I finally received my invitation to get one of the "insider" early release Chumby's.I go to order, pick the color, get to the checkout, and find that it's United States only. Argh!
I realize Free Trade doesn't really mean free trade, but I find the US export regulations pretty frustrating and ridiculous. This thing is all open source software and I can't imagine the hardware is anything special - what are they protecting? I probably shouldn't put all the blame on the US either. Canada has it's own safety code and approval process that devices have to pass. To an ignorant consumer it seems like the US and Canada are similar enough that they could agree on a standard approval process, but I'm sure that's unlikely.
I'm not blaming the companies, I'm sure it's a hassle for them too. And US companies probably (rightly) see Canada as a minor market that's not worth much effort, at least initially.
Sigh. Maybe I can find someone in the US to order my Chumby for me.
(Don't get the wrong idea, it's not like I'm "desperate" for a Chumby. I'm sure I could live without it :-) But us geeks like our toys, especially if it's a new toy that not everyone has!)
[I see from my earlier post that I already knew it was US only. In the excitement of my invitation I obviously forgot that. Either that, or I'm just getting old and forgetful!]
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