The importance of risk-taking

We all hear about the dangers of taking risks all the time. Any time you put a lot on the table, you risk losing it all. There are countless stories of people who have. Rarely do you hear stories about what can happen when you play it safe. If you are familiar with Apple co-founder Ron Wayne’s story, then you already know. But if you are not, it is definitely worth a read.

Celebrating 10 years…

On June 19th we will be celebrating out 10th birthday. Wikipedia attributes the dot-com bust as originating on March 19, 2000, just several months before we bravely (or insanely) decided to go into business.

We weren’t known as Rokland back then, and in the last ten years, more than just our name has changed. It has been an amazing experience, and we have seen a lot along the way. We still remember touting the benefits of early 802.11 wireless networking over infrared networking. And who could forget how nice x-jack modems were, being able to use any standard phone cord with your laptop for dial-up Internet.

The technology business is all about predicting things, and attempting to develop and sell what people want. Sometimes it is about making them want something they don’t even know they need. We lived without smartphones and Facebook for thousands of years and now many of us consider these necessities of life. In the last ten years we have made a number of correct predictions and we have had our share of incorrect ones. We won't get into the details of those here, but fortunately the hits have been higher in number than the misses, and we are working hard to keep that going for the next ten years and beyond.

We want to thank everyone we have come in contact with this past decade- the many of you who are repeat buyers, and also those that had some complaints. Those complaints helped us improve our processes and become better as a business. Thanks to our suppliers, and our employees present and past.

It is hard to imagine what the business and technology landscape will look like ten years from now. We look forward to going along for the ride though and hopefully to making some more splashes of our own!

Simple PDF editing using Microsoft OneNote

If you are looking for a way to make simple edits to a PDF document, such as adding a signature or some additional text/terms to an agreement or contact, Microsoft OneNote is a good option.

It is part of Microsoft Office Home and Student edition, as well as the Ultimate edition. It can also be purchased individually. If you don’t already have Microsoft Office, there are cheaper alternatives out there. But if you do, to edit a PDF all you need to do is open your PDF document and then select Print, and Print it to a OneNote file. The new document will automatically load on your computer, where you can then proceed to make changes and save the document as a new PDF file. This is just one of many ways to edit a PDF document, but a very simple one if you already have OneNote installed.

New Alfa AWUS036H retail boxes coming soon

The retail box for the AWUS036H wireless USB adapter from Alfa Networks will soon be getting a makeover. Other models such as the AWUS036NH and AWUS036NEH will also be getting new boxes.

The new box is white in color and has a plastic window on the front and back that allows you to see the actual product. The USB adapter has the anti-counterfeit sticker on the back side but the retail box no longer does. This is because you can see the sticker on the back of the Alfa unit thanks to the plastic window on the back side of the retail box. We do not have a precise date on when the new box units will ship- it depends on when our current stock is sold- but we estimate early June 2010.

Would a new ebook reader be DOA?

You may have heard of Acer, but you may not have known the company is the #2 maker of laptops and netbooks. Acer bought Gateway and eMachines several years ago, and they have also carved out a nice share of the netbook market.

They have announced plans for a new eBook reader to launch sometime this fall. They are entering a field dominated by Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. Oh yeah, and then there’s the iPad.

Acer’s goal is to become the number one maker of “tweener” devices, which are devices in between smartphones and netbooks. But is there much of a point in introducing a new e-reader, or would that be similar to a company launching a new word processor for Windows?

Alfa AWUS036H, AWUS036NH, and AWUS036NEH anti-counterfeit hologram stickers

Effective immediately all Alfa model AWUS036H, AWUS036NH, and AWUS036NEH model wireless USB adapters have a new anti-counterfeit hologram sticker on them from factory. See this video for more details.

If you have purchased a unit after this date from any retailer and it does not have this hologram, be sure to contact Alfa (www.alfa.com.tw) with your serial number and MAC address to confirm that it is genuine. Some retailers may still be clearing out non-hologram stock in early April, but most retailers, including Rokland, will be shipping only the hologram stickered units.

Rokland.com now offers US Postal Priority Mail shipping

We know in these tough economic times everyone is looking for ways to save money. While our web site has always offered actual UPS Ground rates with no markup, we were aware that especially in rural regions, standard shipping charges for a small order could exceed $10.00.

We heard your suggestions, and integrated US Postal Priority Mail shipping into our web site. For many single item purchases shipping will be just $5.00 for this service, which (according to the US Postal Service) averages 2-3 mailing days.

We did not make any changes to our UPS offerings, so you can still select UPS Ground, which may be more cost effective on larger orders. UPS 3 Day, 2 Day, and Next Day Air options are also still available.

You can choose any of these shipping options during the checkout process. To get a shipping quote for your order, unlike many web sites you do not first have to create an account or login. All you need to do is add the items you want to the cart, click the Checkout button, and then select your state and zip code from the drop down menu to see what the shipping charges will be if you opt to proceed with the checkout process.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about US Postal Priority Mail shipping:

1. Priority Mail will only be available for US purchases.
2. Priority Mail averages 2-3 mailing days to many locations in the US, but this is not a guaranteed time frame, it can take longer than this.
3. Priority Mail tracking service gets one scan at the time of shipment, and a second at the time of delivery. Sometimes it may get scans in between, but usually not. UPS tracking is point-to-point which means it will generally get multiple scans during transit and also provides you with an estimated delivery date the same day the package is shipped, whereas Priority Mail does not.

How to install your 2Wire wireless USB adapter in Windows 7 (legacy and current)

If you have a 2Wire 802.11g USB adapter, legacy or current, you can use it on Windows 7.

First you need to identify whether you have a legacy or current adapter, and then you need to find out if you have Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit. The great people at 2Wire have put together a support page that not only shows you how to do both of these things, but also provides you with screen shots showing you how to complete driver installation on your Windows 7 system.

A haiku about the importance of buying your Alfa products from an authorized Alfa reseller

If your Alfa breaks,
Alfa Networks will honor
the year warranty.

Adverse weather condition notice

We have been getting calls and emails from buyers this week who have had packages delayed due to adverse weather conditions. In some cases, these buyers are located in places that have not experienced bad weather.

Weather problems such as severe snow storms may cause delays in transit even to parts of the country and world that are not being directly impacted by bad weather. There may be a snow storm occurring at some point in between your location and ours. If the package was shipped outside of the USA, especially to our friends in Canada, weather conditions can cause backlogs at Customs clearance centers, adding additional time to the transit period.

We do encourage anyone with questions about their shipment to contact us via our support page at Rokland.com. But please remember that unfortunately we have no control over delays caused by weather conditions and we do appreciate your patience in allowing extra time for packages to arrive.