The Ovi Store team have just started to roll out the ability to re-download purchased content. Content is tightly linked to your Ovi account, which means you can re-download content either to the same device it was purchased on, or a different device (e.g. when you upgrade). Previously Ovi Store content could only be downloaded once, on original purchase, to a single device. Currently the re-download functionality is only available for selected content, on selected devices, and there are some important caveats. Things are definitely afoot though. Read on the full story for more details.
Read on in the full article.
Pure speculation this: I suspect some servers in the Ovi Store server farm have been updated to allow re-downloads and others have not... This might explain why you can re-download some software on one device but not another (even when it is the same software).
This will probably clear up in the next 24 hours as the Ovi Store maintenance window is cleared.
Excellent news! Although, I am 100% sure there will be a ton of forum goers (and even bloggers, I'm afraid) that will immediately go "WHAT?!?!?! [ed note: yes it will be in capitals of course] It does not work on every single app in every single country on every single phone = EPIC FAIL!!!!!" 😉
Excellent find, and yes, congrats to the Ovi Store team for at least starting to support this. Hopefully we'll get an official statement soon on the policies around this.
Re-downloading previously purchased software is minimum standard for me.
OVI, what's next? :P
Maybe once we can re download, a major OS update for all 5th edition devices to include kinetic scrolling will be released?
Unregistered wrote:Maybe once we can re download, a major OS update for all 5th edition devices to include kinetic scrolling will be released?
Maybe Panasonic can upgrade my 37 inch LCD HD TV to a 50 inch plasma with 1080p.
Just go to download, and you will get offered latest Ovi store App, in upgrade mode. No need to uninstall first.
I believe this may have something to do with the excellent TouchNote Cards application. With the old system one was unable to purchase more cards. Now, it seems, this may be possible!
v1.05 is available on the N79 now too. Not tried redownloading on it, not got any purchases or a second Nokia. 😉
Forgot the bracketed part, it's 1.05(303).
Maybe once we can re download, a major OS update for all 5th edition devices to include kinetic scrolling will be released?
Maybe Panasonic can upgrade my 37 inch LCD HD TV to a 50 inch plasma with 1080p.
Kinetic scrolling is on the way for the n97 atleast. This was demonstrated at Nokia World held recently. It is expected through a firmware update in October.
This is cool that things can finally be downloaded again. The eternal question is: why now, and why not from the start? Rather than roll out something piecemeal or with half functionality, why not do it right or attempt to do it right from the very beginning. This would endear a better user experience initially and build credibility. Also, still no iSync plugins for the Mac community. This just verifies what many 3rd party developers are saying that the firmware is so screwed up that they can not do anything until Nokia releases a fix.
The eternal question is: why now, and why not from the start?
Why didn't we know about Helicobacter pylori from the beginning and people have been dying from stomach ulcer? Why now and why not from the start?
k.ewin wrote:Why didn't we know about Helicobacter pylori from the beginning and people have been dying from stomach ulcer? Why now and why not from the start?
When Nokia gets invloved with this we can ask them but considering they are selling products and offering marginal service, I think it is fair to ask why not do this from the start. They get our money up front, no preconditions. Before they rolled out the Ovi Store, they should have had something as basic as redownloads in place because phones break, people change them, they get stolen, etc... so a natural progression would be to have the ability to download content that you already purchased and transfered to your new phone. Why not? This is pretty basic.
"Why didn't we know about Helicobacter pylori from the beginning and people have been dying from stomach ulcer? Why now and why not from the start?"
That's a stupid response to a perfectly fair comment. Expecting people to buy software over the air from the Ovi store without the possibility to re-download an already-paid-for app was a massive oversight on the part of Nokia. The fact that this improvement appears to be being rolled out in a piecemeal fashion is also confusing to the user and arguably unnecessary.
Many people are saying that Nokia have gone from being a hardware provider to being a service provider; if that's really the case, they don't appear to be making a very good job of it at the moment.
I must admit my comment was a bit provocative. This is because I have been working in the software industry for a long time and hear comments like this quite often.
