bangkokrick

Some of you guys crack me up. Just come out and say "I hope this coward gets away with it".

Ever see the movie "Man on Fire"? The scene where Denzel Washington has the guy backward spread-eagled over the trunk?

That's what Aldhouse deserves. A bit of extrajudicial punishment.

I am a Brit and i sincerely hope that this guy does have to pay for his heinous crime and what better place to do this than in a Thai prison. Now whether the British/European judicial system will agree with me, that's possibly a different story. I think a lot of the Brits on this thread are just telling it as it is and it is pretty much in the hands of the courts on the day.

You might also wonder what happens each time someone flushes a lavatory in Pattaya..... The bay has become an open sewer. San Antonio in Ibiza was like this back in the late 60's but they cleaned it up because the tourist industry was dropping off... there seems to be little will to do likewise in Pattaya.

Agreed, but this looked more like oil than effluent.

It was the same in Jomtien last week, very sad to see and it's the first time that I have ever seen it this bad. I agree it looked like an oil slick.

Is Phuket becoming the new Pattaya? There seems to be an awful lot going on there at the moment.

I could not agree more.

It is like a formula ((News) + (Conjecture)) x ((Ignorance + Hate)) = Postings on this site.

You all have over stayed your welcome.

Go back to the utopia you came from.

note that 'murder' not confirmed, MFAT says 'died'

Facebook - maybe not the most reliable source for a newspaper to quote from.

We all know what the BiB are going to conclude anyway...

Is there no topic, no situation, no moment of sadness that rises above the self-satisfying rush to Thai bashing?

Oh God not another 'if you don't like it go home post'. People come on this forum to discuss issues and just because they don't agree with you does not make them wrong. If they did not do this there would not be any point in having a forum, would there?

RIP to the victim.

They are also very good sites for keeping in touch with friends and family.

Email does the trick for me.

Bit of a ball ache chatting by e mail.

Finally a good use for censorship tools: blocking Twitter and Facebook.

Both of them are chock-full of the very worst dross.

They are also very good sites for keeping in touch with friends and family.

Twitter is working fine in Jomtien. True move.

Good riddance!

bike will be next?

Now that would be sad. great fun to hire a bike and personally never had a problem doing this.

He is obviously prepare to sacrifice his sister to save himself. What a guy!

Shot themselves in the foot!

The Government seems to be spending more time on Thaksin issues, rather than doing any Governing. He will bring the whole lot tumbling down.

Obviously different people like different things. I guess that I am hopelessly living in the past, or am I? What will those superior Android and Apple devices do that my old fashioned Nokia E52 won't do?

Why does my obsolete netbook have many more features than the new tablets and costs a lot less?

I guess that I should add that I DON'T like touchscreens. It's too bad that my Garmin GPS units have to have fingerprints all over the touch screen. Garmin gives me no choice and it's beginning to look like phones and mini computers may not give me a choice for much longer.

Good post Gary and I think that you hit the nail on the head. What will android etc do that the Nokia Symbian phones can't do. As a user I find Nokia phones very easy to use and i have never had to refer to the manuals.Value for money wise my C7 was 12000 baht compared to the Iphone 4 at 28000 baht. That is one hell of a difference considering the C7 will do as much and more than the Iphone. Call me neanderthal but i will stick with Nokia.

My dongle runs CDMA and EVDO and was originally provided by Hutch. (Now True) Works fine for me and also I don't have any other option in the area where I live.

Thanks for the update. :jap:

Goes to show sometimes there's an advantage to a disadvantage

That is very true BB. I am happy with my lot, so to speak.

The only problem is that it is now general "knowledge" that Android is cool, while Symbian is yuck.

Don't you just hate it when those pesky customers choose the "cool" products.

Doesn't bother me very much, I'm not a fanboi

When I went shopping for a new smartphone a while ago, priced around 10-15KB, all friends suggested the cool LGs, HTCs or Samsungs. OK, I thought, let's check them out.

And then I found, that they all cannot do what I need and the outdated, dying Nokia is much better value.

And no regret so far.

Your miles will vary.

I agree on all counts. One great Nokia App is the FM transmitter on the C7. Tune any radio (90.00 Mhz) in and play you Nokia music tracks in surround sound. Awesome.

I just bought the Nokia C7 and it's the best phone that I have ever had. It is equal in spec of the I phone and only half the price. Nokia are far from Dying.

Check it out

The C7 and N8 are very fine phones and IMHO superior to iPhones and most Androids.

They are basically the same (HW and SW), but N8 is equipped with a much better camera and some gimmicks like HDMI connection.

