Android Phone Frustrations

Previously, I've complained about the draw backs of living in Saskatchewan, Canada in a Amazon Kindle rant. However, to reiterate (in a more rational voice) compared to the US, Canada is a small market and Saskatchewan is one of the smaller Canadian markets. Combine that with some stupid import/copy write laws and a French Language requirement us northern dwellers aren't the primary target for companies releasing new products.

We got the iPhone at least a year after it was released and the Kindle was over a year (maybe more than 2) and now my newest frustration is the Nexus One Android Phone. Guess what Google doesn't sell it to Canada. However, this time I'm not blaming Google or Amazon or Apple. I'm blaming our Canadian Governments. Things like the iPhone and the Android just aren't products and gizmos. They provide access to a new marketplace.

Companies in the states have been developing applications and making money via these devices for a few years and there are very few comparable Canadian companies. We're in a recession up here in Canada not to the extreme that our southern neighbors are but we are not running business as usual either. Government talks about wanting to promote private business and build our economy but in this case Canadian market restrictions are resulting in us being at least 2 years behind other entrepreneurs. Yes this market edge this hasn't kept the US economy in the black but we are dealing with an extreme situation there not the norm. I firmly believe that because our market isn't big enough to force companies think of Canada first we should be trying to make it easier for them to do business here not harder.

Now you might say "Darc you can get the HTC Dream or Magic at Rogers what's the problem"?One they aren't current and two as far as devices go they suck when compared to the Nexus One. However, my problem isn't so much being denied a new toy my problem is that I've been denied early access to a new and fast growing market. If I wanted to start a company that specialized in Android Applications I'm entering a market that is 2 or more years ahead of me thus making success harder than it should have been.

I would like to end this on a high point. I noticed Rogers is bringing in the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10; not a Nexus One but close and by some accounts better. I've come to appreciate Rogers of late: without them we wouldn't have the iPhone and Kindle in Saskatchewan and wouldn't have Android Phones. That 2 years behind would be more like 4.