Nahno McLein

Next week is Christmas and I want to give myself a treat. Christmas wouldn't be as exciting without knowing you get something as awesome as a smartphone. I'm not even sure that I can wait that long. I'm very impatient now that I know I want the Samsung Galaxy SII.

First thing I always do: check amazon!

It's 414 Euro for Germany and £389.00 in Britain as I'm staying in England right now. Why not compare across borders if possible.

Luckily it's cheaper in Germany. Why lucky?
I feel much safer buying something in Germany due to the fact that we have a minimum of 2 years warrenty on everything by law. In England it's often only 1 year - not good. I know Samsung and other large brands offer a 2-year service themselves but I would hate to go through the hassle.

Another reason to not buy it in England: last year, I purchased an Iphone for a friend at the Apple shop in town. It was much cheaper - for some reason intial prices are much lower in England, so looking is worth it. But in the end my friend only kept it for a few months as he wasn't able to run updates or use the IOS with vodafone. You don't have these problems with Android - I would hope. Still, it's a lesson I've learned.

Also, if I would have to get it repaired and I'm not in England at the moment, what do I do then? There are just too many open questions. However, if it had been majorly cheaper, I would have considered buying it abroad.