The C7 is a bargain in Thailand for ~10000 Baht. It supports all 3G frequencies necessary here, unlike most Androids. Take this into account if you want to use DTAC or TRUE.

The only problem is that it is now general "knowledge" that Android is cool, while Symbian is yuck.

In reality is a bit more complicated. I attach a text I copied from Nokia forum, which is quite on the spot.

I am using both Symbian and Android so I guess I can answer these well enough.

1. Most people are simply preferring Android because it looks good. (It does). However, when we go down to basics, Nokia phones have better hardware components (GPS chips, radios, music chips, durability, etc). Also, people have the impression that Nokia OS sucks and Android does not. Actually, the only problem I see why Android has become more preferable because in its current situation, Symbian is more micromanaging and less "idiot friendly" (if you'd forgive the term) than Android. The learning curve for Symbian is pretty steep.

2. Nokia will be releasing WP7 phones as their flagships starting next year.

3. Pros and Cons:

Android Pros:

-lots of apps and widgets. Very highly customizable to look and feel the way you want it to.

-The UI is fluid and quite obvious.

-the OS is basically a platform with each application sandboxed from each other. When an app crashes, the phone does not necessarily crash unless you are using a very resource intensive app like a PSX emulator. You can force close the crashed app (like the end task option in Windows Task Manager).

Android Cons:

-No proper task switching or managing. It only keeps a certain number of apps running and closes apps automatically when you are reaching full RAM usage. This may be nice in theory since you dont get the memory full message, but you have no control about which app it closes. Sometimes its very annoying when it closes the app you actually need to be running at the time. It does cache the app to start again from where it last was, but it doesnt happen to all apps and sometimes having to go through loading processes again is annoying. Symbian allows more control on what apps get closed and what are left running.

-Its more prone to malware and spyware due to its high level of being open source. Unlike Symbian which has certificate management, Android does not, so its best to have an Antivirus on it. Malware even found their way into Android Market

-Fragmentation. There are so many different droids with differing chipsets and hardware that not all apps would work the same way on one droid as on another. For example, Falling Fred for Android works well on a Galaxy S, but on an HTC Evo, there are some lags, despite the Evo having way better hardware than the SGS.

-Has practically no advantages to Symbian when you will be using it offline apart from games. Yes the apps you will use are different and may feel better on Android, but in terms of practicality, almost anything you can do on Android you can do on Symbian if both are offline. Android only wins big if you have a data plan to make use of its full potential (or maybe wifi everywhere you go?)

- Connectivity limitations. Android cannot create or connect to adhoc networks (unless you root it). Also their PC connectivity solutions/software are absolutely awful (or if they work good, they are worse in terms of functionality and capability than Ovi Suite, let alone PC Suite).

Symbian Pros:

- Proper multitasking control. As said before, you control what gets closed and what stays open

- Proper PC integration. We all know how bad Ovi Suite is compared to PC Suite, but nothing Android has can even compare to Ovi Suite in terms of functionality.

- Symbian phones generally have better hardware components. Speaking for Nokia vs Samsung alone, the GPS antenna, AGPS computations, 2g/3g radios, wifi receivers and transmitters, audio quality, durability feel and quality, of Nokia phones are superb compared to almost any Android phone in the market today.

- Ovi Maps - still better than anything Android can throw. I cant use Google Navigation in my country, but the rest all fail in comparison. Android doesnt even natively support the use of bluetooth GPS devices, you need to buy/download a Mapping System that does. Also, my 5800 running on Integrated GPS alone can get a more accurate fix than my SGSL on integrated GPS. It takes the same time for both to get a full fix too. If I use AGPS on the Nokia, it gets fix in 2seconds. Samsung Fail yes (bad GPS antenna), but partly Android too due to bad AGPS data calculation scripting.

Symbian Cons:

- App developers are leaving, so you have less apps and games to choose from. These is what is now starting to give Android more functionality than symbian. There's usually an app for whatever you may want to do.

- When an app crashes, the whole OS can crash, depending on the app, especially if its an integrated app.

- While many people customize Symbian (regional devs, operator devs), Symbian editing often causes problems, while Android is made to be customizable, reducing probable software errors which may ruin the phone up by devs and operators.

There are a few other things I cant think of right now, but as I said, I currently use 2 phones for 2 networks, and one is a Droid and the other Symbian, allowing me to enjoy the advantages of both OS and the ability to ignore the deficiencies of one by using the other for that purpose.

