4evermaat

I wanted to follow up with some recent news regarding some of the Samsung smartphones we've been mentioning:

There is new version of the Galaxy S, basically a of replacement of sorts, called the Galaxy SL (I9003) . Same specs as the original EXCEPT it has a "Super Clear LCD" screen. Local price is/will be 13,900 THB (16 GB). Samsung flipped the Super Amoled manufacturing over to the new Galaxy S2, but still had a lot of demand for the older S model.

Probably a refurbished / remodel version of Galaxy S to get rid of overstock hardware? Especially if the hardware (minus the screen) is exactly the same. I like the price. Will they have 8GB model? The price for that 8GB model may be comparable to getting the Galaxy Ace. It may be a better buy.

Some friends/family have the new Samsung Galaxy Ace/Cooper (S5830), and I have to say this is an especially impressive midrange Android (2.2.1) smartphone. Local price ~ 9,100 THB. I might get this model if buying today.

You won't be disappointed. The S5830 is solid. I've only had about 2 crashes for what appeared to be conflicting software. Had an issue with wifi, but was resolved by forcing the wifi to stay on when the phone screen sleeps. Then turning off and on the WIFI again sometimes, which is easily accomplished in the notifications tab. I've done VoIP w/ cSipSimple, sent about 100 emails (gmail), SMS, Remote Desktop to windows, . It does a great job of closing out unused programs. But I still use Advance Task Manager to kill programs. The built in task manager and ram cleaner also works very well and I use that also.

My girlfriend loves the thai keyboard. The english one is good, too. I like how you can access the numbers and some special characters with a long press. But I wish it wasn't too long before the menu popped up. I haven't tried the SWYPE keyboard. I'm considering re-adding skype voip. I was having issues shutting the program down.

Although I would have loved an actual trackball, they do have a neat floating cursor mover for you to touch and drag to place the cursor where you want.

Only thing left to do is root the phone.

Something similar to eFax.com . I can send/receive faxes via a web or email interface. And the possibility to receive a dedicated fax line. I would prefer a pay as you go solution.

Any ideas or experiences?

edit: local or toll-free thai phone number for receiving faxes.

Never bought a motocy.

My first car I bought on a tourist visa, insurance provided 'free' by the dealer but you can get insurance at any broker.

All you need is the residence letter from Immigration and the cash.

If you purchase with finance you probably need a WP or a Thai guarantor.

Is the residence letter from immigration just a declaration? i.e. "stated"

Thanks

I am wondering .....is it the same if you have a type O visa?

Meaning can you buy a car,motorbike etc on a type O or O-A

It should be, it that you can stay for up to 15 months at a time. The qualifications for each of the type of non-imm visas and ability to obtain certain things like a work permit are different.

I never pushed the issue, honestly. I went to honda dealerships. One Yamaha dealership said the same thing. If you finance, they want someone from the same province you are purchasing to be a personal guarantee. Cash buyer they wanted a work permit, or any Thai person to put the motorbike into.

I want to be clear. You have walked into a dealership, and walked out with all the paperwork with nothing but your passport and cash? There was nothing extra you had to do? Can this be done anywhere in thailand, or only tourist areas? Looking back, I guess I should have asked here first if other people have done it (passport-only purchase of motor vehicle).

When I did the inquiries, it was in Phuket Town. The patong beach location of Honda adds an extra 3-10000 to the price of their bikes for no reason.

Can you tell us what type of visa you are on in Thailand?

Multiple, Non-imm: ED

anything that you can put in your name with a work permit can just as easily be put in your name without one.

I've never been asked to show a work permit for anything that I've bought in my name.

Really? So you were able to buy a car or motorbike without WP? Insurance? New or used? If you would like to PM me with some locations and the proces/costs/etc, I would be greatful. It is good to avoid putting things in the Thai persons name if you don't have to. Every motorbike dealer I went to said even if I paid cash, they needed either a work permit or a thai person to sign it over to. This is fantastic news :jap:

It's not compulsory to have an ATM card, you can operate the account by passbook only.

