Posts Tagged ‘Thailand’
Sunday, December 28th, 2014
In addition of making overseas calls from your home country, you can also use Skype to call family, friends and colleagues who back in your home country on their landline or mobile – when you are travelling overseas. All you need is Wi-Fi access or mobile broadband on your smartphone, and some Skype credits.
Check out Skype as an additional affordable means of voice/SMS communication when you travel overseas.
When I first arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, while waiting at the customs, I logged on to the free Wi-Fi network in the airport and used Skype to call a local sight to make enquiries and make reservations for a day trip to a wildlife rescue centre in Petchaburi.
Free airport Wi-Fi in Thailand
I found out when writing this article that the AOT Wi-Fi network at Suvarnabhumi Airport is provided by True Move and is available at the main internaltional airports in Thailand.
These include the airports at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Hat Yai.
The Suvarnabhumi Airport serving Bangkok provides a pretty decent free Wi-Fi to travellers in its terminals – good enough to make VoIP calls using Skype.
First you need to register in the login page for the AOT network in the airport and you get to use the network for free for up to 2 hours a day.
Don’t bother to memorise the complicated userid and password they issue you, the next time you use the network – which is probably when you leave Thailand – you can register as a new user again and use a new set of userid and password.
(more…)
Tags:airport, AOT, broadband, Microsoft, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Skype, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move, Wi-Fi
Posted in App, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Microsoft, Network, Office, Skype, Software, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Wi-Fi | 1 Comment »
Sunday, December 14th, 2014
A dual-SIM phone allows you to stay contactable to your regular contacts yet enables you to take advantage of more affordable local data/voice rates to avoid expensive overseas roaming charges – without having to carry two separate mobile phones.
The Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) is one of the increasing number of smartphones that support a dual-SIM capability.
Nowadays, it is increasingly easy to get a local SIM card when one travels overseas for work or leisure.
The local SIM allows you to make/receive calls at affordable local rates and more significantly, to stay connected via mobile broadband – without chalking out a huge bill.
You can read
over here all about the benefits of getting a pre-paid local SIM card whenever you travel overseas.
But most mobile phones allow only one SIM card to be installed – so if you put in the local SIM card, you’ll have to remove your regular SIM card and become uncontactable to those who call you on your regular number, unless you forward those calls to your local number.
Otherwise, you’d carry a second single-SIM card phone, which is a hassle.
Not too long ago …
I remember in the early days of smartphones, people were selling dual-SIM card adaptors the size of regular sized SIM cards that you could place two micro SIM cards in.
You’d have to cut your regular sized SIM card yourself into micro SIM card size and it was a daunting proposition for most people to risk damaging your SIM card in the process.
These adaptors only worked for certain models of mobile phones, and you need to switch off and on the phone to switch between the SIM cards.
Fortunately, smartphones have evolved and nowadays, you have dual-SIM card phones that enable you use both SIM cards at the same time.
I brought along a Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) dual-SIM card phone during my short break to Thailand and it was such a blessing.
There are two micro-SIM card slots so I could keep my regular SIM card in one slot and plug in the prepaid local SIM card that I bought at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the other.
The guy at the True Move counter did all the set up for me.
So after five minutes of queueing and five minutes of installation and payment, I was as connected in Thailand as I was at home back in Singapore.
I could receive roaming calls on my regular number from my friends back in Singapore and other parts of the world, while at the same stay connected on email and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the mobile broadband on the local SIM card.
(more…)
Tags:airport, broadband, Lumia, Mi-Fi, Microsoft Devices, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move
Posted in Android, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Holiday, Lumia, Microsoft, Microsoft Devices, Moto, Motorola, Nokia, Phones, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Windows Phone 8 | No Comments »
Saturday, December 13th, 2014
First thing I did when I exited the gates in the Arrival Hall in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok was to get myself a pre-paid SIM card that gave me a local number for voice calls and seven days of mobile data broadband at 299 THB.
The truemove shop is one of the first things you come across when you exit the gates at the Arrival Hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Immediately after exiting the gates in the Arrival Hall, you’ll come upon this telco shop that sells pre-paid SIM cards, as well as other mobile plans.
