chmod777

Folder Player in the Play Store, not sure if it supports ogg though:

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.folderplayer&hl=en

InvadeIT is a GODSEND for those of us upcountry! Fantastic selection of products and top-notch service. The best company I have ever dealt with in Thailand, bar none.

I am at 7.5 km and it works well, I generally get the 7 Mb I pay for.

As someone who was stuck with IPSTAR for YEARS with no alternatives, I know how frustrating it is. Could be your modem is going bad...

1. Satellite connection dropping (light goes out on modem): If this is happening more often than in the past, make sure the tech adjusts your dish, replaces your modem, or upgrades your modem firmware. I had all three done over the years, the final firmware upgrade actually gave me a more stable connection.

2. Satellite connection OK but can't reach internet: This is due to the convoluted and fragile routing through the TOT downlink site in Bangkok. Try a trace route back to your newspaper's IP address when things are "working" and see if it doesn't make you want to throw up. When the internet is unreachable but the satellite is connected, try the same trace route and get the IP address of the last server it can reach before it gives up. Call the phone number you have in Bangkok and keep repeating that IP address to them until they recognize it or find someone that does. I had to do that several times, then they would reboot the offending server or whatever rube goldberg device that is failing.

Good luck...

Does the UBox u-777 allow vpn connection? Android 4.0 has it but is it available on the UBox? Is that why you could not get streaming TV from the US?

Yes, the U Box has the normal android vpn menu. I have not used it. Alternatively the DNS settings can be changed if you want to use something like tunlr.net. You can also choose what country/provider Google Play Store you want through the "developer options"menus, I think it came set to T-mobile USA by default.

After changing the firmware on the unit, I have been able to get it stream video about as well as a phone or tablet. NFL Gamepass works great, which is what I wanted.

The U Box automatically downloads a firmware upgrade from Geniatech, but "soft bricks" when it tries to install it. I just downloaded firmware direct from Geniatech, and it works fine.

There is a thread called "Geniatech Enjoy TV" under the Google TV section at androidforums.com that covers this type of box. I found a lot of useful information there:

http://androidforums.com/google-tv/408166-geniatech-enjoy-tv-43.html

Big C sells a couple of android media players branded "U BOX android", the U-333 at 2990 baht, and the U-777 at 4990 baht. These come with IR remotes, but they seperately sell a 2.4 ghz air mouse model U-111 at 1690 baht.

These prices are high for underpowered players compared to geekbuying etc, but what the heck, I bought the U-777 and air mouse to replace an NMT used with an old analog TV in the bedroom. This unit has:

Cortex A9 single core 1Ghz

Mali 400 GPU

1G ROM

WiFi with external antenna

Ethernet

HDMI

Component and composite analog AV out

Optical and coax digital audio out

4 USB ports

SD slot

Internal SATA drive support for a single HDD either 3.5" or 2.5"

Android 4.0.4 with Google Play store

I had to exchange the first unit after a few days when the video out died, so that is not so promising. This is not a polished product, maybe "not ready for prime time" (you have been warned!) but here are some of the things I have done with it so far:

Installed NFL Gamepass and watched live and archived games

Plugged in 1TB desktop HDD on SATA

Streamed video in and out on LAN

Played full HD video on HDMI fine

Plugged in USB camera and made a Skype video call

Plugged in an old bluetooth receiver, paired up a Wii remote, and played Super Mario 3

Played Angry Birds with air mouse

Tried standard USB keyboard and mouse - works

Hooked to HDMI, component, and composite - works

Hooked to PC monitor with HDMI/DVI adapter -works

Downloaded a torrent

Installed dropbear, SSHed into it

Airdroid, Splashtop, etc work fine

Installed XBMC, internal player stutters on HD content, spawning external MX player works but glitchy

Youtube fine

Streaming live TV is questionable, NFL Gamepass and Al Jazeera are fine, but everything else I have tried is unwatchable

It identifies itself as an "M3 Enjoy TV" box so maybe it's a rebranded Geniatech. I can't find anything online about U Box. It comes rooted, there are some things missing in the android file system and menus that I usually expect to see, so guess it has been modified quite a bit.

A dual core would help this thing a lot, going to be interesting what devices like this are coming soon, having a lot of fun playing with this one.

Wow, great tip, now I can run USSD code to check balance on True H sim.

Yeah, I forgot to mention the USSD thing working as well.

It sill seems odd that you can't do this on a 3G iPad? Or "the big version of the iPhone you can't talk on".

Well, an IPad owner would send their butler in the Rolls down to the shop to do a balance check, so they have that covered.

3G Tab 2 units support traditional GSM apps: voice, text etc.

