by Postmaster General | Apr 7, 2016 | Announcements, Events & Promotions
“The Ashland Independent Film Festival is one of those regional gems that gives me faith and hope for the future of independent cinema. Great town, great people, great atmosphere, great movies, great everything!”
Michael Tully, Director, PING PONG SUMMER
The Ashland Independent Film Festival is five days of the highest-quality independent film, held in historic Ashland, Oregon. The Washington Post called it “a dream you’ll never want to leave.” Every Spring, Southern Oregon buzzes with the excitement of the AIFF. Over 7000 film lovers gather at the historic art-deco Varsity Theatre, the Historic Ashland Armory, and other venues to watch over 90 documentary, feature, and short films over five days.
Filmmakers from around the world engage with the audience after each screening and at festival events such as Opening Night Bash, the AfterLounge, and Awards Celebration, which include local wine, beer, and gourmet food. Special guests have included Ty Burrell, Albert Maysles, Barbara Kopple, Helen Hunt, and Bruce Campbell. The Ashland Independent Film Festival: Celebrating the diversity of human experience through the art of independent film—enriching, educating and inspiring audiences of all ages.
The Oregonian newspaper’s Shawn Levy claims AIFF “offers movie lovers that same sense of being in a magical place…. Southern Oregon doesn’t have anything else like it – nor, in fact, do most places on Earth.”
Connecting Point returns for its fourth year as a Community Sponsor, providing an iMac computer and a wireless printer for the festival’s Hospitality Suite, where visiting filmmakers and other creatives can both work and relax. We urge you to support the thriving arts community in our area. Visit the AIFF website to see the rich variety of films being presented at this year’s festival. Better still, pick up some tickets and celebrate independent cinema with like-minded folks in Ashland! It all kicks off today and runs through Monday.
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by Postmaster General | Mar 24, 2016 | Announcements, Apple Inc., iOS Devices, New and Hot, Tech News
At a special event in Cupertino this week, Apple unveiled the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and the 4-inch iPhone SE, while also rolling out free updates to all four of its operating systems. The new iPad and iPhone offer most of the functionality of the current iPad and iPhone models without being so large. On the software side, the updates to iOS 9.3 and tvOS 9.2 add significant features, whereas OS X 10.11.4 and watchOS 2.2 mostly fix bugs.
Many people have found last year’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro with its optional Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard useful as a productivity machine, but for others, it’s too ungainly to hold or too expensive. That was the impetus behind the just-announced 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which meets or exceeds many of the larger model’s specs.
For instance, the smaller model’s screen can display more colors and adjusts its white balance to match the ambient light in the room. Its cameras are notably better — the rear camera is 12 megapixels instead of 8 and has a True Tone flash, while the front camera is 5 megapixels instead of 1.2 and can use the screen as a flash. Plus, the new iPad Pro can record 4K video instead of just 1080p.
On the downside, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro’s A9X chip is somewhat slower, it has half the RAM, and its Lightning port transfers data at only USB 2 speeds. But if the size is right for you, prices start at $599 for 32 GB of storage and go up to $899 for 256 GB. It will be available in April in four colors: silver, gold, space gray, and rose gold. Cases and accessories designed to fit the iPad Air should work with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
Speaking of accessories, Apple has a new Smart Keyboard sized for the new iPad Pro, and the Apple Pencil works perfectly with it. There’s also a new Lightning to USB Camera Adapter that’s useful not just for syncing cameras but also for using USB peripherals like Ethernet adapters, audio interfaces, card readers, and microphones.
With the iPhone SE, Apple is trying to meet the needs of customers for whom the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are too large. The iPhone SE returns to the iPhone 5 form factor, with a 4-inch screen and aluminum case. Otherwise, its specs are nearly identical to those of the iPhone 6s, with comparable performance. It fails to match up to the current iPhone lineup only in the lack of the 3D Touch technology, the Taptic Engine that provides feedback you can feel, and slower wireless networking. It’s either $399 or $499, with 16 GB or 64 GB of storage, and comes in the usual four colors. Cases and stands for the iPhone 5 should work with the iPhone SE.
