Buying a Notebook Computer in Thailand…

A friend asked about buying a notebook computer in Thailand and I’d been meaning to write something up. I got inspired and wrote this.

Dear J,

Glad you asked about notebooks. You wouldn’t believe how much there is to consider when buying a notebook here in Thailand. WHICH one to buy?

1st consideration- Brand.
In the USA I loved Toshiba. Never had a bad one. I’ve owned about 15 notebooks over the years, starting with an IBM 25/4. 4 Megs of RAM! hahah No joke. It cost $1000 usd back in 1993 I think it was. It had a 1200 bahd modem. I would connect to a local bulletin board and download porn jpgs and show friends who were absolutely amazed. So was I!

I’ve owned Toshiba, HP, IBM, Sony, Compaq (before bought by HP) and after. I liked them all.

Anyway- these are the brands I consider “good to great”.
Toshiba, IBM, Lenovo was bought by IBM - yes?, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Sony. I feel like I’m missing one or two - drawing a blank after these. IBMs/Lenovos are usually very solid. I love that. I don’t care how heavy they are, I want solid. I’ve dropped my backpack I carry my notebook in about 20 times off my motorbike. I’m clumsy like that. Getting a solid notebook helps me. You may not need it.

Acer notebooks in Thailand - are built like a house of cards. They have a very weak chassis. I have had many store owners themselves tell me THEY steer away from them. I know they wanted me to buy a higher priced Toshiba or Sony in most cases, but I have a friend that sells notebooks - he says Acer’s “no good”. I did feel the nice newly designed units and they feel better - but still, nothing like this Compaq I have now - like a tank.

Buy something STRONG. It shouldn’t feel like plastic - though it will be. Compaq V3000 series makes some nice notebooks - I have one. I bought it because it is very solid and it has a humidity tolerance higher than my last notebook. In Thailand that number is very important since it’s basically like the inside of a boiling pot of water here, super hot. Super high humidity - all the time. Add to that the fact that you’ll be taking it from air con to hot -and the probability of condensation happening is high (100%).

So, this notebook has a humidity operating range that maxes out at 95% which made it a better choice than other notebooks I saw with 90% humidity max. My last Compaq had a 90% humidity rating and worked for over 2 years, though maybe it died on the guy that bought it from me? No idea. I always sell notebooks (any electronics) after 1-2 years as I get to thinking something is about to break. Better it breaks on someone else - not me. I sell.

For this reason - don’t buy used electronics in Thailand, you don’t have any idea what environment it’s suffered through.

2nd consideration - Color, believe it or not.
3 yrs ago I got a Compaq 2630TS I think it was. Silver one - all silver, widescreen, Centrino mobile technology. Nice as hell. In 2 years it looked JUST like hell. Why? The silver collects the sweat and salt and discolors where your palms rest. I bought for 39,000 baht with 1GB RAM. Wasn’t worth it because i had to sell for 14,000b I think.

Lesson learned - buy nothing other than black in Thailand if you’re going to be using in non-airconditioned environments.

The Acers have NICE design. I was almost fooled into getting one - but that tan color killed it for me. Just can’t get one since I’m almost never in Air Con and my hands sweat without me even feeling it much.

3rd consideration - Condensation.
Going from air con to the hot humid air of Thailand is hell on the computer. Here’s how to solve it.

Buy an Ocean Pack 10 waterproof diving/snorkeling bag by Karana at the local sports chain. I forget the name there in Ubon - but it’s the huge sports store that has all fake stuff from China. Apparently these Karana bags are made in Thailand - and mine has lasted 3 years now and only starting to develop a leak. They are about 400 baht maybe - can’t remember.

In the bottom of that bag place 5 (or more) of the dessicant bags that soak up humidity in the air. Then, put a rolled up shirt over top of it. When you place your notebook computer in this bag - to go into your backpack presumeably put the computer in carefully. Don’t put the DVD ROM drive on the bottom, keep it at the top - they’re very sensitive and the dumb things will break quick…

Going from hot air to air conditioning - is not a problem, just open your bag, fire it up and go. But, upon leaving and going from air con to the outside environment you’ve gotta put your notebook in the waterproof bag with the dessicant or you’ll get droplets of water form inside your computer. That’s no good. Even putting it in the bag - you’ll STILL get some, but much less.

