Thailand Mobile Expo 2011 Kicks Off

[webfact]

Thailand Mobile Expo 2011 kicks off

BANGKOK, 3 February 2011 (NNT) – Thailand Mobile Expo 2011 has commenced at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, with over 30 local and international mobile phone companies participating.

According to event organizer M Vision Managing Director Opas Cherdpunt, competitions in the mobile phone market have been fierce since mid-2010 with smart phone products, tablets and notably iPhone4 as the major players.

Visitors to the event will be introduced to new operating systems of popular mobile phones ranging from android, iPhone to BlackBerry. The event is expected to help consumers in their decision-making and help stimulate purchase and the economy in general.

There were over 630,000 visitors to the previous event. The current one is expected to receive warm response because of the improving economic and social factors plus the popularity of smart phones in Thailand. M Vision Co has set aside a budget of 20 million THB for public relations of the event.

Over 30 leading mobile phone brands are offering new models and discounts in the event, plus special offers and 0% interest rate loans from credit cards. Over 1.3 billion THB is expected to generate to the mobile phone business during the event.

Thailand Mobile Expo 2011 will be held until 6 February 2011 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok from 10.00 to 20.00 hrs.

-- NNT 2011-02-03

[Lammbock]

Nice. Could be interresting. To sad i can't join.

[4evermaat]

I guess I can throw up something real quick here. I went around 1030am and spent several hours going through all the major booths. I was looking for a phone under the 10000 price range, I was thinking of jumping on a 12-15000 model if it just blew me away. It takes a lot to impress me with a phone.

Some notible mentions:

1) What I was not aware of is while all the brand names have their own section (Samsung, iMobile, etc), they still had subdivisions of separate vendors. In other words. the Samsung section had 12 different independent Samsung dealers. It was annoying in a way because i had to ask each booth "how much is this model?" I guess it helped to go in looking for specific model already or being set on one or two models per manufacturer. So i guess it is good for the consumer in that you could negotiate the price down. Most of the vendors. Maybe late saturday or sunday the other vendors will "discount for you". But be prepared to spend a lot of extra time in negotiations.

2) Many of the deep discount promotions are really just lottery drawings that they do at different times. I was surprised at how little many of the vendors were willing to negotiate. The Acer people really did not budge at all in negotiations. Neither did HTC, Dell, Asus, or Sony. LG and Samsung were the most price-friendly. But we'll see what happens maybe saturday or sunday.

3) Now the iPhone 4 line at the TrueMove booth was always full, and they had about 30+ flat screen computer terminals with credit card swipes each. The terminals were at 100% capacity every time I looked over. Looked like the only thing that could stop them is if those terminals went offline. I was not wanting an iPhone myself, but just couldn't help but notice the very structured, assembly-style setup they had.

4a) From my point of view, the iMobile was the most let down. Most of their android phones did not have newer firmware. They had a few unrelease models, i693, i694, i695. one of which had 2.2, but another one I was trying to check the specs and it appeared that the menu kept crashing. The i651 was the only recent model worth looking at, and they scaled back heavy from the previous 3G 8500, i810, i858 models. Only 3mp camera and android 2.1, for 7000 baht. The i692 specs were a bit of a letdown (only dual band and a 2mp camera)?

4b) On the other hand, Wellcom had the A86 and the older A88 for 5900 each. One of the booths had a deep promotion. If you buy one, the second one is 2000 baht off. And they still tossed you a free t-shirt and 1000 baht true sim. They would not budge on the A99 (2.2): 9900 baht. And they wouldn't let you take 2000 baht off the A99 or vice versa as. The A86 is probably the best value android 2.1 phone. I wouldn't be surprised if they release 2.2 for the A86 in the future. It just seems that Wellcom continued to improve and outdo their previous model as well as many competitors, whereas iMobile seemed flat and not to care.

