bill1960

I bought an HTC Touch Diamond last week at Siam Paragon....its cool looking, and a step up from an ordinary HTC Touch (with Windows Mobile 6.1) BUT the software is really sluggish! god.... almost better to keep the HTC Touch....

now Im thinking of getting a Sony Experia with Windows...

does anyone have one and is it available in Bangkok yet?

Why not just admit defeat and get an iPhone until the others catch up...

I read the engadget comparison of Omnia vs Touch Diamond - they are certainly improving, but still have a long way to go. Particularly, one of them (don't remember which) has awful battery life. Both are easy to use only on the surface, prepare to whip out the stylus if you want to do anything past the first level of icons.

BTW I agree that in terms of hardware - or at least, quality and looks - these companies have no problem competing with the iPhone. It's the software and touch tech they struggle with.

At this stage I'm leaning towards the Omnia because I want WM for editable excel, and the Omnia has the largest screen without being a brick.

Second choice would be HTC Diamond which are selling for ~SG900

This online merchant ships internationally but I've never tried them

http://www.whymobile.com/productinfo.php?id=HTC-TDiamond

Google up Samsung Omnia i900

Iphone lookalike but runs windows mobile.

Selling in Singapore for ~ SG1000 (USD800) so I expect they'll be ~Bt30k when they arrive in Thailand.

But the new iphone at $199 is a bargin (not officially supported in Thailand though)

I wonder if it is possible to order an unlocked one at this price from the States!

This website lists the these latest 3G phones at following prices

Samsung Omnia i900 $600

HTC Touch Diamond $500

Iphone 3G 16GB $500

http://phonemartstores.com/index.php

I havent gone through the process of setting up an account so dont know if those prices have are valid once you get to checkout.

I know the HTC and Omnia were estimated to sell for ~US$750 in Singapore so the phonemartstore prices semm a bit hard to believe.

Anyone tried them,....other comments ?

Yeah, I don't know about the other two but the iPhone 3G isn't out yet so I am sure this website will be happy to accept your $500 pre-payment but whether it means anything is questionable. The iPhone 3G was "available" on ebay a month ago .. beware of the internets...

$500 seems like a fair price though, comparing the subsidized 3G iPhone price vs. a HTC Touch subsidized price on AT&T. You will need to wait until July/August to get a definite quote though. I am pretty sure these will show up relatively quickly in malls around Thailand too.

I emailed phonemartstore about the Samsung Omnia. Their answers were vague. They claim to ship worldwide but only accept moneygram payments. Seems suspect.

But the new iphone at $199 is a bargin (not officially supported in Thailand though)

I wonder if it is possible to order an unlocked one at this price from the States!

This website lists the these latest 3G phones at following prices

Samsung Omnia i900 $600

HTC Touch Diamond $500

Iphone 3G 16GB $500

http://phonemartstores.com/index.php

I havent gone through the process of setting up an account so dont know if those prices have are valid once you get to checkout.

I know the HTC and Omnia were estimated to sell for ~US$750 in Singapore so the phonemartstore prices semm a bit hard to believe.

Anyone tried them,....other comments ?

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/handhelds/0,3...3574746p,00.htm

the Samsung SGH i900 looks like a worthy contender for the 3G Iphone

Its lighter, 122grms vs 133grms and has the same size display, 3.5"

for the business user it runs WM6 so you get word, excel etc

I'd hold out for the new iphone if I were you Girlx, the old one knocks spots off any other phone i've used and the 3G looks even better and will have full office support for word, excel and powerpoint as well as PDF

Is it correct that the new 3G Iphone can view excel, word, but not edit it ?

The other hot contender is the HTC diamond, 2.8" screen but very light and apparently great interface.

Here's an extensive blogg review for the HTC Diamond

http://htc-resource.blogspot.com/

Does anyone have some accurate information on the release date of the new HTC Touch Diamond? I see on some websites dates that range from 6th to 9th of June, but I wonder if that also applies for bkk...

Also, what will be the retail price? The price posted on the HTC Singapore website is about 25000 baht, but it doesn't say if that includes any GPS software such as Garmin. Who knows more on this?

You can order it from Tohome Bt29900

http://www.tohome.com/catalog.aspx?catalog_id=702

I too am interested in the HTC Diamond , but also waiting on more specs for the Samsung SGH i900 which is a bit smaller than an Iphone but has a 3.5"display !

Reading the info on both models on sites such as engadget.com and others, looks like Sony is going to blow the Iphone v2 out of the water. The e90 appears to be the best one so far until Sony releases this new phone.

Late 2008 or early 2009, I hear.

