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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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zhanknight
Joined: 24 Mar 2010 Location: Yangsan
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:25 am Post subject: Re: Buy Korean or Bring |
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lionesse wrote: |
Did anyone answer this for you, Koreanbear?
What did your girlfriend decide to do? I have the same question she did. Should I buy here or wait until I get to Korea in Feb.
Thanks for any advice
Koreanbear wrote: |
Hi all -
I am moving ot Korea in a couple of weeks and I am planning on bringing my UK laptop. My US girlfriend is deciding whether it is best to buy a laptop in the US or wait and buy a new laptop in Korea.
Having skim read this thread, it seems that...
1/ If you are about to move to Korea from the UK or the US, then bring a laptop with you as the ones in Korea is more expensive and there can be hassle getting an English version of Windows.
2/ Macs seem unpopular and are not an option buying in Korea.
3/ If you are bringing a UK laptop, then you will need to buy an adaptor when over in Korea as the voltage is different.
Can anyone "in the know" confirm if I have interpreted this thread correctly? |
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Buy in North America if you can. Almost certainly cheaper, and you already know your way around buying electronics there. There would be a learning curve on hunting for a laptop here.
On voltage adapters, NO! Any laptop you buy will be 'autosensing'; that means you can use it on 220 or 110 or whatever without a converter. What you DO need is a PLUG ADAPTER. This means that the shape of your UK plug will not fit in the socket here. You can get a plug adapter here or in the UK for less than a few dollars/pounds/whatever. You do NOT need anything to modify the voltage - just something to change the shape of the plug so that it fits in the socket. This is true no matter where you buy - if you buy in Korea, you can use it back at home with just a plug adapter. |
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Wad
Joined: 19 Nov 2007
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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My biggest concern about buying electronics overseas, and then shipping them to Korea, would be warranty. What if something breaks? Can you actually get international warranties? Or would you have to ship it back to point of sale? The one thing I've always liked about Yongsan Electronics Market, is that when you have something break they generally just replace the part the same day. I've never had to wait weeks for something to be fixed unlike Canada. |
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Bruce W Sims
Joined: 08 Mar 2011 Location: Illinois; USA
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:01 am Post subject: |
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Ok................... I have a DELL Inspirion (E1505)......
yeah, I hear you snickering back there....
Anyways, I don't have much anxiety about the difference in voltage and what-not. My questions are more about day-to-day usage.
1.) I'll be bringing most of my teaching resources on an external hard-drive with a USB multi-connection into my lap-top. I won't be able to schlep a printer. How do most folks get their printing needs met?
2.) I'm bringing a mini-cam with me for SKYPE; any caveats I need to know about?
3.) Are most buildings fixed for WI-FI?
4.) Any comments about using lap-tops in the boonies?
5.) Anybody have any thoughts on the efficacy of typical Western computer security software (IE Norton; McAfee) vis the sorts of bugs that one might find unique to Korean websites and resources?
6.) Are there packages for extended-stay foreigners that bundle various services such as cell-phone and computer?
7.) How is the integrity of the infastructure? Rolling Black-outs? Power surges? "Brown-outs"? Storm outages? Seasonal or geographic considerations?
8.) Anybody have any media (Ie. disk, programs, software, file extensions)recommendations or warnings?
Any input on any of these questions would be a big help.
Best Wishes,
Bruce |
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glassandshells
Joined: 12 Jun 2011
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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i apologize if this question has been answered, and i haven't been able to find it/recognize it.
i have a toshiba laptop i bought in the u.s. a few years ago. the plug that goes from the brick to the wall says 25A 250v~. on the brick itself it says input: 100-240v~ 1.5A, output: 15v --- 5A.
will i need an adapter and what kind? thanks for the help! |
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CPT
Joined: 25 Mar 2007
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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Not sure if this should go in this thread, but...
I have been looking around for a new laptop, and finally settled on just ordering one from Dell (XPS 15, if it matters), as I did 4 years ago.
Well, things seem to be a bit different now, and I've found out that I can only get English Windows if I buy Windows 7 Ultimate, which I would rather not do (extra 104k, plus I imagine it would take up a bit more space/resources with stuff I'm not going to use).
