| Archive FE Newsletter May 2008 |
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FE Newsletter 28 May 2008 http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za for new computer equipment
http://www.scraptronics.co.za for old computer equipment
Duplicate this!
Get Frontier’s practical duplicating tower, fully assembled and ready to copy from one to eleven CDs or DVDs, for only R6100. But only for a limited time. The current stock is at its last legs – and the new batch will revert to the bad (higher) old prices!
Frontier’s friendly sales consultants will give you all the details when you order at 011-608-1809 or info@frontier-electronics.co.za.
A selection of duplication towers is pictured at
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_CDandDVDduplication.htm Consider switching
If you already have hubs in place, it is not absolutely necessary to switch to switches. Just keep the following in mind for when the need for speed kicks in:
Ethernet hubs are half duplex, which means that each client can only send or receive data at a particular time. A switch can operate at full duplex, allowing the computers in the network to send and receive at the same time. The best news is that Ethernet switches have become extremely affordable: you need to budget R85 for 5-port, R125 for 8-port switch, R399 for 16-port, or R580 for 24-port switch.
Browse through the selection of Frontier’s Ethernet solutions from
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/net_ethernet.htm Why?
The full explanation of the differences between hubs and switches can be found at http://www.duxcw.com/faq/network/hubsw.htm Testing… testing…
By now you know everything there is to know about hubs and switches. It’s time to put your knowledge to good use:
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/homenetworking/l/aa090201a.htm Is that odd enough for you?
Odiee’s blog is dedicated to all thing odd, and this chapter features some of the strangest buildings you are likely to see:
http://oddee.com/item_94046.aspx Adieu, goodbye…
All good things come to an end, and this Newsletter is no exception.
This is the last issue of FE Newsletter in its present form. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be allowed into your in-box every Wednesday for the last six year: a big thank you for that to you all.
Do keep subscribing for Frontier’s promotional emails to be the first to know about special offers, like the one from the beginning of this Newsletter, also posted at
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/weekly_specials.htm …and browse safely
Here is the parting gift to you: the ten free security tools to protect, disinfect and manage your Windows computer:
http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2346-1009_11-95490.html?tag=nl.e174 Music makes better
To ease the pain of parting, we leave you with the gentle sounds of Faure’s Fantasie. It’s the second file from the bottom; to listen to it, you must tell your browser to allow the pop-up window.
http://music.download.com/deathstix/3600-8278_32-100628127.html?tag=MDL_artist_tab_apsongs FE Newsletter 21 May 2008 Seriously minded
These are serious times that call for down-to-earth approach when purchasing computer hardware and accessories. You want solid, no-nonsense stuff, like…
Yes, like what exactly? If you are not sure, see what others are buying: Discs to the forefront
More than anything else, others are buying blank DVDs. Frontier’s customers like best printable DVDs, which are priced in the vicinity of R1.70. As for the standard, non-printable DVD discs, prices range from R1.55 (for 8X speed) to R9.95 (for dual layer).
The sales of blank CD discs are still going strong, for obvious reasons (you can’t play a DVD on your car stereo). The prices of CDs start at about one rand; printable ones are R1.35 or R1.39.
Do remember that Frontier’s friendly sales consultants will offer you a discount on optical media when they notice that you are a serious buyer (that is, when you express interest in buying lots of discs).
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/CDandDVDmedia.htm Now, for copying
Frontier’s famous CD and DVD duplicating units remain persistently popular. To acquire a completely assembled unit, ready to copy from one source to seven discs, be prepared to pay about R4500. If you’d rather copy to eleven discs simultaneously, the value of your outlay rises to R7200 (plus the tax, of course).
The exact price of your duplicator unit will depend on the drives of your choice. The most popular are Sony DVD recorders (R319), closely followed by LG (R269). Reserved for more discerning users, Pioneer DVD recorders (R365) lag slightly behind.
(Please note: We know that you may have the SATA DVD recorders at a much lower price, but Frontier’s duplicators will take only the IDE drives, quoted above.)
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_CDandDVDduplication.htm What else are your neighbours buying?
Well, lots of stuff. We’ll only point out one recent trend: biggish hard disk drives are becoming more and more popular. The standard seems to be the 500GB, both in IDE and SATA editions, with the prices of former rising, and of latter dropping.
The moral being: if your system requires an IDE HDD, get it now; if you need a SATA and can afford to wait, do so.
Check out Frontier’s hard disc drive prices by scrolling down to category 35 of our online price list:
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/frontierelectronics_price_online.htm Warning: tumbling prices
As a reward for everyone who managed to plod through this issue of Newsletter this far, here is a nice surprise: those fine Whale flash drives can now be obtained for R89 (1GB) and R149 (2GB).
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_flash_drives.htm Searching the SA way
Next time you need to search for something on Google, use this dark page, designed specially for SA. Its creators claim it saves energy.