Xperia sounds interesting, 3" screen but a hefty 145grams

For soon to be released WM 3G smartphones check out

:HTC Touch Diamond, 2.8"display, 4GB, 528mhz, GPS, 110grams with battery, June 2008

:Samsung SGH i900, 3.5" display, 16GB, GPS, 128RAM , slightly smaller than Iphone July 2008

I've got a larger 3.6inch VGA screen and Windows Mobile Office is still mostly useless..

Thanks for the feedback

Some of the new phones to hit the market have a few software enhancements that may make navigating around windows mobile office applications a bit easier ?

this video doesnt show excel or word being used but the general software features are interesting

http://www.modaco.com/content/windows-mobi...feature-videos/

Interested in opinions from those that use Windows Mobile Office applications (Excel,Word etc on a smartphone, say ~2-2.8"screen

Is this a gimmick or can you actually work off such a small screen when on the road or dont have your Laptop/PC handy

Currently in the market for a 3G phone (HTC Touch Diamond) for business and leaning towards those running Windows Mobile for their office applications.

I guess it's a matter of priorities. The MOST expensive phone I ever bought was the Nokia N80. I won't spend that much money on a phone again. Actually the only thing I was really interested in was a phone that had good audio (call) properties and good Internet capabilities, EDGE in particular. A decent camera is a plus but not that important either. Music, huge memory and an FM radio are a total waste to me.

I did put a one GIG memory card in my E51 but only because I already had it. Since EDGE works pretty well, even the WiFi capability is seldom used. I don't like touch screens either. Other than my Garmin GPS, I think they are a pain to use.

Different strokes for different folks for sure.

Yep, depends on what you're gonna use it for.

I was thinking of getting an EeePC900 (when available) for road trips/secondary computer but I'd still need to buy a 3G phone or Air/Express card

The HTC Diamond does this in one so looking at it that way the $800 price tag is justifiable

Apple 3G Iphone will be interesting too but I'm leaning towards windows mobile devices atm for business use and I run windows on my home computer.

Dont care much for the other Windows 3G PDA/smartphones I've researched, to heavy/bulky for everyday carrying around in the pocket. If you've gotta carry it in a bag then may as well get an ultra portable notebook.

i asked at MBK today and they said the Diamond Touch will be here next month and will be around 35000-40000b!!!!!!! I looked today at an HTC TYTN which has a flip up keyboard- it's very nice too but also 34000b.

but i think the iPhone 3G will be about the same...

how about the iPhone 16gb that they have out now? with the wi-fi that it does have, do you think it would be sufficient for using in Europe until all the 3G networks are solid? it runs about 20000-25000b depending on where you look.

still leaning towards the nokia E51 for the next year or so.

Link to page 3 of an initial review of HTC Touch Diamond suggest RRP in Singapore of SGD1098 which equates to USD807

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view....d=2561&pg=3

If one were to equate the Diamond moniker with premium pricing, fret not, as HTC has expressed that the Diamond will be available for S$1098, which sees a lower entry price as compared to both the Cruise and TyTN II, and will be retail ready in the month of June.

As a business 3G phone, the more I read about the Diamond the more I like it .

Will reserve judgement until we get the reviews and also see what Apples 3G Iphone and Sony Ericsons Xperia comes up with.

Keyboard - it's great for anyone that doesn't have huge fingers. It takes about 2 weeks or so to "get it", after that it works better than other mobile keyboards mostly because of the very smart error correction

Thanks for the info, thats what I thought/hoped would be the case

i asked at MBK today and they said the Diamond Touch will be here next month and will be around 35000-40000b!!!!!!! .

This UK website advertises them at 429pounds = $840 = Bt27000

http://www.play.com/Mobiles/Mobile/4-/5508...ne/Product.html

3G iPhones will start appearing mid June:

http://gizmodo.com/391960/iphone-3g-launch-date-confirmed

Of course in all likelihood they won't work with AIS 3G, though they might work with DTAC once DTAC has 3G.

What's certain is that it will most definitely cost you more than BHT 9000

I find it impossible to even consider other smart phones after using the iPhone. I must admit that S60 annoyed me even before the iPhone was out, and Win Mobile seemed even worse in terms of usability. But after using an iPhone for a while going back is just not an option. A normal phone-phone, OK - no problem. Any Nokia is great for making calls, maybe slightly better than an iPhone. But for using camera, album, alarm, calendar, ipod, browser, email, even sms it doesn't compare. All of which I suddenly find myself using on a daily basis.

Whats the Iphone like for typing emails. Worse, same, or better than a smartphone with conventional qwerty keypad ?

I want a 3G phone primarily for business use so would the HTC Touch Diamond running Windows Mobile be more suitable than Apples Iphone ?

Wondering if the 3G Iphone or HTC Diamond will be good enough to use as a secondary portable computer instead of an EeePc or similar ?

I saw a UK website that had pre orders for the HTC Diamond priced at 430 pounds !