Apple took the opportunity to release free updates to all its software platforms too. iOS 9.3 was the most significant, providing Wi-Fi calling for Verizon Wireless customers, improving sharing of Live Photos, adding two-factor authentication for all iCloud accounts, and more. The marquee addition is Night Shift, which adjusts the color temperature of your screen at night, reducing the amount of blue light emitted to make it easier to fall asleep.
iOS apps that received welcome updates include Notes, which can now password-protect notes and import from Evernote, and iBooks, which can now sync PDFs to other devices via iCloud. The Podcasts app can show full-screen video again, Wallet works better with reward cards, Maps has enhanced public transit info, and News boasts a better For You section along with a Top Stories category.
For those with a fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 9.2 is a big deal, with better scrubbing through video with the Siri Remote, new Home screen folders, a redesigned app switcher to match iOS, Bluetooth keyboard support, text input via dictation, and initial support for both iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos.
OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan and watchOS 2.2 offer mostly bug and security fixes, although OS X’s Notes and iBooks apps received the same improvements as the iOS versions, and sharing of Live Photos works better as well.
All these operating system updates are free, but it’s worth waiting a few days to make sure early adopters don’t suffer any ill effects. As always, if you’re concerned about updating your hardware, come in and talk to us!
AVAILABILITY: iPad Pro 9.7-inch is available to ORDER NOW. (Shipments will begin next month.)
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by Postmaster General | Dec 31, 2015 | Announcements, Holiday, iOS Devices, Mac
Connecting Point will remain open until 5 pm today (December 31st). This includes both sales and service departments.
If you’re a business owner, that means you still have time to take advantage of the IRS‘ Section 179 deduction…
What is Section 179, anyway?
When your business buys certain types of equipment, it usually writes them off a bit at a time through depreciation. In other words, if your company spends $50,000 on a machine, it gets to write off (say) $10,000 a year for five years (these numbers are for illustrative purposes only).
Now, while it’s true that this is better than no write off at all, most business owners would prefer to write off the entire equipment purchase price for the year they buy it.
That’s the purpose behind Section 179: To stimulate the American economy (and your business) to move in a positive direction. For most small businesses, the entire cost can usually be written off on their 2015 tax return. In fact, this year Congress raised the ceiling on the Section 179 deduction limit to $500,000.
So don’t miss out – talk to your financial advisor right away. If it makes sense, pick up the computer systems, devices, and peripherals your business needs to remain strong and competitive in the coming year. And Connecting Point will remain open until 5 pm on New Year’s Eve to help make that possible. We can even offer up to 18 months interest-deferred financing for qualified applicants.
For more detailed information about Section 179, visit the Section179.org website. We strongly advise talking to a qualified tax professional before making any decisions.
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by Postmaster General | Oct 13, 2015 | Announcements, Apple Inc., Mac, Tech News
iMac family revamped, including new 21.5-inch Retina 4K model
The iMac® family now includes the Retina® 5K display on every 27-inch model, and a stunning new Retina 4K display on the 21.5-inch model.
Both Retina displays now feature a wider color gamut that delivers more available colors so photos and videos appear even more true-to-life. More powerful processors and graphics, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, and new storage options that make the high-performance Fusion Drive even more affordable are also included.
Along with the Retina models, the 21.5-inch iMac models feature faster processors and graphics, and a 1TB hard drive. All iMac models come with the all-new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2®. And customers can choose to configure their iMac with a Magic Trackpad 2® instead of Magic Mouse 2.
New Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 input devices announced
The new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 feature all-new designs for increased comfort and capabilities, and rechargeable batteries that are more convenient and environmentally friendly. And the new Magic Trackpad 2 brings Force Touch to the desktop for the first time, adding a new dimension to the iMac experience.
The new Magic input devices pair automatically with your Mac as soon as they are plugged in via the Lightning® to USB charging cable, and can last about a month or more on a full charge.
Apple, the Apple logo, iMac, Retina, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, and Lightning are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
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