WhatsApp Petition for MeeGo, One last push before contacting WhatsApp
Back in November we shared with you a petition to get whatsapp on the Nokia N9, MeeG0-Harmattan platform. Whilst N9 is the Qt Hero device WhatsApp is not in Qt so it isn’t as easy a job to make Symbian version.
From 200 or so signatures to 2500, you guys voted your support. Whilst some were sceptical about where this would lead, (I know I was but still hopeful) @trashr0x/Constantinos Orphanides who organised the petition says he’s got in touch with Sotiris Makriyiannis, Nokia’s Head of MeeGo Applications. They feel that’s a sensible number to start sending letters to try and negotiate something with WhatsApp but Constantinos contacted us to see if we could go again for a final push and promote it.
Whilst it might not get anywhere, it’s good to show your support if it’s something you agree with.
WhatsApp Messenger is a proprietary, cross-platform instant messaging application for smartphones. In addition to basic messaging, WhatsApp Messenger users can send each other images, video and audio media messages. However, WhatsApp have announced on their website that they have no plans for developing WhatsApp for the Nokia N9 and the MeeGo-Harmattan platform.
We understand their business decision, as MeeGo-Harmattan is considered, somewhat, a dead platform, as Nokia have no plans to release other devices sporting that OS (unless stated otherwise in the future). However, the Nokia N9 has been highly appraised by online tech journals and it’s sales have been off the charts wherever it was made available (as reported by various techblogs, mobile operators and third-party retailers). We are not making this petition to express dissatisfaction or hatred to WhatsApp whatsoever, but to let them know that we have grown accustomed to their program, and we would love to have it on our Nokia N9s.
WhatsApp, even if we are considered a ‘small’ community when compared to iOS, Android, or Symbian, we still want to be considered a part of YOUR ecosystem. You have a loyal fan-base who would like to see your application on their smartphones, to make their experience more intuitive. So, the question is not “why to make a Nokia N9 version?”, but rather “a lot of Nokia N9 owners want this and love our product, so WHY NOT?”.
You might not be a what’s app user, you don’t have to be to vote. Just perhaps support Qt? Perhaps they could make WhatsApp into Qt to make it easier to develop for Nokia’s future Qt platforms?
BTW the last things you and the Nokia community have been involved in voting in have gone relatively well.
- The Nokia Lumia beat the Nintendo 3DS, only closely losing to the Galaxy Nexus.
- After about a couple of weeks the Qt for Windows Phone went from about 700 to over 2500. It’s been seen on more and more blogs and is now on 2800.
- Nokia Lumia 800 is King of Smartphones from Channel 5′s survey. Over 65% of the votes to Nokia Lumia. haha.
The Nokia and the WP community have been actively voting on the three above. I’m sure the Nokia/Symbian/MeeGo folks can equally give this WhatsApp survey a big final push of support too.
Update. Seem I have misinterpreted the level to which Constantinos was in talks with MeeGo head apps (and the use of ‘We’) though he was in discussion over twitter.
Two months ago I started a petition which you also supported (http://www.change.org/
petitions/whatsapp-inc- ). We have reached a staggering 2500+ signatures, which is quite an amazing feat as it was done in such a short amount of time, using mouth-by-mouth for promoting it. NokiaN9Lovers on Facebook, MyNokiaBlog, MeeGoExperts and N9-Apps.com were some of the supporters that helped reach this goal. This petition also got me in some conversations with Sotiris Makriyiannis (Head of MeeGo Applications @ Nokia) about the N9-WhatsApp issue.develop-a-nokia-n9-meego- harmattan-version-of-whatsapp- messenger
We believe that this is a sensible number of signatures to start sending out letters to WhatsApp. But before doing so, we are going for the final push: we will try to promote the petition as much as possible for the remaining weeks of January, after which we will start communicating with WhatsApp. As such, I would like to kindly ask you whether it would be possible to re-feature the petition for a final time on MeeGoExperts.com and your followers on Twitter. The N9 community is growing stronger everyday, and gathering 2500 signatures in ~2 months is a testament to that.
Category: Applications, MeeGo, Nokia
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Meego Nokia N9 - Seite 9 - Android-Hilfe.de | January 23, 2012
it would be nice to get tango on the n9 but i guess one battle at a time
Tango?
Even tho I don’t use Whatsapp, I voted a long time ago. The more apps that actual users need – the merrier.
luckily i dont use whatsapp, use ebuddyxms instead and ask my friend to install ebuddyxms
We should tell them, if they are to have a cross-platform messaging service. that is the best, they need to have an app on all mobile platforms around
Well, they have been bragging for being multi/cross-platform. They should show us that they are worthy of their words.
