West Florida Components

West Florida Components was recently invited to participate in a science experiments fair held in conjunction with the USF Education Department.

Each business staffed a booth where elementary school aged kids along with their families could conduct science experiments. The community event was an opportunity for families to enjoy and see the benefits of science in a fun atmosphere. The West Florida Components station was one of about 18 stations at which participants could interact and have fun with science. The event met a significant need identified at the national, state and local levels which is to increase the scientific literacy of students as a way to improve the local, state and global competitive status of our communities and our country.

The staff from West Florida Components made LED Throwies with the fair attendees. Each family member was given an LED, a 3V battery, a magnet and some tape to put their LED Throwie together. Once the Throwies were assembled, they could toss their Throwie at a metal board to earn points. The families learned the science behind the Throwie and were given additional LEDS to take home to so they could rebuild their throwies and experiment further.

If you’d like the instructions to make the LED Throwies, you can visit our web site where we give full instructions with pictures.

Here’s a great deal that is too good to not share but I would act on this one immediately because we are sure this one will sell out fast at this price.

By this thumb drive on Amazon for $14.50 including shipping and get a $10 prepaid VISA debit card back on a rebate.

The thumb drive is from Patriot – it’s the X-Porter Mini 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (model PSF8GMUSB). This size thumb drive is perfect for transferring files including music, videos and photos.

Some of the features and specifications are:

• Plug and play functionality
• Lightweight
• Prepunched hole to add on a key ring
• Hi Speed USB 2.0 Compatible (backwards compatible to USB 1.1)
• Rubberized housing for shock absorption and water resistance (NOT waterproof)
• Needs no driver in Windows ME/2K/XP, Mac OS 9.x, OS X Linux with USB storage support

Go get one so you can back up those files you’ve been neglecting to back up!

Need a small and thin laptop for travel? How about a larger 15.6″ dual core for the home office? You can buy either right now for $349.

The lighter and smaller notebook computer is currently available from Dell is a Vostro V13. Some of the features and specifications are:

2.0GB, DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM, 1 DIMM320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, with Media, 32-bit, English
Microsoft® Office Starter
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor ULV SU7300 (3M Cache, 1.30 GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
13.3 inch Wide Display HD (1366 x 768) with Anti-glare
6-cell 30WHr internal battery
Intel Pro/Wireless 5100 802.11b/g/n
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module
1.3MP Webcam with Digital Mic for Win 7
Intel ® Centrino® 2 Processor
US 65W AC Adapter

If you want a larger screen, you can opt to purchase a Gateway from Best Buy. Here are some of the features on the Gateway notebook computer:

3.0GB, DDR3.0MHz SDRAM, 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Phenom™
15.6 inch High-definition widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology (1366 x 768)
6-cell lithium-ion
Built-in 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector) Wireless-B+G+N
ATI Radeon HD 4250 Graphics
Webcam

Priced at just over $349 (plus shipping and sales tax) both are excellent deals for either home or small business use!

Whether you are updating your office’s networking component needs or starting from scratch, there are many things to think about when you are considering wired vs wireless. For starters, ask yourself:

• How many people are on your network? How about in 2 years?

• How long will this system be in place? (any moves planned within 2 years?)

• How fast does the network/internet access need to be right now? How about in 2 years?

• What kind of files have to be moved across your network right now? How about in 2 years?

• How fast does this need to be done?

• Is this a temporary or permanent solution?

• What is your budget?

Wiring a space can be cost prohibitive – especially if this space is temporary, but if the budget is unlimited, then hard wiring could be the way to go for speed and security. Very often a combination of both wired and wireless are the best solution.

If you need some help deciding, then take this quiz from PCWorld which might help you make a decision if you are on the fence or unsure about your options.