Pattaya News Flash
Today's Specials at Pattaya's Supermarkets & Shopping Centers
Fruits in Thailand
Fruits in Thailand - Click here for more information
Shopping Tip
Healthy Fruit Drinks
On sale on Beach Road's new 'Pattaya Promenade'.
Healthy Fruit Drinks
Thai Orange Juice
Laboratory tests by Mahidol University on 22 samples of orange juice found many contained dangerously high levels of sugar.
The tests revealed some concentrated orange juice and orange-flavoured drinks contain 11 to 15 teaspoons of sugar per small bottle or pack, compared to about seven teaspoons per similar-sized can of carbonated drink.
The Department of Medical Services recently reported that Thais consume excessive amounts of sugar, with an average of 20 teaspoons per person a day. The recommended health standard is no more than 10 teaspoons a day.
An excessive intake of sugar can lead to increased a risk of many diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
The lab tests also found that the juices contained less vitamin C than claimed on the label.
The Foundation for Consumers said consumers should switch to fresh fruit, such as guava, for vitamin C intake. A 100g serving of fresh guava contains up to 230mg of vitamin C.
Recommendation
Check your receipt!
If you are buying goods at BigC, Carrefour, Tesco/Lotus or Tops Super check your receipt very carefully. Often the price on the shelf does not match the price on the receipt. And more often than not, the difference is at your disadvantage.
Very often the advertised promotions last a few days only, but the stickers remain on the shelfes for weeks.
Thai Alcohol Law
New Law
Soda Water
Thailand's problem with Soda Water
Thailand bans alcohol during election days and Buddhist holidays.
Because some Thais like to drink their Whisky with Soda Water, the lovely officials are banning Soda Water on those days too.
Consumer Protection
New law will protect customers.
From Feb 20 2009 onwards, a new law will be in effect to ensure that consumers find it easier to file a suit for negligence, the Office of Consumer Protection Board announces. Consumers have the right to seek legal redress for purchased goods that are substandard and/or cause physical injuries the spokesman said.
Consumers would simply have to file a complaint or ask authorised foundations to do so for them. With the new law, business operators will also be encouraged to improve the quality of their goods. The new law shifts the burden of proof on to the producers, importers and/or retailers of the goods.
Shopping Tip
Long-life
low-energy bulbs
Buy the long-life low-energy bulbs here in Thailand.
At homeWorks and other Shopping Centers you can get the good ones from Philips 2 to 3 times cheaper than in Europe!
Prices start at about 63 Baht only.
Shopping Info
Long-life
low-energy bulbs
Global demand for fluorescent lamp tubes in 2008 is estimated at one billion units, and will increase to four billion tubes in 2015. Largely due to hiking oil prices.
Philips is the largest global vendor of CFLs and currently has two production bases in Poland and India.
Lite-On IT in Zhengjiang, eastern China, obtained OEM orders from Royal Philips Electronics, largely due to the pair's existing partnership in the manufacture of optical disc drives. Many of the mineral ores used as materials for CFL tubes can be sourced locally in Zhengjiang.
Philips has been under intense price pressure for its lamps from Sanyo Electric, Osram and large retail channels.
Next Revolution: LED
Save US$1.8 trillion and 10 gigatons in carbon dioxide emissions.
What the transistor was to the vacuum tube, the LED is to lighting technology.
A study says that replacing incandescent and fluorescent bulbs with light-emitting diodes can reap enormous savings in cost.
New York-based Smart Lighting Engineering Resource Center claims that replacing 80 percent of traditional lighting with LEDs over the next 10 years will result in savings of more than US$1.8 trillion or almost a billion barrels of oil in power plants that would otherwise produce 10 gigatons in carbon dioxide emissions...
Bicycles
Made in Thailand
After using the bicycle for 1 year only its joint flange got broken. Neither the seller nor the repairshops had a replacement part in stock, but all said a repair will cost between 1'200 and 1'800 Baht.
A motorcycle shop in Buri Ram did the repair for 150 Baht only...
