99 	View <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18688/atkb> 	 
  	 Save $10 on the Canon Pixma iP100 Photo Printer! 
<http://www.smalldog.com/wag18909/at_kb>
$249.99 	View <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18909/atkb> 	 
  	 Free Shipping on the Aroma Home Computer Care Dog Screen Wipe - 
Super Cute! Smells Like Lemons! <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18910/at_kb>
$6.99 	View <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18910/atkb> 	 
  	 Save 40% AND Get Free Shipping on the Burton Treble Yell Backpack in 
True Black! <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18911/at_kb>
$23.99 	View <http://www.smalldog.com/wag18911/atkb> 	 
  	

As the weather warms and the snow recedes, there is a bit of a mess 
revealed in my yard from the dogs, the snow plow and a winter's blanket 
of snow. We'll start picking away at that, but it is still a bit squishy 
out there.

Welcome to our new subscribers to Kibbles & Bytes. It has been over 12 
years of Kibbles and I am glad to see some new readers. I had one 
long-time friend subscribe and he wondered how long I have been writing 
this newsletter; he then went on to correct me about my horse. It turns 
out it was not a Belgian, but a Percheron. It was a very large horse and 
in addition to sugaring with her, she cleared my entire lot, pulling 
huge loads of logs that I cut down. She was a bit cantankerous and when 
I would ride her, she would immediately head for the nearest low hanging 
branch.

Thanks for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
Don, Kali (& Ed)

	 
  	  	 
  	  	 
  	
<http://www.smalldog.com/newsletters#subscriptions> 	
<http://www.smalldog.com/contact> 	 
  	


	 
<http://www.smalldog.com/>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0001.htm 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 676.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 19198 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0004.gif 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 683.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 60692 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0009.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 678.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 134 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0005.gif 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 1057.png
Type: image/png
Size: 23902 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0004.png 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 1051.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 47948 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0010.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 1055.png
Type: image/png
Size: 22346 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0005.png 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 1056.png
Type: image/png
Size: 35250 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0006.png 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 1054.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 11939 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0011.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 1058.png
Type: image/png
Size: 27284 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0007.png 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 691.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 468 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0006.gif 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 11214-1.png
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1143 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0012.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 10247-1.png
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1239 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0013.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: ipod-classic-black.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1380 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0014.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 11600-1.png
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1291 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0015.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 10926-1.png
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1668 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0016.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: treble-yell-true-black.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1432 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0017.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 685.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 3338 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0007.gif 
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: file:///C|/DOCUME%7E1/HOME/LOCALS%7E1/TEMP/nsmail-41.txt
Url: http://davesevick.com/pipermail/npmug/attachments/20090322/e1e7eec1/attachment-0001.txt 
-------------- next part --------------

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.24/2017 - Release Date: 03/22/09 17:51:00