5 ) Plenty of accessory shops. I recommend that you get the screen protection IMMEDIATELY after you buy the phone. There were about 4 vendors doing this for 50 baht each and they will cut it exactly to fit your phone right on the spot.

After the show, I did go to Central across from the Big C in Bangkok. My lady said it was one of the biggest Centrals in Bangkok, if that helps. Anyway, many of the mobile shops did not have all of the models that they did at the show, especially the newer models like the Acer Liquid Metal and the Samsung Galaxy Cooper. This included PowerBuy. If you really want the phone, send someone to get it for you in person.

I can provide a more fuller details when I get some free time, but I think I gave you the gist of it. Going in with some awareness definetly helped, and I still carried the laptop.

edit: after narrowing it down to the Wellcom A99, the LG Optimus One, and the Samsung Galaxy Cooper, I went with the cooper. Excellent choice for 9100 baht that I was able to discount. And they gave me a voucher for a free mini gym bag and a nice samsung bluetooth earpiece Maybe a 2000 baht value if i think that bluetooth piece is worth 1500 retail. I also got a free leather case, but that was completely useless as it didn't fit. They would not give me a t-shirt no matter how much I begged. Anyway I used some of that discount to pick up an 8gb micro SD card. 390 and they had the 16gb for 790 baht. There was only 1 vendor doing this exclusively (and USB sticks also).

LG actually was giving away tons of extras with the optimus one (android 2.2) : car charger and holster, 8gb SD card + 2gb sd card, +jelly case + 300mb true move net sim + navigation (GPS software from LG?) I only spoke with two of the dozen vendors, and the flyer price of 10,500 went down to 8300 baht. I think a large reason why is because the optimus 2x is already emitnent in release and maybe they have an overstock. They had prototypes, but none for sale.

Part of what made me lean away from the Welcomm A99 was that they wouldn't budge on the price at all. But I thought about it afterwards and it really is a lot of powerful hardware. I don't know how solid it is in actual daily use, but assuming it is functioning 90% 95% capacity, it's still one of the best out there hardware wise. So I guess the Samsung brand name and the girlfriend's final decision after we went back to both booths to get the Samsung were some of the final factors. No regrets so far after playing around with it.

Also note: NO FREE WIFI. So bring your own internet connection if you bring your laptop.

Also note 2: Bring your passport or a copy of your passport. You need that to participate in the promotions as a farang. Or a drivers license. I asked "can't I just use my cell phone #"???? NO.

Edited February 4, 2011 by 4evermaat

[4evermaat]

here is some information on how to get there. I had to look this up myself. I learned that the Thailand Mobile Expo tme will be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Location info is here: http://www.qsncc.co....about_howto.asp and a map here: http://www.qsncc.co....ncc/ncc_map.htm . Surprisingly, there is no thai on the website.

If multiple people are going, metered taxi may be the most practical.

[ThaiLife]

I guess I can throw up something real quick here. I went around 1030am and spent several hours going through all the major booths. I was looking for a phone under the 10000 price range, I was thinking of jumping on a 12-15000 model if it just blew me away. It takes a lot to impress me with a phone.

Some notible mentions:

1) What I was not aware of is while all the brand names have their own section (Samsung, iMobile, etc), they still had subdivisions of separate vendors. In other words. the Samsung section had 12 different independent Samsung dealers. It was annoying in a way because i had to ask each booth "how much is this model?" I guess it helped to go in looking for specific model already or being set on one or two models per manufacturer. So i guess it is good for the consumer in that you could negotiate the price down. Most of the vendors. Maybe late saturday or sunday the other vendors will "discount for you". But be prepared to spend a lot of extra time in negotiations.

2) Many of the deep discount promotions are really just lottery drawings that they do at different times. I was surprised at how little many of the vendors were willing to negotiate. The Acer people really did not budge at all in negotiations. Neither did HTC, Dell, Asus, or Sony. LG and Samsung were the most price-friendly. But we'll see what happens maybe saturday or sunday.

