Getting a new landline is pretty expensive, using call-through services is quite complicated – thus, two adequate alternatives for making international calls at low rates are not available to many phone users. Another way to make phone calls from Germany to other countries in the world at comparably low rates is to buy a prepaid SIM card of a German discount provider specialized in international calls. They offer cell phone plans with which mobile phone users can call family members, friends or acquaintances for rates beginning at EUR 0.09 per minute. However, prices vary and interested parties should select their prepaid starter package carefully.

Since Wednesday walking down the streets of Berlin can be pretty disturbing. Black caps with silver apples on the forehead. On the forehead?! Well, running around like a living ad for the super power Apple has apparently turned into an honour. But is Apple’s tablet PC, the iPad, worth getting more media attention than Obama’s speech? At least, the iPad doesn’t look much like a tampon. It reminds you more of an iphone swallowed by a giant iPod touch. But what about the Amazon Kindle’s post-iPad chances of survival? In any case, with the iPad, Apple can’t offer an e-ink-display like the Kindle.

The exclusive unveiling on January 5th in Mountain View arranged at short notice, the new category “super phone” invented by Google, the new sales model over the Google web store and new features of Android OS 2.1 on the one hand - poor customer support, poor sales on the first week and a high purchasing price whereas manufacturing costs are low on the other hand: The Google phone Nexus One built by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC is the talk of the town. My first impression after being able to put my hands on the new smartphone for a few hours: The Google phone Nexus One (still) is just another Android smartphone.

Despite DSL, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is still quite popular among home phone users in Germany. It offers two lines, at least three phone numbers (Multiple Subscriber Numbers or MSN) and a better voice quality as well as more service attributes than analog lines. It also helps internet users who cannot get a DSL or another broadband connection by doubling the data transmission rate of the narrow-band internet connection. Here are three ISDN telephones that are available in German stores for less than EUR 100.00.

My top price plans of 2009 in Germany for home phone, broadband internet, mobile phone and mobile internet users are: O2 o of mobile network operator O2 Germany, Aldi Talk 24 Stunden Internet Flatrate of discount provider Medion Mobile and the double flat rate tariff Alice Fun of Hansenet. All three offers are still available and will stay my first choices in 2010 when it comes to booking a new home phone, mobile phone or internet package until another provider will launch a better price plan. Read why I recommend these three tariffs.

It might take years until Berlin will get its free WiFi network throughout the city such as other cities like Austin or San Francisco. However, there are still a lot of locations with free WiFi (or WLAN) access to the web such as bars, cafes, hostels, hotels or even certain points of interest. With more and more people having a netbook or a smartphone with WiFi support and more and more people taking their mobiles on their trips to other countries, WiFi hotspots become hot again. For example, by using a free WiFi hotspot in Berlin mobile phone or netbook users from other countries save high data roaming expenses – all it might take to access the internet for free is to get a password at the counter and order one or two coffees during the online session. The Phone Guide Germany tells you at which locations in Berlin you will find free WiFi connections to the web.

Prepaid mobile data price plans are suited for notebook and netbook users who need mobile internet access via GRPS or UMTS at irregular intervals or just sporadically. Since there is no long minimum term, such prepaid data price plans also lend themselves to being used by travellers, exchange students or business men abroad who stay in Germany only for a few weeks or months. This article gives notebook and netbook users an overview of current prepaid starter packages including an UMTS surf stick and a mobile internet price plan of mobile phone providers in Germany.

When I had the chance to take a first glimpse at the new Samsung smartphone Omnia II I8000, I was excited about the phone: It offered all up-to-date functions, had a well responsive touchscreen and was easy on the eyes. Now that I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the Omnia II I8000 and after having found several weaknesses of the phone, I have to revise my first opinion. Please read this review in order to get to know more about the strong and the weak points of the new Samsung smartphone.

There are lots of cheap cell phone plans without monthly fees and without long minimum term by discount providers in the German market. Not all of these price plans are real prepaid offers, though. These quasi-prepaid offers are called prepaid price plans by the providers and for the user, they “feel” like prepaid price plans. But there are essential differences between these two types of mobile phone tariffs. In this article, the Phone Guide Germany points out the differences, explains what these differences mean to the customer and shows which type of cell phone plan suits travelers, exchange students, business men or people moving to Germany better.

The LG Crystal (GD900) sports many interesting features, the transparent keypad is just one of them. The smartphone makes use of the s-class surface, which is already known from the LG Arena (KM900), supports multi-touch and gesture control, and provides the most important features for telephony, messaging and mobile Internet surfing. The LG Crystal has a unique body and offers a good range of features as well as fast connectivity options, but control of the smartphone is not always easy. The LG Crystal is available at German stores for prices beginning at EUR 295.00.