dddave

In making ULTRA-BOOKS so much thinner and lighter there have been a lot of compromises in the materials used to build them.

I have read many reports over the last 2 years as Ultra Books have become popular that the display screens seem to be much more vulnerable to damage than they used to be.

Units packed in suitcases can easily find their display crushed by something heavy, like another bag falling on top in the cargo hold or on the baggage carousel.

While the modern carbon fibers used in lids today have a lot of tinsel strength, they have little rigidity thus not much protection from Impact.

I'm not suggesting you do not buy an Ultra-Book but you will need to think about how you will carry it and protect it.

The Samsung ATIV BOOK-9 series have had a lot of praise in the press. The higher end one in the series has an aluminium body.

With samsung review I agree the ativ book 9 has well respected rating but how long will they keep making laptop...what about after sale services. Remember a few years back Samsung pulled out from notebook game and now they are back again then I ask...how long this time...?

If the Samsung Service Center in Fortune Tower, Bangkok is any indication then you are correct in questioning Samsung service. In my own experience there, the queue's are usually more than an hour and the quality of service, repairs and the general attitude are well below par.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

In making ULTRA-BOOKS so much thinner and lighter there have been a lot of compromises in the materials used to build them.

I have read many reports over the last 2 years as Ultra Books have become popular that the display screens seem to be much more vulnerable to damage than they used to be.

Units packed in suitcases can easily find their display crushed by something heavy, like another bag falling on top in the cargo hold or on the baggage carousel.

While the modern carbon fibers used in lids today have a lot of tinsel strength, they have little rigidity thus not much protection from Impact.

I'm not suggesting you do not buy an Ultra-Book but you will need to think about how you will carry it and protect it.

The Samsung ATIV BOOK-9 series have had a lot of praise in the press. The higher end one in the series has an aluminium body.

I just noticed myself a few days ago that K-Bank ATM's seem to consistently have the longest lines. I was wondering about that.

Pro-Corner 02 642 0596-7, ex 20,21 Closed Sundays

It depends on if you are using a touch screen computer or not. When they did the Win-8 upgrade to 8.1, they only upgraded Touch-screen features, not Non-touch Screen which remained virtually the same.

Try VASU CURRENCY EXCHANGE, on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 7/1, just below the Nana BTS station, across from the Subway sandwich shop. They specialize in all sorts of currencies and give a fair rate.

A friend just used THAI HAPPY TAXI to take a group from BKK to Jomtien then back to BKK 3 days later. Clean new van, on time, courteous and good driver, on board GPS and a very good rate.

Google THAI HAPPY TAXI.

I have transited through Frankfurt many times and though it is large the gates and terminals are well marked. Yes, the walks to your gate can be very long..

The STAR ALLIANCE (Lufthansa) lounge there is one of the best in Europe with very nice shower rooms and a nap room along with very decent food.

There is a strong probability your THAI flight will be a Lufthansa code share.

Economy class on Lufthansa is nothing special. They finally are using new 747-800's on the FRA-BKK route so there are individual screens and power sources but you will still be packed in like a Vienna sausage.

If you are STAR GOLD, upgrades are rare these days as most flights are full but at least you'll be able to board with the first group so you won't have to fight for overhead baggage space.

AINOL tablets are available in Bangkok at many FORTUNE TOWER shops, Pantip plaza as well. Before ordering on Ali Exp. check the prices locally, you may pay a bit more but in my experience, worth the extra money.

The problems I have encountered buying several tablets and one phone from ALI-EXPRESS is that they are frequently loaded with Chinese language apps that use a lot of your RAM and onboard memory. They are very difficult to un-install without rooting the machine...a difficult process for non-nerds.

Another problem with the Chinese apps is that when one accidently comes up, you have no idea which menu button to select to close it.

If you do decide to buy from them, ask the seller via the message window on the order screen if GOOGLE PLAY is installed. If not, ask if they will install it for you. If "No", don't buy it.

When figuring your AliExp. costs, take into account that the Thai's will charge duty at delivery of anywhere from B300 to B500.

I have always gotten what I ordered from Ali Express with no credit card difficulties but I have regretted not paying more and buying the product here.

I just received a new Lenovo phone I ordered from them but all the apps are Chinese and I am having great difficulty getting it rooted and an English ROM installed.

Pro Corner on the 3rd floor of FORTUNE TOWER along the back wall on the same end as LOTUS. I have recommended this shop many times and never got negative feedback. The manager, Nick speaks excellent English. Competent service with reasonable prices.

Smaller 12" and less screens have pretty much disappeared as tablets have filled that nitch. There are some tablets that try to fill the "Netbook" nitch with detachable keyboards; ASUS for instance and now LENOVO.

The competition with tablets has also driven notebook manufacturers to make new machines as light and thin as possible...thus plastic and carbon fiber replacing metal wherever possible.

Be aware there are 2 very distinct types of Win-8...TOUCH SCREEN and NON-TOUCH SCREEN. I had Win-8 on a NON-T.S. machine and it was awkward and frustrating. I installed "CLASSIC SHELL", a free download that emulates the Win-7 environment and I have found that to be much easier to use.

When one is in a remote area with nobody to ask, GOOGLE will truly be your best friend. Just ask it in the simplest way..like "What is middle click" and you will get answers. If you connect to You Tube, there are tutorials on almost every aspect of computer operation.

