Ok . . i've just got myself a Powerbook with built in wifi capabilities and need some basic information on my options.

I don't need to worry about Wifi capabilities at my condo cos I'm also using a desktop here, and i know Stickman has a list of free wife hotspots on his site.

But what about other options. I was in Starbucks at Thonglor and tried to log in and came up with true hifi home page requiring me to sign up for various pricing options. Do I need to get an account to be able to access these 'non-free' sites around Thailand?

What do other people do, and what is the best option?

The cheapest option is really to go with AIS's GPRS packages when you are at a place like Starbucks. If you have a post-paid cell contract, DTAC has good rates and a reliable EDGE network.

I have the 350B package with 120 hours (or something) per month with AIS. No matter how much I am on the internet, I can't manage to use up all my time.

If you are using DSL in your condo, some of the ISPs have "roaming" type arrangements with some of the hotspots, but in my experience it isn't worth the money-- easier to go with GPRS unless you are downloading software updates from Starbucks...

(Congrats on the Power Book purchase! One thing to understand with the powerbook, though, is that the WIFI reception isn't as good as a plastic laptop. That might hinder your ability to mooch off free wifi hotspots.)