As for the Nokia E51 for Bt9000, looks like good bang for buck

HI

I have a HTC P3600I works well

Look here:

http://www.siamphone.com/catalog/index.htm

http://www.siamphone.com/catalog/htc/touch_diamond.htm

http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=46278

http://tohome.com/

http://www.shop4thai.com/en/category/PDA/Pocket+PC/

I see siamphone list the HTC Diamond but I assume its not available yet ?

http://www.siamphone.com/catalog/htc/touch_diamond.htm

Any ideas on what these things will sell for in Thailand.....~Bt20,000 / $650 ?? or perhaps they'll have to match the price of the new 3G Iphone ?

ooh the HTC Diamond Touch looks great! I also saw another HTC phone with great reviews in the Bangkok Post this week. does anyone know if the Diamond is available yet here? otherwise it's between the Nokia N95 8GB or the Nokia E51 for now.

This a an easy to navigate website with all the latest phones. Just click on pictures down the right side of the webpage.

http://www.mobiletechnews.com/info/2008/05/06/115608.html

yes, the HTC Diamond looks good. I note from the HTC website that it only weighs 110grms with battery, compared to the Iphone at 135g .

Some of the other PDA Phones on the mobiletech website have good features but they are bricks

The HTC Diamond is probably the lightest and physically smallest 3G phone with a 2.8"screen ??

Due to my slow internet connection, I couldnt workout how you type on the thing. Does it have a full virtual querty keyboard ?

As for availability, I believe it will be released later this year which puts it up against the 3G Iphone due for release in June. The 3G Iphone with 3.5" screen will be tough to beat.

does anyone know where to get the latest news on when the 3G iPhone will be released here? is it out in the rest of the world already? will it be unlocked? trying to decide if i should wait for it or not.

it's not out anywhere. it will be unlocked and sold everywhere in the world in june. the latter is not official but in all likelihood that's what's going to happen.

whether or not it will support the 3G frequencies that are going to be used in Thailand is anyone's guess though.

Telstra's June iPhone launch points to 3G

.........While there has been no official confirmation from Apple of a 3G iPhone, Telstra's licensing of the handset strongly suggests the company intends to release a multi-frequency (850/2100MHz) HSDPA-capable iPhone to work with both Optus and Vodafone's 3G networks, as well as Telstra's Next G network.......

http://www.builderau.com.au/news/soa/Telst...39288769,00.htm

Hi guys,

I am on my travels at weekend and wish to take with me, my Apple 4GB iPod.

I normally use my PC for synchronising etc. But wish to use my laptop. However, when i just plugged it into the USB port on my laptop, it comes up with the message

The USB Mass Storage Device is a Hi-Speed USB Device and will function at reduced speed when plugged into a non-Hi-Speed Port.

Could someone please tell me wether it will still be ok to use. Or do i need to buy a Hi-Speed port or can i download something from the internet to sort it. Sorry if this sounds a simpleton post but with computers i am quite a simpleton

Many thanks to anyone who can help.

Adding a Hi-Speed Hub will do nothing. However, if you want to spend the Baht, you could buy a PCMCIA adapter that has USB 2.0. However, if you aren't synchronising gigabytes worth of music/videos/pictures to your Ipod, it probably isn't worth it. After all, USB 1.1 is 12 Mbits/sec and USB 2.0 is 480 Mbits/sec, but when you're transfering even a whole album that's 36 MB, it would only save you some 15-20 seconds--I can afford to lose that time to save money. Actually I think I just confirmed what some little street urchin vendor said about me "You cheap charley number one!"

If you run an Aircard or Express card thru a USB adaptor (to a laptop with USB only, no card slot) is any internet speed lost compared to a direct card to card slot connection ?

I'm interested to hear from those with experience or opinions about the Toshiba Portege M600 13.3" Notebook

I've been searching the web for 13.3" notebooks available in this region and the M600 looks like comparatively good bang for buck.

I'm not a gamer but want a notebook in this size (13") that is light, has good internet connectivity options, and runs windows.

Also needs to be able to handle the rigours of travelling.

Some details: and a review....sort of

http://www.hardwarezone.com/ourvoice/blog/...-Vista-Business

Here in Cambodia they sell for $1400-1600 depending on specs so I assume they would be even cheaper in Thailand ?

http://www.ptc-computer.co.cc/portege/

Portègè M600-E363-PPM60L-05M009 (W+F.P)

US$1,599

CPU:CoreTM2 Duo 7250 2.0GHzHard Disk:160GBRAM:1GBDisplay:13.3"WXGA CSVCD:DVD+RWModem:56K-10/100VGA:up to 358MBPorts:FW/SD/BTWireless:802.11agnOS:Vista BusinessWeight:1,89Kg

Ive found other brands with similar specs are more expensive,

is there a catch ? ,

are Toshiba M600's rubbish ?,

or is this a good deal ?

what trading software runs on windows only? i work in the industry and it seems ours (thinkorswim) and others' run on both win/mac.

i recommend macs because they can protect sensitive data with much less hassle. like, no viruses/trojans out in the wild.

this one

http://www.comsec.com.au/Public/Help.aspx#B

CommSec Professional Trader 2 should only be installed if you are running

• Windows XP (Professional or Home)
  

• Windows 2000 (Professional or Server)
  

• Windows 2003
  

I'm interested in feedback/opinions from anyone who has shopped around Bangkok for a 13.3inch notebook

What brand model did you buy, why, where from, and how much did it cost ?

