Xtreamer Prodigy

Despite the lack of display on the façade, the outer aluminum shell comes in either black or silver, and the lack of fan guarantees low noise levels. An internal 3.5-inch hard drive bay can fit desktop-sized hard drives of up to 3TB storage. Available at HD City Shop for B5,390.

Egreat R300

This black aluminum chassis comes with a touch-screen display for easy navigation and a bay on the side for up to 3TB hard drives. There’s also a SATA port that allows you to connect an additional hard drive to the device. Available at MacroCare for B5,290 without the built-in Wi-Fi and B5,790 with Wi-Fi.

HiMedia HD900B

The aluminum housing and the internal fan enable better heat dissipation but it does make a little noise. Still it is the cheapest 1186 option of the bunch. Available at HD Corner for B4,900.

Mede8er MED500X2

This actually runs on the older Realtek 1185 chipset. But if you don’t have a 3D TV and won’t be running Android apps on your TV, this is the cheapest option out there. Available at HD City Shop for B4,550.

Essentials

HD City Shop. B1/F (room #ITB042), Seacon Square, Srinakarin Rd., 082-658-9000, www.hdcityshop.com
MacroCare. Try 3/F (room #3E43-44), IT Mall Ratchadapisek, Ratchadapisek Rd., 02-641-0843/4. Visit www.mc.co.th for other branches.
HD Corner. Try B1/F, Pantip Plaza, 084-721-9990, 089-884-0488. Visit www.hdcorner.com for other branches.

“Seeing a movie in which three other actors play the Stooges is akin to watching an Elvis impersonator. Sure, it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, but it most certainly is not a duck.” Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat

“I hope this is the start of a franchise, but not of feature-length sequels. Just three-minute-long shorts that play as prologues to real comedies.” Phil Villarreal, OK! Magazine

“The movie provides its own answer as to why the original Stooges’ earlier projects were confined to two-reelers and shorts. Sometimes Moe is less.” Kimberly Gadette, Doddle

“You would think that after a quarter-century in development at four different studios, somebody would have figured out how to make a funny movie about the Three Stooges.” Lou Lumenick, New York Post

“Trust me, you’d rather be poked in the eyes, slapped or pounded on the head repeatedly than sit through this travesty.” Jim Judy, Screen It!

Dubberfield

Label: Siam Pai Rock
Who: M (vocals), Mos (guitar), Aui (drums), Sutas (bass), Champ (violin) and DJ Warah
What: When the original guitarist of alternative rock band Sillyfool and owner of Nunglen Pub, Toey Kobpop Baiyam, decided to launch his Siam Pai Rock label, he chose to do so by signing Dubberfield, random collection of journeymen of musicians who regularly played his venue and decided to join forces.
Why: All the members have done serious time on the music scene. Aui was a member of all-female rock group Pure (first album released in 2004), Sutas played in Saturday Seiko (2002-2008) while Champ has appeared in the Teddy Ska Band and made waves with two of his own projects, BeforeChamp and Walrus. Despite these diverse backgrounds, Dubberfield boast a cohesive, dynamic sound. Lead single “Up Chill” is smooth electronic pop, but innovative follow-up “Shoes” finds the band really hitting their stride, with M’s powerful Thai vocals sitting atop a pulsating dubstep-influenced beat, pointing to an interesting future for Thailand’s dancefloors.
Sounds like: A sweet, lady-fronted Skrillex.  
Catch them at: www.facebook.com/DubberfieldBand

Electric Neon Lamp

Label: Sony Music Thailand
Who: Jen (vocals), Ton (guitar), Tae (bass), Tan (guitar) and Pak (drums)
What: Four of the members played together while in high-school in Lampang but things really got serious when they started attending Chiang Mai University and Tan joined the fold. In-the-know indie fans might remember their single “Because of You” from the Believe Records Compilation 01 released in 2007. After that they recorded an EP and released their debut album Bright Side (2009), as well as performed at Fat Festival in both 2010 and 2011. And you can expect to hear a lot more from Electric Neon Lamp now that they’ve signed with big label, Sony Music Thailand.    
Why: New single “Pawinee” is instantly likeable and shows off the band’s signature sound with its soaring melodies and sensitive vocals.
Sounds like: A slicker, more doe-eyed version of US indie faves The Drums.
Catch them at: www.facebook.com/electric.neon.lamp.band

