Again, café-cum-retailer Tchibo is selling its prepaid starter package including a SIM card and an UMTS surf stick for just EUR 29.95 to netbook and notebook users. The prepaid starter package does also include the flat rate tariff “Internet-Tages-Flatrate” for three single days. Usually, this flat rate tariff costs EUR 2.95 for every day the Tchibo customer is accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over the network of O2 Germany. This is quite a bargain for netbook or notebook users looking for a new UMTS surf stick in order to access the internet on their way.

Snoog Mobile is offering a prepaid price plan with low rates for mobile phone calls and SMS as well as free instant messaging with the ICQ client for free within Germany. Instant messaging is only free of charge with a compatible Nokia or Sony Ericsson cell phone, with the ICQ client installed on the mobile phone and when using the APN “wap.vodafone.de”. With other phones, other clients or other internet access settings users of the Snoog Mobile SIM card pay EUR 0.29 per megabyte for instant messaging or for using any other mobile data services over the network of operator Vodafone.

Discoplus is a new discount provider in the Geman market that offers a prepaid price plan mobile phone calls within Germany at low rates. For calls to home phone and other mobiles in Germany Discoplus subscribers are charged EUR 0.08 per minute, for sending SMS they pay EUR 0.08 per message. The prepaid starter package of Discoplus includes a SIM card and calling credit of EUR 5.00 and is available at www.discoplus.de for EUR 9.95. Currently, new customers of Discoplus receive a bonus of 50 free calling minutes.

Mobile phone provider Klarmobil has launched a new cell phone plan with a flat rate tariff for all mobile phone calls and mobile internet access within Germany. The price plan “Flat Komplett 3G” is available for EUR 49.95 per month and includes all domestic mobile phone calls to home phone and other mobiles as well as mobile internet access via GPRS or UMTS over the network of operator O2 Germany. The prepaid starter package including the SIM card is available at www.klarmobil.de for EUR 9.95.

From today, the low end smartphone Blackberry Curve 8520 is available at Real supermarkets for EUR 199.00 without contract. That is less than what the operators T-Mobile, Vodafone, E-Plus and O2 Germany ask for: T-Mobile sells the Blackberry Curve 8520 for EUR 229.96 without contract, Vodafone for EUR 269.90, E-Plus for EUR 209.99 and O2 Germany for EUR 249.00.

Aldi is selling an UMTS surf stick to netbook and notebook users for EUR 49.99. The Medion Mobile Web Stick S4011 supports GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA for mobile data transmission over a mobile network with up to 3.6 mbps (download) as well as SMS. The UMTS surf stick comes without a SIM lock and there is no SIM card included in the package. Aldi is also offering a prepaid SIM card for the network of operator E-Plus with EUR 10.00 credit for EUR 12.99.

Car navigation specialist TomTom now offers prepaid cards for its Live services on portable navigation devices (PNDs). After a free three month trial period users can choose to buy a prepaid Live services card for six months (EUR 59.95) or for twelve months (EUR 99.95). Alternatively, users can book an ongoing subscription via TomTom Home desktop software for EUR 9.95 per month which can be canceled with an one month’s notice. With TomTom Live services latest traffic information (HD Traffic), weather forecasts, fuel prices, safety alerts and information about local shops and business found by way of Google search are sent directly to the SIM card in a compatible navigation device.

Mobile phone provider Blauworld has cut rates for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS by cell phone. From now on, Blauworld only charges EUR 0.49 per megabyte for accessing the internet over the network of operator E-Plus instead of EUR 9.00 as before. This sounds like a great bargain for new and existing customers of Blauworld, however, in comparison to tariffs of other German discount providers this price for using the mobile internet is still expensive. Customers of other brands using the E-Plus network such as Aldi Talk, Blau or Simyo only pay EUR 0.24 per megabyte – that’s less than half of it.

Expect monthly fees of EUR 60.00 or higher when booking a flat rate tariff of a German provider for mobile phone calls to all German networks. Operator O2 Germany is offering for a limited period of time a much cheaper flat rate plan: From today until Saturday, February 22nd, O2 Germany is selling the “O2o” price plan with a cost cap of EUR 40.00 per month at its web store (www.o2online.de). The same offer is also available at O2 Germany stores in fifteen cities such as Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig, Munich and Nuremberg until Saturday, February 27th. Usually, there is a EUR 60.00 cost cap for the “O2o” price plan.

Helene Hegemann, 17 years old, has written a very successful novel debut: “Axolotl Roadkill”. She received rave reviews, critics were fascinated about her rich language. “Axolotl Roadkill” even got nominated for the price of the Leipzig Book Fair. But after Hegemann’s copyright misdoings became public, critics tried to take their positive judgements about the spectatcular novel debut back. Again, this new discussion points out the need for an innovative copyright law facing digital demands. Hegemann is right when she defends herself referring to today’s media consumption habits. The handling of information, of texts has changed in a radical way during the last couple of years.