gene1944 Posted May 9, 2003 Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 The Thai Government is selling new desktop and laptop computers to Thai citizens who want to purchase them in order to get more people tuned into computers. More info is available in the Bangkok Post or from the Thaivisa website. Prices look cheap for a basic computer but pretty expensive for the poor guy from Klong Toey who works for the basic 160 baht a day.... Orders can be placed today and delivery will start in about a month. Financing loans are also available. The desktop (10,900 plus vat) ---one-gig Intel Celeron processor, 128 megabyte memory, a 52x speed CD-ROM, 20-gigabyte hard disk, 14-inch monitor, fax modem, speakers and keyboard. Local companies will provide the computers. The laptop (19,500 plus vat)-- manufactured by H-P has an 800-megahertz Intel Celeron processor, 10.2-inch screen, 128 megabytes of memory and a 20-gigabyte hard drive. Both include a one year warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted May 9, 2003 Report Share Posted May 9, 2003 some large companies try to clear their stock of otherwise not anymore sellable products and some guys along the supplychain cashing in as well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJsushi Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 Seems like the laptops do not have a floppy or CD-Rom drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 http://www.thaivisa.com/index.php?514&backPID=514&tt_news=321 No CD-ROM, no floppy; Disappointment in gov't low-cost computers LOW-COST COMPUTERS: WHAT - NO BELLS AND WHISTLES? BANGKOK: While the government has won praise for the low-cost computer scheme it launched yesterday, the rudimentary machines on offer disappointed many of the buyers who showed up at the sale. Nearly 30,000 buyers battled their way through the crowds at the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre yesterday to be among the first to order a cheap computer. Thongthien Hongladarom, 65, in a wheelchair, said she came to buy a notebook computer to use on her bed so she could explore the Internet. "This project is a big help for me," she said. Most prospective buyers willingly put up with the heat and the long queues, believing that the government computers were worth waiting for. Some arrived as early as 3am to be at the head of the queue. Nuanthip Samutlah, 49, who, along with relatives, bought four desktop computers, said she trusted the government computers because of the success of other schemes to help the masses. "I need one for working on my homework," said her 13-year-old niece. Like Nuanthip, many buyers had never owned a computer and wanted them for their children. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who presided over the launch yesterday, said he was elated to see such a huge crowd. "So many people! I'm surprised! It's a very good sign," he said with a broad smile. But not all were as elated as the premier. Many people went home disappointed with the lack of features in the laptop computers, which had no floppy-disk or CD-ROM drives. "No floppy-disk drive? What can I do with this laptop?" said Nuttapon Kassakorn, 22, a new graduate. He also questioned why the omission was not mentioned in the news release from the ICT Ministry. "I guess there was a mistake somewhere because we told the ministry from the start about the specifications," said Anothai Wettayakorn, general manager of HP (Thailand), the sole supplier of laptop computers to the project. The project was instigated by the premier and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Minister Surapong Suebwonglee to tackle IT illiteracy among Thais and promote Net usage. The desktop computers are priced at Bt10,900 and laptops at Bt19,500, about half current market prices. People can pay for the products by cash or by loans from Krung Thai Bank or the Government Savings Bank at the low interest rate of 6.25 per cent over two years. When the event closed at 8pm, only 19,311 people had made reservation orders, far short of the government's projection of 50,000 for the first day. The government has also projected demand for 1 million computers by the year's end. Some 6,740 buyers opted to pay in cash, 4,921 paid via credit from Krung Thai Bank and the rest with loans from the Government Savings Bank. "A lot of them gave up on the long queues. They know they can make an order until the end of this month at any branch of the two banks and at post offices," said an ICT Ministry source. Also, some were unsure about the computers' specifications, so they decided not to buy. "I think the government should have some staff here to explain things to me," said one Thai, who declined to be named. Source: The Nation 2003-05-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adikgede Posted May 12, 2003 Report Share Posted May 12, 2003 some large companies try to clear their stock of otherwise not anymore sellable products and some guys along the supplychain cashing in as well.... Actually its a purpose built peoples computer. They wouldn't have much luck selling old computers and trying to get Linux to work on them. Supporting Linux on laptops is a pain in the ass. That doesn't mean they aren't using "obsolete" components. story I wonder how the language support is. Thai NLS for Linux appeared to be stillborn last time I noticed. Same for Malay linguas, my wife gets Indonesian menus on the desktop but thats about as deep as it gets, and many of the translation appear to be done by pimply faced hackers, that don't actually know proper Indonesian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 30, 2003 Report Share Posted May 30, 2003 From Bangkok Post: Following the Government's lead in providing low-cost PCs, a group of 54 computer resellers in the North, Northeast and the South will introduce their own entry-level PC model with the ``SME PC'' brand. Rewat Wangpreedalertkul, an adviser to the Chiang Mai Computer Club, said the ICT computer project had created wide awareness of computer use in up-country areas. ``People are more receptive to owning a computer and our SME PC will be one of their options,'' he said. The SME PC is priced at 13,900 baht excluding VAT. Its features, which are slightly more advanced than the ICT Project computer, are powered by an Intel Celeron processor running at 1.7GHz. It comes with 128MB DDR RAM, 40GB hard disk, 17-inch monitor, a Linux operating system and the Pladao Office suite.....URL Very cheap with a 17" monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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