Vodafone Germany are the latest carrier to announce a 3G hotspot. It’s our favorite (and still product of the year in my opinion) the Novatel Mifi 2352. [My review roundup]

40 Euro per month for a 5GB HSDPA contract (GPRS flat after the 5GB limit is reached) gets you the device for free which in my opinion is a far better option than buying a netbook with a data contract. The Mifi gives you freedom to choose your devices based on where and what you are doing. If you want to take the iPod Touch to the coffee shop, go for it. If you need to attend an important meeting with your business laptop, you get that choice too.

For the ultimate in flexibility though I suggest taking the 231 Euro hit at Mobilx and look for pre-paid or flat offers from other 3G providers in your country. A 24 month contract with Alice in Germany for example brings you the same data rate and bandwidth limits for 15 Euro per month. Less than half the price that Vodafone is asking. I tend to use the Mifi with a day-flat tariff. At 2.50 Euro per day it leaves me contract free and able to switch to other pre-paid cards based on price or availability.

Expect this product to pop up at your local Vodafone provider soon.

Vodafone Germany product page.

I’ll be attending a mobile internet presentation hosted by Vodafone Germany this afternoon and although I will continue to microblog (they will appear in the middle column on the front page) I wanted to highlight a couple of points before I go.

Firstly, Pocketables have news that the Viliv S7 is nearing launch in Korea. There’s information on pricing and model details but these details will obviously change for models outside Korea. We’re trying to get more info from Viliv about this. I’m very excited about the S7 and wondering if it will beat the ASUS T91 to market! Check out the Pocketables article for more. What do you think of the pricing? I’m guessing that it will translate to a $650 entry point in the U.S.

JKK and I spent 3 hours with the Kohjinsha SK3 [details] and a bunch of other UMPCs last night. The live session was recorded and if you’ve got 2+hrs free, check out the videos. I will be doing a full review of the SK3 in the coming weeks.

The Vodafone event should be interesting this afternoon. I am taking a bunch of UMPCs and will be using the X70 + PC Navigator to find my way there. The MiFi 2352 will also be given a good work-out!