Buying Pda In The Us - Need Some Advise

[WhiteShiva]

Hi,

I have long wanted to get myself a PDA with all the usual gadgets - you know; phone, e-mail, internet access, camera, etc. I am off to Houston for a couple of weeks (1st visit to the US, BTW), and was told electronic goods are cheaper in the US than here in the LOS. Planning on finally picking up that Canon digital camera I asked about here a few months back, as well.

Since I am new to these type of devices, I was wondering if anyone here has any recommendations (breand/model) or advise. I have been looking at the HP and Asus brands, but as usual getting any type of useful information out of sales staff here in Bangkok is impossible. Anything in particular to look out for? Will I be able to use the phone here in Thailand? - I understand the US uses a different type phone system - will this be a problem?

Appreciate any commnets or suggestions,

Cheers,

Whiteshiva

[donx]

If you buy a PDA/smartphone, such as the Palm Treo 650, make sure you get one that is GSM. The US uses both CDMA and GSM phone networks. Thailand uses only GSM. Also be sure the phone is quadband. I know that the Palm Treo 650 is a quadband if it is a GSM phone. The problem you will find is that you will be paying a premium for a PDA phone unless you are signing up for at least a one year service contract.

[WhiteShiva]

If you buy a PDA/smartphone, such as the Palm Treo 650, make sure you get one that is GSM.  The US uses both CDMA and GSM phone networks. Thailand uses only GSM. Also be sure the phone is quadband. I know that the Palm Treo 650 is a quadband if it is a GSM phone. The problem you will find is that you will be paying a premium for a PDA phone unless you are signing up for at least a one year service contract.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for that feedback, Donx. GSM and quadband is a must, then.

Will certainly check out the Treo 650.

Thanks again,

WS

[Ian_B]

I was in the US in May and they seemed quite far behind SEA as regards the higher tech phones and PDAs

If I were you I would get a windows mobile PDA Phone (with word, excel, outlook etc). I am VERY happy with my Benq P50 (which I don't think has been released yet in the US). This has everything I need (and is only slightly bigger than the Sony P910)

The Benq has Windows mobile, WIFI, qwerty keyboard, and is QUAD band

[lomatopo]

WhiteShiva Have you narrowed down your choice of smartphone models? Have you priced them here in Thailand? A lot of electronics (and media, real software, et al.) are less expensive in the U.S., especially if you order on the internet. However, mobile phones can be an exception as these are subsidized by the service provider. As mentioned by donx a Treo 650 with a service plan would be ~ $200, but an un-locked (without a service commitment) Treo 650 would be ~ $490. In my experience e-Bay is the best place to check prices and to purchase mobile phone gear but the prices on generally available equipment are roughly equivalent to here (Thailand). A Benq P50 (unlocked) is $ 635. All prices are "buy it now", not timed auction.

Treo 650

Benq P50

[monty]

I guess when you live over here it's simply not worth it buying stuff slightly cheaper in the US.

You've got warranties to think about as well...

As mentioned before, many people think mobile phones are way cheaper in Europe / US then over here (up to being virtually free), but this is only so if you take out a year contract with a provider...

Unlocked phones many times tend to be more expensive compared to Asia!

On camera's the difference is probably big enough to take the risk of being warranty-less though...

One more thing to check out before you buy is that power supply's / chargers can handle the Thai 220 Volt system. Most modern stuff can, but certainly not all of them!

[WhiteShiva]

I guess when you live over here it's simply not worth it buying stuff slightly cheaper in the US.

You've got warranties to think about as well...

As mentioned before, many people think mobile phones are way cheaper in Europe / US then over here (up to being virtually free), but this is only so if you take out a year contract with a provider...

Unlocked phones many times tend to be more expensive compared to Asia!

On camera's the difference is probably big enough to take the risk of being warranty-less though...

One more thing to check out before you buy is that power supply's / chargers can handle the Thai 220 Volt system. Most modern stuff can, but certainly not all of them!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Monty, Lomatopo,

Thanks for the feedback. I have not done much comparing of prices on phones, just assumed they would be cheaper in the US (yeah - pretty stupid, I know). I did do a survey on cameras some time back and there is money to be saved there, and I just assumed the same was the case with PDAs.

Perhaps I will put it off for now. Besides, wife just got a new handphone, so now I have her old one which should do me for a while.

Being a bit of a gadget freak, though, I really, really would llike to get my hands on a PDA..... one day.

[lomatopo]

I would be interested in hearing about local pricing on smartphones? Any experiences?

I did find one local price on the Treo 650, b28,783 so quite a bit more than e-Bay in the U.S. Do AIS, DTAC et al offer these products through a subsidy? Can you get a post-paid account without a work permit here?