Computer Tablet Bid 'Winner' Offers US$81 Per Unit: Thailand

[volk666]

This new offer has much better specs than the older version they sold (tried to sell) for USD 260

http://www.mcbub.com/item/ScoPad-Google-Android-2-2-7-inch-Rockchip-2818--Dual-core-Ultra-Thin-Tablet-PC-Capaitice-Touch-Screen--CN101152--135430/

Anyone can find any customer review of those Scopads? All I found are some semi-literate promotional pitches, it all looked like a scam, and now Thailand hopes it won't be ripped off.

[ozzieman05]

The tablets may not be junk; it may be we are just seeing what tablets "really" cost to manufacturer with some profit still built-in versus the highly inflated prices the common consumer pays after several middlemen/wholesalers add on their cost, transportation costs are added, the govt adds on import duties/taxes, and the retailer then ups the price another 30% or more. Plus, I expect the govt is not going to apply any import taxes on a its own govt purchase.

It is so nice to dream that the world is so good and that our Government have no corruption and have send experts to check these units out

My only problem is I wake up sooner or later and see the real world

[tragickingdom]

Sometimes you believe that commissioners and the elite think that there are no ross yet upcountry and the electricity has yet to be invented. Take Parinya Sirisarakarn who thinks that when you have 50 students in a classroom you need 50 electric outlets.... How interesting, maybe he should get up early in the morning buy himself a ticket and viit a Apple store somewhere and see how they do charge a few hundred tablets at the time. Or many he could go to big C and look at the wonders of the electrical bars they are selling there. More over tablets have batteries. I think that the human right commissioner is cut out of the loop though and did not got his 10% kick back. Of course it would have made more sense to pay 20 dollars more and buy a decent tablet from a decent manufacturer but they do not tend to pay Chalerm and his friends under the table.

[snowgard]

i can buy "good" tablet pc's for less !

Look on "allibaba.com" or Tao Bao.com then you will see real prices

as low as 40 $ foor reasonally good U-pads,Z-pads.........not even a coppy !

The components come from Thailand.

I do it before for 56 US$ and it was the same shit. After 2 month the battery work only for 1h and two weeks later it blow up and break the display. I bought a lot over alibaba and it all was easy broken.

[Jawnie]

This is an interesting undertaking. I opposed it at first as a huge government boon-doggle, which it may turn out to be.

But, it offers an unheard of opportunity for so many Thai children to access information beyond Thailand, something they desperately need.

What worries me about Thai children gaining access to the outside is how Thai government officials and so-called leaders are going to respond to their children when the childre begin to question certain values in Thai society, or when masses of students begin to realize how poorly they are served by their own government and business leaders.

A few points on this. First, I recently sat through a series of meetings with 15 or so Thai scientist, engineers, and technical staff. Not ONE of them had a smart phone. This indicates to me a certain lack interest and understanding of the power of the internet.

Second, I am often at QSNCC, the national convention center, where there are often large conventions and gatherings of professional groups of all kinds. Nearly all of these meetings are still conducted completely in Thai language, including written materials. The professions and the government need to be setting the example for English use.

Finally, I watched a Thai educational meeting on TV recently, again, everything was conducted in Thai language. When the presentation was given about the tablets, all of the people in the front rows were older Thai men, not very happy looking, and I had to wonder to myself, how are these experts and educators going to bring their young children into the 21st century? From the looks of this rather crusty and stale-looking group of older men, it is clear there are challenges ahead for Thai society.

I think the tablets can help Thailand move forward....

Edited March 6, 2012 by Jawnie

[sparebox2]

when will people learn, that the cheapest is not always the best choice

I remember once we had to order 10,000 pairs of sandles, and the sample was so bad it fell apart in 1 day of testing

when we talked to the chinese manufactures, they told us we make to meet the price

4 months later we took delivery of a high quality product from the same manufacturer, they cost 125 baht more the the origional cost

The cheapest price is normally always the cheapest way to manufacture

As far as warranty is concerned, their is none, we got 10% more stock to cover and warranty

OK, may the highest bidder win the contract.

Problem solved.

[sparebox2]

... snip I recently sat through a series of meetings with 15 or so Thai scientist, engineers, and technical staff. Not ONE of them had a smart phone. ... snip...

