lomatopo

Can you share any details re: a typical day's set of meals, both content and preparation? Do you prepare your own meals?

Try to reduce intake by 25%.

What is your height/weight?

I'd avoid caffeine, tobacco, get as much exercise as your body can manage; swimming may be the best option for any with ailments.

Just keep him away from the free buffet.

Surprised he can see the ball when he putts.

So is it coming with a built-in and locked sim? A different one for each service provider? Or can any of them use your phone?

As near as I can determine there are two different variants, the D820 for the U.S. and the D821 for ROW.

LTE: Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/20

Both variants accept a uSIM.

I believe the U.S Play Store is selling the D820 variant, which would be fine for Thailand, even LTE support for TrueMove H (Band 1), but no 1800 MHz LTE support, which is the band which the NBTC might eventually auction, so maybe a non-issue.

Any Google Nexus device is sold unlocked, unsubsidized from the Play Store. Most people will buy a GNEX 5 then use a month-month plan, either from a service provider like AT&T or T-Mo, or one of their MVNOs. This practice is becoming a bit more commonplace in the U.S.

Service providers can/may sell their own locked, branded and/or subsidized versions. I think T-Mo plans to sell a GNEX5 (D820).

There are more and more regional Play Stores popping up, but expect prices to be higher from those.

LG will probably localize and sell the GNEX5 here in Thailand, albeit for a premium price of 15,000 - 18,000 THB.

I got locked into a Motorola that I bought for 1/2 price from AT&T because I signed a two year contract. But now that the contract is up, the sim isn't removable and it's locked to AT&T.

AT&T is legally obligated to provide you with an unlock code, assuming you have satisfied your contract.

Do you know which 3G/LTE variant you purchased? D821? D820? Were you offered the option?

When I ordered my GNEX 4 they said it would take 2 -3 weeks, I then got an email 5 minutes later saying it had shipped, and it arrived two days later.

Google Nexus phones typically represent a significant value, assuming you are happy with the hardware (no battery access, no uSD, etc.), and can get the unit for a reasonable all in price.

I have a GNEX 4 (purchased in the U.S. from the Play Store), and I will probably get a GNEX 5 on my next trip back to the U.S. (Christmas/New Years), assuming they are in stock.

There were a lot of people who purchased GNEX 4's and had them drop/re-shipped to Thailand, based on my recollection of various posts.

I just checked the Bangkok Embassy appointment scheduler and there are appointments available for Monday (11/4) for a Passport renewal, and as early as Tuesday (11/5) to add pages. This month (November) looks wide open save Armistice Day (Nov. 11) and Turkey Day/Black Friday (Nov. 28 & 29).

I renewed a passport with almost two years left and this was no problem. I did it just before the rates increased.

I think I got the pick-up email seven (7) calendar days after I dropped off my paperwork. Not even sure how they did it so fast given it had to go to New Hampshire (I think).

My best/only guess is that Fidelity charged you the 1% fee as the debit memo they received from "the Thai bank" appeared to be a cash advance and/or purchase.

When you log in to Fidelity to review the activity on the associated account what do you see for details? How is the debit notated? Are there any fees displayed?

I'd have the account up on my screen before/as I am on the line with Fidelity.

Not sure what your alternatives may be? Time/space your AEON ATM withdrawals or ACH a single, larger amount to cover your requirements for some period?

Yes, that Remittance SMS Alert for arriving funds is a nice feature and has been around for years; however, it's not automatic as a person must sign up for the service, but it's free and easy. More info/signup procedures at this Bangkok Bank webpage. Takes the guessing game out of have my funds posted, how much arrived, what exchange rate did I get, exact local fee(s), etc.

OK. I haven't signed up for anything, and this is the first time I received an SMS alert after a transfer from BofA in the U.S.A. via an ACH transfer and BBL/NY.

Perhaps when I changed my mobile phone number recently, and notified BBL, they enrolled me automatically for this service?

The top-up vending machines are OK if they are in relatively secure areas with unlimited foot traffic. It helps to off-load relatively tiny transactions.

They seem to get vandalized often, not so much to steal the money but because people get upset when they enter the wrong number, or otherwise feel as though they've been ripped-off.

Some shops maintain three separate phones to facilitate top-ups, by transferring 10 - 50 baht for a fee. There are a lot of web-sites but you'll have to pay the uplift, or pass it along - and they do have minimums. You could use your bank, but not sure if they will limit the size and volume of the transactions?

Is there anyway to figure out what website, and payment schemes, your lad was using? Maybe ask some Thai people to trawl the web for some possible sites?

http://asia.cnet.com/nexus-5-vs-samsung-galaxy-s4-vs-iphone-5s-vs-nexus-4-62222858.htm

Looks awesome.

Fidelity Visa Debit Card may have rules re: fees for cash advances and/or withdrawals. I would review those, and/or contact them to see if any fees can be reimbursed.

I use my Fidelity Visa Debit at AEON ATMs all the time, and seem to get the rate I expected.

FWIW, Bangkok Bank now send an SMS, to your Thai mobile number on record, with the details of any ACH transfer. It tells you the originating bank, the total amount deposited locally in THB and the USD amount - less the BBL/NY fee, the exchange rate and the local fee. On a recent transfer (Oct. 4) BBL/NY took $10, and BBL/TH took 233.37 THB. I paid $3 to originate the ACH with BofA. So the total fees were ~ $20.50.