The 7-day prepaid SIM card offered by True Move is one of a few pre-paid mobile plans available in Thailand. This package bundles 7 days of unlimited data, free call credits of 100 THB and incoming call, your own local number, attractive international call rates – all for 299 THB or approximately S$12.
Here’s where you can grab an affordable and convenient pre-paid SIM card that gives you mobile broad band as well as voice calls, and a local number.
I’m here for seven days, so I was delighted to grab the 7-day SIM card that costs 299 THB, or S$12.
You get seven days of free broadband mobile data as well as 100 THB of free call credits, which gives you 100min of local talk time at 1 THB/minute.
The seven days are calendar days and includes the day you bought the card, ending at 2359hrs on the seventh day.
What I found useful was not only the free call credits but having a local number that you can give out for others to contact you via local calls.
My wife can now call me at local rates, through her autoroam.
Otherwise, she would have to make an overseas call just to get me on my Singapore mobile number – you know sometimes we get separated in crowded places, or we deliberately split up to visit different shops etc.
(more…)
Tags:airport, Bangkok, broadband, Changi, Hua Hin, Mi-Fi, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move
Posted in Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Network, Phones, Promotions, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, Travel | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 12th, 2014
It’s the year-end school holidays and the family decided to take an impromptu short break to Thailand for a week.
Welcome to the Land of Smiles. Here the welcoming facade of our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand.
We’d initially thought about going to Krabi but it looked so crowded in photos on the Web that we decided to choose somewhere that’s more “off the beaten track”.
So we settled on Hua Hin, a popular weekend getaway for the local Thais in Bangkok.
Time for relaxation. Laidback sculpture in the gardens of our hotel in Hua Hin.
It’s a two-and-a-half hour drive from Bangkok and four-plus-hour journey by train or bus.
(more…)
Tags:Bangkok, Hua Hin, Microsoft, Moto G, Motorola, Olympus, Skype, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, travel
Posted in Cameras, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Holiday, Lens, Microsoft, MIL, Moto, Motorola, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, Skype, Thailand 2014, Tips, Travel, travel, Zuiko | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 19th, 2013
The Golden Mount temple in Bangkok is a landmark of the city and a popular tourist sight.
Located roughly between Khaosan and Siam Square, the temple has a chedi (stupa) built on a small artificial hill, affording a panoramic view of the entire city.
Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan, or Wat Saket – more commonly known as the Golden Mount Temple, sits atop a steep artificial hill in Bangkok. Taken with a Samsung NX 2000.
We got to the Golden Mount temple by taking the local Khlong Saen Saep canal express boat from our hotel in Sukhumvit.
The Khlong Saen Saep canal express boat is a very useful boat ferry taxi to visit many of the tourist sights in Bangkok – if you can stomach the murky water and the thrills of hopping on and off the boat before it pushes off from its very momentary stop at each pier. Taken with a Samsung NX 2000.
That ride in itself is a little adventure and a good way to sit among the locals and get a taste of how they actually commute.
It was also the most direct, cheapest and effortless way for us to get to the temple.
Panoramic view of Bangkok city from the top of Golden Mount. Taken using Panorama mode with a Samsung GALAXY Note 3.
(more…)
Tags:Bangkok, Bangkok 2013, Golden Mount, holiday, panorama, Saket, temple, Thailand, travel, vacation
Posted in Bangkok 2013, Cameras, Events, GALAXY, Holiday, MIL, Note, Photos, Samsung, Travel, travel | 16 Comments »
Monday, November 18th, 2013
A temple with a panoramic view, safari of wild animals, shopping every step of the way, massages and perennially congested traffic.
End of year is a good time to visit Bangkok, when it’s not so hot and it doesn’t rain so much or at all. Taken with Samsung GALAXY Note 3.
Thailand used to be a frequent destination for our year-end break, being so near to Singapore, and the friendliness of its people.
Our whole family had a whale of a time, “interacting” with the wax figurines. Visitors are allowed to touch and pose with wax replicas of Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Ronaldo, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities. Taken with Samsung NX2000.