Stupid people need smart phone to make them look smaart.

Already smart people don't need such help.

[chrisinth]

Do the tablets come with a magic marker so at least you can use them as whiteboards when they fail.

Thats another contract in the making!

[chrisinth]

"We won't know much about product quality and after-sales service of the brand, which has never been marketed in our country before," he said

Why the big rush to get these things into the education system? Thailand can wait another term so that proper testing of the tablets can be done. I wonder just how much testing (of all four bid products) has actually been done. Certainly not enough to cover mid/long term wear & tear.

I foresee the extra 40,000 surplus units being used faster than they think.

The other point about the additional requirements such as extra powerpoints (one for each machine) and access to wi-fi for interaction; has this been budgeted for and if not, can the schools afford to get the infastructure right before any program for teaching with the tablets start.

This ain't gonna end pretty!

Edited March 6, 2012 by chrisinth

[sparebox2]

i can buy "good" tablet pc's for less !

Look on "allibaba.com" or Tao Bao.com then you will see real prices

as low as 40 $ foor reasonally good U-pads,Z-pads.........not even a coppy !

The components come from Thailand.

I do it before for 56 US$ and it was the same shit. After 2 month the battery work only for 1h and two weeks later it blow up and break the display. I bought a lot over alibaba and it all was easy broken.

You must be an Apple iPad salesman.

[DLock]

... snip I recently sat through a series of meetings with 15 or so Thai scientist, engineers, and technical staff. Not ONE of them had a smart phone. ... snip...

Stupid people need smart phone to make them look smaart.

Already smart people don't need such help.

So you own a smartphone then.

[chinook]

Shame it's at the students expense, but one has to hope that this shambolic policy is yet another nail in the coffin for this awful Govt. How many more f!!k ups do this bunch need to make before the penny drops in the 'red villages'?

[FOODLOVER]

Hey, don't knock tablets. The seemed to work for Moses.

Not quite. A third of them broke, leaving us with ten commandments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk

Scientific evidence.

[LuckyLew]

Grade one students get 2400 Thai Baht Tablets

MP's and Senators get Iphones and Ipads

Seems normal for Thailand

After the floods in Thailand, I am sure a Thai factory that

was flooded could really use the business

So they decided to order from Chna

Seems normal for Thailand

[volk666]

Does this Scope company have access to Android Honeycomb source? In the specs they mention Android 3.2, the version that has never been released as open source, and that means that Scope must enter into some kind of deal with Google to install Honeycomb on their tablets.

Android 3 wasn't released precisely so that no name, unauthorized manufacturers couldn't install it on anything they want.

[pimay11]

I avoid anything made in China ever since I purchased that authentic (made in China) Aussie boomerang from a souvenir shop in Melbourne, the bloody thing never came back. Buyer beware on Chinese manufactured goods anyone remember the baby formular incident? If they can't get thier food products rights I wouldn't trust thier technology. (my Grandfather is Chinese)

Do you mean Chinese products such as this? Lead is MIXED in the paint for toys and here is what happened when a customer bought a pair of flip flops from wal-mart, these were CHEMICAL BURNS:

Edited March 6, 2012 by pimay11

[theanimaster]

I remain optimistic.

You aren't a teacher by any chance are you? I am, and at this point I can only DREAM of being optimistic about all this. But why should I worry? I'm getting two -- one for when my first child enters primary 1 next year and another two years later when my second child enters primary 1. My kids get free tablets woo-hoo. Games games games.

But seriously, they will NOT learn a thing unless the teachers are trained to use these things. They aren't. I'm a teacher, I should know. There has been absolutely ZERO training for this. Computers have been around for ages and the Thai computer curriculum is absolute rubbish.

There is a POTENTIAL for this to be good, but this country's policies are not based on potential. It's based on MONEY.

When my kids get their tablets, the first thing I'm going to do is wipe it to get rid of any eavesdropping software, then I'm going to lock them so that they can only be used during certain times of the day, then I'm going to make sure my kids aren't playing games on them all night. If my kids are doing poorly in school, then I'm going to take steps to find out if they are still being distracted by their toys.

Do you think your typical Thai parent would do any of this? Hell no -- as long as little Dekchai is out of your hair, you can get back to spending your wife's earning with your drinking buddies.