Is it a simple matter of going to the Sammobile site and downloading the latest Thai firmware which can then be flashed usig odin

That should work; I've done it many times on SGS1, SGS2, SGS3 and a few Samsung Tablets.

I use ODIN on Win7/64.

I guess you could just take it to a counter shop; I can't see them charging much more than 500 baht for this?

I've never had any issues - with True interjecting web-pages - using a TrueMove H SIM in a USB air-card (D-Link DWM-156), or in an Android phone which can act as a router/hot-spot allowing one to share the mobile data connection with up to five (5) locally WiFi-attached devices.

The True shop at SBIA/BKK should be open when you clear Customs.

Not sure about that Man U/promotional package. Any "catch" might be revealed in the T's and C's. You might have to purchase that in a True Shop - and they may not have it at the airport. Typically these promotions involve benefits granted over many months, a quick review using Google Translate indicates that for pre-paid customers the 990 baht has to be matched by you first.

I think you may be better off purchasing an air-card, or Android phone (which minimally supports 850 and 2100 MHz 3G), and then a SIM, maybe from TrueMove H. Try it out for 1 day, if you are satisfied add value and subscribe to a mobile data plan.

In Shadows, Hints of a Life for Snowden

MOSCOW — On very rare occasions, almost always at night, Edward J. Snowden leaves his secret, guarded residence here, somewhere, in Russia. He is always under close guard. He spends his days learning the language and reading. He recently finished “Crime and Punishment.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/world/europe/snowden-russia.html?_r=0

Obama halted NSA spying on IMF and World Bank headquarters

Any SIM card can get 2100 but you have to apply for it.

This is not actually accurate. You need a newer SIM in order to support 3G/2100. AIS/One-2-Call SIMs issued over the last ~ 24 months should be acceptable, but may not necessarily be so if they were stuck in the channel for a long time.

I had a One-2-Call SIM which was ~ 8 years old, and it had to be replaced.

I would normally suggest that most just check with AIS directly in order to determine if their SIM is acceptable.

You can use the link I provided, just enter your customer type - I'm guessing 3G Postpaid?, then Asia and Japan where you will see all the options/prices available.

It looks like there are four (4) different Data Roaming packages available for your customer type and Japan - as illustrated in the screenshot I attached above. Not sure if already subscribe to one of these?

I cannot find an i-Mobile 405 anywhere, so will take your word that it supports 3G/2100 MHz - this makes sense as i-Mobile was/is a reseller of TOT's service which operates on 2100 MHz.

If you are indeed on a post-paid contract, and you are responsible for the bill, you would be advised to review the costs of voice and data when roaming. It is not unusual for Thais to return to Thailand from Japan and face a 60,000 baht bill.

AS you can see, after clicking on "Mobile Network", both NTT DoCoMo and SoftBank Mobile are roaming partners for AIS/2100 in Japan. (You can click on "more detail" to display the various network names which might show up when you do a manual search for available networks. You will only be allowed to register on valid, partner networks.)

Finally, we were beginning to feel like trick or treaters.

Android 4.4 (KitKat) rolling out as well.

https://news.google.com/news/rtc?ncl=drC2nRYsdK8erMMa-AZgfRcsBY2qM&ned=us&topic=tc&siidp=d39cea13d0da66dc5e47c971c76baf59f00e

Another tough month, 1,056 deaths...

'Numerous' NSA Analysts Don't Like The Google Cloud Hack, And For Good Reason

FWIW, I purchased a new pre-paid AIS/Freedom 3G (2100 MHz) SIM, at a TeleWiz (retail shops affiliated with AIS), and was not asked for any ID.

The local regulatory authority (NBTC) does require that every SIM be registered with a Thai ID card, or foreign passport. However, this requirement continues to be loosely enforced, save perhaps in the "troubled South".

I think you have two current options:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3/10.1 - GT-P5200 http://www.samsung.com/ae/consumer/mobile-phones/mobile-phones/tablets/GT-P5200ZWAXSG

http://www.thaimobilecenter.com/spec/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-10-1-(2014-Edition).asp

Samsung Note 10.1 (2014 edition) http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/2014galaxynote10.1/

http://www.thaimobilecenter.com/spec/Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_3_10-1.asp

The latter looks pretty hot.

US 'spied on future Pope Francis during Vatican conclave'

NSA spied on the future Pope Francis before and during the Vatican conclave at which he was chosen to succeed Benedict XVI. The claims were made by Panorama, an Italian weekly news magazine, which said that the NSA monitored the telephone calls of many bishops and cardinals at the Vatican in the lead-up to the conclave, which was held amid tight security in the Sistine Chapel.

The information gleaned was then reportedly divided into four categories — “leadership intentions”, “threats to financial system”, “foreign policy objectives” and “human rights”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10415228/US-spied-on-future-Pope-Francis-during-Vatican-conclave.html

N.S.A. Said to Tap Google and Yahoo Abroad

WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency and its British counterpart have apparently tapped the fiber-optic cables connecting Google’s and Yahoo’s overseas servers and are copying vast amounts of email and other information, according to accounts of documents leaked by the former agency contractor Edward J. Snowden.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/technology/nsa-is-mining-google-and-yahoo-abroad.html?_r=0

NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say

Given the number shortage I'd say this is doubtful but that you could ring the number to see if it is currently in use, and/or ring TrueMove (H) to see if that number is currently available.