Which GSM Shield? SIM900 and Arduino GSM differences?

Hi,
I was looking for a way to connect my arduino to the gsm network. On eBay I found the Sim900 Shield that seems to be the cheaper one, but I have no clue what is different between this one and the official arduino GSM Shield...
Can someone tell me the differences and which one should be better?
Thanks :slight_smile:

Btw, I have no idea where I have to post these kind of question...

Personal experience?

The Arduino shield connects to the network when the SIM900 shields won't.

The Arduino one has a library which is included as part of the IDE.

It mean that I can connect the arduino to the internet with the arduino gsm but not the sim900?

You can access the internet with both devices. However, if you live in an area with poor coverage you might do better with the Arduino one.