Just to make ourselves (the petition organizers) clear, where the above article says “They feel that’s a sensible number to start sending..” by ‘they’ we mean the petition organizers ourselves. There has been no official talk with Nokia, rather than some tweets with the ‘Director of Applications – MeeGo @ Nokia’ Sotiris Makriyiannis (@melsop74 on Twitter), and apparently they “will try to make us happy somehow”.
I have emailed some of the tweets to MNB, perhaps you could attach them on the post.
Shouldn’t it be easier to port the Android version to Meego, since both OS are linux based?
Nope, the while the kernel is Linux on both (tho on Android some even would debate if it should be called Linux), the whole stack (especially the app stack) on top of it is completely different.
whatssapp
I’m sure @thrashr0x is aware of this, but there’s a project on the run to fork WhatsApp, reversing their API. Wish we had more info about the current development status
http://forum.meego.com/showpost.php?p=36170&postcount=80
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1344114
Yeah, but we haven’t heard from tehavatar and q8phantom post-2012 (when they were supposed to get it going). Would be cool if the ‘WhatsApp API’ guy turns out to be the real deal
Signed.
I finally got my beautiful 64GB N9 and I missed it the first time, so I signed.
With WhatsApp and Viber, I could patch in to most of the new services my friends with iOS and Android are using instead of Skype or SMS. All we need now is to reverse-engineer iMessage!
WP7 is great IMO…but I will pass it up if whatsapp is in the N9.
On a related topic, did anyone catch the Slashdot snippet on Tizen (fka MeeGo).
Two interesting things about it
1) Hardly anybody seems to know what it is. At the time I write this, there are only 53 comments
2) It is even further behind than we imagined. Quote, “this is a very early preview and is not yet designed for use to create production applications”
It is more clear than ever that the right decision was made.
Probably. I still wish MS will get their act together and release Apollo ahead of schedule.
i think n9 users and community need to donate to buy n9(s) for whatsapps team and viber team to get them write their app for n9?
perhaps n950 developers can lend their n950 to whatsapp team and viber team?
Is there any way we can get a petition like this for Shazam?
how about petition for PPs.tv and youku app for n9, these are two popular china apps.
Already signed. Let’s hope this time they will hear us
We must do the same with Myriads Alien Dalvik I ask for the release of the apps but they answer that they only sell to manufacturers I let you their answer:
Thank you for your enquiry. Alien Dalvik was demonstrated on the Nokia N9 as proof of concept. We are currently speaking with several device manufacturers, to incorporate Alien Dalvik technology on to their handsets. However, I can confirm that we do not sell direct to users. We sell to Handset Manufacturers, OEMs, and network carriers and so this software is not available for purchase by the general public.
For the latest information, please visit our website http://www.myriadgroup.com
For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, Alien Dalvik is an app to emulate android, comes integrated in the O.S. to use any android app in any device like any other app of nokia you don’t have to execute the emulator it come integrated in the O.S that’s the reason they only make deals with manufacturers there are some videos on youtube of a demostration with a N900. (sorry for my English I’m Spanish)
We? Are you a Myriad developer?
Bueno, te puedo decir dos cosas en nombre de los que tenemos un Nokia N9:
- la primera es que todos los que tenemos este telefono MATARÍAMOS por tener Alien Dalvik en nuestro N9. Y yo el primero, incluso si tengo que pagar 50€ por tenerlo, no me importaría si eso me permite tener a mi disposicion las miles de aplicaciones de Android que necesito, corriendo fluidamente en mi telefono.
- Peeero, y dos, realmente tengo muy poca fé en que este proyecto vea la luz del dia para los poseedores del telefono, para Nokia y para el publico en general. La primera es por la falta de interes que esta tiene en MeeGo y su comunidad de usuarios, como ha descuidado hasta el punto de tirarla olvidada en un rincon, aun sabiendo que es el mejor SO que he probado en mucho tiempo, y las grandes perspectivas de futuro, por su escalabilidad, diseño, etc. que tendria si se le diera una oportunidad. Aun asi, con el presidente que actualmente tiene Nokia, y visto el poco exito logrado por los usuarios cuando se refiere a tratar, directa o indirectamente con Nokia (soy miembro de la comunidad Maemo desde hace años, ex-Community Council) puedo afirmar que es inutil esperar que Nokia se anime a llevar adelante este proyecto.
Where do i sign!!! We need whatsapp on N9 and Myriad Alien Dalvik to run Android Apps
Im in…. I really need it so where do i sign… Ill give my life haha
N9 will have more value wt whatsapp.Cant wait to have that apps.
Yes, we love Nokia N9 and Whats App too….
Please let them tie the knot and the whole systems will be amazing…
Keep it up!!! Support and more support are welcome