Canonical Lowers Ubuntu Edge Pricing

[akincer]

Yeah, and I guess my point is that Canonical must make that shift. Otherwise they'll move from niche operating system for desktop to niche operating systems for phones.

What they need is to get in partnership with Samsung, Motorola, etc and produce one phone that has this wonderful 'connect me to any monitor and you have a computer at your finger tips' functionality. Heck, the phone can be your input device in that scenario (and optionally a bluetooth physical keyboard added). Beautiful!

Maybe this is them testing the waters to making a major hardware play. Maybe not. If they take a page from Google and if this initiative is wildly successful then they'll continue down this path.

I'm pretty sure they already ARE working with device manufacurers. I know they are at least talking with carriers who would in turn be talking to device manufacturers.

I think their target niche is a growing number of users that only need desktop type computing a small percentage of the time and even then only for some pretty basic stuff (word processing, spreadsheets, basic photo/video editing, etc.) but use their phone the vast majority of the time as their computing device.

[mendieta]

Unless Canonical makes a strategic shift, you will NEVER be able to get one on a carrier subsidy. They are only making a limited number and will ship directly to consumers. This is your only guaranteed way to get one. They have indicated they MIGHT do this again in the future if the effort is successful, but no guarantees.

Yeah, and I guess my point is that Canonical must make that shift. Otherwise they'll move from niche operating system for desktop to niche operating systems for phones.

What they need is to get in partnership with Samsung, Motorola, etc and produce one phone that has this wonderful 'connect me to any monitor and you have a computer at your finger tips' functionality. Heck, the phone can be your input device in that scenario (and optionally a bluetooth physical keyboard added). Beautiful!

[akincer]

What is the advantage of running Ubuntu on a smartphone? I'm not trolling, just asking. Android seems way ahead of Ubuntu in terms of GUI functionality, while desktop Linux like Ubuntu seems way ahead in terms of the full command line ecosystem.

Also, why doesn't Ubuntu push Java more for GUI app development? It seems that many of the best GUI apps, such as the super IDEs like IntelliJ and Eclipse, and even a few games (Minecraft, Wakfu) are Java-based? That seems like an ideal solution to the problems of desktop Linux GUI development.

The advantage is that you can have full device convergence. That's just marketing speak for "one device to be your desktop AND phone". So far, efforts to do this have been quite clumsy at best and total trainwreck at worst (opinions vary, YMMV).

Using native programming languages to Ubuntu/Linux (i.e. not Java) means that devs can build on their already existing apps for Ubuntu/Linux and not reinvent the wheel.

[LinuxGamer]

You should probably read that page. You'll find interesting things like this:

"The hardware requirements are straightforward and, with a broad range of ARM and x86 hardware supported, it can realistically be added to phones already in development."

Aren't facts fun?

eww X86 not X86_64
Edit whats the point of 4GB min of Ram? PAE sucks

[Pajn]

What is the advantage of running Ubuntu on a smartphone? I'm not trolling, just asking. Android seems way ahead of Ubuntu in terms of GUI functionality, while desktop Linux like Ubuntu seems way ahead in terms of the full command line ecosystem.

Also, why doesn't Ubuntu push Java more for GUI app development? It seems that many of the best GUI apps, such as the super IDEs like IntelliJ and Eclipse, and even a few games (Minecraft, Wakfu) are Java-based? That seems like an ideal solution to the problems of desktop Linux GUI development.

Much nicer GUI and better system navigation (very personal, I especially like how the indicators work as I too often
need to open Androids system settings app and how you can quickly change apps as I ty to multi-task a lot).
Speed (much smoother animations and quicker response on the device I'm testing with (Galaxy Nexus).
Native C++ apps (also this for speed).

Java is better for bigger apps as it's easier to code and the downsides of the JVM isn't as noticeable
but on small apps like most phone apps the downsides of JVM (extra startup time, slower execution
until the JIT have wormed up, extra memory usage)
And on small devices like phones the Garbage Collector actually uses a noticeable part of the available
CPU cycles.

I like Java, together with Python that is the best language for coding but you have to know when your
favourite tool becomes a burden. If you know the size of the bolts head a fixed wrench is better than
a variable one

However Android still have the biggest advantage: available apps. If this device didn't have the ability
to multi-boot I wouldn't have "bought" it no matter how much better the system actually is (for me).

[akincer]

this is what it is going to run on from the start http://www.ubuntu.com/phone/ubuntu-for-android

You should probably read that page. You'll find interesting things like this:

"The hardware requirements are straightforward and, with a broad range of ARM and x86 hardware supported, it can realistically be added to phones already in development."

Aren't facts fun?

[LinuxGamer]

You again?

did you redo your hair?

[LinuxGamer]

You keep saying that like it's fact despite that not being affirmed as a fact. And before you pull out the "but Android!" bit, I've already sent you a link to Android builds running on Intel architecture. Do try to focus on facts instead of whatever butt hurt fantasy land you're living in.

this is what it is going to run on from the start http://www.ubuntu.com/phone/ubuntu-for-android

[hajj_3]

after they had sold the $600 phones the sales of the $830 were terrible, they only sold about 450 or so, they needed to sell about 50,000, they would have got past $9m at the slow rate of sales that they had. Adding this cheapER prices won't help, once the $625 and $675 phones have gone which total 2250 the same problem will arise. Ubuntu need to just sell all their remaining phones at $600-650 or they will not meet that $32m target and will therefore receive no money AT ALL. This would be incredibly embarrassing for canonical and would result in very few developers creating apps for ubuntu o.s as it will be seen as a very unpopular o.s.

[DDF420]

Variable-pricing pricing campaigns are always harder, I think.
It's hard not to feel cheated when you ask for a lot of money and then you discover you could have paid a significant amount less if you'd bought yesterday. I know I've been put off by other kickstarters doing that.

The updated message says

"If you contributed at the $830 Ubuntu Edge or $1,400 Double Edge levels before the new perks arrived, we?ll issue you a refund of the difference once the campaign is successful. If you?re happy with the amount you contributed, you can opt out of this refund by emailing us at [email protected]."