Bringing a Phone to Thailand......

[bucknaway]

I enjoyed using my PDA so much when I was in Thailand. The only thing missing was a phone to use there. I think I have found a perfect fix. The Palm Treo 650.

This device will allow me to program my itinerary, program the phone number of my Thai friends with their Photo and notes all into the unit. It also is a phone that I am hoping can be used in Thailand.

The unit I have is not GSM but is CDMA. Any of you know if this unit can be used in Thailand with a Thai carrier?

I pulled the battery off the back and there is no place for a sim card on my unit. I am told that Sprint, Verizon and T-mobile here in the USA all use CDMA signal format.

Any help will be appreciated.

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You can still use your phone in thialand if your US carrier has network agreement with thai carrier, but you will be on US carrier's roaming zone, expensive.
If you there is no slot for a sim card in your phone, then you can not buy and use Thai sim card and you can not use your phone in Thailand.

The Thai cell network is GSM. CDMA phones won't work.

[bucknaway]

Ok, I just got off the phone with palm. They told me I can buy a GSM simulator card that fits into the slot at the top of the phone where the SD memory card would go.

I should have asked him if I buy that from him or if I would buy that in Thailand...

I will call them back later....

This may work better for me. If I can install a sim card and use my phone in BKK and take the card out and be back on "Sprint" USA service.... Then that would be PERFECT!

CDMA is provided in Thailand by Hutch and CAT.

http://www.hutchclub.com/

But do not know if your Palm will work???
I also have a CDMA phone through AT&T, now Cingular.
They told me I cannot put a Thai SIM in my CDMA Nokia.
Have to pay for roaming...

Think I will just buy a HelloBuddy SIM for my US$40 GSM phone, like I usually do.

Cheers,
George

[SteveSF-old]

CDMA phones are not compatible with GSM systems. In the USA, T-mobile and AT&T/Cingular are GSM, while Sprint and Verizon are CDMA. I expect that it would be much cheaper for you to buy a GSM phone in Thailand, than to buy an adapter for your Treo. Also, if your phone is lost or stolen, it would be much less of a loss for you than to loose your Treo. Phones are stolen all the time in Thailand, and it sounds like you would be quite upset to lose your fancy phone!
Also, as another poster pointed out, you should buy a 1-2-Call or Orange or DTAC prepaid SIM, which would let you call within Thailand, and even overseas for much less than the roaming charges that your USA based carrier would soak you with. One friend of mine found that out the hard way upon returning to the US to face a 1000 dollar phone bill!
Please note that you are probably better off buying the phone in Thailand than in the US, as many of the phones in the US are locked to a specific carrier, and will not accept other carrier's SIM cards. Thailand does not have that practice. (To be fair, Thailand does not subsidize the purchase of the mobile phone either). Phones can be purchased fairly cheaply at MBK in Bangkok.
Another advantage of having a GSM phone is that GSM is the prevailing standard throughout Europe, Asia (except for Japan and Korea, which use their own systems), and with a Tri or Quad band phone, throughout the Americas as well. (The USA decided to use different frequency bands than the rest of the world for phone service. Go figure).
Good luck, and remember, if you have any mobile phone questions while in Thailand, a Thai boy will likely know more than you about that piece of technology!

[bucknaway]

I am not too worried about anyone stealing my Phone. If it is stolen, I only need to pay $50 and sprint will replace my phone and I have all the information on the phone backed-up on my PC.

It is my hope to get the phone un-locked to use a Thai carrier and to use the GSM card that the guy at Palm told me about.

They seem to have a good FAQ area at the Palm website that is related to Thailand and the use of the Treo....

I will bring it and hope for the best. I know there is a Palm/Treo vendor at Pantip Plaza that should be able to help me out....

But I will come prepared with as much info from Palm as possible.

[Geezer]

You can buy good used mobiles at TukCom near Hollywood for 1,500 - 2,000 bt. I have done this for visiting friends, and never had a problem.

... you have missed the point. Geezer. bucknaway is what's known in the business as a High-Tech Wanker

[sing_lofty_sing]

Why do people have to have those bloody things stuck to there ears even when on a holiday. Just buy a phone card for about bht300, there's enough card phones around Pattaya. I think half the time when i see these sad people with the phone in a little pouch on there belts that they think how important they are. Fine if you live in Thailand ----but a 4 week holiday,------SAD Life