Latest score on international availability

[tomoqv]

We all know that Palm restricted the availability of the App Catalog to certain countries/carriers. If the phone was not activated in an "official" Palm environment, you were out of luck when it came to buying apps.

I would like to know HP's take on this. If WebOS is ever going to be able to gain a notable worldwide market share, wouldn't it be best to open the App Catalog and sell the hardware in as many countries as possible?

Of course OS, apps and hardware have to go hand in hand in order to attract new users, but I fail to see the problem with releasing unlocked phones for everybody to buy at full price and open the app catalog for all users. My interpretation of the abysmal international presence of Palm has been that of limited resources. Fortunately, that's no longer the case.

I live in Sweden, a country of 9 million people, where Apple has managed to sell close to 1 million iPhones!!! And this is despite "local" contenders such as SonyEricsson and Nokia. Hardly anybody has ever heard of a Palm smartphone and fewer know that WebOS even exists! Android is gaining momentum, but there should definitely be room for more alternatives to Apple among such a tech loving population.

This is just one example. Anybody heard anything about HP's strategy in this respect?

I would appreciate som input on this, thanks!

[tomoqv]

The massive response to this post proves my point that people outside the US don't know that there are other smartphone OS's than iOS and Android and still believe that HP makes nothing but printers.

[vantechmag]

HP will release the new phones and TouchPad globally and the Swedish magazine Mobil did just report that they actually will come to Sweden...

And a month ago did they talk about a app shop for Sweden, too ;-)

Which would be great news, if HP fix the last big limitations in webOS so it get as good as my "old" Palm Treo 680 - but they did just delete my post about that here, so I am beginning to give up all hope!

[Unclevanya]

Originally Posted by tomoqv

This is just one example. Anybody heard anything about HP's strategy in this respect?

I would appreciate som input on this, thanks!

Not a clue. I'm honestly in the dark about HP's strategic decisions about almost everything but especially their phones. I haven't really kept up with the landscape of what works where in the past either.

What I am curious about now that you mention this is what happens if you move? Let's say I have a Verizon Pre Plus and move to South Korea and want to use it. Can I? Can I use the app catalog?

Flipped around to a more easily digested example - if I get an unlocked Pre2 and use on AT&T and then go to the EU can I use it and can I buy apps in the app cat?

[tomoqv]

Originally Posted by Unclevanya

What I am curious about now that you mention this is what happens if you move? Let's say I have a Verizon Pre Plus and move to South Korea and want to use it. Can I? Can I use the app catalog?

The non-availability of the app catalog in more countries is a mystery to me. I mean, if people (like me) take the hazzle of buying a brand new Pre on eBay, why don't let them have access to paid apps??? If I were a developer on WebOS, I would be outraged of the missed opportunity to make even more money on my work.

Originally Posted by Unclevanya

Flipped around to a more easily digested example - if I get an unlocked Pre2 and use on AT&T and then go to the EU can I use it and can I buy apps in the app cat?

As far as I understand, you can buy apps anywhere as long as you happened to activate your phone in the right country. If not, bad luck, you can't buy apps even if your inside HPalm's headquarters.

[gnark]

Originally Posted by Unclevanya

What I am curious about now that you mention this is what happens if you move? Let's say I have a Verizon Pre Plus and move to South Korea and want to use it. Can I? Can I use the app catalog?

as far as i understand does only count where you activate the phone (and create the profile?) from that moment on your profile/phone belongs to that very region.

i live in germany and in europe its the almost the same thing: carriers need to be interested and then sell these things. but i fear right now hp will focus on the us.

2 years ago o2 germany was proactively hyping the pre but then it became pretty quiet but you can still buy pixi plus, pre and pre plus here. since a few months marketing here had completely focused on ip4 since all carriers can have it now. o2 too.

still i hope that they ll sell the veer soon and keep up that friendly unlocked manner