Now - the key is - once you go from air con environment to outside heat… you CAN’T take your notebook outside of the waterproof bag UNTIL the temperature of your notebook has equalized with the outside temperature you’re going to use it in… Or, you’ll get lots of water in your notebook. You won’t SEE it. It will be there, trust me. Do that a few times - and you’ll be using 7th consideration. Never do it - and your notebook will last much longer than everyone else that doesn’t do it.

4th consideration - Notebook bag.
I have an amazing backpack from “DaKine” in Maui, Hawaii. It has more padding than any bag I’ve ever seen anywhere. It was $140 back in 2002, but it’s made it 6 years and will go another 3 it appears.

Don’t skimp on bag. Make sure it’s padded not only on the sides, but most importantly - on the bottom! Very few bags are. I even roll up 2 more shirts and put in the bottom of my bag to keep it safe. I put my bag on the foot area of the Yamaha MIO and it gets a lot of vibration. Make sure you cushion your baby or you might rattle something loose. I doubt it - but, possible in theory maybe.

You should find some bags with a pocket for your notebook that will hold the notebook in the waterproof bag and keep it up off the bottom of the bag - like an envelope pocket type deal. That is fine - since you may not find anything with padding in the bottom here in Thailand.

5th consideration - Price.
I bought my amazing Compaq V3000 series at Tesco. It has everything I want - a Gig of RAM, 1.7MHZ processor, WIFI, Stereo speakers built in, DVD/RW, Modem, RJ-45 connector (for LAN - local area network), mic and headphone jacks, 3-USB 2.0 ports, firewire connector and other stuff. The battery lasts over 2 hours which is all I expected. The DVD holder is weak - and if I apply too much pressure - my DVD goes away from “My Computer” until I push it in and restart computer. A bummer, but I’m living with it since everything else is great. Note: I did need to install WIN XP Pro myself - and it was a nightmare - the computer is made for Windows VISTA but I love XP so I forced it. Took 3 days and 8 headaches - but, works wonderfully now. DON’T ask me how - it was much too much work. Please just install Vista instead.

Price? 16,900b

I would definitely not spend more than 20,000 baht for any computer in Thailand unless you’re getting a Panasonic TOUGHBOOK which can handle the humidity here much better than other notebooks. But, you’ll spend about 60,000 baht for a late model unit. In the USA you can buy decent notebook computers now for $400 USD. 18,000 baht is about $600 USD. So, already we’re paying a premium. No reason to pay 30,000+ baht.

6th consideration - Where to buy?
I felt safe buying my notebook in Tesco. It’s UK owned and they had a huge number of them, the boxes were all opened - as they put in their own drivers disc and they upgraded the RAM from 500MB to 1 Gig. I still felt safe… why? Because they had over 100 units I could swap from if mine turned out to be hosed. And guess what? The first one was hosed. I returned it - showed them it powered up sometimes, sometimes not - and they found me another one. That’s the one I have now. Buy from a small shop - that might be the ONLY one they have - and they might not want to swap it out. Tesco gives 7 days to exchange. No refund - as there are NO refunds in Thailand basically. You probably know that.

I wouldn’t buy in Pornthip plaza or some electronics warehouse in BKK or anywhere else. I probably wouldn’t buy off any mom and pop store - though I did with my first Compaq. I wouldn’t again. Small stores can do anything they like. The sellers in BKK have a history of removing brand name components from the new systems and replacing them with JUNK - and you haven’t a clue since it’s all on the inside.

I think much better to go with Tesco, Big C, or that electronics store with the big yellow sign - man, can’t remember the name. They have many notebooks though. Not Sony - another huge building usually - and separate from a mall - they are a standalone building. Blue and yellow sign. Darn - will update this post when I remember the name of the place.

7th consideration - Warranty work.
I’ve never needed to use this - but someday will I’m sure. I think ALL computers get sent to BKK for repairs. This Compaq has a 1 yr warranty, that’s standard. If you do send your computer to be fixed - use your girlfriend’s name, friend, whoever - so they think it’s coming from a Thai. Of course be VERY careful about what info you leave on your computer’s hard drive when you send it in. Credit card numbers have a way of spreading around the world once your computer goes to get fixed somewhere.

Send computer with EMS at Post Office - and get extra insurance as there is a limit to what EMS covers by default.

Hope that helps. I feel like I”m forgetting something - but probably because I just banged this out in 10 minutes and need to run - so I’ll post it right away. If there’s something I missed - someone will email me I know.

Good luck buying your computer in Thailand - let me know which one you choose and why if you get the chance.