I want one for mobile online computing. Not a gamer, mainly need it for financial stuff, trading. Needs to run Windows for my trading software.

13.3 inch seems a nice compromise on portability and comfortable screen/keyboard size.

(may also buy an Eeepc for ultra portable needs but thats another topic)

Surfing the web for notebooks available in this region, the Toshiba Portege M600 looks reasonably good value.

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,3...1108072p,00.htm

They sell for $1400-$1600 here in Cambodia and ~$1500 is my preferred budget.

Interested to hear thoughts/experiences on the Toshiba M600 or any other 13.3" notebook available in this region.

Hmmm, funny, in the Ozzie specs it says that the 20GB storage (linux version) is made up out of a 4GB SSD and a separate 16 GB flash (SD) card.

The American site mentions a real 12 GB SSD.

But then again, the American site mentions a 1.7 GHz Celeron CPU.

Strange.

According to the Asus global website:

12GB (4GB built-in + 8GB flash) SSD (Microsoft Windows OS Version)

20GB (4GB built-in +16GB flash) SSD (Linux OS Version)

http://www.asus.com/products_compare.aspx

(Apparently the smaller GB flash comes with Windows version to compensate for the cost of the software. So its better to get the Linux version (bigger flash) and install windows yourself if you have the CD.)

They dont specify CPU Ghz

however

There are some big changes inside too, although the CPU isn't one of them. Despite the fact that many of us were hoping that the Eee PC 900 would be sporting Intel's new Atom chip, unfortunately it's not. In fact the basic platform is unchanged from the original model, with a 900MHz Intel Celeron processor residing in a 915GM based motherboard - hardly cutting edge, but more than capable of the job at hand. The first component improvement over the old 701 is the memory complement, with the new 900 sporting 1GB of RAM as standard, as opposed to the 512MB seen previously. The webcam has also been upgraded from a 0.3-megapixel unit to a 1.3-megapixel model - ideal for anyone who needs their friends to see them in even more detail while chatting on Skype

http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/re...s-Eee-PC-900/p3

Any news??

Available in USA for USD550

http://www.buy.com/prod/asus-eee-pc-900-8-.../208017730.html

or Australia for AUD800

http://www.asusnotebook.com.au/eee-pc.php?...CFQntegodvz-Kow

Cant be long before they're selling them in Thailand, hopefully at a price more inline with the US price

Do you plan on leaving your computer hooked up and downloading 24x7? If so, that may put a crimp in your phone usage if you only get a new phone instead of an ExpressCard. Also you don't have to worry about remembering a cable to hook your phone up with, unless you like dealing with Bluetooth and the drain on your phone's battery.

If you decide to go with a new phone, you're not going to have to get two sim cards, two accounts (if post-paid), or worry about topping off (if pre-paid). I haven't used the newer phones for internet connectivity, but have been using a Nokia N70 since my new laptop doesn't have PCMCIA anymore and my Sierra Wireless 775 is thus obsoletalated. It seems to be fairly stable, in both GPRS and EDGE mode.

Granted that is only 2.5+ G model, and I can't authoritively talk about real 3G models, but I'd imagine the experience would be the same.

Good point about the crimping phone usage, I never thought of that.

Atm I use a desktop with Ipstar but want to go portable whilst travelling, hence the idea of getting a laptop and pc/express card or 3G phone.

Excuse the ignorance, but can any mobile phones receive calls simultaneously with maintaining an internet connection for a laptop.

Regarding internet connectivity, how do high-end phones like the Nokia N75 or N95 compare with PC/express cards such as the Sierra 875 or Novatel XU870

Is there a noticable difference in speed ?

Just wondering because I need a new phone and laptop so do I just buy a cheap phone and get a PC/express card or is it viable to just get a decent 3G phone.

just wondering when the Asus 8.9" will be available in Thailand, read a snippet somewhere that Asia would get them before US ?

http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13844

http://blogs.zdnet.com/computers/?p=133

I want one for mobile internet when I go motorcycle touring (hence the preference for SSD)

The old model 7"screen seemed a bit small but the new 8.9" screen with bigger keyboard, better screen resolution, and 12gb of storage will swing it for me if the price is right.

I doubt there is anything else due on the market that competes ?