I've got a decent sized budget, as I want a laptop that will perform very well for the foreseeable future, and be good enough after that.
So, I guess this is to ask for advice on what to do if I still want to go with Dell, or what I can get for about 1.5 mil if I go in another direction. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:32 am Post subject: |
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CPT wrote: |
Not sure if this should go in this thread, but...
I have been looking around for a new laptop, and finally settled on just ordering one from Dell (XPS 15, if it matters), as I did 4 years ago.
Well, things seem to be a bit different now, and I've found out that I can only get English Windows if I buy Windows 7 Ultimate, which I would rather not do (extra 104k, plus I imagine it would take up a bit more space/resources with stuff I'm not going to use).
I've got a decent sized budget, as I want a laptop that will perform very well for the foreseeable future, and be good enough after that.
So, I guess this is to ask for advice on what to do if I still want to go with Dell, or what I can get for about 1.5 mil if I go in another direction. |
Buying the OS with the Laptop is ALWAYS CHEAPER than buying it separately. Windows 7 Ultimate 104k extra? That's a steal. Windows 7 HOME Edition is at least $150.
Jesus, I'll GIVE YOU 104,000won for that Windows 7 Ultimate and the CD key sticker that comes with it. |
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CPT
Joined: 25 Mar 2007
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, but if I'm not going to buy it at all, it's still 104k that I didn't want to spend.
I just want Home Premium in English, and Dell says I can't have it. |
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88Sparky
Joined: 02 Oct 2011
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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Here is another rule of them. If your electronic device doesn't say 100 to 240 V INPUT 50/60 Hz, then I would get a transformer that is a step up/step down transformer. I got a transformer for about $13 USD, but the shipping was about $55 USD. As long as your shipping and the value of the product doesn't exceed 150,000 Korean Won, then you'll be fine. |
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nile19
Joined: 19 Aug 2012
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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So, if I want to bring my US laptop to Korea... all I need is a plug adapter? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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nile19 wrote: |
So, if I want to bring my US laptop to Korea... all I need is a plug adapter? |
Yes, that is correct.
You can confirm by reading the label on the brick; it should say something like:
input 100-250VAC
50/60 hz.
500 won at any stationary store or you can get a power bar with universal plugs-6000 won at e-mart, home-plus, etc.
. |
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Arteta
Joined: 29 Oct 2012
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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How easy is it to buy a laptop with Roman letters and an English BIOS?
I don't care about Windows because i'll buy my own and sort the software myself. I can just re-format and wipe the Korean Windows. |
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Deja
Joined: 18 Mar 2011
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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You need neither of those.
Virtually all BIOSes have English (at least any major brand), but do ask to confirm a specific model has it!
I think all laptops here have Roman letters (Koreans need them more than we do!), did you mean US/UK-layout maybe?
If you are buying Windows 8, check if it can be used in English first. Mine had English interface selectable, I think at first start (I am not sure, because my boss started it first, to register it, so I did not see). This is not guaranteed though, it could be with some editions only.
(I always wipe those actually, too much bloatware) |
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Arteta
Joined: 29 Oct 2012
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Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 6:22 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the reply. This is good news. Yeah I mean a UK/US layout. I haven't tried Windows 8, but I don't like the look of it, so I'm happy to bring Windows 7 over on DVD. So long as the BIOS is English then I can boot off the DVD. |
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Deja
Joined: 18 Mar 2011
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Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 6:36 am Post subject: |
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In larger shops you can ask for a US keyboard layout. I did notice some laptops aren't exactly keyboard layout-changing friendly. E.g. the entire top cover (keyboard top, not monitor top) needs to be changed
But BIOS wise I think you are safe, just do ask. |
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davidng
Joined: 07 Apr 2011 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Sun May 12, 2013 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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Arteta wrote: |
How easy is it to buy a laptop with Roman letters and an English BIOS?
I don't care about Windows because i'll buy my own and sort the software myself. I can just re-format and wipe the Korean Windows. |
All the computers I have worked with in Korea so far have English BIOS interfaces, unlike Japan, which is good |
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