ThaiPulse Sites, Blog, BlogBombs, Ladyboy Site for Sale.

I’m selling some of my Thailand-based web sites so I can have some time to do things I want to do. Blogs and websites are taking up all my time! I’ve priced them very reasonably. If you follow the link here there are info pages complete with traffic and Google stats from Google Analytics about the sites that follow…

$199 USD - http://www.blogbombs.com/ This is an off-beat blog with funny articles, pages, and videos. The video content transfers - meaning, you can use it for what you like.

$699 USD - http://www.aimforawesome.com/ This is a motivational, positive blog with many posts, photos, and a free meditation e-book you can give away to collect leads to sell more to them in the future. All photos transfer - you must see image galleries and the top posts page to see what you’re getting.

$1050 USD - http://www.thaipulse.com/ (sale includes: KrabiReviews.blogspot.com, BlogSimply.blogspot.com, and ThaiBuddhaAmulets.blogspot.com)

This is a HUGE site, with over 1.2 million pageviews already. It has over 3400 HTML pages with thousands of high quality photos and over 100 videos of experiences here in Thailand. I am giving away many free e-books online in exchange for collecting email addresses as leads you can email to later. The rights to give away the e-books on-site will transfer. There is a blog that can go with this site for another $499, see next listing.

$590 USD - http://thaipulse.blogspot.com/ blog has over 370 posts over the last 18 months. It has many popular pages and goes along well with the Thaipulse.com domain above. I had this blog in a subdomain at www.ThaiPulse.com for a while, but then the FTP updates were too large to republish over and over. I moved it back to Blogger where it resides now - very stable and very easy to post new articles to.

$1050 USD - http://www.thailadyboyskatoeys.com/ This is a blog about cross-dressing and transsexual Thais here in Thailand. It is getting great Google traffic and currently is showing over 1000 pages per day (last 3 days). Some of the photos are listed in Google images too. There is nothing rated X on this site, it’s all rated R content - nothing hard-core. This distinguishes it from the other ladyboy sites and it currently enjoys a Google rank of #4 for the phrase, “thai ladyboys”.

There is a lot of information at the links off this main “For Sale” page at Thaipulse.com > A link is found at that home page or you can click the one below.

Main sales info page >

If you like, you can buy all the sites at once at a discounted rate of just 99,000 baht - about $3300 USD.

I am also selling the following domain names (will take offers):

http://www.dysfunctionallife101.com/

http://www.h20ahu.com/

http://www.h20oahu.com/

Thanks for your time - hope you find something that suits your needs. I’m available via SKYPE or gmail chat using ID: thaipulse.

Sale info >
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Will Bag Grabs Continue in Pattaya? HELL YA!

As long as there are people carrying around cash in bags on their arm - hell ya. This woman - supposedly a famous Korean movie star was walking on Third road in Pattaya when her bag was grabbed by a Thai guy. What was in the bag?

About $21,000 USD in Korean won, Thai baht and US Dollars.

What the hell is someone thinking carrying 21,000 usd in a bag in Pattaya? Anyone’s guess. Probably doing a lot of shopping.

Did the Thai guy KNOW the cash was in there? Quite possibly he watched her at the bank, ATM, hotel, or wherever she came up with that cash. He might know hotel clerks that knew she was checked into a 9,000 baht a night room they might have given this guy the heads up that she might have a lot of cash. Actually I just noticed something in one of the photos, there are 6 photos at the PCN site. If you look above - she’s holding a Gucci bag. Probably it’s real if she’s a Korean movie star. Now, if someone was able to tell a real Gucci from a fake one - they might target her just for that reason alone.

What about you? Is there any way someone could know that you have a lot of valuable stuff on you as you walk around Pattaya? Do you have a 99bat gold chain on your neck? A rolex? A wad of 100, thousand baht notes in your wallet that makes you feel special in front of the Thais?

Ten thousand makes a purse grab “worth it” to a Thai guy without a job. Heck, for the number of times they’re caught doing it - 2000 baht is worth it.

Was 21,000 worth it? The police told this lady - don’t expect us to be able to find your cash. Hell no! If they do find it - will they search her out to return it to her? What’s your guess?

Keep a low profile wherever you go in Thailand. Sure, you think your teerak is in love with you and doesn’t care about your money… but someone she knows sure does. A few misplaced words to the wrong person - her brother for instance, might result in your untimely demise as he reappropriates your funds and belongings.

