Jul 22
Jul 22
In an effort to create the first smartphone that can dual-boot both Linux and Android, Canonical is looking to raise money on Indiegogo in order to make such a thing happen. The phone would run a version of Ubuntu Touch, as well as a version of Android, although it’s not said exactly what version the phone will be running.
Perhaps one of the most interesting facets about the crowdfunding campaign is that Canonical is going try and raise $32 million in just 31 days, which they say is the biggest monetary target ever for a crowdfunding campaign. It’s a lofty goal, and if the campaign doesn’t meet $32 million, the project won’t happen, and Canonical will go back to making Ubuntu Touch only.
The device itself, called the Ubuntu Edge, will come with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It’ll be topped off with a 4.5-inch 720p display covered in pure sapphire crystal, which Canonical says is “the hardest natural substance after diamond.” As for the processor, the company only says that it’ll be “the latest” and “fastest.”
The Edge will also 4G connectivity, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0. It’ll also be able to hook up to a keyboard, mouse, and monitor in order to use the device as a full-fledged desktop computer. However, it’s not said if Android will work in this mode.
Of course, we’ve seen Ubuntu Touch in action in the recent past back in February. The interface on the Edge looks to be the same as we’ve seen in the past. As for the phone itself, the Edge is a simple-looking device with not much going on. There looks to be a power button at the top and a volume rocker on the side. There is no home button, however, which doesn’t seem to be a huge deal, as most of the navigation will obviously be done with the touchscreen.
SOURCE: Indiegogo
Ubuntu Edge dual-boots Linux and Android, needs funding help is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jul 22
Canonical Seeks $32M To Build A Ubuntu Smartphone Designed For Converged Computing
Posted in: Today's Chili
Ubuntu Mobile isn’t new; Canonical has already done much to promote its efforts to break into the smartphone mobile software space. But today the company is launching an Indiegogo campaign to fund the development of its first own-branded Ubuntu mobile hardware, the Ubuntu edge. The Edge is a smartphone that hopes to be more than that, by replacing a desktop PC as well.
The $32 million campaign to fund the Edge’s creation is a fixed funding project, which means it’s all or nothing, and it has to achieve its goal within the next 31 days in order to be successful. Canonical needs to raise over $1 million per day to meet its target, that means, and for a high concept device that costs $600 per unit in pre-order backing on day one, or $830 per device after that. That’s going to be no easy feat.
But what Canonical wants to build isn’t just an Ubuntu-powered smartphone – it’s a “low-volume, high-technology platform, crowdfunded by enthusiasts and mobile computing professionals” designed to “accelerate the adoption of new technologies and drive them down into the mainstream,” according to Canonical’s project page. This is about making a gadget for the tinkerers and builders who make gadgets for the everyday world, and its price tag and ambitious design reflect that.
The Edge is an experiment in truly converged computing, turning the smartphone into the central nervous system of a full desktop PC, resulting in a self-described “superphone.” It’s wrapped in a metal outer casing, with a 4.5-inch 1280×720 screen that’s designed not to provide the greatest pixel density, but instead better dynamic range and colour accuracy. The screen is covered by sapphire glass, and the Edge will have the “fastest available” multi-core mobile processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with a battery designed to push life to the limits. There’s a dual-LTE chip inside for wide-reaching wireless range, too.
On the software side, the Edge combines Ubuntu Mobile with full Ubuntu desktop, and can even boot to Android for a truly converged computing experience. It sounds pretty amazing, and mobile nerds everywhere are no doubt already drooling about this right now, or will begin salivating as soon as they find out this thing is real.
Of course, it’s not real yet, and needs $32 million to become a reality, which is a tall order. But Canonical is a company with a solid track record, and this is an exciting project that’s sure to excite the early adopter community. Whether or not that’ll provide enough momentum to help Canonical push the needle forward on mobile computing remains to be seen – but it’s already accrued nearly $20,000 in a very brief time, so there’s clearly a healthy amount of early interest.
Jul 22
Ubuntu Edge smartphone announced with $32 million Indiegogo campaign, aims to hit market in May 2014
Posted in: Today's Chili
Ubuntu’s plan to merge the desktop computer and mobile device is taking shape today in form of the Edge, which it’s aiming to bring to market in May of next year for $830 outright. True to Canonical’s community driven roots, the company is turning to crowd-funding to get the device on its feet. It’s aiming to raise $32 million, and to that end, Canonical’s launching a campaign on Indiegogo today, which provides early backers the opportunity to snag the phone for $600. According to company founder, Mark Shuttleworth, the Indiegogo route isn’t meant to compete with its strategy of courting carriers for its mainstream smartphone project. Rather, it’s meant to solve an “innovation gap” that’s arisen during talks with manufacturers over its grander vision.