Spoonfulz

Label: Smallroom
Who: Seph (guitar and vocals), Toon (bass), Art (drums) and Tok (guitar)
What: When Seph won the Love Is Music competition back in 2010, he enlisted two friends to record a single, “Mai Wa Tee Dai.” After those two members quit, he got to know Toon through the Siam Bass website and they then invited Art and Tok to form Spoonfulz. They sent their demo to Smallroom last year, after which label honcho and bassist for 90s band Crub, Rungroj Uptampotiwat, called them in for an audition and then signed them.    
Why: They draw from varied musical influences: Tok is heavy metal-inspired (think Iron Maiden and Megadeth) while Seph is into rock like Sillyfool and blues like Willie Dixon (this is who Spoonfulz got their name came from). This merging of tastes certainly makes for an intriguing listen.      
Sounds like: The band is still finding their feet. Their first single, “Yin Dee Ton Rub,” sounds a little too much like Tattoo Color, which is understandable given Rath (Tattoo Color’s guitarist) has produced some of their songs.   
Catch them at: www.facebook.com/Spoonfulz

Lunar

Label: Comet Records
Who: Nam-Oun
What: The latest signing to the brand new indie label run by singer, producer and songwriter Tung Jakchai Panchanon, better known as Casinotone. The label launched two months ago with Tung’s single “Journey,” before he met pretty young thing and Le Cordon Bleu student Nam-oun via Instagram (is there anything Instagram can’t do?). “I saw Nam-Oun’s profile and I thought she’s cool, confident and got good taste in music. So, I ended up writing a song for her,” explains Tung.
Why: Just when it seems every pretty face is picking up a ukulele and fronting a full band, Nam-Oun’s debut single “Got to do it” evokes a very different 90s electronic vibe. And it’s got all the right credentials: not only was the song written by Casinotone, the sound was arranged by Funky Wah Wah – two acts who helped define the Thai electronic music scene in the late 90s and early 00s.
Sounds like: Very much a younger, hipper version of Australian songstress Kylie Minogue.    
Catch them at: www.facebook.com/lunarbkk

Time Travel

Fancy a day spent cycling past Chedi Chet Yot or up the steps of Preah Vihear but don’t actually have the time to head there? Why not just jump in a cab and visit Muang Boran, the Ancient City (02-709-1644. Open daily 8am-5pm. www.ancientcity.com). This cultural park, about 30 minutes past On Nut BTS, features 3/4 size replicas of most of the Kingdom’s historical sites set in gorgeous parkland laid out in the shape of Thailand. You can rent bikes there—B50/B150 (single/three-speed) or bring your own and pay B50 to cycle round the Kingdom in an afternoon.

Historically Geared

Best known for its cute floating market and fire flies, Ampawa, the small town in Samut Songkram, is also a great place for a bike trip. As well as offering bikes to rent, Thai Theeb @ Ampawa (2/1, Prachasret Rd., Ampawa, Samut Songkram 082-777-5999. Mon, Wed, Thu 10am-8pm/Fri-Sun 10am-9pm) provide maps to places of interest and historical sites in the area so you can explore on your own. Cost: free for rides under 30 min, B50 for 60min, B300 for a day.

Park and Pedal

Wachirabenchatat Park (Suan Rot Fai) is a great picnic and cycling spot. You don’t even need a bike here, with rentals available for just B20-30 each, depending on the bike model or your negotiation skills. They’ll take your ID so you don’t cycle off into the sunset with their precious ride. There’s also a butterfly park and a faux urban environment (complete with traffic lights) for kids to practice riding their bikes.