You wouldn’t act like a high-roller in Jamaica or Puerto Rico… why would you want to be one here? Stay incognito and stay alive.

Story below from PattayaCityNews.net

Bag containing nearly 700,000 Baht stolen from Korean Tourists on Pattaya Third Road.

Just after 11.30 on Monday Night a group of South Korean’s including an apparent well known movie star, made a complaint at Pattaya Police Station regarding a bag snatch which had just taken place at the central section of Pattaya Third Road. Police Lieutenant Colonel Sumreun took up the case and was told by Miss Choi Miryun aged 42 that a bag containing 6,800 Baht, 200,000 Korean Won and 20,000 US Dollars and personal items was taken by a Thai Man who drove beside the group as they were walking along the street. A description of the man was given to Police along with details of his motorbike, however Police have informed the group to expect not to see their cash and valuables again.

Love them Tokay Geckos…

My mom on first coming to Hawaii was amazed at all the geek-os. She calls them geek-os to this day and no amount of correction ever takes hold. It’s hilarious to hear her say it.

We don’t have Tokay geckos in Hawaii, just the small “Gin Joke” type we have in Thailand. I really like these Tokay geckos - they’re all the more fascinating because they are usually hard to find, though they’re squawk is loud enough to be heard 50-100 meters away.

This one resides in the roof of an internet cafe I was going to for a while. It’s a foot long, easily. It’s thick and scary looking. I always need to use flash when I get a photo of them so the colors are influenced by the flash too much. Meaning - they’re skin flouresces - I think that’s how you spell that. And the flash captures that reflection - not the color of their skin in the natural light.

I’ve heard stories that these jump on you. Then I’ve had a 14 year old student tell me she picks the ones in her room up and puts them outside the window. So - what the truth is I don’t know. Anyone seen one jump on someone?

Is Your Thailand Mobile Phone Being SPIED On?

I think a lot about my computer in Thailand being a victim of a trojan horse that sends my email passwords, credit card stuff and Thailand bank information to another location for someone to read and use to wipe me out. I think I have a pretty good system, but I’m sure there are loopholes someone can exploit. Hell, if they can get to you through a browser - they can get to you. If Firefox can’t stop all malicious attempts to take over your browser or computer - can you really believe YOU can protect your computer once they get through?

I don’t have much confidence in me for that.

Currently I run the Microsoft firewall that comes with XP pro. I run the Microsoft malicious software detection tool often (a free program from MS). I have the free Sygate personal firewall running. I have NOD32 antivirus system running and updating daily.

I have Ad-Aware - that great, free malicious ad-software that I run every week or so.

And that’s what I have.

Hopefully it’s enough for most attacks - but, probably not.

A long time ago there was a story about this software that could turn your mobile phone into an open microphone so anyone could listen in on you at any time they chose. It’s a reality now. Not only that - but it can send all your SMS messages, internet cruising behavior, log your calls… all of this while running invisibly in the background.

The microphone may be on - and yet there is no hint of that from the appearance of the display on your phone. The software is amazing - and it’s available all over Bangkok. There are, of course, multiple vendors software you can buy.

Want to keep track of your Thai bargirl or ladyboy while you’re away?

Here’s a great summary by a guy (Ilyushin) on ThaiVisa.com that was posting “FYI”. I pulled that out and here’s a link to the original thread, Mobile Phone Spying >

*****

FYI

The FlexiSpy application captures call logs, text messages and mobile Internet activity, among other things. The software, released at the beginning of March, sells for $49.95 and is advertised by Bangkok, Thailand-based Vervata as a tool to monitor kids and unfaithful spouses. The data captured is sent to Vervata’s servers and is accessible to customers via a special Web site.

Similar surveillance software for PCs already exists and has raised the ire of groups fighting domestic violence, who fear it may be used by abusive spouses.

FlexiSpy has attracted a different kind of criticism from security company F-Secure, which has labeled the software a Trojan, or a malicious program that disguises itself as something innocuous.

“This application installs itself without any kind of indication as to what it is,” Jarno Niemela wrote on the Finnish antivirus maker’s corporate blog Wednesday. “And when it is installed on the phone, it completely hides itself from the user.”

FlexiSpy could be used by miscreants as part of malicious software that targets phones, Niemela wrote. Alternatively, an attacker could try sending the program to phones via a Bluetooth connection and trust that there are enough curious people to install it. F-Secure has updated its security software for mobile phones to detect the program.