Can you imagine a bank account without an ATM card? What advantage is there to not having the ATM card? No ability to withdraw, POS purchase, pay bills, internet banking, etc. after hours or if the branch is busy. You can deposit without a card. which I think is cool. I wish banks in the USA can be done like this also. You avoid the 200 baht annual fee for the card, right? That's all I can think of.

My friend tells me of one in bangkok, but not phuket.

We shouldnt forget the free gifts for opening an acct. Bangkok bank gave a free bag, enough to fit a small laptop and some minor accessories. tmb offered water while i was waiting. Tea also. Then i took the umbrella. I thought about trying each bank just to claim the free gift. But was it worth 300 baht for atm card.

TMB insisted I had a work permit to open an account, so did Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial who also reluctantly opened an account for my wife with a 1 year visa.

Maybe TMB mean that THEY don't make a charge to withdraw from any ATM in Thailand, but if you use another bank's ATM in your own province or outside 20 Baht is deducted from your account, so someone is charging.

Yes, for the tmb statment someone answered it already. There is already that big thread on bank account opening successes and failures. there's a separate phuket.-only thread also. Therw have been cases where you can walk down to another branchor revisit the same branch on a different day with success. But the non-imm 1yr visa offer the most flexibility with OUT a work permit. I want to read up more on work permits, as those allow just about anything to be put in your name.

I was wondering who builds them or has them for sale in Thailand. Areas of interest is Chumphon, but I know I'll have better luck in either Phuket or Bangkok. But if anyone also knows the Thai spelling for "DVD Burn Tower" or "DVD Copy Tower" or "DVD Tower" or "DVD Duplicator", this would help in my search also.

You'll always have newer phones coming out. Best to get a mid-range smartphone that will satisfy the majority of your needs. Better to get the A86 6000 baht or if you want A99 (10000) from welcomm. Samsung and LG have several mid-rangers that are around 7000-12000 baht.

What would be great is if the Iphone 4G will have a CDMA and GSM quadband sim and supporting 2-4 3G bands as well. Then if CAT could carry that, you can use CAT and then AIS/DTAC for the other network.

Service Provider: One-2-Call from AIS

a pre-paid Smartphone package promotion on until Jan. 4, 2011. You can layer this plan on top of your existing One-2-Call package, for a 15 baht one-time fee.

Plan Name Smart Phone Package

National GPRS/EDGE coverage

Pre-paid

Price 199 baht/ month

Free 100 megabytes GPRS, 6 baht/megabyte is charged for each subsequent megabyte (call rate is inclusive VAT). Free! 100 SMSes, 2 baht is charged for each subsequent SMS.

Free 50 MMSes, 3 baht is charged for each subsequent MMS.

Calls to all networks is charged1 baht/minute for 24 hours (Call rate is exclusive of 7% VAT).

200 baht top up, credit extending validity by another 30 days

Valid until May 31st, 2011. Not sure what happens then. One-2-Call tend to be pretty liberal with honoring promotions forever.

One-2-Call also have these GPRS/EDGE packages, time or MB, which can be added to existing or new pre-paid accounts.

+1 I would avoid their time-based packages where they charge by the hour or minute. Your phone will easily go through that in a couple of days. Better to have the charge by the MB,such as the smart phone package. Either the smart phone package, or unlimited internet, which is 650 baht.

I think they could provide more MB, but they know that would be good for the consumer. The service is acceptable and you get it anywhere. I used it primarily in Phuket and Chumphon.

I dont know if this will help, but here are two services I found useful with excellent call quality:

callcentric.com

pingo.com Not sure if they have a UK toll free or local access #.

I think most people tell you the bank they are with are ok or they will move, I am with ayudhya. There are people there who speak english and are interested in me and my business. I am treated fairly as well, served in order not wait til no locals left. When I came out here I had been dealing with K bank about opening an account,but, when I went into the branch, no one wanted to know, I suspect because they did not speak english, so find some english speakers to explain what they can do for you and take it from there.

One thing about ayudhya is I noticed they don't like cash machines. I'm not sure about in bangkok, but they have a fairly new location in Ocean Mall and an even newer location in Tesco Lotus in Chumphon Town. Atm machine and passbook update, but no cash machines. These are new locations. SCB and BB have the cash deposit machines. Why wouldn't they put a cash machine? especially in smaller town, when the branch is closed or if I want to save 10 baht from going inside to do this.

