Today, the 50th edition of the consumer electronics show IFA in Berlin is starting. Until coming Wednesday, September 8th, more than 1,423 exhibitors are showing consumer electronics and home appliances on the exhibition site. Key themes on display at the IFA 2010 include HDTV, 3D TV, the networked home, TV/internet convergence and mobile media. One of the highlights is the new Android tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab which the manufacturer presented on Wednesday at the SoHo house in Berlin. In the home appliances sector, the focus is on design, ease-of-use and ergonomics. Other important trends cutting across market segments and discussed in conference sessions are digital lifestyles, smart homes, and energy efficiency. Here is some more information for visitors of the IFA 2010 show.

There have been lots of rumors about the tablet PC Samsung Galaxy Tab. Now, we know: It is real. Today, Samsung has presented the Galaxy Tab at the consumer electronics show IFA 2010 in Berlin. It will be available in October at all four operators’ stores in Germany with and without plan. Without plan the purchase price for the Galaxy Tab with 16 GB storage capacity will be probably less than the recommended retail price of € 799.00. Later on, there will also be a 32 GB version of the mobile device. I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the Android 2.2 (Froyo) tablet yesterday night. Here is a short review of the Galaxy Tab.

German mobile phone provider Bildmobil is launching a new mobile data tariff option for smart-phone users. According to Computerbild, the new tariff option costs € 9.99 for a 30-day period and offers mobile Internet access over the Vodafone network via GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or HSDPA for data transfers with up to 7.2 mbps (download). There is a traffic limit of 250 MB for faster mobile data transfers via EDGE, UMTS or HSDPA per billing cycle. As soon as the smart-phone user has reached this data volume limit, the bandwidth will be reduced to GPRS speed for the remaining days of that specific billing cycle. Without this tariff option Bildmobil customers pay € 0.35 per megabyte when surfing the web via cell phone or smart-phone.

Is that another iPhone? Nope, it just looks like one. It might have been coincidence that Samsung invited me to come Munich to a presentation of the Samsung Galaxy S I9000 smart-phone the very same day that Apple launched the iPhone 4 in Germany. But I don’t believe this – the Samsung Galaxy S seems to be too much a copy of the Apple iPhone. But, heck, I am not accusing Samsung of plagiarism. Lots of cell phone manufacturers have picked up the ideas and concepts that made the iPhone a success story. Since its launch the Apple phone has changed the smart-phone world dramatically and the users have benefited from that. The Samsung Galaxy S is just one example of how simple to use a smart-phone with such a broad range of features can be. Here is my short review of the new Samsung smart-phone and some information on how to buy it in Germany at a comparably low purchase price.

I am not sure whether you can really count on what the German tablet PC manufacturer Neofonie has announced recently. We still have in mind the Neofonie press conference in April when journalists could only watch but not touch the WeTab because the tablet PC being introduced was not working at that time. However, Neofonie has now confirmed that first WeTab devices have been handed out to developers for testing. The official launch of the WeTab in Germany should happen in the middle of September (probably on September 19th). Interested users can already pre-order the Neofonie tablet PC at the Amazon web store or at the Media Markt website. Amazon and Media Markt are both offering the WeTab for € 449.00 and the WeTab 3G for € 569.00.

The new micro SIM card of discount provider Maxxim is a good alternative to the Apple iPad micro SIM card offers of Telekom Deutschland (T-Mobile). The Maxxim mobile data flat rate tariff “maxxim data” costs € 19.95 per month over a period of 24 months. After that two-year period the monthly charge will rise to € 29.95. There is no long minimum term commitment, though, the subscriber can withdraw from the mobile data plan contract within four weeks. In addition to the monthly fees, Maxxim charges new subscribers an one-time set-up fee of € 24.95. iPad users can order the micro SIM card with the mobile data price plan “maxxim data” at the Maxxim web store at www.maxxim.de.

German mobile phone provider O2 Germany is offering a new prepaid 3G surf stick to netbook and notebook users which supports HSPA for mobile data downloads with up to 7.2 mbps and uploads of up to 5.76 mbps. A prepaid starter package including the new UMTS surf stick Huawei E1750 and a SIM card with O2o price plan can be bought at O2 Germany stores or ordered at the O2 Germany web store for € 29.99 plus € 3.95 for delivery. Before, prepaid customers of O2 Germany got 3G surf sticks that support download speeds of just up to 3.6 mbps.

The HTC Desire is certainly one of the best Android smart-phones available right now. It offers a large number of functions and applications as well as a powerful processor, and it is easily operated. On the other hand, camera, music player and battery performance could be better. German operator Vodafone is selling the HTC Desire for € 479.90 without contract. At O2 Germany stores the HTC Desire is available for € 509.00. At Telekom (T-Mobile) stores buyers will have to pay € 449.00 for the Android smart-phone when he or she does not agree to a new cell phone plan with long term commitment. German web stores offer the HTC Desire for purchase prices beginning at around € 450.00.

Discount provider Bildmobil has launched a new mobile data price plan for netbook and notebook users in Germany. The new prepaid plan offers 3 GB of data traffic over a period of 90 days for a monthly fee of € 39.99. As soon as the notebook user reaches the traffic limit, the mobile Internet access via GPRS or UMTS will be cut off for the remaining days or weeks of the three months period. The prepaid starter package of Bildmobil including a prepaid SIM card and a starting balance of € 10.00 is available at www.bildmobil.de for € 14.95.

With 1&1 there is one more provider in Germany offering micro SIM cards with postpaid price plans for voice and mobile data services to users of the smart-phone iPhone 4 or the tablet PC iPad. New customers can choose between a voice and mobile Internet flat rate for the new Apple smart-phone and two mobile data flat rate tariffs for the Apple tablet PC. In each case the subscriber can decide on a long term commitment of 24 months or a short term commitment of just three months. New customers agreeing to a long term commitment will benefit from a discount. The SIM cards and voice and mobile data price plans of 1&1 are available at www.1und1.de, during the ordering process the user can select the desired micro SIM card format for iPhone 4 and iPad.