I think that the teachers will make the best of these tablets and do the very best they can to maximise the opportunity. I remember when I was at school and touched a Mac for the first time. I still remember that magical glowing green screen.

Except that the first mac had a black screen. The Apple I and II may not have, but I'm certain the first MACintosh computer had a white and black screen -- with a GUI. And a Mouse. And its OS on a Floppy Disk.

[theanimaster]

No doubt Scope is owned by the Thaksin clan...

[volk666]

Animaster, I seriously doubt you can lock the tablet form your kids. There might be some apps for that but, generally speaking, all Android users are created equal and one user can't put any restrictions on anyone else.

The kind of things you are hoping to achieve would require you to get root privileges and do some serious tinkering with the operating system, and since you haven't mentioned anything about rooting you are probably very new to this. Who is going to provide rooting tools for you, for example? Normally those are produced by a community, where's this Scopad community? It doesn't exist, who knows what protections are there in those Chinese gadgets and how to unlock them? It's not a rocket science but I'm afraid you are overestimating the real possibilities.

What might happen is that in a couple of weeks or months some local hacker figures out how to root the tablets and pretty soon custom Roms will be sold for a hundred baht on every school corner, stripped of all kinds of restrictions and preloaded with all kinds of games, messengers, and even (gasp) pr0n apps.

Once the process is known and Roms are downloaded it would take some fifteen minutes to turn government zombie tablet into full fledged entertainment device for teenagers.

[pimay11]

Animaster, I seriously doubt you can lock the tablet form your kids. There might be some apps for that but, generally speaking, all Android users are created equal and one user can't put any restrictions on anyone else.

The kind of things you are hoping to achieve would require you to get root privileges and do some serious tinkering with the operating system, and since you haven't mentioned anything about rooting you are probably very new to this. Who is going to provide rooting tools for you, for example? Normally those are produced by a community, where's this Scopad community? It doesn't exist, who knows what protections are there in those Chinese gadgets and how to unlock them? It's not a rocket science but I'm afraid you are overestimating the real possibilities.

What might happen is that in a couple of weeks or months some local hacker figures out how to root the tablets and pretty soon custom Roms will be sold for a hundred baht on every school corner, stripped of all kinds of restrictions and preloaded with all kinds of games, messengers, and even (gasp) pr0n apps.

Once the process is known and Roms are downloaded it would take some fifteen minutes to turn government zombie tablet into full fledged entertainment device for teenagers.

Might want to take a look here.

This is a discussion on Easily Root your Android Tablet with One Click within the Android Tablet Hacking forums,

http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/android-tablet-hacking/545-easily-root-your-android-tablet-one-click.html

[DLock]

I remain optimistic.

You aren't a teacher by any chance are you? I am, and at this point I can only DREAM of being optimistic about all this. But why should I worry? I'm getting two -- one for when my first child enters primary 1 next year and another two years later when my second child enters primary 1. My kids get free tablets woo-hoo. Games games games.

But seriously, they will NOT learn a thing unless the teachers are trained to use these things. They aren't. I'm a teacher, I should know. There has been absolutely ZERO training for this. Computers have been around for ages and the Thai computer curriculum is absolute rubbish.

There is a POTENTIAL for this to be good, but this country's policies are not based on potential. It's based on MONEY.

When my kids get their tablets, the first thing I'm going to do is wipe it to get rid of any eavesdropping software, then I'm going to lock them so that they can only be used during certain times of the day, then I'm going to make sure my kids aren't playing games on them all night. If my kids are doing poorly in school, then I'm going to take steps to find out if they are still being distracted by their toys.

Do you think your typical Thai parent would do any of this? Hell no -- as long as little Dekchai is out of your hair, you can get back to spending your wife's earning with your drinking buddies.

I think that the teachers will make the best of these tablets and do the very best they can to maximise the opportunity. I remember when I was at school and touched a Mac for the first time. I still remember that magical glowing green screen.

Except that the first mac had a black screen. The Apple I and II may not have, but I'm certain the first MACintosh computer had a white and black screen -- with a GUI. And a Mouse. And its OS on a Floppy Disk.

No, I am not a teacher. Far from it.