What we liked most was how doting they were to little children – wherever we went with our young children, you could see the face of the locals brighten up with a smile, some going out of their way to chat with them and pat them.
Water fountain outside Siam Center. Taken with Samsung NX2000.
(more…)
Tags:Bangkok, Bangkok 2013, holiday, shopping, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, travel, Tussauds, vacation
Posted in Bangkok 2013, Cameras, Events, GALAXY, Holiday, MIL, Note, Photos, Samsung, Travel, travel | 16 Comments »
Thursday, July 5th, 2012
TomTom has launched in Singapore its latest GPS portable navigation device (PND). The Via 620 has a monstrous 6-inch touch screen, a dual-mounting system and a high resolution widescreen (WVGA 800 x 480 pixels).
It is available now at S$299, and comes with free lifetime maps of South East Asia.
TomTom Via 620 – available now at S$299, with free lifetime maps of South East Asia.
The Via 620 has the largest screen and resolution amongst the PNDs made by TomTom.
The TomTom Via 620 can either be mounted on the windscreen …
The result is sharper screen clarity and bigger on-screen buttons.
This provides drivers a clearer view of the route and easier interaction with the device.
The Via 620 is loaded with the maps of seven countries/territories across South East Asia – allowing for easy regional navigation.
From now till 31 October 2012, users are entitled to a Lifetime South East Asia Map Update Service Subscription.
This means that TomTom users get free lifetime updates of the maps for seven South East Asia countries/territories.
… or it can be mounted on the dashboard.
The promotion also comes with the purchase of any TomTom Via and GO series GPS.
The seven countries/territories are Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Hong Kong and Macau.
With road networks changing on an average 15 per cent a year, the map update service ensures that TomTom drivers enjoy timely free map updates, with four new maps of South East Asia released each year.
Drivers also benefit from free daily map changes, based on reports from TomTom’s Map Share Community of 21 million.
Drivers, particularly those with larger vehicles, will find the Via 620 practical, clear and easy-to-use, translating to better confidence on the road,” said Chris Kearney, Vice President, TomTom Asia Pacific.These help drivers deal with frequent road changes such as new speed limits and blocked roads.
IQ Routes has also been enhanced to accurately give drivers the best route and arrival time, based on real travel times shared by millions of drivers.
The new “split-screen” Advanced Lane Guidance view gives drivers extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions.
Tags:Brunei, GPS, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Map Share, maps, PND, portable navigation device, Singapore, South East Asia, Thailand, TomTom, updates, Via
Posted in Events, Gadgets, GPS, Launch, Prices, Specifications, TomTom, Travel | 3 Comments »
Thursday, July 5th, 2012
TomTom has launched its latest GPS PND (portable navigation device) today and has enabled all of its 60 million PNDs to receive free daily map changes.
TomTom launched the Via 620 at Ku De Ta atop Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
The Via 620 (S$299) has the largest screen and resolution amongst the PNDs made by TomTom (Read about the details of the Via 620 here).
“The roads in Singapore change all the time, sometimes with roadworks springing up overnight. Driving to a destination may take longer than usual as the familiar routes could be closed overnight. Knowing about these changes before setting off can save drivers a lot of time and help reduce overall congestion,” says Valerie Cross, TomTom Public Relations Manager Asia Pacific.At the same time, free daily map changes via the TomTom Map Share community allows drivers to personalise the TomTom map on their own device and also share and receive map changes with the Map Share community around the world.
Map Share was previously only available on a limited number of TomTom devices.
Map Share technology enables drivers to keep the TomTom map on their device up to date with immediate changes in their area.
Drivers then have the choice to share those road changes with TomTom and the broader Map Share community.
Map Share enables people to quickly and easily report and share the most frequent road changes.
TomTom Via 620
More structural, long-term changes such as the addition of roads or roundabouts are validated and updated within TomTom’s maps and made available on a quarterly basis.
TomTom applies a hybrid approach to map-making that includes the combination of authoritative sources, such as field collection, government data or satellite imagery, with community input to ensure its maps accurately reflect reality.
From today, all TomTom Via and GO customers will be able to receive free daily map changes from the TomTom Map Share Community via a simple, free software update.
