mezzoninny

Thanks for your help, itsgottabedone! Right now I kinda have a crush on the Latitude E4200.

I think I've seen Asus say something about Microsoft's licensing, that restricts the storage size allowed for these computers, but that could be a superficial answer used to cover up something else (cost?). I'm such a conspiracy theorist

Just bought the Dell Mini 9 from an IT fair in Chiang Mai:

12,900bhat for the 1GB Ram version ..but only 8GB SSD

Is that with Windows or Linux? And it's been years since I bought a computer in Thailand, so I'll need to ask a dumb question: is the system in Thai, or in English?

Thanks in advance... Dell is not selling the Mini 9 in my country, so I'm wondering if I should pick one up in Bkk.

In theory you could buy an unlocked iPhone 3G on Apple's Hong Kong site, and have them mail it to your hotel on a quick visit. (A friend in HK would also work)

Thanks for the help, dekestone, I appreciate it

Back for another update (sort of!). Bangkok has disappeared from the list of gigs on Michael Franks' website.

I think I'm suspecting the festival won't be on this year, because I googled very hard, and last year's festival was announced some time between late october and early november. If they're doing it in late December, last year's time frame (ticket sale starts 5 weeks ahead?) means we can wait for another week or two... but it's just looking a bit weird.

I grew up in BKK listening to Michael Franks on the radio, so I'll have to go to one of his Japanese gigs next year. As for BKK, the funds are available and I miss Paragon's supermarket like hel_l right now, but I can't seem to decide yet.

That's one thing I miss about Bangkok, a lot more Christmassy than my hometown will ever have the balls to be!

The iPhone also has a camera. When Apple delivers major software updates, they also tend to give it to iPhone owners for free, and charge the iPod touch owners.

Based on the features you mentioned, I think the iPhone will be a pretty good choice. Music and video playback are the iPhone's strongest assets. The music experience can be very different from one phone to another, and IMO it's hard to know what to expect. The iPhone eliminates that uncertainty, and you're guaranteed a decent level of sound quality and usability (even if not the best).

Because of iPod's popularity, I think there are more options for hassle-free video conversion, and even though it requires converting, I think your odds of getting video to play on an iPhone is better.

iPhone/iPod touch also have a decent selection of apps you can install. You might want to check out the iTunes app store, see if they've got your needs covered. Sometimes the need for very specific apps (eg. your brokerage firm only offers a Windows Mobile app) might push you away from the iPhone.

I'm going to very discreetly bump this thread, and hope I haven't broken any rules, because I've been waiting for info ever since my last post. Yesh, I have lived in Bkk and know this is how they do things -- they probably won't announce until November 18 or something, and true to the Thai spirit, I'll still get to book everything in time -- but my life is kinda tied up by this right now, because I want to be at the event. No big ticket purchases on my credit card, in case I need it for hotel and air ticket, you know the drill.

If anyone's heard anything, please share, rumors or complaints are also welcome *puppy eyes while sipping green Fanta*

The iPod would get my vote for listening to long files.

In the iTunes software, you can set the files so that they always remember where you paused the previous time. This setting is remembered unless you press the "REW" button when the track is being played, doing so resets the memory.

iPods also have a facility to "scrub" the track. Press the center button once, and then you can use the wheel to jump forward/backwards very quickly, to any point you want. This is much faster and more precise than FF/REW.

Any iPod with a wheel (nano, classic and previous versions) can do these things nicely. The ipod shuffle remembers the location, but doesn't scrub; it's hard to get the ipod touch to jump to a precise point.

Any idea of the dates and line up for this years event?

I'm waiting for the details too.

Michael Franks' website posted that he'll be performing on December 20, so if nothing else I'll be at that gig... I can't afford to miss out again

I'm now officially hooked on the Xperia. But will it be super-expensive, like 40K Baht when it does come out? 40K would mean one less trip to Bangkok, and thus impossible to justify, so...fingers crossed it's closer to 30K baht!

I had an iPod touch once, and I didn't like having to load photos through iTunes, it wrestles certain controls away from you... which isn't really the point. I feel like an Apple casualty at the moment, having been a Mac user for 8 years, and a very vocal iPod defender, but I don't like the way this company's headed -- given their latest round of products as well as Leopard, at this rate, I don't think Apple can maintain any sort of philosophy or experience quality for much longer. I feel like I might as well do Windows and Windows Mobile and so on and so forth.

Are you referring to the new Dairy Queen location in Siam Square? IIRC it got a review in the Bangkok Post last week.

I just wish this happened to me more often. I don't get checked out too often at all, or anything like that... although I guess being Asian, not old enough and not toothpick-skinny have soured my prospects considerably

Yes 88FM's reasonably good at the moment, and they've got a bunch of DJ's I grew up to.

Richie did say about 2 hours ago on air that he'll be unemployed after this

98.5 has already bucked a bit and started to play pop music that aren't so strictly jazz or smooth jazz, so it does seem like a ratings/advertising issue. After a while I didn't mind the music, what irritated me was that Richie and Julie end up delivering the exact same news and gossip on the same day.

Julie is grating at times (she did get beat up by Bjork), but I guess I got used to her being on radio in Bangkok after so many years. The 95.5 I recall gave me my entire education on UK top40 pop music (although I was primarily a 105 person). I don't know if that shows my age...