Vervata in an e-mailed statement late Wednesday insisted that FlexiSpy is not malicious. “”FlexiSpy is not a Trojan horse, nor a virus, and does not require the purchase of F-Secure antivirus products to remove it,” the company said. An uninstall option is provided, Vervata added.

“FlexiSpy is activity monitoring software that needs to be consciously installed by a human who knows exactly what the software does,” Vervata said, to distinguish its product from a Trojan horse. “It does not self replicate, it does not pretend to be something it is not, and it always requires conscious human action for installation.”

Sales of FlexiSpy have “exceeded all expectations,” Vervata said, without disclosing any specific numbers.

FlexiSpy is available for cell phones that run the Symbian operating system, such as Nokia Series 60 handsets. Vervata plans to release by the end of April a version for Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, as well as for devices that run Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Pocket PC operating system, according to the company’s Web site.

Vervata is still working on “FlexiSpy Pro,” which will log e-mail and multimedia messages, in addition to the other data, according to the company’s Web site. That version will also include a “monitoring” feature that lets the user call the target cell phone from a preset number and listen in on what’s going on in the background, in much the same way a baby monitor works.

Quick Overview - How to spy on a cell phone, what is spyphone software and how does it work?
How to spy on a cell phone?

Have you ever wanted to spy on your special someone’s mobile/cell phone? Now you can and it’s a lot easier to do than you think. All it takes is for you to purchase spyphone software available from several online vendors. Within minutes of your purchase, you can be reading your loved one’s sms messages, find out who they are calling or who is calling them, know their location, and even listen in on their surroundings.

**It’s worth mentioning that another option is to buy a phone with spy software installed for you. These phones are usually referred to as “spyphones” and are sold by many online vendors. However, watch out for the cost. Spyphones can range from $500 - $1,500.

What is spyphone software?

Used by people who suspect their spouse is cheating, parents who want to monitor the kids, or employers who want to monitor phone usage by their staff, spyphone software such as Flexispy & Mobile Spy is software that you download into a mobile(cell) phone, which then secretly records the phone’s activity such as sms messages sent or received, call history, etc. and then either uploads the data to a remote server or forwards to you via sms giving you complete visibility of all activitiy that occurs on the phone.

How does it work?

Once installed, the spyphone software is completely hidden from the user and starts to collect all available data such as SMS Messages, ingoing/outgoing call history, location tracking, GPRS, etc. and uploads the collected data to a remote server using GPRS. (Neo Call forwards the data via SMS)

You then simply access the webpage of the spyphone vendor, enter your account details, and then you have full access to all the data collected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless where you are in the world. You can read all sms messages (both incoming and outgoing), know who they are calling or who is calling them, where they were when the call was received, and more.

Here is an overview of the entire process:

Imagine if you are a wife who suspects their husband is cheating on them. Now you can read all their incoming and outgoing SMS Messages, find out who is calling them and where they actually are when they say, “Honey, I’m at the office.” or if you are a parent worried about their children and want to monitor their sms messages. No more guessing what happens when your loved ones leave the house. Oh no!

Gwit Diao - Chinese Noodle Soup… 2 Questions

I eat this soup almost daily. I just love it - it’s got protein, carbs and I don’t seem to gain weight from eating a huge bowl everyday - no matter what else I eat. For 42 months I’ve been lazy about looking it up on the internet - what is IN THIS STUFF?

First, what is in these big pork balls? They are almost the size of golf balls and I eat 5 to 8 of them with every bowl. They fill me up. They MUST have a huge fat content, but as I said - I’m not porking up (fattening up) so maybe that’s not true. Anyone know?

The other thing is - what is it about the dry pork skins they put in this stuff that makes a regular bowl of soup so damn extraordinary? What is it that’s so irresistable about dried pork skin pieces? I hate to eat fat on a slab of meat - or even fish. It makes me feel disgusting, like I’m shoveling on calories and re-appropriating the chemicals that have stored in the animal’s fat over it’s lifespan - into mine. You’ve seen the food cycle charts. The chemicals plankton eat are eaten by shrimp which are eaten by the thousands by game fish which are then eaten by the dozen each year by each fish-eating person in the world. The chemicals must be oozing out of us by the time we’re in our forties.

Anyway - one more question. What in the world is in the paste that LOOKS like Tom Yum paste, but when eaten - is obviously different. It’s spicy and has a taste of it’s own - it’s not Tom Yum paste. Is it?

That’s all - a quick note as I eat.