I provide scholarships to a lot of kids so they can stay in school. I spend time at the schools and have given a lot of computer equipment over the years. I have nothing but respect for these teachers in upcountry schools. They try hard and take great pride in their work. I have seen how they have learnt how to use the computers themselves, found educational games and content and really take care of the computers.

I do remain optimistic. I know these teachers will make the effort to learn how to use them and in turn teach the kids and take great care of the tablets.

Perhaps that is not your experience or true of all teachers and schools, but in my experience, there is hope.

Your right, the first computer I ever saw was an Apple II and I was 7 or 8 years old. It was a magical thing and I hope in turn these kids have a similar experience.

You are a pretty negative guy.

[rubl]

Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development Co: http://szscope.en.china.cn/

The company has lots of LCD/LED sceens/TVs

Something somewhat similar as agreed G2G seems this, but link times out.

"SCOPAD SP0713, 7 inch Tablet PC (Android2.3, Capactive screen , 1.2Ghz CPU,512MB RAM,8G memory,WIFI,

Delivery Time:25 days Certification:CCC,CE Features 1. Android 2.3 OS and Processor of ARM Cortex-A8 make the system fast and stable 2. Attractive design and multi function, support 720 P high definition moves, support video of MP4, AVI, RMVB, RM, MOV AND MKV, Flash 10.1 Play 3. Multi- touch capacitive TFT LED screen 4. Fast WIFI, Camera, Bluetooth, multi language 5. SD card up to 32 GB Specification Product Name ScoPad Model SP0713 CPU Cortex A8 1.2GHz RK2918 Memory DDRIII 51..."

[volk666]

This is a discussion on Easily Root your Android Tablet with One Click within the Android Tablet Hacking forums,

http://www.androidta...-one-click.html

Most if not all Android devices have been successfully rooted but the exact method varies from model to model and largely depends on the particular firmware, there's no truly "universal" tool that guarantees rooting of absolutely each and every Android gadget.

>>>

Whether teachers and students make this tablet a success depends on lots of things that are not covered in the simple spec sheet. There will be an initial period where they will try and learn how to use it but that is not an indicator of a lasting interest. You can't sustain interest without a stable internet connection, for example. If you tap something and wait three minutes for the page to load kids (and teachers) will soon find something else to do.

It's this guaranteed experience over specs that makes iPads dominate the tablet market.

On paper this thing should be as good as iPad 2, btw - dual core processor and half a gig Ram, same 16 GB storage, for just a fraction of the price. Will the experience be anywhere near?

[volk666]

Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development Co: http://szscope.en.china.cn/

The company has lots of LCD/LED sceens/TVs

Something somewhat similar as agreed G2G seems this, but link times out.

"SCOPAD SP0713, 7 inch Tablet PC (Android2.3, Capactive screen , 1.2Ghz CPU,512MB RAM,8G memory,WIFI,

Delivery Time:25 days Certification:CCC,CE Features 1. Android 2.3 OS and Processor of ARM Cortex-A8 make the system fast and stable 2. Attractive design and multi function, support 720 P high definition moves, support video of MP4, AVI, RMVB, RM, MOV AND MKV, Flash 10.1 Play 3. Multi- touch capacitive TFT LED screen 4. Fast WIFI, Camera, Bluetooth, multi language 5. SD card up to 32 GB Specification Product Name ScoPad Model SP0713 CPU Cortex A8 1.2GHz RK2918 Memory DDRIII 51..."

That thing is Android 2.3, not Android 3.2 as mentioned in bid specs, it's a big difference because getting hands on 3.2 source is not easy - it needs partnership with Google and complying with Google requirements on what modifications they can apply to vanilla Honeycomb. If Scope has never used Honeycomb for their tablets there's no way they can produce Android 3.2 ROM in such a short time.

Either demanded specs are not as strict or the committee will simply vote that the tablet indeed complies. They've done this with smart id cards already, easy as pie.

Not to mention broken English on that page, just what Thailand needs when teaching kids.

[Heimdallr]

... snip I recently sat through a series of meetings with 15 or so Thai scientist, engineers, and technical staff. Not ONE of them had a smart phone. ... snip...

Stupid people need smart phone to make them look smaart.

Already smart people don't need such help.