The Ubuntu Edge is a very ambitious smartphone that’ll be capable of running a full-fledged Ubuntu desktop operating system alongside Android. While specs are currently tentative, the company is aiming to outfit the Edge with a quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Meanwhile, the phone itself will sport a 4.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display that’s constructed of sapphire crystal glass, an 8MP rear / 2MP front-facing camera and stereo speakers. As for connectivity, Canonical’s eyeing LTE, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC, along with MHL support.
If the converged device strategy strikes your fancy, you’ll find good incentive to be among the early backers. According to Shuttleworth, the Edge will only come to market if backers make it happen, as “none of the phone manufacturers are yet ambitious enough to try to put both things in one package.” Regardless of whether the Indiegogo campaigns succeeds — it’d be a record, if so — Canonical will continue pursuing its strategy to bring a more basic Ubuntu smartphone to market. Recently, the company announced the first of its partner carriers, which includes Verizon, Deutsche Telecom, EE, SK Telecom, China Unicom and others. We’re still waiting to see what type of smartphone might be offered through the carriers, but it’s now clear that if you believe in the open source / converged device philosophy, you’ll need to vote with your wallet.
Gallery: Ubuntu Edge
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: Indiegogo
Jul 22
A hack has exposed the e-mail addresses and login details for every registered user of the Ubuntu Fo
Posted in: Today's ChiliA hack has exposed the e-mail addresses and login details for every registered user of the Ubuntu Forums—that’s almost 2 million accounts. Time to change your password.
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Jul 15
Forget your Raspberry Pi
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Jul 15
That box you see above? It’s a quad-core ARM-based PC running Ubuntu called Utilite. The desktop system, made by Compulab, will be available next month starting at $99. While there are plenty of Android dongles built on ARM SoCs out there, few (if any) can truly offer a PC-like experience. The company — best known for its Trim Slice, Fit-PC and MintBox products — wants to change this.
Utilite packs a single-, dual- or quad-core Freescale i.MX6 Cortex-A9 MPCore processor (up to 1.2 GHz), up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM (1066MHz), an mSATA SSD (up to 512GB), WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, HDMI and DVI-D outputs, two Gigabit Ethernet sockets, four USB 2.0 ports, one micro-USB OTG connector, audio jacks (analog and S/PDIF), a micro-SD XD slot and two ultra-mini RS232 interfaces — phew!
Rounding things up is support for OpenGL ES, OpenVG and OpenCL EP plus multi-stream 1080p H.264 on-chip decoding. All this fits in a chassis mesuring just 5.3 x 3.9 x 0.8 inches (135 x 100 x 21mm) and only consumes 3-8W using a 10-16V supply (unregulated). Those are impressive specs for the price, and the system sure looks positioned to compete favorably with some of the x86 boxes out there.
Filed under: Desktops
Source: FanlessTech
Jun 22
If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, Ting went rogue and all but confirmed the HTC Tiara, Boost Mobile did the obvious and announced a phone that’s long been rumored in its pipeline and Wind welcomed a new, compact Samsung handset into the fold. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that’s happening in the mobile world for this week of June 17th, 2013.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Jun 17
May 31
Ubuntu team closes its original ‘bug:’ Microsoft’s majority of PC market share
Posted in: Today's Chili
When Ubuntu Linux was still in early development back in August 2004, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth filed a tongue-in-cheek first bug: that Microsoft had a majority of PC market share. Little did he realize that he’d have an excuse to cross that bug off the list in 2013. Since computing now includes phones and tablets, he argues, that leaves the traditional PC (and therefore Windows) in the minority versus Android, iOS and other platforms. Whether or not you agree with that market interpretation, Shuttleworth is ready to move on — he feels it’s better to polish Canonical’s own cloud, desktop and mobile efforts than to target someone else. It’s undoubtedly easy for Shuttleworth to make peace when the battle is supposed to be over, but we can’t object to such a healthy attitude.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Via: NPR
Source: Ubuntu (1), (2)
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