It is very much okay for a consumer to demand the best possible user experience from the start. On the other hand from Nokia's point of view this additional feature might have delayed the Ovi store for some more weeks or even months. (It needs additional development, testing, server capacity etc.) Nokia was ahead of the development with it's Download application but after Apple's coup with the by far superior and better marketed app store they had to respond as quickly as possible.
Forgot to mention that I am happy that we have this feature now! 😊
sapporobaby wrote:The eternal question is: why now, and why not from the start?
I agree that it is a must thing to have from the start. But you should consider that this is something that was completely new to Nokia. When you start something new, it may not be possible to have all the requirements in place right from the start. It has to be built over time.
I must say that though I feel that it was ok to not have this feature from the start, they should have not taken this long to enable it. Maybe they don't have a good IT team in place.
k.ewin wrote:I must admit my comment was a bit provocative. This is because I have been working in the software industry for a long time and hear comments like this quite often.It is very much okay for a consumer to demand the best possible user experience from the start. On the other hand from Nokia's point of view this additional feature might have delayed the Ovi store for some more weeks or even months. (It needs additional development, testing, server capacity etc.) Nokia was ahead of the development with it's Download application but after Apple's coup with the by far superior and better marketed app store they had to respond as quickly as possible.
Far enough but don't you think that Nokia currently has a history of rushing things to its detriment? Hate them or love them for the most part when Apple releases a service, it is generally spot on. This has nothing to do with marketing but making sure the best user experience is had. Even when they launched MobileMe and it tanked for a day or so, Apple came out and gave everyone 3 extra months. Where is Nokia offering a free app or some kind of compensation? We are the ones paying, and they basically treat us as though they are doing us a favor by letting us purchase their products. Nokia has taught me that brand loyalty is a waste of time and leads to abuse by the offending brand. I am now loyal to the "bang for my buck" model. While I still tend to like Nokia, there is no way I will jump on a flagship phone again. The N97 has proven itself to be more of a dingy than a flagship and I am more than happy that I took mine back and got an N86 instead. Nokia may be the largest out there and will continue to do okay but consumer confidence (outside of some here who wave the Nokia flag no matter how badly they do) is eroding.
malerocks wrote:I agree that it is a must thing to have from the start. But you should consider that this is something that was completely new to Nokia. When you start something new, it may not be possible to have all the requirements in place right from the start. It has to be built over time.
I must say that though I feel that it was ok to not have this feature from the start, they should have not taken this long to enable it. Maybe they don't have a good IT team in place.
Hey dude. You might have a point but Nokia knew this was coming and should have planned better. This is my opinion. Especially if you are taking peoples money. Their actions are par for the course. While Apple had the iTunes store first, the App Store was all new and they seemed to have gotten most of it correct from the start. Nokia is not a tiny company. They have tons of smart people but I have a few friends inside of Nokia and they all say the same thing, that there is so much in-fighting that very little actually gets done. The CEO for the most part just does not have the stones to go an reign in the warring factions and establish order. Who knows? All I can say is that the initial impression of the Ovi store leaves much to be desired, and Nokia can not continue to use the excuse that this is new to us. This was simply poor planning and even poorer execution on their part.
I think the app store shows Nokia's problem very well: it is all about priorities. And this has a lot to do with Apple's marketing power.
For a long time Nokia as a technology leader has been able to set their own priorities delivering very good solutions from the beginning. (Although the N95 also had a some flaws when it appeared.) But while Nokia has set their priorities obviously differently at first, Apple's unexpected moves and marketing made touchscreen phones and app stores the top must have for the whole industry. This completely screwed up Nokia's plans and they had to rush to the market with solutions that showed their competitiveness. Reading the inital comments about the app store this has worked well from a marketing point of view despite those missing pieces. They are going to fix them now and re-downloads is one of the most important ones.
By the way, missing re-downloads was the main reason why I have been holding back from buying from the app store until now.
malerocks wrote:I agree that it is a must thing to have from the start.
Whilst I agree it is a "good thing" not all commercial software vendors would also agree. I can think of two straight away (Gameloft and Game Mobile) who either don't allow re-downloading or who charge extra for this facility.