Forgot to mention, for those with legacy 3G Tabs there is a relatively straightforward Mod which adds GSM calling and texting.

http://www.androidau...ce-call-118072/

It should work on a 3G 8.9 as well.

lomatopo -

Wow, great tip, now I can run USSD code to check balance on True H sim. You are THE MAN!

I have had disappointing results with a Roku 2 XD on a 7 Mbps connection. Sometimes it works fine, but often it keeps rebuffering when the same source will stream fine on the PC. Some models have an ethernet port which would probably work more reliably than wifi.

I use mine mostly with USTVnow and MLB.TV, along with some of the free news channels. Roku itself does not care where in the world you use it, but some channels (Netflix, Crackle, etc) are US IP restricted, so a proxy would be needed as you mentioned.

Working fine here on TOT...

Lots of good advice on your problem above, I can only offer this:

If you have not done so, I highly recommend applying the "STALKER Complete 2009" mod. It fixes some bugs, and greatly improves the graphics. Google for it, I used it on the Steam version of the game with no problems.

My guess is there is only a slim chance it would fix your problem, but it is worth doing to improve the game in any case...

There are two actions easily confused and right next to each other: the "folder" on the left, and the "tag" on the right. It could be you are selecting "tag" instead of "folder".

The True clerk told me they have 3G now in Sa Kaeo City and in Aranyaprathet City, she did not know when it would be available in the rest of Sa Kaeo province.

She said that the old Hutch CDMA that True owns is "finished".

I am hoping that one or more of AIS, DTAC and True will get some 3G going province wide in the next few months, since they are making some progress in the cities.

Sa Kaeo was Hutch CDMA territory, not CAT, there are some Hutch CDMA towers on highway 317 for example. Not only that, this is the original slow CDMA we are talking about, not EV-DO. Hutch has been bought by True, but True's website isn't telling me anything useful. I will check in at True Sa Kaeo the next time I go to Big C and see if they know what is happening with CDMA on highway 317.

All the negative comments about IPSTAR are well deserved, but TOT IPSTAR has "improved" in the last 18 months, maybe because fewer people on the service these days. There was a receiver firmware upgrade about a year ago that helped maintain connections in bad weather and improved throughput. I only found out because I kept complaining. Luckily, the local TOT technician is competent and has done about as much as he can on this end. The Bangkok end is pretty hopeless, but is having fewer problems than they did in the past. Until the limit on the speed of light is repealed, satellite internet is going to be bad and a last resort.

TOT does mess with the down/up speeds during business hours, for everything not just bittorrent.

Someday, hopefully soon, there will be another option for those of us in the real middle of nowhere....

Euro Sport is showing Maryland vs. Notre Dame college football right now. Fourth quarter already, but worth checking out just to see the crazy uniforms the Terrapins are wearing.

If it makes anyone feel better to write an email to Truevisions, go ahead. You might as well send a copy to Elvis and Abraham Lincoln while you are at it, for all the good it will do.

True has absolutely no interest in airing NFL football, or American sports in general, they have proven this time and time again. This is the THIRD time that I remember they have dropped the NFL like a hot potato. Good riddance to True, I say, bring on the internet, 1 Sky, and any other competition - adapt or die.

FYI, for those of you tuning in the "Test Run" of ASN, there is a "Test Run" of Euro Sport in English now, all the settings are the same, use "218" and "318" instead of 206, 306.

I forgot one other possible option: if there are enough houses in your village, you may be able to get TOT to run a radio relay depending upon the line of sight to their towers. They will do this if they can get enough people to commit to signing up. In addition, depending on your distance from them and how many people will sign up, they may even run ADSL out your way. In the case of our village, they said it would take about 15 households to subscribe, I figure that puts us about 10 households short - maybe someday. We live northeast of Wang Nam Yen.

TOT IPSTAR is fine for downloading torrents, especially in the evening and night hours when you normally get the full speed they sell you. Right now, I am downloading at 115 KiB/s according to qBittorrent. I am on the 1 M down / 512 up package which costs close to 3000 baht per month, can't find the bill right now. You can drop the speed by half and save about 700 baht per month, in my experience the 1 M customers get the best service, would not recommend the 512/256 or any lower package.

It works ok for skype voice although there is a little delay, and I do skype video calls twice a week. The video quality is not great, but acceptable. Anything that requires a low ping is not going to work, and there are weather outages quite often, and sometimes the downlink station in BKK misconfigures their routers for days at a time, and there are a lot of other frustrations - but it is better than nothing, and better than EDGE, but expensive.

this update doesn't show on my Kies as available...what to do?

Also, how do i use ringtones I downloaded as .mp3 files to my phone...they are sat in the downloads folder but how do i use them as ringtones?

Has the phone been rooted or a different ROM put in it, and did you buy it in Thailand? What version number does it say is the latest available in Kies?