The best bank is the one that will let you open an account as many of them request a work permit to allow you to open one.

I HAVE ACCOUNTS WITH AYUDDA ,BANGKOK BANK AND Thanachart ,never been asked for anything except my passport or drivers licence.

TMB and Bangkok Bank asked me if I had a long stay visa. But there have been numerous people who have opened one with a tourist visa.

TMB that's what they told me: we do not charge to withdraw from any atm in thailand or overseas. I never tested it out of province. Maybe I'll do that one day.

And I also have access to windows xp. I had no luck with winxp already having the driver. Usually the driver is readily availabe online or somehow.

So I willl contact samsung regarding getting the driver manually. I got lucky and they replied in english the first time. Hopefully I will have similar luck now. http://th.samsungmob...t/contact-us.do

Does samsung have some sort of desktop manager like blackberry or HTC that has all the drivers for all of their phones in one bundle?

I think the version of KIES here has the embedded USB drivers you may require? Again, no Mac support, only Windows.

I'm surprised you didn't get the software with the phone, as others have?

Note the Windows SP, and Net Framework, requirements.

Does this software come on the phone, MicroSD card, or a separate disk? I didn't see any extra installation disk. They opened the new box right in front of me at the tradeshow.

That KIES software link was just put there recently I guarantee you. I did a search on that site also and they did not have that stuff available. It looks like they added it Feb 1st. Thanks. All that's left is just to get the driver separately. But i may have to suck it up and install the whole package. I'll check it out first and see what happens.

Anyone know if AIS will be expanding their 3G network? Using them now, which is pretty good in most parts of Chiang Mai. TOT sounds like the way to go when they start up service up here. My Desire HD will work on AIS or TOT. My friend is arriving with my Desire HD tomorrow. Time to retire the HTC Hero. Excited.

What are the data upload and download limits for AIS, TOT, and TRUE 3G mobile network?

A little bit jumbled. Personally I wouldn't go for CAT CDMA if I had the choice. I'm certainly not aware that CDMA uses SIM cards.

If you can receive the AIS 3G or TRUEMOVE 3G signal, stick with that. No contracts and no need to buy almost useless, expensive and incompatible pieces of equipment.

Also you can use the same HSPDA modem to access 3G in Bangkok via TOT 3G. There is no Hutch 3G as such.

A suitable modem will cost under 2000 baht and will be of use all over the world. No need for complicated accounts. You can use the relevant PAYG SIMs.

Most of their devices the sim information is built in, but a few of the devices have CDMA sim, such as EC150 usb stick. They could use CDMA sim cards the whole time, but the simless models help to lock the people into a particular carrier.

The device isn't useless if it does its intended job, mainly keep you connected to the internet on demand. The CAT usb sticks come with at least Windows XP/7 and Mac drivers on the usb stick. Linux in some cases also. You can get a used device for probably 1/2 the price. Not every store does this, but the one in Patong Beach kept a list of people selling theirs and you had to contact each person directly. When I bought the mifi, I gave mine to a friend as a thank you for inviting me to Thailand. I didn't need 2 accounts.

CAT has NO contracts that lock you into service. You can suspend or cancel at any time and get refunded for unused portion. I would agree with you that the 3G would be a better deal if the infrastructure of the network was readily accessable where you will be. Better in the sense that you can take your modem with you and use it anywhere. You can get less expensive new 3G GSM usb sticks from welcomm/imobile shop or jay mart. Just verify that it has the correct frequency for what you want to do.

I download torrents, view vps, and leave my computer and modem on for days and weeks at a time with virtually no connection issues with CAT. I would have to say at least 200GB+ combined download and upload over the last 6 months or so. I guess it just boils down to the requirements of the OP.

If you root your device, you can install Market Enabler, and have access to all the paid apps while using a Thai sim.

How do i root an android samsung galaxy ace/cooper s5830?

Since this phone is so new it may be better to wait for some locals to figure out things like rooting? You should proceed cautiously. You can look at droidsans dot com for local info.

