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Ubuntu Edge

indiegogo.com

161–170 of 390 posts

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are there really no off-the-shelf platforms for this? From what I gather, it seems the entire purpose of this 'edge' project is a hardware one, not a software one. They're trying to gather the 'latest and greatest' hardware and make a phone out of it, which would by definition, not be found in an existing handset. I'm sure they'll try to push for their mobile os regardless of whether this fails or not, as it seems…

It will be interesting to find out how many real hardware people have had input on this. As an example, the battery is going to be "silicon-anode" - I didn't even know that was a thing, and Google only turns up weeks/months old articles on how researchers are trying to make them out of rice. Yet they're going to stick it in a phone. If each hardware choice has been made like that, there's a huge risk with the project…

Also, is the battery removable? I won't be getting one (married to Verizon at this point) but a non-removable battery would be a second deal breaker for me.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#162
I love crowd funding, and this seems like a great project. But please, before you pledge money, remember one thing:

This is not a pre-order: nothing guarantees that you will ever get anything for the money you've put in.

By pledging money, you become an underprivileged investor. Sometimes, you'll get your money's worth. Sometimes, you'll loose that money. If that's OK by you, then great. If you want a stronger guarantee of getting what you pay for, then this is not the platform to use.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#164

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…

They should try to get some carriers to put some money on that. They could buy hundreds or thousands at a time, if they want more diversity in their offering.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree with (1)... that will probably be average hardware for 2014 (for high end devices because lets face it, all high end devices have roughly the same specs). You make a lot of assumptions with (2) as well. Given Canonical has 0 experience in putting out HW I wouldn't assume a top notch product since details like build quality and materials are important. (3) would be a negative for me... you would get the slo…

You think 4 gigs of ram, sapphire display and 128gb ssd are going to be the norm in 2014? Not very likely. That would be just about double the Samsung S4 right now. I don't think it is very likely for 2014. 2015, maybe though. And I don't think Canonical is going to build the phone but work with someone to do it. > (3) would be a negative for me... you would get the slowest, least power efficient, and most app-baron…

You don't need data to know that the initial product will be the least optimized (in terms of speed/power) and fewest apps. I was speaking mostly in the domain of Ubuntu phones, since the experience will likely improve as they develop the product more, however I would be very surprised if Canonical manages to be faster and more efficient than either iOS or high end android devices at launch.

I'm not saying they there isn't potential, I just don't have as much faith in Canonical as you seem to.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#166
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

at least. And it is "one run only" phone. This is for selling the whole production series. It is only around 40 000 phones. Most phones sell at least in millions.

If 40,000 people are willing to fund the initial production going mainstream would be easy. I believe in the video they even said that if enough people were interested they could get more backing.

I think video said if this thing succeeds, then there might be similar future projects. If not, there wont be next edge or similar projects.

"The Ubuntu Edge is an exclusive production run, available only through Indiegogo"

But there is no going mainstream, it is the whole point. This is not the mainstream pc/mobile. Good quote from comment section:

"It's a premier, demonstration platform, not a mass market device." -achiang

I think what they are doing is awesome and comparison with formula 1 is pretty spot on. They are trying to build mobile with new approach, build it as PC.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#167
post #43

The $32 million fundraising goal might seem overly ambitious, but it's actually more realistic than it appears at first glance, because at $600+ per unit the campaign needs only around 50,000 buyers worldwide to be successful -- or a bit over 2% of Ubuntu's enthusiastic user base, which was estimated to be greater than 20 million in 2011.[1] PS. I just ordered one, as I LOVE the idea of an unlocked phone designed and…

i have to wonder how many ubuntu users are using ubuntu simply for the cost of owning it ($0). If that group is high, which i think it is, it may imply that a lot of those same users, might not want to put money into a project. Speculation.

Find how many Steam subscribers are running Ubuntu and buying games, and subtract that number from the total estimated Ubuntu users.

Count me in the 'buys games' lot.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I would have backed based on this theory if it was a Kickstarter project. Kickstarter uses Amazon and doesn't charge until the end of the drive. Indiegogo uses Paypal, and charges immediately, giving a refund if the drive fails. While both of these differences aren't quite showstoppers, they're enough that I didn't pull the trigger on something that seems highly unlikely to succeed. I wouldn't mind paying $600 for th…

So let's say this campaign comes close but doesn't reach its goal. Someone is then on the hook for close to a million dollars in credit card charges. It doesn't appear to be the individual. But the FAQ is deeply unclear as to whether it is Indiegogo or Canonical who gets to pay these fees. Anyone know?

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#169

I thought about backing this myself, but then I remembered that it's our propensity as developers to get the best hardware for ourselves that leads to resource-hungry software, which means a poor experience for the less fortunate of our users. In that light, it seems to me that a super-high-end phone like this, particularly one aimed at developers, is obscene. So I won't be buying one of these. Indeed, I'm thinking o…

I own a low-powered Android phone and iPhone 3GS for testing, but my normal phone is an IP5. Old phones can be had very cheaply on Craigslist or Ebay. You don't have to make your everyday phone use a nightmare.

Re: Ubuntu Edge

#170
post #43

The $32 million fundraising goal might seem overly ambitious, but it's actually more realistic than it appears at first glance, because at $600+ per unit the campaign needs only around 50,000 buyers worldwide to be successful -- or a bit over 2% of Ubuntu's enthusiastic user base, which was estimated to be greater than 20 million in 2011.[1] PS. I just ordered one, as I LOVE the idea of an unlocked phone designed and…

i have to wonder how many ubuntu users are using ubuntu simply for the cost of owning it ($0). If that group is high, which i think it is, it may imply that a lot of those same users, might not want to put money into a project. Speculation.

If you are in a country, where people can't afford MS products, then they usually don't give two damns about legal issues(because there are none). All hail the pirates, because pirating is the norm.

Source: From country where pirated windows used to be norm. Still is in ethical standpoint. Only OS bundled with computers has changed that.

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