3) Now the iPhone 4 line at the TrueMove booth was always full, and they had about 30+ flat screen computer terminals with credit card swipes each. The terminals were at 100% capacity every time I looked over. Looked like the only thing that could stop them is if those terminals went offline. I was not wanting an iPhone myself, but just couldn't help but notice the very structured, assembly-style setup they had.

4a) From my point of view, the iMobile was the most let down. Most of their android phones did not have newer firmware. They had a few unrelease models, i693, i694, i695. one of which had 2.2, but another one I was trying to check the specs and it appeared that the menu kept crashing. The i651 was the only recent model worth looking at, and they scaled back heavy from the previous 3G 8500, i810, i858 models. Only 3mp camera and android 2.1, for 7000 baht. The i692 specs were a bit of a letdown (only dual band and a 2mp camera)?

4b) On the other hand, Wellcom had the A86 and the older A88 for 5900 each. One of the booths had a deep promotion. If you buy one, the second one is 2000 baht off. And they still tossed you a free t-shirt and 1000 baht true sim. They would not budge on the A99 (2.2): 9900 baht. And they wouldn't let you take 2000 baht off the A99 or vice versa as. The A86 is probably the best value android 2.1 phone. I wouldn't be surprised if they release 2.2 for the A86 in the future. It just seems that Wellcom continued to improve and outdo their previous model as well as many competitors, whereas iMobile seemed flat and not to care.

5 ) Plenty of accessory shops. I recommend that you get the screen protection IMMEDIATELY after you buy the phone. There were about 4 vendors doing this for 50 baht each and they will cut it exactly to fit your phone right on the spot.

After the show, I did go to Central across from the Big C in Bangkok. My lady said it was one of the biggest Centrals in Bangkok, if that helps. Anyway, many of the mobile shops did not have all of the models that they did at the show, especially the newer models like the Acer Liquid Metal and the Samsung Galaxy Cooper. This included PowerBuy. If you really want the phone, send someone to get it for you in person.

I can provide a more fuller details when I get some free time, but I think I gave you the gist of it. Going in with some awareness definetly helped, and I still carried the laptop.

edit: after narrowing it down to the Wellcom A99, the LG Optimus One, and the Samsung Galaxy Cooper, I went with the cooper. Excellent choice for 9100 baht that I was able to discount. And they gave me a voucher for a free mini gym bag and a nice samsung bluetooth earpiece Maybe a 2000 baht value if i think that bluetooth piece is worth 1500 retail. I also got a free leather case, but that was completely useless as it didn't fit. They would not give me a t-shirt no matter how much I begged. Anyway I used some of that discount to pick up an 8gb micro SD card. 390 and they had the 16gb for 790 baht. There was only 1 vendor doing this exclusively (and USB sticks also).

LG actually was giving away tons of extras with the optimus one (android 2.2) : car charger and holster, 8gb SD card + 2gb sd card, +jelly case + 300mb true move net sim + navigation (GPS software from LG?) I only spoke with two of the dozen vendors, and the flyer price of 10,500 went down to 8300 baht. I think a large reason why is because the optimus 2x is already emitnent in release and maybe they have an overstock. They had prototypes, but none for sale.

Part of what made me lean away from the Welcomm A99 was that they wouldn't budge on the price at all. But I thought about it afterwards and it really is a lot of powerful hardware. I don't know how solid it is in actual daily use, but assuming it is functioning 90% 95% capacity, it's still one of the best out there hardware wise. So I guess the Samsung brand name and the girlfriend's final decision after we went back to both booths to get the Samsung were some of the final factors. No regrets so far after playing around with it.

Also note: NO FREE WIFI. So bring your own internet connection if you bring your laptop.

Also note 2: Bring your passport or a copy of your passport. You need that to participate in the promotions as a farang. Or a drivers license. I asked "can't I just use my cell phone #"???? NO.