Skeptical?
Well, look at it from this point of view: browsing in the dark online will sharpen your candle-and-matches searching skills in the real world.
www.darkblack.co.za
(Thank you Greg for sending us this link.) Spot ‘em!
Is that email really from your bank, or from a baddie who’s after your username and password?
PC World’s visual guide may help you spot the fraudsters:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138310/article.html?tk=nl_spxsld FE Newsletter 14 May 2008 Network storage
Use it for extra storage space: sky’s the limit here (actually, the limit is 1TB, but that is pretty close).
Use it to set up a network: it can handle up to 20 simultaneous connections, which is enough for the biggest family or a smallish office.
Use it to back up select data from the network automatically, at pre-set times.
Now available from Frontier Electronics at R894, CyberBank G network-attached external storage enclosure offers fast read and write speeds, loads of features, and design that will not shame even the most elegant desk.
Functional and easy to use, CyberBank also ensures efficient cooling. It works with 3.5” SATA HDDs, which can be acquired separately from – you’ve guessed it – Frontier Electronics.
To order, call 011-608-1809 or email info@frontier-electronics.co.za.
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_sdx047.htm Back in stock: Multi-HDD rack
If you missed it the first time round, now is your chance to lay your hands on the SATA mobile rack for 4 hard drives. The price is R865, and the stock is limited.
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_sdx043.htm Superb indeed
There’s no other adjective to describe this charming red card reader that can read practically any memory card invented so far. Available for R125.
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_sdr018.htm Whirring is OK, but…
…any grinding sounds coming out of your computer should be treated as potentially serious, say the experts:
http://www.datadoctors.com/help/columns/21657-Whats-that-grinding-sound-in-my-computer/ Dr. Dolittle, where art thou?!
Now that you know everything about the sounds your PC makes (see entry above), it is time to learn how to decipher your dog’s bark:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn13795?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=dn13795 Feminine thoughts
“I just don’t understand women!”, men have been wailing since the dawn of time.
Well, guys, here it is: a simple, scientifically-based diagram that illustrates the workings of a woman’s brain:
http://bitsandpieces1.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-woman-brain-works.html FE Newsletter 7 May 2008 Ten years of MP3’s
The first MP3 Players hit the market in 1998 and changed forever the way we relate to our music. For good or for bad? Read this C-Net reviewer’s take on MP3 Players’ effect on the music industry and culture.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6490_7-9909452-49.html?tag=nl.e501 New: Canyon MP3 Player
For good or for bad, few of us can do without our MP3 Players. We need them to provide the rhythm while we sweat in the gym. We need them to brighten with sweet notes the drudgery of washing the dishes. We need them to shut out the chatter of a talkative colleague when we are struggling to concentrate.
Canyon’s 1GB MP3 Player, now on offer from Frontier Electronics, will fulfil all of the above tasks. It’s your typical digital player-cum-voice recorder-cum-radio. What differentiates it from other similar devices is a pleasant price (R269) and an exquisite exterior. See for yourself at
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/mp3_sdp072.htm New: Dressed to entice
Talking of good looks, this one is bound to steal your heart if you’re in the market for a digital memory card reader and writer.
Frontier Electronics is thrilled to introduce the high-speed, plug-and-play, hot-swappable Super memory card reader and writer (R125). It requires no adapter, it is able to read from and write on 60 (yes, sixty) types of memory cards and it can perform slot-to-slot read and write operations.
And did we mention that it looks stunning in red?
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_sdr018.htm Slimmed-down whales
Not to worry. They are still your old Whale flash drives, small in physical size and big in gigabytes. With one difference: some of them are now cheaper than before: the 1GB is R109, and 2GB is R179.
http://www.frontier-electronics.co.za/stor_flash_whale.htm Eco-what?!
Eco-iconic is the latest new-speak in the environmentally-friendly arena. It stands for "eco-friendly goods and services sporting bold, iconic markers and design, helping their eco-conscious owners show off their eco-credentials to their peers.”
Ah, there we are. As is customary with us humans, everything boils down to showing-off.
Let’s at least hope the eco-iconic trend will catch on to the point that no 4x4 owner will dare drive around city streets for the sheer shame of being soooo out!
http://snipurl.com/27dcf Eco-IT
IT sector lags behind no one; hence all the buzz about green computing. Find out which five habits you need to embrace in order to qualify as someone who practices green computing:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,144836/article.html?tk=nl_esxhow Watch out for Wikidemia
Wikidemia stands for an article with academic ambitions that is entirely plagiarised from Wikipedia. Some say that the Internet is raising a whole generation of students that excel in Wikidemia.
Source: Data Doctors Wikipedia (latent) woes
We love Wikipedia, even though we know that information contained there should always be double-checked. This is why:
http://www.greentreegazette.com/mistakeWeek/load.aspx?art=38 | 