Made in Thailand
Pedal got broken on a 2 months old bicycle. One week after the first pedal the second pedal got broken too... The pedals identification number: FP-826.
Friends told me, that not only Turbo face quality problems, the same happens with bicycles from L.A., A-One and Coppi too. Most Thai manufacturers know the word 'quality' only, but not its meaning.
Warning: Tesco/Lotus and Carrefour are selling Bikeline branded pedals. The pedals don't fit most of the bicycle Tesco/Lotus or Carrefour are selling. The pedals threaded bolts are larger then the thread on their bicycles... A set of Bikline Pedals (FP-855) costs 129 Baht at Tesco/Lotus, but 79 Baht only at Carrefour (February 11 2009).
If you are buying a bicycle check its brakes very carefully.
Brakes on bicycles 'Made in Thailand' are mostly an useless accessory.
Pattaya Map
Shopping in Pattaya - Click here for Pattaya Map  - Printed Courtesy of PAPPA Co., Ltd. All Right Reserved. www.officialthailandinfo.com
Shopping in Pattaya
Shopping Centers in South Pattaya
Tesco/Lotus Sign
Tesco/Lotus
Sukhumvit Raod,
South Pattaya
Super Market
Food Court
Tesco/Lotus Pattaya
Outlet Mall

Sukhumvit Road,
South Pattaya
Fashion Outlet at 'Factory Prices'
Outlet Mall Pattaya
Outlet Village

Sukhumvit Road,
South Pattaya
Fashion Outlet at 'Factory Prices'
Here are the 'big names':
Adidas, Nike, Esprit, Callaway, French Kitty, Kitta ...
Outlet Village Pattaya
BigC Pattaya
BigC
Sukhumvit Road,
South Pattaya
Supermarket
Bank Offices
Restaurants
BigC Pattaya
homeWorks
homeWorks
Sukhumvit Road,
South Pattaya
homeWorks Pattaya
Tukcom / Comcity
Tukcom
South Pattaya Road,
South Pattaya
Mobile Phones
Cameras
Computer
Software / Games
Electronic Parts
Tops market
Bank Offices
Food Court
Tukcom Pattaya

Netbooks made easy
Walking through Intel's CPU Jungle
Today most Netbooks are built around Intel's Atom microprocessors.
The Intel Atom is Intel's line of low-power, low-cost and low-performance x86 and x86-64 microprocessors for use in Netbooks up to 10.1-inch displays.
The Atom N270 debuted on June 3, 2008 and the Atom N280 on February 6, 2009. The N270 has a clock frequency of 1600 MHz, the N280 runs at 1667 MHz. Both microprocessors are Single-Core CPUs built around 47 million transistors. Graphic and memory controllers are not integrated into the chips.
On December 21, 2009 Intel released the Atom N450 CPU and on March 1, 2010 the Atom N470. The N450 runs at 1667 MHz and the N470 at 1833 MHz. Both microprocessors are Single-Core CPUs built around 123 million transistors and have integrated graphics and memory controllers supporting DDR2-667 memory-cards.
Released in the 2nd quarter of 2010 Intel's Atom N455 and Atom N475 are virtual N450 and N470 processors but are supporting the faster DDR3-800 memory cards.
In the 3rd quarter of 2010 Intel released the Atom N550 for use in Netbooks. The new CPU is a Dual-Core microprocessor that runs at 1500 MHz. It has built-in graphic and memory controllers, uses 176 million transistors and supports DDR3-800 memory cards. Benchmarked with 7-Zip a N550 Netbook shows about twice the power of a N450 Netbook, but it also uses about 50% more power from the battery...
Designated for Sub Netbooks (e.g. Sony's VAIO P) only:
During the 2nd quarter of 2010 Intel released the Atom Z5xx serie of CPUs and announced an Atom Z6xx serie for 2011. These microprocessors are Single-Core CPUs. The Z5xx serie uses 47 million transistors and comes without integrated graphic and memory controllers. The Z6xx serie will use about 140 million transistors and will have integrated graphic and memory controllers.