Wow, computer users must be really dumb then.

[Nickymaster]

This is nothing more than dirty vote buying. There is no plan in place how this will increase learning.

I bet you that this idea will be abolished after 6 months (when everybody has a tablet).

What a waste of tax-payers money. This government really knows how to rob the working class.

[rubl]

Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development Co: http://szscope.en.china.cn/

The company has lots of LCD/LED sceens/TVs

Something somewhat similar as agreed G2G seems this, but link times out.

"SCOPAD SP0713, 7 inch Tablet PC (Android2.3, Capactive screen , 1.2Ghz CPU,512MB RAM,8G memory,WIFI,

Delivery Time:25 days Certification:CCC,CE Features 1. Android 2.3 OS and Processor of ARM Cortex-A8 make the system fast and stable 2. Attractive design and multi function, support 720 P high definition moves, support video of MP4, AVI, RMVB, RM, MOV AND MKV, Flash 10.1 Play 3. Multi- touch capacitive TFT LED screen 4. Fast WIFI, Camera, Bluetooth, multi language 5. SD card up to 32 GB Specification Product Name ScoPad Model SP0713 CPU Cortex A8 1.2GHz RK2918 Memory DDRIII 51..."

That thing is Android 2.3, not Android 3.2 as mentioned in bid specs, it's a big difference because getting hands on 3.2 source is not easy - it needs partnership with Google and complying with Google requirements on what modifications they can apply to vanilla Honeycomb. If Scope has never used Honeycomb for their tablets there's no way they can produce Android 3.2 ROM in such a short time.

Either demanded specs are not as strict or the committee will simply vote that the tablet indeed complies. They've done this with smart id cards already, easy as pie.

Not to mention broken English on that page, just what Thailand needs when teaching kids.

Just to be sure I checked again:

- Android OS - 1 (looks like older module)

- Android OS 2.2 - 1

- Android OS 2.3 - 4

Note the info on the website is from 2010-10-26, link to more info time-out, or at least those I tried. The site seems to indicate a company aiming at 'buyers' who want to sell/buy leads. The OP part with k. Panuwat speaking is most likely a good warning:

"Panuwat Khantamoleekul, managing director of Supreme Distribution (Thailand), a local PC maker, said the government must be careful about its choice of manufacturer.

"We won't know much about product quality and after-sales service of the brand, which has never been marketed in our country before," he said.

He did not agree with the government's decision to opt for the obscure brand.

"If we go for a little-known brand, we will face many risks," he said.

If the quality was poor, Thai students would lose learning opportunities, Panuwat said.

"But if it comes with good quality and at such a competitive price, this deal of course is good," he said."

Edited March 6, 2012 by rubl

[Jawnie]

... snip I recently sat through a series of meetings with 15 or so Thai scientist, engineers, and technical staff. Not ONE of them had a smart phone. ... snip...

Stupid people need smart phone to make them look smaart.

Already smart people don't need such help.

Wow, computer users must be really dumb then.

Perhaps is sounds a little elitist or whatever to say this but mobile communication is all moving to smartphones. I often use them in meetings to access facts being discussed; or to read news while commuting; take photos; stay up with friends, etc. That a group of professionals would not have a single one among them means they are already behind the technology while their kids have passed them by.

It's a 21st century maxim that professionals must employ the most current technology when it is relevant. Accessing information is more relevant today than ever....how will Thai children learn this if their college-educated parents don't know it?

[birdpooguava]

I recently paid the annual 6,500 Baht book fee for my 8 year old's school. That is just for the use of the books at the school, they don't even get to bring them home. I'd be thrilled if that included a personal tablet for her.

[chrisinth]

What might happen is that in a couple of weeks or months some local hacker figures out how to root the tablets and pretty soon custom Roms will be sold for a hundred baht on every school corner, stripped of all kinds of restrictions and preloaded with all kinds of games, messengers, and even (gasp) pr0n apps.

Once the process is known and Roms are downloaded it would take some fifteen minutes to turn government zombie tablet into full fledged entertainment device for teenagers.

I can see this as well. Would be surprised if someone isn't working that angle right now, assuming they have been released and are not specifically for the Thai education system.

U-tube tutorials will soon follow as to how to unlock them