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Last week, Canonical left everyone with the impression that there was finally a phone coming that ran Ubuntu for phones by default. Now we know that the Ubuntu Edge is on its way, but it is unlike anything on the market today.Mark Shuttleworth has been dreaming of an all-in-one, no compromise smartphone for a long time. The Ubuntu for Android concept started as an Android OS that turned into Ubuntu when you connected to your PC. That never really took off, but the idea was interesting. Next came the Ubuntu for mobile devices announcement, which included a test program that allowed users to install the software on their own hardware and create their own experiences while developers figured out the new user interfaces. The one thing that has been missing through all of this has been the hardware, and we’ve been told over and over that there arecompanies in talks with Canonical to release their own devices. In an attempt to create their own Nexus program, Shuttleworth has announced a crowdfunding campaign for Ubuntu Edge, featuring a hardware solution that seriously blurs the lines between smartphone and computer.Imagine a 4.5-inch smartphone with 128GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, and a top-of-the-line mobile multi-core processor. A phone that ranUbuntu mobile, but also Android, so you weren’t without your favorite apps and could choose one interface over the other. A phone that can connect to a monitor and act as the desktop, capable of running desktop Ubuntu with access to all of the information you have stored on your phone. That’s the idea behind the Ubuntu Edge. It’s a flat black slab with sapphire crystal instead of glass on the front of the phone, with a nearly bezel-free 720p display to take advantage of the slide in navigation methods for Ubuntu mobile. The casing of the phone is expected to be made of a single piece of metal, and currently this phone is little more than a fairly tale.It all sounds amazing, and if it existed today the Ubuntu Edge would likely be an incredible piece of hardware with questionable battery life. Unfortunately, the phone is nothing more than a concept at the moment. Shuttleworth has started an Indiegogo campaign in the hopes that his pitch is enough to get people interested in funding the creation of this crazy, wonderful idea. The campaign has a hopeful goal of 32 million dollars, with an $830 price tag attached to the phone itself. If you back the project today, you can be one of 5,000 people to get the phone for only $600.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]This is an impressive concept, and a lofty goal worth striving toward to be sure. It’s too early to say whether or not there will be crowds of people willing to drop $830 on a phone that doesn’t exist yet, but the whole point here is to prove to manufacturers that there’s a market for this new breed of superphone. It will be an interesting month for Canonical, and possible a great first step toward a proper Ubuntu mobile experience.
Source* - http://bit.ly/1dQ64iE
*Note: These news are 4 days old, I was meaning to post it 4 days ago but I forgot.