Another serie of Atom processors is designated for the use in small Desktop computers:
The Atom 230 is a Single-Core and the Atom 330 a Dual-Core processor without integrated graphic and memory controllers and are running at 1800MHz.
Intel's D410 and D425 are Single-Core CPU's with integrated graphic and memory controllers and last but not least Intel released the D510 and the D525 Dual-Core microprocessors also with integrated graphic and memory controllers.
D410 and D510 are supporting DDR2-800 memory-cards, whereas the D425 and the D525 are addressing DDR3-800 memory cards.
Shopping Centers in Central Pattaya
Mike Plaza
Beach Road
Central Pattaya
Fashion Outlets
Hotel
Mike Plaza Pattaya
Royal Garden Plaza
Beach Road
Central Pattaya
Large Shopping Mall
Restaurants
Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya
Avenue
Second Road
Central Pattaya
Large Shopping Mall
Restaurants
Bowling
Karaoke Booth
Cinemas
Villa Market
Villa Market
Avenue Pattaya
Mike Shopping Mall
Beach Road
Central Pattaya
Large Shopping Mall
Swimming Pool on top of the Building
Mike Shopping Mall Pattaya
CentralFestival Pattaya Beach
Beach Road
Central Pattaya
Large Shopping Mall
Restaurants
Hotel
Cinemas

Central Festival Pattaya
Tops market
Tops market
Central Road
Central Pattaya
Super Market
Restarant
Tops market Pattaya
Foodland
Central Road
Central Pattaya
Super Market
Foodland Pattaya
Carrefour
Central Road
Central Pattaya
Super Market
Food Court
Bank Offices
Restaurants
HomePro Market
HomePro Market
Carrefour Pattaya
Shopping Centers in North Pattaya
All A Go-Go Clubs
Pattaya Sweethearts
Advertisements
Expensive Thailand
1 liter of (real) milk costs in good old Germany about 32 Baht.
For a 800 ml liter bottle of milk I have to pay here at least 38 Baht (1 liter = 48 Baht!) and I am not shure if I get the real thing or water mixed with some milkpowder.
Tesco/Lotus
On Saturday September 20 2008 Tesco/Lotus on Sukhumvit Road sold a 1.5 litre bottle of its Tesco Cola at 12 Baht. At its outlet on Pattaya North Road you had to pay 19.5 Baht for the same bottle.
It wasn't the first time I discoverd large price differences for the same goods at the two outlets.
A few days before Tesco/Lotus on North Road sold a computer table for 299 Baht, the same day the Sukhumvit outlet asked 699 baht for the very same table.
Compare Prices!
5 litres of ordinary Drinking Water costs 25 Baht at Tesco/Lotus.
6 litres of ordinary Drinking Water costs 30 Baht at BigC.
At Carrefour 6 litres of Mineral Water costs 30.50 Baht.
NetBooks
NetBooks in Thailand
With the lone exception of Apple, all of the top 10 PC brands have entered the mini-note PC market.
Acer surged to the top spot, capturing more than 38% of the netbook market. Asustek Computer, which had essentially created the market in late 2007, has about 30% market share.
Toshiba's Notebooks are manufactured either by Compal Electronics, Inventec or Pegatron Technology.
Dell's Notebooks and Netbooks are manufactured by Compal Electronics.
Sony's Notebooks are manufactured either by Quanta Computer or Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry).
Notebooks from Hewlett-Packard and Apple are manufatured by Quanta Computer.
Copycat Products
This camera, made by a Chinese manufacturer, is on sale at MBK Center in Bangkok for about 3'000 Baht and is labeled as Sony 8 Megapixels Digital Camera...
False Sony Camera
Most MP3 and MP4 Players on sale at MBK, Pantip Plaza and other locations, including Tukcom Pattaya, are (falsely) labeled as iPod or Sony Products...
The Thai distributors buy the goods brandless from the manufacturers and are adding the false brands later in Thailand.
Advertisements
Misleading Ads
In full contrast to nation wide advertisements:
Your body can't absorb the Calcium in Soya Milk.
Therefore: Calcium in Soya Milk is completely useless.
FOX TV, March 23 2008.
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