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Ubuntu Edge

indiegogo.com

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Re: Ubuntu Edge

#21

Post by ChuckMcM »

Pretty ambitious. Presumably they are not going to build the phone, they will do like Google and Apple and Microsoft did and find someone who is already building phones, to build them a bespoke phone. One then wonders how many units you have to commit to buying for LG to spin a variant of the Nexus 4 for you. Certainly its more than 100K phones, which gets you into the 'best' price for components (some vendors of phone parts (like some of the flash chips) won't talk to you unless you order 100K pieces).

Clearly there is a value proposition to having knowledge about all the bits in the phone, but as I discovered with the Android phones, working at Google, there are some bits which are protected in a variety of ways (basically most of the radios in phones these days are all software and that blob (the stuff that makes the radio 'work') is strictly licensed. It was, for me at least, an unexpected additional cost for the radio stuff. (I imagine that business model started with soft modems where the line access chips were $1 and the code to turn them into a 56Kbit modem was another $9 each).

Regardless of outcome, this will join a number of attempts at making a Linux phone. I wonder if anyone has collected all of the attempts into a single space.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#22

Post by ludoo »

drcode wrote: post #11

Does anyone really still want a phone you can plug into a monitor? This would have been a dream product back before broadband and wifi became ubiquitous, and before extra PCs became so cheap. Nowadays, it seems like a much better design is to have multiple devices with different form factors that can access shared data via a cloud. (unless this product is meant as an NSA-proof system, but I don't see that it makes a…

You can already do that: HDMI output, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#23

Post by shmerl »

Using crowdfunding wastes a huge part of the raised money on taxes. It looks like a sign of Canonical not being able to find investors. Jolla for example did, and I take it as a sign of maturity and expertise in the field.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#24

Post by orillian »

drcode wrote: post #11

Does anyone really still want a phone you can plug into a monitor? This would have been a dream product back before broadband and wifi became ubiquitous, and before extra PCs became so cheap. Nowadays, it seems like a much better design is to have multiple devices with different form factors that can access shared data via a cloud. (unless this product is meant as an NSA-proof system, but I don't see that it makes a…

The cloud is cool but your putting your data, and for many people that means their livelyhoods in the hands of strangers.

Personal Cloud is a better option.

I personally would be more than happy to own a single device that I could take with me and still know I had all the computing power I needed, without the bulk of a desktop or even a small laptop.

Monitor and keyboard at home, one at the office, phone in my pocket all backed up and synced in my personal private cloud.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#26

Post by Zigurd »

I would like to like this, but there are some red flags: It seems like they are engineering their own high-end hardware. Are there really no off-the-shelf platforms for this? No ODMs from which they could order 10k units, including the GPU driver license?

Supposing they could get 10k units for $500 each, that means they could ask for $1M or $2m and be far more certain of hitting their goal. Why not do that?

It seems as if they are trying to fund development of Ubuntu for phones on the back of this hardware project. Or, unlike Jolla and Tizen and Firefox OS they lack launch partners, so they are doing a "Microsoft Surface." Maybe the $900M write-down of Surface hardware made them think $32M is a doddle.

Ubuntu should run nicely on Surface RT hardware... They could make an offer.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#27

Post by shmerl »

aroman wrote: post #15

I really really hope I'm wrong (because I really believe in Ubuntu's vision), but what I'm gathering from this is that Canonical really has no idea how to make money.

+1. I'd rephrase it - they are newcomers with no experience in the filed of making hardware.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#28

Post by shmerl »

RockyMcNuts wrote: post #19
aroman wrote: post #15

I really really hope I'm wrong (because I really believe in Ubuntu's vision), but what I'm gathering from this is that Canonical really has no idea how to make money.

I'm gathering that the handset makers and carriers and VCs laughed them out of the office, so they had to go this route. I would have expected to read something like, the phone is an enhanced version of x/y/z with these features, we got a great deal from (manufacturer), but we need 50,000 pre-orders to proceed.

I guess they just didn't find investors. Jolla managed to do it because they have expertise and accumulated knowledge in the field. Canonical don't have that.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#30

Post by dkokelley »

ealexhudson wrote: post #2

I upvoted this because I think it's an interesting experiment. Attempting to raise $1M+ every day for a month, though, I think is insanely ambitious. Asking people for $830 for a device that they won't get for a year is asking a lot, particularly since the specs aren't worlds away from current phones (two years time, and probably $500 would get you a device with those specs, unlocked). Worse, I just don't even get th…

I'm wondering if the ambitious goal of $32M is part of their strategy. Given that a higher goal is less likely to be met, I (and others who might consider backing) may be willing to adjust our risk function for the $600-800 such that we are more likely to back the project. Assuming that after 30 days only $20M is raised, then the outcome is as follows:

1: Nobody is actually charged for supporting the project

2: Other interested parties (phone manufacturers and carriers) will see that there is demand for a phone that doesn't even exist yet. These interested parties might consider reaching this market to differentiate from the current phone OS leaders.

3: Canonical still gets to see their OS in smartphones.

Maybe I'm reaching at straws. I do believe them when they say that manufacturing at scale is expensive.

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