Daily map changes include the more dynamic, frequent changes that drivers are likely to encounter such as:
- Changed speed limits
- New street names
- Blocked roads
- New traffic directions
- Altered turn restrictions
Drivers have control over which daily map changes they load onto their device.
They can choose to accept changes submitted by some or many other Map Share users, or only those verified by TomTom.
View TomTom’s video on Map Share and free daily updates below.
(more…)
Tags:Brunei, GPS, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Map Share, maps, PND, portable navigation device, Singapore, South East Asia, Thailand, TomTom, updates, Via
Posted in Accessories, Events, Gadgets, GPS, Launch, Prices, Promotions, Specifications, TomTom, Travel | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
81% of businesses in the Asia Pacific and Japan might NOT be able to recover lost data and systems in the event of a disaster. New independent research sponsored by EMC points to outdated backup and recovery infrastructure.
The survey also found that 71% of all organizations had lost data or suffered systems downtime in the last 12 months.
Vanson Bourne interviewed 2,500 IT decision-makers in private and public sector organizations in Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Each organization ranged between 250 and 3000-plus employees and represented a variety of industries including manufacturing, retail, financial services and telecoms, among others.
These findings highlight the need for backup transformation from antiquated technologies that are not suited for today’s data growth or availability expectations.
A move to next-generation backup and recovery solutions ensure continued business operations in the event of a natural disaster, malicious activity or more routine and common disruptions to IT systems.
In fact, the research showed that the causes of systems downtime are often the commonplace disruptions to IT, such as hardware failure or data corruption, rather than natural disasters or other major incidents.
Other key findings are summarised below:
- Hardware failure (60%), data corruption (49%) and loss of power (44%) were cited as the primary causes of data loss and downtime.
- 42% of organizations cite loss of employee productivity as the most likely consequence of data loss and downtime.
- 44% of organizations who store a backup copy offsite for disaster recovery still use tape for recovery, and 37% still use CD ROM (although 62% now use disk-based storage).
- 83% of these organizations want to replace tape all together, highlighting the need for next generation backup and recovery.
Commissioned by EMC and conducted by independent research company Vanson Bourne, ‘The Disaster Recovery Survey 2012: Asia Pacific and Japan’ looks at the state of backup and disaster recovery in the region to understand how well companies are prepared for data loss and systems downtime.
For the full report, visit EMC’s website here.
Tags:Asia Pacific, Australia, China, data, Disaster Recovery, EMC, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, loss, Malaysia, research, Singapore, study, survey, Thailand, The Philippines
Posted in Announce, Enterprise IT, Figures, storage drive, Study, Tech news | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 27th, 2011
The Thai-born US citizen is being charged with insulting the monarchy after he posted material deemed offensive on his blog and put a link to a banned book, authorities said today.
Even though he had committed those acts while he was in the US, Thailand is proceeding against him.
Lerpong Wichaikhammat, 54, is also known as Joe W. Gordon and holds dual US and Thai citizenship. He was arrested earlier this week in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand) by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) – Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI in the United States.
“He translated articles which are deemed insulting to the monarchy and posted them on his blog. Also he provided a link to a book perceived as critical of the royal family”, divulged police Lieutenant Colonel Kovit Tardmee.
Wichaikhammat is currently being held at Bangkok Remand Prison. He has been denied bail during a hearing on Thursday. A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Bangkok said he has been receiving consular assistance as of today.
“He was charged with lèse majesté, subversion and uploading or linking to false information under the Computer Crime Act,” an official at Thailand’s Criminal Court told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Wichaikhammat had left Thailand when he was 35 and had returned for medical treatment in November 2009. He had planned to return to the US in December 2011. The US embassy said that it was providing consular assistance to the man.
The monarchy is an extremely sensitive subject in politically divided Thailand, which is preparing for an election on July 3. Lese-majeste, or insulting the monarchy, is a very serious offence in Thailand, with each offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, the world’s longest-reigning monarch and revered as a demi-god by many Thais, has been in hospital since September 2009, making an appearance only on rare occasions.
Tags:Politics, Thailand
Posted in Internet | No Comments »