The easiest way to set an mp3 as ringtone is play the song in the music player. You can then click the menu button (bottom left on phone) and "set as ringtone" will be an option. Note that you need to open up the music player and load the song, this will not work if you just click on the file to play while browsing directories, that doesn't start up the full music player.

I also live in the boonies of Sa Kaeo. As far as I know, you have these options:

1. Wait for 3G to make it out here. Who knows when this will happen, maybe sometime in 2012? I have been waiting years for this, but at least 3G is showing up finally in the big cities.

2. CAT CDMA, as you mentioned, is pretty iffy to commit to right now. Sa Kaeo is/was part of the Hutch CDMA territory - when I checked into this, CAT in Sa Kaeo city told me to go to Hutch.

3. TOT IPSTAR satellite service is what I have been using for the last five years. May not suit you since you mentioned mobile, as it uses a large satellite dish. Downloading torrents is one of the few things that is not bothered by the satellite latency, and it works fine for that. Better than GPRS/EDGE, but otherwise a last resort.

4. Keep using AIS EDGE and hope the 3G shows up in the next few months, at the risk of your sanity.

If there are other options I don't know about, it would be awesome to hear them. I asked both AIS and DTAC in the last few weeks when 3G would be here, and they claimed to have no idea.

Thanks to all.....does anyone know of a site that archives the games so I could watch them on Monday AM when I wake up instead of staying up all night on Sundsay?

Thanks!

NFL Game Pass will let you do this, you can watch a replay of any game at any time.

Wayned:

You are on the right track, I can't follow up with much detail until I get back home tomorrow, but try this:

The Chaiyo settings you are seeing may actually be for another channel, NBT or Zaa or something.

Look for "Good Channel" instead, and see if it set for 212, 312. The ### is prompting for a password, usually the default is 123, 1234, 0000, or something easy like that..

To watch ASN for free now on a standard C band receiver:

Find the channel called "Thai Chaiyo" and edit the settings for it, changing "205" to "206" and "305" to "306". When you save the settings, it should tune in ASN. "Good Channel" is another one you could use, change "212" to "206" and "312" to "306".

Euro Sport is now online and viewable, they are showing a man pulling a truck right now. It is also at 3480 H 30000 with 218, 318

Still can't tune in the other "new" channels that showed up in the receiver, maybe they are coming soon.

The 1 Sky receiver channel listing shows the following on KU band, again some of these are not shown on Lyngsat:

Thaicom 5: 12272 H and V 30000, 12313 H and V 30000, 12355 H 30000, 12438 H 30000, 12720 H 30000

NSS6: 11130 V 27500, 11635 H 27500, 11676 H 27500

I had the 1 Sky Grammy 5' C band dish system installed a couple of weeks ago. ASN is on, in full color, with dual language audio, and in fact is better picture and sound quality than it ever was with true. The rest of the channels currently available are of no interest to me, but the wife likes them.

ASN can also be recieved by any standard 5' C band dish without the 1 Sky receiver during this trial period at least. I tuned it in on my brother-in-law's standard PSI system, again in full color, good picture, but I was unable to get the English audio.

Grammy's plans and prices are still a complete mystery, so who knows what all channels they will have, and how much they will charge. The other day, additional channels showed up in the receiver's channel list including the sports channels shown here:

http://www.gmmsport.com/howto.php

These channels cannot be tuned in yet, and I think are all at 3480 H 30000 as well. In addition, some other channels are newly listed, including something called WB TV which apparently shows American movies and series. This cannot be tuned in yet either, but is listed at 4170 V 13333.

Also FYI, the reciever channel list shows KU band selections as well, so maybe this receiver can be used with both.

So who knows what is going to happen in the next couple months, or at the new year when the service is supposed to start up for real? Is that when the other channels start up and KU band comes online? How much are they going to want to charge? Who knows?

I can say this for sure, ASN is on right now on C band, I have been watching it for a couple weeks now.

Make sure your phone is fully charged, connect it with USB and start up Kies.

Backup your current data through Kies now, or make sure you do it when prompted by the upgrade process later.

The current version of Kies is 2.0.3.11082_152, you can check your version from the Kies menu: Help, Kies Information.

The Gingerbread 2.3.4 firmware version is PDA:KP5 / PHONE:KP5 / CSC:KP5 (THL), you can check your version by clicking on the phone icon under "Connected Devices". It should offer to upgrade you if you don't have this version installed.

This website has an explanation and a video:

http://www.kuanhoong...droid-via-kies/

Good luck!

Oh yeah, the battery is a disappointment after having a phone that could last 3 - 4 days between charges. It does get better like you said, and even more so after upgrading to 2.3.4 Gingerbread - charging is much faster after the upgrade.

Also forgot: Skype audio works via WIFI on the Mini better than I would ever have expected. The list of what this phone can do is a lot longer than what it can't.