Tablets Made in Thailand

Design and manufacture of tablets in Thailand, the important first step towards local R&D and technological self-sufficiency?

Photo above shows the R&D director of Forth Corporation Sawat Erbchokchai showing off the components of a tablet that the Thai company believes it can build cheaply.

Read the full version of today's article here. Also read about SVOA's plan to focus on the market for low-end computers in Thailand (Read article).

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The tablet challenge, Some may be sceptical about Pheu Thai's pledge to put a tablet in the hands of every school child, but IT industry sees a golden opportunity to step up R&D by Suchit Leesa-nguansuk

The Pheu Thai Party's promise of One Tablet per Child for primary school students nationwide has touched off a lively debate about cost and practicality...

...Local electronics and computer companies along with technological universities are urging the new government to open the doors of the 4-billion-baht programme to Thai-made tablet personal computers.

Rather than simply importing them, promotion of locally made tablets would stimulate the domestic economy and promote development of the country's research and development (R&D) base.

Sawat Erbchokchai, the R&D director at Forth Corporation Plc, said his company was ready to produce the first Thai-made educational tablet products.

"Our high-tech manufacturing service enables us to supply our self-designed controller board and base board to interface with an LCD display," he said.

Forth designed the circuit board used in its IP PBX business and which could be applied to the tablets, said Mr Sawat.

He said only a few months would be needed to adapt the controller board for this purpose...

...An R&D collaboration between local private companies and the government would also help to encourage local R&D in manufacturing, component supplies and software development...

...Panuwat Khantamoleekul, the managing director of Supreme Distribution (Thailand), a local computer maker under the DTK brand, said the company planned to form a consortium with three other local companies that have their own factories...

...Members would share facilities to assemble 800,000 tablets for the government programme, said Mr Panuwat..

...Suchatvee Suwansawat, the dean of engineering at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, said Thailand would benefit from having its own tablet manufacturing facilities even if the government did have to spend more on the setup than it would on importing the devices.

Promoting domestic manufacturing would also enhance the capabilities of local entrepreneurs and younger people in design and production, he said.

The institute could make the tablets at our joint research and innovation centre set up by LG of South Korea," said Dr Suchatvee...

(Source: Bangkok Post, The tablet challenge, Some may be sceptical about Pheu Thai's pledge to put a tablet in the hands of every school child, but IT industry sees a golden opportunity to step up R&D, 20/07/2011, Suchit Leesa-nguansuk, link) 

Research and Development Vocabulary

Research and Development (R&D) - the process of of studying a subject in detail (with experiments perhaps) and creating new and improved ways products and better ways of making products (See Wikipedia)

gadgets - a small computer or technological devices or objects that can perform some task (examples: a GPS device that shows you where your car is on the map) (See Wikipedia)

tablet - tablet computer
tablet computer - a flat computer that looks like a book and is easy to carry and hold, the IPad was the first popular tablet computer  (See Wikipedia)

iPad - Apple's bestselling pioneer tablet computer, computer designed as a book-like tablet   "for Internet browsing, media consumption, gaming, and light content creation. Released in April 2010, it established a new class of devices between smartphones and laptops. As of June 1st, 2010, Apple had sold 2 million iPads" (See Wikipedia)
pioneer - the first to do something นักบุกเบิก, ผู้บุกเบิก, ผู้ริเริ่ม

step up R&D - increase R&D activity

development - the gradual growth and formation of something
base - a place or situation from where an activity can be planned and further developed ฐานที่มั่น
promote development of the country's research and development (R&D) base - take action so that the country is able to do R&D to improve products and develop its own new products

collaboration - when people work together to achieve a goal
R&D collaboration - working together with other companies on research and development 

local - in this country (here: Thailand)
local private companies - Thai companies owned by individuals or stock holders (not the government)
local R&D - R&D for new technologies inside Thailand

encourage - cause someone to gain enthusiasm, motivation, and energy in what they are doing; make people interested in and excited about doing an activity ปลุกใจ
encourage local R&D - make Thai companies want to do research and development

a circuit board - a board in a piece of electronics equipment with computer chips and electrical connections on it
X interfaces with Y - X connects to Y
controller board -  in computer hardware a board that "interfaces with" or connects to a "peripheral device" such as the  LED screen of the tablet computer (See Wikipedia)
base board - the main mother board that controls a computer (See Wikipedia)
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display, a technology used to make screens for tablet computers (See Wikipedia)
interface with an LCD display - connect to the tablet screen which uses LDC display technology

IP - Internet Protocol, the software system and standard used to build and organise the internet (See Wikipedia)
PBX - Private branch exchange, a private telephone exchange serving one building, company or hotel (See Wikipedia)

telephone exchange - an electronic and computer to connect phone calls, either automatically or through an operator (example: you call another room in your hotel or office, the telephone exchange connects you) (See Wikipedia)
IP PBX - a business telephone system designed to deliver voice or video over a data network and interoperate with the normal public telephone system(See Wikipedia)
IP PBX business - a business that manufactures IP PBX products for sale

component - a part which combines with other parts to form something bigger ส่วนประกอบ,ส่วนเสริม 
assemble - bring parts together in a single group ประกอบ

challenge - something that needs a lot of skill, energy, and determination to deal with or achieve สิ่งที่ท้าทาย, การท้าทาย

sceptical - not believing easily, tending to not believe (think that something may not be true or possible) สงสัย

pledge - to make a serious promise to do something สัญญา

opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
golden opportunity - a very good opportunity

primary - first 
primary school - the first years of school that a child studies in (attend school)

touch off - start (suddenly and unexpectedly; like catching on fire accidentally)
nationwide - throughout a whole country ทั่วทั้งประเทศ
debate - a discussion of two sides (pro, con) of an issue that people disagree about the issue (controversial issue, different views) (See Wikipedia)
lively debate - a debate that is full of energy (people are really discussing the issue and saying what they think)
touched off a lively debate - started a debate that is full of energy 

practicality - whether some plan will actually work in real situations and be successful

stimulate - act so as to increase activity; do things to help make the economy grow and develop faster, encourage economic activity, growth, and development กระตุ้น (See glossary)
domestic - within the country ภายในประเทศ
domestic economy - business within the country

adapt - change to meet new situation, to change something to suit different conditions or uses ทำให้เหมาะ, ทำให้เข้ากับ, ปรับ

brand - a type of product made by a particular company ตรา, ยี่ห้อ
local computer maker under the DTK brand - the computers made by the computer are sold with the brand name DTK (name seen on product, packaging and advertisements)

consortium - a group of companies working together on a project สมาคม,สหภาพ,ห้างหุ้นส่วน
subsidiary - a company that is owned by a larger company บริษัทลูก บริษัทในเครือ

share - to have or use something at the same time as someone else ใช้ร่วมกัน
facilities - the buildings and equipment for an activity สถานที่และสิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก

dean - a senior official at a college or university, often the head of a faculty or department คณบดี (ทางการศึกษา) อธิการบดี

benefit - to get help or an advantage from something ผลประโยชน์
enhance - to improve the quality, amount or strength of something ทำให้ดีเพิ่มขึ้น ปรับปรุง
capabilities - tasks or activities that someone is able to do

entrepreneurs - business people เจ้าของกิจการ
joint - belonging to or shared between two or more people ร่วม, ที่ร่วมกัน
innovation - a new way of doing something นวัตกรรม