The closest thread I could find is --> http://forum.xda-dev...ad.php?t=872488

FWIW I plugged a Samsung S5830 (Cooper) into my Win7 PC and it started loading drivers, not sure from where, and then when I mounted the phone it showed up as an external device in file manager. I do have the Win7/64 Samsung USB drivers installed on this machine. This new Samsung model is quite nice, local models are running 2.2.1 and are of course already unlocked. I like the size and feel of the phone. The carbon-fiber back, similar to the Captivate, is nice looking and the camera is good (5 mp) with a flash. I'm wondering why they called it a "Cooper", it does look like an iPhone with 3" screen, maybe a play on a Mini-Cooper? And the keyboard switching from/to Thai is very handy.

Yes. I'm glad I went with this phone. I'm thinking about doing a review for it. Other than the driver issue, one other problem I had was with the internet cutting out when the screen sleeps. samsung advised me to disable this by going to advanced settings in the wifi settings and turn off "disable wifi when screen sleeps" It may eat more battery over time, but better than having to reset the phone.

I am using a mac, which I doubt they support. And I also have access to windows xp. I had no luck with winxp already having the driver. Usually the driver is readily availabe online or somehow.

So I willl contact samsung regarding getting the driver manually. I got lucky and they replied in english the first time. Hopefully I will have similar luck now. http://th.samsungmobile.com/support/contact-us.do

Does samsung have some sort of desktop manager like blackberry or HTC that has all the drivers for all of their phones in one bundle?

The welcomm phones (A99, A86, A88) seem to have all 3. If you want a more recognized brand name, ACER Liquid Metal had all 3 3G frequencies. But 14900 was a bit much for that phone. If it was 11900, I would have considered it. I wonder why they just don't put all 3 to begin with?

1) Freedom from oppression by women

2) Freedom from oppression by the state

3) Nice climate

howzat!

I would have to disagree with you on point number 1

I think he was referring to [Amazonian] feminism. Either in the "Battle of the sexes" war of control type, or just the non-desire for a man to play any type of significant masculine role in their life. I think he was referring to the war of control type.

.Because -I never know whats going to happen tomorrow, and that's OK.

living in the present moment. But the need to know is very strong. With all those images of perfection many of us were taught to chase from the West (to be a winner, to be rich, to be xx profession, marry this type of man, buy this car, etc), it's difficult to not worry about the future. It's a lot less noise at my head here. Being who you really are isn't that bad.

You can be whatever you want in the West also, but you look more out of place without the social masks.

I spend half my time in Thailand and the other half in tropical north eastern Australia. My wife and I own a comfortable home in LOS and we work here in Australia. Cant afford to live there full time at the moment but very happy with the present situation. Easy lifestyle and affordability is what attracted me to Thailand also the country is not over governed as it is in the west...

Very true.

Agreed, nor is it a nanny state, and basically everybody minds there own business, and lives and let live.

+1 for all these comments. USA has become overrun with so much statutory law, and it appears that the masses do not speak up about it. And since everyone attracts what they fear, so each individual has to make their own decisions. Awareness is in such short supply sometimes. Then when the awareness of an opportunity finally comes, few people take action. Oh well, more for me.

But its the cost of living and the lady (ies) that keeps me out here the most.

Prescription medication for sale at pharmacies without a prescription.

..........

Banks open nights and weekends.

..........

I like the way Thai women smell.

...........

Deep down inside I am an anarchist and like to see people riding motorcycles the wrong way on one way streets and sidewalks.

.........

I don't like Christmas holidays.

I like paying for everything in cash.

.........

I don't like deep intellectual or pseudo intellectual discussions with beautiful women.

...........

I have no deeds to do. No promises to keep. Feeling groovy.

...........

That about sums it up for me. I like credit cards also, or at least an ability to use my thai debit card with a pin to pay for online transactions. But a cash deposit or 7-11 payment works also. I never worry about the police when i see them, whereas in the USA, everyone slows down when they see police car.

Live free or die hard.

I wanted to know other people's point of view on what they think the best Thailand bank there is here and why you feel so. Here is some criteria to consider, but by no means is it exhaustive:

Fees: any fees, including withdrawals and deposits, various account fees and online banking fees.

