thaiworthy-old
August 28th, 2007, 12:39
There was some mention a while back about the use of an Apple iphone in Thailand. I bought mine in the US when they first went on sale, on June 29. I have been in Thailand for one week so far and thought I'd share some of my experiences with it here in Pattaya.
First off, most the functions of this device work flawlessly. Of course, ipod video and music work well anywhere. I can connect to the internet with the Safari browser and get email. I am staying at the Ambiance and they have wi-fi. Once you put in your password, you can send and retrieve email without any problems and use the browser. At the airport, there are "hot spots" to find where wi-fi is available, such as those that broadcast from the various airlines' President's Club lounges. Only once did I have a problem retrieving email on the street, where no wifi was available. Another time on the street I found a "free" network and then could make contact with the internet, albeit slowly. In the US, AT&T's EDGE network provides this service. I don't know what you would call it here, but in the upper left corner of the main menu the letters "TH GSM" are displayed.
Most of the problems are found in the phone itself. For $5.99 a month, and $1.29 a minute, I can call my bf back in the US most of the time. When I first turn on the phone, it seems to take a minute to completely enable itself for phone use, but this is just a guess. My first attempt to call someone in the US after just turning on the unit are always unsuccessful with a dreaded 3-beep tone. So when I hear this, it means the call did not go through. The second attempt, just a few moments later, is usually successful.
Another call to the US resulted in the 3-beep tone when my friend's battery was dead on the Razor he was using. About half the time, I can leave a voice mail to anyone. Most phones are programmed to generate a voice mail greeting when not picked up after "x" number of rings. If the phone is not answered within these rings, it will attempt to roll over to the voice mail greeting. It is at this time when the 3-beep tone is played and I cannot leave a message. But persistence pays, and if you try often enough, you can leave a message. I don't know for sure, but it looks to me like the it might be a signal problem. Back in the US, I work on the 40th floor of the tallest buidling in Houston. I have similar problems with the phone from there, because, I am told, the towers that generate the signal to the phone is not designed to go that high. But that is not the fault of the phone.
In conclusion, I would have to say that the strength and proximity of the signal generated from cellular-broadcasting towers appears to be responsible for whether or not you can connect. I would have to say that I am satisfied with the performance of this device, and when they go on sale here in Thailand, some of these problems may go away, simply because the unit would be next-generation and probably more adaptable to use in this country.
Like many other things in Thailand, one survives better by adopting the infamous "mai pen rai" atttitude with these things. Once you know the quicks and how to get around them, the iphone's usefulness is brought well into focus. I am not at all surprised at these anomolies, since it almost expected with new technology such as this.
I hope this info will be found useful. If I lived here permanently, at the present time, I certainly would not buy an iphone in the US and transplant it just for use here. It wouldn't make sense. Sooner or later, these things will be worked out.
--Thaiworthy
First off, most the functions of this device work flawlessly. Of course, ipod video and music work well anywhere. I can connect to the internet with the Safari browser and get email. I am staying at the Ambiance and they have wi-fi. Once you put in your password, you can send and retrieve email without any problems and use the browser. At the airport, there are "hot spots" to find where wi-fi is available, such as those that broadcast from the various airlines' President's Club lounges. Only once did I have a problem retrieving email on the street, where no wifi was available. Another time on the street I found a "free" network and then could make contact with the internet, albeit slowly. In the US, AT&T's EDGE network provides this service. I don't know what you would call it here, but in the upper left corner of the main menu the letters "TH GSM" are displayed.
Most of the problems are found in the phone itself. For $5.99 a month, and $1.29 a minute, I can call my bf back in the US most of the time. When I first turn on the phone, it seems to take a minute to completely enable itself for phone use, but this is just a guess. My first attempt to call someone in the US after just turning on the unit are always unsuccessful with a dreaded 3-beep tone. So when I hear this, it means the call did not go through. The second attempt, just a few moments later, is usually successful.
Another call to the US resulted in the 3-beep tone when my friend's battery was dead on the Razor he was using. About half the time, I can leave a voice mail to anyone. Most phones are programmed to generate a voice mail greeting when not picked up after "x" number of rings. If the phone is not answered within these rings, it will attempt to roll over to the voice mail greeting. It is at this time when the 3-beep tone is played and I cannot leave a message. But persistence pays, and if you try often enough, you can leave a message. I don't know for sure, but it looks to me like the it might be a signal problem. Back in the US, I work on the 40th floor of the tallest buidling in Houston. I have similar problems with the phone from there, because, I am told, the towers that generate the signal to the phone is not designed to go that high. But that is not the fault of the phone.
In conclusion, I would have to say that the strength and proximity of the signal generated from cellular-broadcasting towers appears to be responsible for whether or not you can connect. I would have to say that I am satisfied with the performance of this device, and when they go on sale here in Thailand, some of these problems may go away, simply because the unit would be next-generation and probably more adaptable to use in this country.
Like many other things in Thailand, one survives better by adopting the infamous "mai pen rai" atttitude with these things. Once you know the quicks and how to get around them, the iphone's usefulness is brought well into focus. I am not at all surprised at these anomolies, since it almost expected with new technology such as this.
I hope this info will be found useful. If I lived here permanently, at the present time, I certainly would not buy an iphone in the US and transplant it just for use here. It wouldn't make sense. Sooner or later, these things will be worked out.
--Thaiworthy