diff --git a/addressbook/inc/class.bocontacts.inc.php b/addressbook/inc/class.bocontacts.inc.php
index 64fc5078d6..6a61ebec2b 100755
--- a/addressbook/inc/class.bocontacts.inc.php
+++ b/addressbook/inc/class.bocontacts.inc.php
@@ -34,11 +34,30 @@ class bocontacts extends socontacts
 	*/
 	var $user;
 	
+	/**
+	 * @var int $tz_offset_s offset in secconds between user and server-time,
+	 *	it need to be add to a server-time to get the user-time or substracted from a user-time to get the server-time
+	 */
+	var $tz_offset_s;
+
+	/**
+	 * @var int $now_su actual user (!) time
+	 */
+	var $now_su;
+	
+	/**
+	 * @var array $timestamps timestamps
+	 */
+	var $timestamps = array('last_mod');
+	
 	function bocontacts($contact_app='addressbook')
 	{
 		$this->socontacts($contact_app);
 		$this->grants = $GLOBALS['egw']->acl->get_grants($contact_app);
 		$this->user = $GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['account_id'];
+		$this->tz_offset_s = 3600 * $GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['preferences']['common']['tz_offset'];
+		$this->now_su = time() + $this->tz_offset_s;
+
 /*		foreach(array(
 			'so'    => $appname. 'soadb',
 		) as $my => $app_class)
@@ -54,6 +73,48 @@ class bocontacts extends socontacts
 		
 	}
 	
+	/**
+	 * changes the data from the db-format to your work-format
+	 *
+	 * it gets called everytime when data is read from the db
+	 * This function needs to be reimplemented in the derived class
+	 *
+	 * @param array $data 
+	 */
+	function db2data($data)
+	{
+		// convert timestamps from server-time in the db to user-time
+		foreach($this->timestamps as $name)
+		{
+			if(isset($data[$name]))
+			{
+				$data[$name] += $this->tz_offset_s;
+			}
+		}
+		return $data;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * changes the data from your work-format to the db-format
+	 *
+	 * It gets called everytime when data gets writen into db or on keys for db-searches
+	 * this needs to be reimplemented in the derived class
+	 *
+	 * @param array $data
+	 */
+	function data2db($data)
+	{
+		// convert timestamps from user-time to server-time in the db
+		foreach($this->timestamps as $name)
+		{
+			if(isset($data[$name]))
+			{
+				$data[$name] -= $this->tz_offset_s;
+			}
+		}
+		return $data;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* deletes contact in db
 	*
@@ -133,7 +194,7 @@ class bocontacts extends socontacts
 		// convert categories
 		$contact['cat_id'] = $contact['cat_id'] ? implode(',',$contact['cat_id']) : '';
 		// last modified
-		$contact['last_mod'] = time();
+		$contact['last_mod'] = $this->now_su;
 		// only owner can set access status
 		$contact['access'] = $contact['owner'] == $this->user ? ($contact['private'] ? 'private': 'public') : $contact['access'];
 		// create fullname
diff --git a/addressbook/inc/class.socontacts.inc.php b/addressbook/inc/class.socontacts.inc.php
index e2102ef393..39b642fef4 100755
--- a/addressbook/inc/class.socontacts.inc.php
+++ b/addressbook/inc/class.socontacts.inc.php
@@ -76,6 +76,36 @@ class socontacts
 		if (!$this->customfields) $this->customfields = array();
 	}
 	
+	/**
+	 * changes the data from the db-format to your work-format
+	 *
+	 * it gets called everytime when data is read from the db
+	 * This function needs to be reimplemented in the derived class
+	 *
+	 * @param array $data 
+	 */
+	function db2data($data)
+	{
+		// do the necessare changes here
+
+		return $data;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * changes the data from your work-format to the db-format
+	 *
+	 * It gets called everytime when data gets writen into db or on keys for db-searches
+	 * this needs to be reimplemented in the derived class
+	 *
+	 * @param array $data
+	 */
+	function data2db($data)
+	{
+		// do the necessary changes here
+
+		return $data;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* deletes contact entry including custom fields
 	*
@@ -102,7 +132,7 @@ class socontacts
 	function save(&$contact)
 	{
 		// save mainfields
-		$this->somain->data = $contact;
+		$this->somain->data = $this->data2db($contact);
 		$error_nr = $this->somain->save();
 		$contact['id'] = $this->somain->data['id'];
 		if($error_nr) return $error_nr_main;
@@ -133,7 +163,10 @@ class socontacts
 	function read($contact_id)
 	{
 		// read main data
-		$contact = $this->somain->read($contact_id);
+		if (!($contact = $this->somain->read($contact_id)))
+		{
+			return $contact;
+		}
 		