Services: cash advances off of debit/credit card, Certificate of Deposits, wires/western union, internet banking dos and donts

Accessability: atm locations, cash deposit locations, internet access and features.

Is it just more important to have an acount as long as it is at a major bank? Is there any reason(s) to consider a small or local/provincial bank?

Here's what I've come up with so far:

- All the major banks seem to charge 10 baht fee + 10 baht for the bank line lease to do a cash deposit at the teller. It is another 10 baht if you go inside the branch to make the deposit. These fees are waived if the bank account you deposit to is in the same province as the the province the account was opened in.

- TMB does not charge any fees for withdrawing any money at other banks in thailand. The representative also said outside thailand, but I have not tested this.

- Bangkok Bank in touristy areas seem to be able to do cash advance at the counter Where you can hand them your foreign credit or debit card and they can request an amount you want and you sign for it. (no pin). I have not tried this in Chumphon, maybe next month. At Junceylon, Patong Beach they can do it no problem, but you are limited to one time for one day per branch.

- Bangkok Bank also allows deposits via ACH system. I have not confirmed if someone could wire money (not ACH) or write a check and send it to the Bangkok Bank branch in New York, USA and it would still post to the thailand bank account.

This will give me and others a good idea as to which bank is a good choice and why.

If you root your device, you can install Market Enabler, and have access to all the paid apps while using a Thai sim.

How do i root an android samsung galaxy ace/cooper s5830?

Only If yr mobile is connected to Wifi

Sipdroid works well on Android phone and on Windows mobile u can use Gizmo

For competitive rates check this http://backsla.sh/betamax

There have been some emerging products, such as mo-call.com that initiate calls either via text or using your phones data (a few kb) and the GSM network to make the call. You only pay for the cost of the local call + the rate the secondary provider quotes. And if you get incomming calls for free (like thailand) then you can save money that way. Anyone tried something like this?

Skype works very well, good quality. but you need 3G or wifi, no crappy Edge.

I may retry skype, as they allow 1-800 #s calls for free. I uninstalled it, because there was no way to shut the application down completely other than killing the application manually.. It seems to have an always on thing once you launch the program, not a feature I like.

Fring is also quite good.

Android 2.3x will have native VOIP support thankfully. VOIP in and out of Thailand is a bit of a crapshoot sadly

The native support for the current 2.3 is lacking a lot of basic features to custimize how to connect to your SIP provider. This will probably be addressed with newer 2.3.xx

I can confirm that callcentric.com combination with cSipSimple works very well over the CAT CDMA Mifi connection, at least for outbound calls which is mostly what i use it for.

I figured I'd update the situation with the maple syrup. Villa market was excellent overall in replying to my emails. I had to repeat sometimes, but I eventually got them to give me the complete list of maple offerings (not just the most expensive). I ended up ordering 1 Niagra Falls 250 ml Light, 1 500 ml tin Amberm and 1 250ml medium plastic jar. I wanted to try all the ranges to get an idea of what to order next time.

The basic order process is this:

1) email to them what you are looking for and ask for availability and price. You may also fax any store directly, but I prefer emailing and having the main office who can speak decent english attempt all the translation.

2) You then say all of what you want and request a total. Insist that they give you a shipping estimate with actual weight calculation. I would pick EMS unless your package is unusually heavy.

3) Deposit the total into their kasikorn bank account.

4) fax or email a photocopy of the receipt of the deposit.

5) follow-up with a request for the EMS tracking # (i never got it, but i knew that was going to happen ) It came 2 days later anyway from the date of shipment.

6) Follow up with a thank you and provide feedback on the packing of the shipment.

I'd avoid phone conversation. You want a written trail so you both don't make mistakes.

But they promise to improve the shipping thing by taking on my suggestions (calculating the real weight when submitting the sub-total and use thailandpost.com to estimate the shipping, using EMS pickup, etc The near 300 baht for delivery to the post office was a little off to say the least.

EMS takes 1-2 days depending on the time of day it gets dropped off to the post office.

Ironically, I ended up going to BKK anyway for the mobile expo. Of course I didn't know this ahead of time. I picked up another Niagra Falls (light) maplebottle and some other things.

Villa Market was a good option. There may be other shops with slightly cheaper prices.