I assume from the comments that Apple allow it. Handango certainly do but it is by no means an "industry standard".
Even in the software for computers world, many vendors charge you extra if you want a 'forever download' of your software.
@jejome and malerocks,
Apple currently allows unlimited redownloads of purchased or free apps. It is quite the opposite with purchased music or video content. However, if you petition them, they will allow you to redownload items.
My one and only gripe with Nokia is that they have established a pattern or mediocracy and they seem to wallow in it. There is nothing special about anything they are offering. There is no buzz about their products. Maybe this is due to sloppy marketing, or just a "we are the champions" attitude. One thing for sure, Nokia is beginning to lose its base, and in anything from mobile phones to politics, losing the base is a recipe for failure.
sapporobaby wrote:Hate them or love them for the most part when Apple releases a service, it is generally spot on. This has nothing to do with marketing but making sure the best user experience is had. Even when they launched MobileMe and it tanked for a day or so, Apple came out and gave everyone 3 extra months. Where is Nokia offering a free app or some kind of compensation?
MobileMe had quite a rocky start really. So, yes, even Apple make mistakes.
But there's a big difference in terms of what can be given as compensation - Apple simply extended subscriptions or trial period, on something for which people would be paying them directly, which was hosted on their servers.
That's very different from Nokia saying "Our (free) store has issues, let's give you a free app, which will almost certainly come from someone else, and which the developer will still want to be paid for."
Apple didn't have to fork out real money to anyone to extend the free period on MobileMe. Nokia can't just let you download someone else's app without paying, no matter how penitent they're feeling.
nwhitfield wrote:MobileMe had quite a rocky start really. So, yes, even Apple make mistakes. But there's a big difference in terms of what can be given as compensation - Apple simply extended subscriptions or trial period, on something for which people would be paying them directly, which was hosted on their servers.
That's very different from Nokia saying "Our (free) store has issues, let's give you a free app, which will almost certainly come from someone else, and which the developer will still want to be paid for."
Apple didn't have to fork out real money to anyone to extend the free period on MobileMe. Nokia can't just let you download someone else's app without paying, no matter how penitent they're feeling.
Good point but of course Apple had to pay for the bandwidth, and hosting so in essence it is not free, but your point is made. Also, the problem Apple had was not preparing for the rush on its servers. In effect, the service was fine and well thought out, but it was under-capacitied. This is not the case with Nokia. Ovi was not very well thought out from the start. While the situations are similar but not the same, Nokia could find a way to (maybe work with the developers) to offer something to the paying customers.
[QUOTE=sapporobaby;439378
My one and only gripe with Nokia is that they have established a pattern or mediocracy and they seem to wallow in it. There is nothing special about anything they are offering. There is no buzz about their products. Maybe this is due to sloppy marketing, or just a "we are the champions" attitude. One thing for sure, Nokia is beginning to lose its base, and in anything from mobile phones to politics, losing the base is a recipe for failure.[/QUOTE]
There certainly is a buzz anout the N900, although I am fairly sure already that this will be a disappointment when people find out how unportable it is (heavy, chunky, poor battery life).
Unregistered wrote:There certainly is a buzz anout the N900, although I am fairly sure already that this will be a disappointment when people find out how unportable it is (heavy, chunky, poor battery life).
Here I have to disagree with you on a few points. I have played with one a few days ago and it is not clunky at all. The OS seems to flow rather smoothly and as far as size, come on what do you expect? It is not a flip phone. It is a tablet/phone with a large screen. Last I checked there are no foldable screens in phones yet. Be realistic. The N900 is not meant to go after the iPhone, or any other phone but to have its own place in the mobile community.
sapporobaby wrote:It is a tablet/phone with a large screen. Last I checked there are no foldable screens in phones yet. Be realistic. The N900 is not meant to go after the iPhone, or any other phone but to have its own place in the mobile community.
Quite, remember it came from the 770 / 800 / 810 series. Actually, as a 770 / 800 user I was very disappointed with how small the N900 was. To be honest, for me it is too much like a telephone size and I won't be buying one.