Editorials
Video of Pantip Plaza in Bangkok
Nicole Scott’s video over at Netbook News brought back a rush of memories of my senior year abroad. In the below video she gives a quick overview of some of the netbooks she found at Pantip Plaza.
Pantip Plazais a geek’s dream come true. There are countless computer and gadget stores stacked upon each other. On the ground floor is a software bazaar. For about 100 baht ($3 US) per disc you can get a copy of any application you can name. On the upper floors are smaller stores that are family run.
I had the time of my life in Thailand my senior year. I loved it so much I went back a couple of times, including once for my honeymoon.
Mobile tech was a heck of a lot different when I went to Thailand back in 2001. In order to shoot photos for an upcoming exhibit and send photos back home I packed a monstrosity of a digital darkroom. I brought a Minolta Maxxum SLR, PowerBook G4 and a Polaroid 35mm scanner. I kept a list of AOL dial-up numbers with me at all times.
I remember how magical it felt to transmit images half way around the world within hours of shooting them. Of course, these days anyone can do that, but back then it took some serious effort. It makes me wonder what kind of gear I’ll carry on trips in another eight years.
My Minolta died half way through the trip and I went to Pantip Plaza to buy a replacement. I made several trips back and still didn’t make it through the entire place. Believe it or not, it’s much bigger than it appears in Nicole’s video.
Chris Lucksted
10/19/2009 at 4:31 am
There are similar malls all over Asia. In Shenzhen the folks at the hotel called it the “TPN” or Third Party Nationalist mall. It’s the only one I’ve spent time to go to, but it’s the same insane level of activity. It was pretty staggering the breadth of technology available, although I’m not sure how one would access warranty repairs!
xmangerm
10/19/2009 at 2:49 pm
This seems like a place that I need to visit often.
Leo
10/19/2009 at 4:47 pm
Been there many times, but to echo Chris’s comments there are similar malls in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Jakarta, etc. The biggest difference that I saw was the availability of pirated software in Pantip.
However, on the newest versions of equipment, you can still get the same or better price on line in the U.S., and with a U.S. warranty.
Xavier
10/19/2009 at 7:51 pm
A lot of the resellers at Pantip Plaza and similar stores will tell you you’re covered by a “Global Warranty.” When I did buy stuff there I pretty much assumed there was no warranty.
Another thing that’s a lot different shopping for stuff at Pantip Plaza compared to Best Buy is that you’re expected to haggle over prices.