 		// read customfilds
 		$keys = array(
@@ -145,7 +178,7 @@ class socontacts
 		{
 			$contact['#'.$field[$this->extra_key]] = $field[$this->extra_value];
 		}
-		return $contact;
+		return $this->db2data($contact);
 	}
 	
 	/**
@@ -334,6 +367,10 @@ class socontacts
 				}
 			}
 		}
+		foreach($result as $num => $contact)
+		{
+			$result[$num] = $this->db2data($contact);
+		}
 		return $need_full_no_count ? count($result) : $result;
 	}
 	
diff --git a/phpgwapi/inc/class.contacts_sql.inc.php b/phpgwapi/inc/class.contacts_sql.inc.php
index 83fe272435..0fd9681666 100644
--- a/phpgwapi/inc/class.contacts_sql.inc.php
+++ b/phpgwapi/inc/class.contacts_sql.inc.php
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@
 	* Syntax: CreateObject('phpgwapi.contacts');
 	* Example1: $contacts = CreateObject('phpgwapi.contacts');
 	*
+	* The contacts class now uses user-time in all param- and return-values.
+	* The time stored in the DB is in server-time, as in all other eGW apps.
+	*
 	* Last Editor: $Author$
 	* @class contacts_
 	* @abstract Contact Management System
@@ -47,6 +50,12 @@
 		var $std_table='egw_addressbook';
 		var $ext_table='egw_addressbook_extra';
 
+		/**
+		 * @var int $tz_offset_s offset in secconds between user and server-time,
+		 *	it need to be add to a server-time to get the user-time or substracted from a user-time to get the server-time
+		 */
+		var $tz_offset_s;
+
 		var $account_id = 0;
 		var $total_records = 0;
 		var $grants = '';
@@ -167,6 +176,11 @@
 				'parcel' => lang('Parcel'),
 				'postal' => lang('Postal')
 			);
+			if (!is_object($GLOBALS['egw']->datetime))
+			{
+				$GLOBALS['egw']->datetime =& CreateObject('phpgwapi.datetime');
+			}
+			$this->tz_offset_s = $GLOBALS['egw']->datetime->tz_offset;
 		}
 
 		/* send this the id and whatever fields you want to see */
@@ -402,18 +416,15 @@
 				echo "<br>DEBUG - $ordermethod";
 			}
 
-			if($lastmod >= 0 && $fwhere)
+			if($lastmod >= 0)
 			{
-				$fwhere .= " AND last_mod > ".(int)$lastmod.' ';
-			}
-			elseif($lastmod >= 0)
-			{
-				$fwhere = " WHERE last_mod > ".(int)$lastmod.' ';
-			}
+				if (!$fwhere) $fwhere = ' WHERE ';
+				$fwhere .= " AND last_mod > ".(int)($lastmod - $this->tz_offset_s).' ';
 
-			if ($DEBUG && $last_mod_filter && $fwhere)
-			{
-				echo "<br>DEBUG - last_mod_filter added to fwhere: $fwhere";
+				if ($DEBUG)
+				{
+					echo "<br>DEBUG - last_mod_filter added to fwhere: $fwhere";
+				}
 			}
 
 			$filtermethod = '';
@@ -551,7 +562,7 @@
 				$return_fields[$i]['owner']    = $this->db->f('owner');
 				$return_fields[$i]['access']   = $this->db->f('access');
 				$return_fields[$i]['cat_id']   = $this->db->f('cat_id');
-				$return_fields[$i]['last_mod'] = $this->db->f('last_mod');
+				$return_fields[$i]['last_mod'] = $this->db->f('last_mod')+$this->tz_offset_s;
 				$return_fields[$i]['rights']   = (int)$this->grants[$this->db->f('owner')];
 
 				if(@is_array($stock_fieldnames))
@@ -599,7 +610,7 @@
 
 			//this is added here so it is never tainted
 			$this->stock_contact_fields['last_mod'] = 'last_mod';
-			$stock_fields['last_mod'] = $GLOBALS['egw']->datetime->gmtnow;
+			$stock_fields['last_mod'] = time();
 
 			$data = array(
 				'owner'		=> $owner,
@@ -608,6 +619,7 @@
 				'tid'		=> $fields['tid'],
 			);
 			if (isset($fields['lid'])) $data['lid'] = $fields['lid'];
+			
 
 			$this->db->insert($this->std_table,array_merge($data,$stock_fields),False,__LINE__,__FILE__);
 
@@ -682,7 +694,7 @@
 
 			if (count($stock_fields))
 			{
-				$stock_fields['last_mod'] = $GLOBALS['egw']->datetime->gmtnow;
+				$stock_fields['last_mod'] = time();
 				$this->db->update($this->std_table,$stock_fields,array('id'=>$id),__LINE__,__FILE__);
 			}
 			if (is_array($extra_fields))