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.

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.

There will be a new tariff option for customers of network operator O2 Germany for low-cost international calls from Germany to other countries by cell phone soon. With the “O2 Global Friends” tariff option, O2 Germany customers with an O2 o price plan can make mobile phone calls to five friends who are abroad for rates of € 0.15 per minute – that’s just as much as users of an O2 o price plan pay for mobile phone calls within Germany. “O2 Global Friends” will be available from upcoming Monday and can be booked with an O2 o prepaid or postpaid cell phone plan of O2 Germany. There is no monthly fee for this international calling service, but a one-time set-up fee of € 5.00.

With the O2o Special Edition, we have seen a cell phone price plan with a short minimum term and a cost limit of € 40.00 per month for mobile phone calls and SMS before. Now, a similar prepaid offer of O2 Germany subsidiary Fonic is available at Lidl supermarkets only. This price plan called “Lidl Mobile” is quite attractive for mobile phone users: Actually, one can speak of the Fonic prepaid price plan as a flat rate tariff since subscribers will not pay more than the fixed amount per month for mobile phone calls and for sending text messages (SMS) within Germany.

German network operator O2 Germany and web weather service Wetter.com are offering a mobile Internet package for netbook and notebook users. The package includes an UMTS surf stick, a SIM card for accessing the web via GPRS or UMTS over the network of O2 Germany and a prepaid price plan. new customers can choose between three different mobile data flat rate tariffs: for € 2.95 for one day with 1 GB data volume for faster data transfers via EDGE, UMTS or HSPA, for € 9.95 for one month with 500 MB data volume for faster data transfers, and for € 24.95 for one month with 5 GB data volume for faster transmissions.

On the one hand, it makes life easier for mobile Internet users. On the other hand, it is potential cost trap for smartphone users who don’t about this and who don’t make the nessecary arrangements in time. Subscribers of a cell phone plan of German operator O2 Germany do not need to configure the mobile Internet access by themselves. They can access the web via GPRS or UMTS over the O2 Germany network with any access point name (APN) or even without any APN.

Since 1 July 2010, new rules within the European Union are putting a cap on mobile roaming charges. Travelers roaming in other EU member states no longer need to worry about accidentially running up huge bills when accessing the web over mobile networks via mobile phone, notebook or netbook. Travelers’ data-roaming limit is automatically set at € 59.90 (long price) unless they have chosen another limit or a special traveler’s tariff option. Charges for receiving or making mobile phone calls in another country within the EU fall below € 0.18 and € 47 per minute. The former “cost trap” voice mail has been minimized since receiving a voice mail message while roaming is now free of charge.

The Android smartphone Samsung Galaxy S I9000 is now available at stores in Germany. Web stores offer it for purchase prices beginning at € 465.00 including delivery. O2 Germany has been the only German network operator announcing the Samsung Galaxy S as being available in its shops at the end of this month. But eventually mobile phone users will find this touch-screen smartphone of manufacturer Samsung at all other network operators’ stores as well. In this article, I am summarizing my first impressions of this phone after having tested it for two days.

German social networking service VZ-Netzwerke (meinVZ, schuelerVZ and StudiVZ)is launching a cell phone plan that can be booked by community members and other mobile phone users. The basic version of VZmobil is similar to many other prepaid price plans in Germany with low rates of € 0.09 per minute for calls to landlines and other mobile phones in Germany, € 0.09 for every text message (SMS) sent within Germany, and € 0.24 per megabyte for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over the network of operator O2 Germany. On the other hand, VZmobil comes with lots of tariff options and included services.