Laptops on the beach with full INTERNET!

[bucknaway]

A few months back I had suggested that someone on the beach in Pattaya could make a lot of money if they offered Wifi to their beach-chair customers so that they could use their laptops or wifi phones on the beach.....

Well they are now advertising new laptops that work with local cell phone providers so that you can connect to the internet even when wifi is not available.

I am sure it has to work on the GSM system as well as the CDMA!

It seems that when I come in October I may be able to live my dream of surfing the net on a tablet/laptop PC while enjoying the beach..... Now that is what I cal VACATION!



Info on News Story of the Laptop I speak of (http://www-131.ibm.com/content/home/store_LNV_PublicUSA/en_US/ThinkPad_ZSeries_WWAN.html)

[bkkguy]

I am sure it has to work on the GSM system as well as the CDMA!

no, it is CDMA only, Hutch has it available in Thailand but I think the maximum speed is about 250 KB, and your US hardware may not be compatible with the Hutch network and you would need to sign up for a Hutch account anyway and the prices are fairly high

there is always GPRS on GSM networks at stunning speeds of 20-40 KB and 1 Baht a minute connection charge! and real G3 (which is realy a variant of CDMA anyway) networks will be available "real soon" in Thailand

it would be easier just to string a few WI-FI hotspots along the beach - most serious travellers have WI-FI hardware already and the speed is much better - 11-50 MB !


It seems that when I come in October I may be able to live my dream of surfing the net on a tablet/laptop PC while enjoying the beach..... Now that is what I cal VACATION!

funny, most people would call it hell !

bkkguy

Laptops on the beach!!!! i think this is good for all the sad'os who need to access there porn 24/7, or the nerds who need to do emails all day. Most people go to the beach to get away from tvs, computers etc. Why not just go sit in a cafe all day if you want to surf!

[bucknaway]

That is the beauty of it. You don't have to choose. If you want the splendor of the beach and the connectivity of the internet.... you can have that and you don't have to pick one or the other :happy3:

Speaking of WIFI... where are the FREE WIFI locations in Pattaya? or Phuket for that matter?

[bucknaway]

I don't often go into the "Global" forum but I let my mouse take me there and I found a topic that has a few sources in Pattaya for free wifi. Give it a click...

http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/fo ... php?t=7251 (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7251)


Speaking of WIFI... where are the FREE WIFI locations in Pattaya? or Phuket for that matter?

My objection to laptops on the beach is purely subjective, and applicable only to myself - but I can't think of anything worse!

I sure as hell am not going to do any work on the beach - that's why they call it *vacation*!

I figure I'll stop by an internet cafe and e-mail my mother every couple of days to let her know that I am alive (which may make me sound like a pathetic momma's-boy - but I lost a sister to cancer this past December, so we are all pretty solicitous of our parents these days)

Then again, I am one of the only people left in the free world who doesn't have a cell phone. I don't *want* people to be able to reach me all the time!

On a practical note, I'd imagine with the humidity, not to mention sand, oil and potentially spilled fruity drinks, my notebook wouldn't survive the trip.

<diatribe>As I bemoaned (emphasis on the last syllable) in another thread, one of the lovely benefits of such a WiFi zone is to have dozens of loud simultaneous Skype conversations surrounding one in an environment where one might prefer peace and tranquility.

"WHAT? YOU STILL CAN'T HEAR ME? THEN I'LL JUST TALK LOUDER FOR THE NEXT 45 MINUTES, OK?" Translated into German, Aussie, American English, Dutch, etc ... get the lovely picture?

Mobile phones are bad enough, but imagine multiple users around your beach chair not using headsets/microphones, relying solely on the built-in speakers/mike on the notebook itself: you get to hear BOTH sides of the conversation.</diatribe>

Hey don't be so quick to knock it guys! If you work in Bangkok, you can now sneak away early on Friday and avoid the traffic!

*emails come in from time to time on the road - whenever you get enough signal
*and it appears that you are still working diligently in the office
*no more waiting in 6 pm traffic leaving Bangkok
*a few beers on the beach to start the weekend

Now you just need one of those handsfree microphones that works from vibrations so that if your boss calls, he doesn't hear the sounds of the waves!

Potential caveats:

Your screen may not be visible in the bright sun (even under a big brolly)
Some serious grief from your retired friends who live in Jomtien who are sitting next to you
No comfortable position to type in deck chairs

lots of people now communicate using Blackberry for emails from the office, tel calls and the like, and I think even internet, bit small though.

I have a Sony Vaio, a very small computer and brilliant for the traveller, there is now an even smaller computer than the Vaio which is as powerful as an ordinary laptop which is coming on to the market.

Mind you I would'nt use a laptop on the beach, bit cumbersome I think, but you never know - the IPODs now are brill and manageable and certainly better than a walkman or clumsy CD player