CABLES – REFERENCE – How Long can you GO!

If your working with cabling all the time you don’t need to read this post as you will remember what the limits are, but lets face it if it is not your primary job or responsiblity keeping all those numbers in your head can sometimes be difficult.

Did you know that both CAT5 and CAT6 have the same limitations?  How long can USB cables be? etc…

Great article in PC MECH giving you the most popular cables lengths.

Category 5

Maximum length: 328 feet / 100 meters

Most people refer to this as ‘network cable’ or CAT-5 for short. This is still what most people use in the home for wired networking.

You will run into signal problems starting at around 250 feet if the cable is old, pulled too tightly, crimped in certain places, etc. In order to achieve full signal at maximum length, the cable must be installed properly from beginning to end.

You can extend the length of CAT-5 by using traditional network hubs. Old routers can also serve as hubs

Get the rest of the article from:

How Far Can That Wire Go?

USB Keys – Drive imaging for USB made easy!

More and more tech people are using USB keys to load up images on systems, it’s convenient and easy to carry with you.  Have you ever had to make multiple USB keys with images?

Well a simple to use FREE software tool available to create multiple USBimages for Windows.  Plug in your devices to your USB ports – as many as you want or can – select the image – press GO and walk away.  When you come back your done!

IMAGEUSB

Overview

ImageUSB is a free utility which lets you write an image concurrently to multiple USB Flash Drives. Capable of creating exact bit-level copies of USB Flash Drive (UFDs), ImageUSB is an extremely effective tool for the mass duplication of UFDs. ImageUSB can also be used to install OSFClone to a USB Drive for use with PassMark OSForensics™.

Unlike other USB duplication tools, ImageUSB can preserve all unused and slack space during the cloning process, including the Master Boot Record (MBR). ImageUSB can perform flawless mass duplications of all UFD images, including bootable UFDs.



OPEN BOX – What is it? How does it work? What do I lose? How much do I SAVE!

When talking to Technology Coordinators within K12 Educational market place, most have not heard the term before and that is understandable as CDI is one of only a very few that markets this type of product.

If your purchasing product direct from DELL or from a reseller without talking to CDI

YOUR LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE!

Money that you can spend on other projects or increase the quantity of the current buy!

Tell me WHY wouldn’t you want to talk to CDI and give us a TEST DRIVE!

WHAT IS IT?

DELL OPEN BOX solutions are Desktops, Notebooks and Netbooks that are current products from DELL that come with a full DELL Standard Warranty.  These products have been sent out to a client and returned back to DELL for some reason or another.

– these might have been at a large retailer and after 3 months returned for credit

– Large corporate customer who purchases a large quantity, only to figure out they didn’t need them all

 HOW DOES IT WORK?

We purchase the product from DELL at a discount and offer that pricing to our K12 customers.  Once you purchase the product either you or CDI can transfer the ownership and Warranty to you as the new owner of the product.  (A simple WEB Interface form)  Everything else is as if you purchased the product direct from DELL.

WHAT DO I LOSE?

You lose nothing by purchasing CDI DELL Openbox – Current product / DELL Warranty.  The only thing you might consider losing is your flexibility of customizing a unit with everything you want.  These systems come to CDI pre-configured based on the original purchase requirement.  We can certainly do upgrades, but a number of core items cannot be changed.

WHAT DO I SAVE?

The price savings  range from 15-25%, but in some cases I have seen a 50% difference in pricing.  This depends on quantity, type of product and demand.  The lower end products have a smaller savings where the high-end offering have a larger savings.

Digital Devices & Learning – Connection?

I read this piece and believe that there might be a lot of truth to it!  I have no personal experience, so I will let you make your own minds up.  They mention a lot of changes in kids over time, but is it the devices or our environment or both?

Take a read

Could digital devices be harming your child’s ability to learn?

Apple’s Septembers 1st update

It seems apple really didn’t have a lot to say this round.  Some small improvements and updates, nothing really new.  Looking at the new Nona, I think I will stick with my 5th GEN product, seems too small for touch and a man’s fingers.

A great review and lots of comments can be found:

To get other opinions take a look:

PCMECH

CIO News

ITBusiness.ca