Activate new GSM Pre 2 with Impostah to get Global Paid App Catalog Access 24
Rod Whitby of the WebOS Internals team has been working diligently for several weeks now with a way to get full paid app catalog access for webOS 2.0 device owners in restricted regions (like outside of the US, UK, Canada, France and Germany). If you've had to resort to missing out on cool new apps, or even *gasp* pirating that software, the latest update of Impostah will give you the necessary steps we've been looking for to get around that wall.
If you have recently purchased a new Unlocked GSM device that has never had a Palm Profile associated with it in the past, you can download Impostah from Preware and follow the 14 very simple steps outlined in the forums to get your device activated through U.S. servers, thus giving you access to the full U.S. Paid App Catalog.
Before you get started, you'll need to have a Credit Card from an unrestricted region (which you can get online), access to a stable WiFi network, and the ability to install Preware and Impostah on your device from a computer. But you don't need to have much knowledge outside of being able to follow the instructions Rod has given. Once you're finished, though, you'll be able to buy as many apps as you could ever want (but only after you've donated to WebOS Internals for their hard work).
For those of you living in those restricted regions that have already activated your devices (and locked yourself out of the full catalog), this method will sadly not work for you unless you buy a brand new device (straight from HP). This latest version of Impostah has brought some good to you, though, as it now allows you to download any Free application from the catalog. No more creating placeholder apps to get around in the catalog (that was so last week), now you can just download them directly through the catalog with Impostah.
Oh, and we can't forget to mention this small warning before you get started.
Note that this procedure is performed at your own risk. The worst that can happen is that you don't get paid app catalog access. If Palm changes anything on the app catalog servers, this procedure may be invalidated without warning. They have done so before, and could do so again.
The work from WebOS Internals has always been, and will continue to be, completely free for the public use (plus it's open source!), but they do rely on your donations to keep going forward with projects like these. Without this latest update from Impostah and the WebOS Internals team, many webOS users might be stuck with limited app catalog access for quite a while to come. So take a moment and send a donation their way to say thanks for the progress they've made. It not only ensures that their current software will continue to work, but that new projects will be started up in the future as well.
24 Comments
Instead of starting Facebook petitions to get the Pre 3 on Sprint or whatever, every WebOS fan needs to bring this sad article to HP's attention and keep hammering them until they get this fixed.
Easily the biggest stumbling block for global app ecosystem growth.
Even for those of us who can't use this -- it's great news. Rod & WebOS Internals -- we appreciate all of your hard work on behalf of the community.
One can only hope that the concept of the App Store & Palm profile will be changed/improved by HP in-time for WebOS 3.x (Touchpad). Otherwise, Palm will look no better than the AT&T / BB-Bridge debacle.
when is hp going to offer rod a position? they would be dumb not to.
if ya think that an employee of MegaCorp, Inc. can act as freely as someone who is not affiliated with said MegaCorp, Inc. you're sorely mistaken. If you don't believe me ask yourself (anyone reading this reply, really) this question. Do I behave in a particular manner at my job than I would otherwise normally do because of any real or perceived ramifications stemming from said behavior? Or to paraphrase the words of the prophet Huey Lewis, do you take what they're giving because you're working for a living?
Viewed under this light is hp being smarter by employing everyone that supports the platform, or by supporting the people that independently support the platform? Just seyin'
I'm really tired of the "HP is smart by implementing a distributed customer support model for WebOS by empowering homebrew" spin. Face it, HP doesn't give a rip about it's customers. First they screwed their Pre-/+ and Pixi "Legacy Users" and now they are doing it to their unlocked-Pre2 users.
The average customer is not going to install Preware, hack WebDoctors, etc in order to receive basic support that aught to be provided by the company makes the devices.
Maybe HP could be smarter by actually fixing an bug/update/issue, by themselves, every once and a while. Just saying.
This is great, hopefully it helps enterprising dev's overseas, although I question whether a typical consumer would have any idea how to do this. I hope HP just fixes this pretty soon, because they'll need to eventually to compete in the global market.
this is amazing, but cant people just do a hard reset of their older activated pre-2 and then use impostah to download apps?