Thanks for that green snapper a very interesting read. Not sure about the App comment as there are 100's of very useful Apps on OVI.

If you just want a mobile device to make phone calls and nothing else I agree, Nokia gives very good quality and value for your money.

Those who think smartphones have no purpose may not need one. It's fine, not everyone does.

Tables vs. laptops is a different discussion. The prevalent opinion at the moment seems to be that tablets are very simple to use, no need to know much about the technology, they're simple appliances you switch on and use. I've thought long and hard about getting a tablet but I can't really see what I would use it for between my Android phone, my PC and my Kindle reader.

Phil please have a look at the specs for the new breed of Nokia phones on the link below. This phone does very much more than making phone calls.

Nokia C7

I have had mine for around a month now and I am very satisfied with the Multi functionality.

I feel the same about the tablet, by the way.

Sure, but .. Symbian OS .. been there, done that, never again

I also had Winmobile and PocketPC devices. Same thing. I'm with Android now, for me it has been the best platform so far, by far, and I think if you look at the market share held by Android the majority of users agree.

Oddly enough I have just been on the Nokia site to upgrade the phone software and the software new version is called Symbian Anna. I will post if any improvements found. Each to their own I guess mate.

If you just want a mobile device to make phone calls and nothing else I agree, Nokia gives very good quality and value for your money.

Those who think smartphones have no purpose may not need one. It's fine, not everyone does.

Tables vs. laptops is a different discussion. The prevalent opinion at the moment seems to be that tablets are very simple to use, no need to know much about the technology, they're simple appliances you switch on and use. I've thought long and hard about getting a tablet but I can't really see what I would use it for between my Android phone, my PC and my Kindle reader.

Phil please have a look at the specs for the new breed of Nokia phones on the link below. This phone does very much more than making phone calls.

Nokia C7

I have had mine for around a month now and I am very satisfied with the Multi functionality.

I feel the same about the tablet, by the way.

Still have it this morning... And update on ISP...Didn't answer because wasn't sure...(at a friend's guest house, and no they don't have any VPN setup, they barely could install antivirus software let alone VPN...i'm their "computer guy")...On True same BKrick

So let me clarify this. BKrick, you, and your friend are able to use Google Voice with True using a dongle? Is the dongle 2G (EDGE/GPRS) or 3G?

It's starting to look as though True might be providing an IP address that Google is happy with, rather than a test rollout. You should be able to use Google Voice as long as True continues to provide you with that IP address. You all are very fortunate.

I'm jealous

My dongle runs CDMA and EVDO and was originally provided by Hutch. (Now True) Works fine for me and also I don't have any other option in the area where I live.

I think that you are correct. they are doing the same with Google +

I really hate this too many quotes thing!

I signed up in Bangkok, but now in Pattaya, using Hutch now True I believe.

3G or Broadband/ADSL?

ADSL in condo in Bangkok. Got the dongle now in Pattaya

I signed up in Thailand and still get the Google call OK. No proxy by the way.

How long ago did you sign up for your Google account? Who is your service provider? Are you in Bangkok?

I signed up in Bangkok, but now in Pattaya, using Hutch now True I believe.

I'm still getting that message: "Thanks for visiting Google Voice. We're not yet open for users outside the US."

Yes, it's possible to do something of a work-around, especially if you sign up when you're visiting the US, but otherwise it's not easy; Google seems pretty good at geo-locating non-US users.

I think you might have hit on the secret. The people who are getting it, may have signed up for Gmail when they were in the US.

It's possible... But up until an hour ago, I was getting the same message as what was posted above... .(Blah blah not open to Thailand yet)

I'm trying to nail this down. Where did you sign up for your Gmail/Google account? The US or Thailand? How long ago did you sign up for Google? Who is your ISP?

I signed up in Thailand and still get the Google call OK. No proxy by the way.

Nokia would, literally and figuratively, die to be able to sell 18.65 million units of essentially a high-end single model, with a GM of ~ 60%, in a single quarter, which is what AAPL did in Q2-2011.

That is truly amazing, but the iPad will probably blow the iPhone figures away in the next 24 months? Even the Luddites here have to appreciate that feat. Nokia might have to go back to making galoshes (rubber boots) and tires?

I really don't understand the need for an Ipad if you have a newish laptop. The laptop will do as much and more than the Ipad, so why have 2 machines that basically do the same thing? By the way I still think that Nokia phones are the best on the market.

still figuring how to turn it on in Gmail

Settings, Labs, chat, call phones. Enable.

The settings are in the 'cog wheel' of at the top right of Gmail.