Many Thanks for report :jap:

The phones I'm waiting to see are the LG Optimus 2x - Samsung Galaxy S 2 (I9100) - Samsung Infuse 4G - Motorola Atrix

[Digitalbanana]

Thanks for the report.

I remember back in the early 90's these shows used to be held at Central LadPrao convention hall. Personally, I have got rather tired of the Queen Sirikit conventions for computers and mobile phones. It's the same old vendors turn up each time, occupying the same footprint in the display halls and resembles a market rather than a convention. Prices no cheaper than can be found in the IT malls (not Central PowerBuy but Pantip, Fortune and Zeer). Pushing through 10 deep crowds to get a product I can buy more comfortably on any day of the week at a mall lost its appeal.

[4evermaat]

They have the lg optimus 2x and the black for demo, not sale. I think samsung had the galaxy 2s on the podium. Just about all the vendors had at least one android/wm phone that if the release was within 3 months or already released in another market, they had a demo. You would think they would just sell a few at full price just to test the market and make a few people feel special.

[4evermaat]

They have the lg optimus 2x and the black for demo, not sale. I think samsung had the galaxy 2s on the podium. Just about all the vendors had at least one android/wm phone that if the release was within 3 months or already released in another market, they had a demo. You would think they would just sell a few at full price just to test the market and make a few people feel special.

[4evermaat]

Thanks for the report.

I remember back in the early 90's these shows used to be held at Central LadPrao convention hall. Personally, I have got rather tired of the Queen Sirikit conventions for computers and mobile phones. It's the same old vendors turn up each time, occupying the same footprint in the display halls and resembles a market rather than a convention. Prices no cheaper than can be found in the IT malls (not Central PowerBuy but Pantip, Fortune and Zeer). Pushing through 10 deep crowds to get a product I can buy more comfortably on any day of the week at a mall lost its appeal.

Somewhat true about the market thing. But the only other thing they could do is demonstrate current or upcoming models and give out free t-shirts. What else can they do really? I think expos are similar in the USA. I used to go to a computer show, and that's all they did was invite vendors to sell computer-related stuff.

Can you please advise where exactly Pantip, Fortune, and Zeer are? I need something to show a thai person that is much more familiar with Bangkok than I am. Maybe I will check these stores out the next time I am in BKK.

I think I tried to visit Pantip website, but it was difficult to navigate their online store, let alone the site itself.

[lomatopo]

Panthip, Fortune IT Mall and Zeer are three Bangkok malls which have a large concentration of PC/IT shops. Panthip Plaza is on Pethaburi Road in Pratunam; Fortune IT Mall is on Ratchadapisek Road at Rama 9 (Rama 9 subway stop) and Zeer is north of the city ~ 5 Km past Don Meuang Airport on Paholyothin Road.

http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-computers-audiovisual.htm

MBK Shopping Center (National Stadium BTS station: Silom Line) has perhaps the greatest number of mobile phone shops, most of which are on the 4th floor.

You could probably Google this info. on your own?

I like going to these expos; I usually go at low times, get a feel for any potential deals, then quickly purchase or go back later or the next day. Sometimes you see extra discounts (up to 10%) on some items (LCD/LED TVs.Monitors; PC cases, power supplies, for example), often they throw in some extra goodies. Accessories are sometimes on sale for 50% off; I use Gold Peak NiMH rechargeable batteries and these are always 50%, buy one get one free, at these shows.

Edited February 6, 2011 by lomatopo

[nikster]

Thanks for the report, great stuff! I feel like I've been there.

I keep thinking the next version of Android and/or hardware will make it interesting again. And maybe it will.. I used to enjoy walking around the mall and seeing the myriad of new devices but the iPhone kind of killed this joy by virtue of blowing everything else away. That was in 2007...

BTW if your phone has a glass screen - as do many higher end smartphones - you don't need a screen protector. If you get one anyway - it seems to be quite the fashion - then you end up with a screen protector that scratches very easily "protecting" glass that doesn't scratch.