There are town Houses in the Phra Khanong area in the B20-30000 range. I believe they have 3 to 4 Br's over 4 floors The ones close to where I live, soi 16 of Suk. 71 are about a 15-20 minute walk to the BTS. B20 motorcycle taxi.

I'm not sure about availability at this time. If you are interested, PM me and I'll ask the security guard if there are any units for rent.

I have a 65 s/m studio condo in Bangkok, more like a loft actually with 11' ceilings. My sleeping area is curtained off with heavy ceiling to floor drapes which contains the AC at night.

I pay the B4/unit govt. electric rate. I average B3200 p/m ($106) over a year: higher in hot season, lower cool season.

10 mb (local download) internet B600 ($18), Cable TV, TrueGold; B1800 ($55) Water: B150 ($4.50)

Many apartments provide cable TV and Internet; some charge extra for it, some don't. Those that have these services will generally not allow you to install service from another provider.

As others have pointed out; if you rent an apartment, you will likely pay a marked up electrical rate, anywhere from B5-B10/unit which dramatically affects the total. If possible you would be better off renting a Condo that has the owners govt. rate locked in.

A friend is a paid business consultant who advises companies on what devices to buy. He keeps track of all sorts of repair data and history. He believes that overall, LENOVO provides the best build quality and value in most price ranges. They don't always have the latest, flashiest features but they are dependable and built to last.

I have an old Win-XP notebook and tried tethering it to my Android phone just to see if I could. Result was nothing but frustration. My old notebook also does not have WiFi built in. I use an SMC wireless network adapter that runs off a USB port and it accesses the WiFi signal with no problems once it's set up.

The adapters are in the B1000 range at Pantip and Fortune. They look like a thumb drive.

Yesterday, (Sat., Dec 28) from 2pm onward I was unable to open ThaiVisa. On the lower left taskbar it would state: "Waiting for 2ps.googleuserdata.com" or something close to that. I waited as long as 3 minutes and the site never came up. Also happened with several other websites I tried to access but not all.

No problems accessing T.V. today.

Does anybody have an explanation?

Also consider a larger SD memory card if your phone will handle it. Genuine 32Gig. cards can now purchased for less than B1500....that's a lot of memory.

Inchon is one of the better airports for a long layover.

In the Departures hall, look for "REST STOP" signs. They lead to a mezzanine area with lounge sofas, free showers, inexpensive snack bars and an entertaining small museum of Korean culture.

In the Departures hall itself, there are Korean handcraft kiosks that offer free materials and instruction on making some small items...great for kids. They also often have live performances of traditional Korean music and dance

If your layover is more than 6 hours, there are free and low cost bus tours of Seoul available from a kiosk at the Arrivals area. They will make sure your tour returns leaving enough time for your scheduled departure.

I took a free one last year where they dropped me off in the downtown area then pick me up at a pre-arranged time..It worked out nicely and I really enjoyed myself and got to see a bit of Seoul.

The subway also has a station accessible from Arrivals

You can be pretty sure that one way or another, the demonstrations will continue to disrupt various areas of Bangkok at unpredictable times.

Hotels in Bangkok are way below their normal January levels because of this and you can be confident you will be able to walk-in and find a room well within your price range. When a situation like this occurs, walk in rates are often less than online rates, especially in the hotel intensive areas between Nana and Asok.

Not a bad idea to book your first night online just so you aren't walking around with your bags when looking for a good deal on a room.

Yeah, that's a good price!

Lastest price 9,990 Baht (Update 10 Days ago.)

http://www.siamphone.com/en/lenovo/p780.htm

Not long after I ordered it, LAZADA went down to B7,500 from B9,900. I saw it in a shop in Fortune for B7,900 also.

MURATREMIX...

I do really appreciate the information and explanations. I let you know the outcome.

Muratrimix: Again, thanks for the follow-up information. Some of the various forum posts on rooting the P 780 mentioned difficulties with CWM...whatever that is. As I said, I'm clueless.

I decided to avoid MBK today. I suspected it might be closed because of the demonstrations outside it's doors.

It will be interesting to see if I can find a technician who knows what he's doing with this phone..

The actual price was US$210.00 + $4.50 shipping (DHL 4-6 day). I received it 11 days from the order date.(I had to pay duty of B380 on delivery) I have purchased several Android devices from this vendor in the past and they always installed the English ROMS when requested. As I said at the start of my OP...it was my oversight not asking.

"Food has generally improved. Turkish Airlines Economy are excellent, but try to avoid much of a layover in Istanbul."

Unless you are STAR ALLIANCE GOLD or above. The Istanbul STAR ALLIANCE lounge is IMHO the finest in the world, It's like a movie set from another age.

Tall brass and silver samovars dispense exotic teas, Turkish coffee brewed to order. Tables laden with a huge variety of sweets and pastries and kababs also cooked to order.

The room is furnished with club like overstuffed chairs and sofas; the floors covered with oriental rugs.

My 3 hour layover there was way too short.

If you are ever truly in a pinch, you will always be welcomed at a Thai Temple for the night.

Have the shopping malls in the Siam area (MBK, Discovery, Paragon, Central World) opened for business today?