No. The devices themselves are connected to the server upon activation using their specific ID, not just the profile that is logged into the account.
I always thought that the reason for these regions not having access to the paid app catalog was a legal reason and not a technical reason... Was I wrong in this assumption? If I am not wrong, then how is going around this restriction a good thing?
It is perfectly legal to book a flight to the US (or any of the other supported countries), and log into your new unlocked GSM Pre 2 device in that country for the first time. As a result, you get paid app catalog access.
Impostah simply saves you having to pay the airfare and endure a long international flight.
It creates new sales for app developers, new apps for global webOS users, and HP gets a 30% cut of all of that new cash in the system.
Truly win-win-win and done legally.
-- Rod
Rod, thanks for the explanation, but that just seems....wrong. Not the app, but why does it matter what country you are in when you first log into your device? Just sounds like an issue that HP (actually Palm well before the acquisition) should have handled.
Absolutely right it is wrong (no pun intended). The reasons are probably legal- and bookkeeping-related in their origins (intellectual property rights, different VAT rates, Company Income tax (where should it be paid?) & what have you). The same thing happened when Android was launched internationally - not all countries had access to the app store right away. The difference is that Google sorted that out really quickly. Palm, not really being an international company, didn't. HP took over, but they have to honor Palm's previous obligations - such as license agreements with devs etc. - so I can understand it would take a little time. But living in two of those "restricted" countries (Poland, Sweden), I find it really F'ing annoying!!!
Can Impostah also help us on 2.1 on Sprint have access to the full range of 2.1 apps available on other carriers?
I suspect that it could, but then that doesn't guarantee that said downloaded app would work in your Sprint device. Consider that all the carrier-specific apps are pretty much available in the carrier-specific webOS Doctor package, yet people have not had luck getting Verizon's Skype to work on a non-VZW Pre.
Not talking about carrier specific ones. Just about how when you request the list of apps in the catalog, HP sees you on the Sprint network, knows that their phones only go up to 1.4.x, and do not allow you to install (or even view) 2.0+ only apps. It comes up with a message to update your device software.
Canada has paid app catalog access, it was recently fixed for Bell Mobility users. I don't know about the other small carriers in Canada though. (Koodo, Fido, WIND etc)
Why doesn't HP want to just change the flags in their servers so *everyone* gets access to buy the apps? I really want to pay for apps...
See my post above. But why they haven't sorted it out yet is a mystery... I guess you'd need international lawyers and tax experts, that costs lots of $$ and takes lots of time (For sure, such people have no incentive to make quick work out of something!)
I didnt lock myself out by activating it in a unsupported country, Palm locked us out. Maybe im splitting hairs but I wont acceppt any fault in this matter as the App Catalog used to work and later had the access changed.
Now, where is that Pre3 so we finally might get official support?
It would really be nice, for once, to read an article that said HEWLETT-PACKARD, themselves, the company that sells WebOS, the company that owns WebOS, the company that aught to be supporting their OWN customers THEMSELVES would actually fix or address at least a single issue themselves. Ron Whitby and other homebrewers absolutely put HP to shame day after day after day. While HP remains silent and hides behind excuses, Rob and the homebrewers get things done and are providing the only resemblance of customer support in the WebOS world.
With HP being so neglectful of their customers why in the world should I or anyone else buy another WebOS device again? Please, no more excuses that HP's hands are tied and so are intentionally relying on Ron to do what HP would like to do but can't. Who cares that WebOS has great multitasking or who cares that it's an open platform when HP continually fails to support their customers stuck with their devices? I love the OS but I really really hate the company.
From what I see in from the screen shoot, Spain is not there as a Country option.
I have an Official Palm Pre on Movistar and an official Palm Pixi on Vodafone over here.
Cheers
JD
That seems like way more work than it's worth. People are actually willing to go through all that to use a Pre? Insanity.
Today I will receive a non-activated Pre 3 from the UK :-D
Will going through these steps also give me paid apps access for my Pre 3?
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