Finance Firm Bloomberg Goes In For $80,000 On Ubuntu Edge Project

DW100 writes "Ubuntu has secured a surprise enterprise backer of its $32m Edge smartphone crowd-funding push with corporate powerhouse Bloomberg signing up for the top tier Enterprise 100 package, worth $80,000. Chief technology officer at Bloomberg Shawn Edwards said the firm wanted to give its support to the innovative open source project as it could have real benefits for its IT workforce." Adds reader nk497: "So far the campaign has raised $8.5 million and has two weeks left to run. Individuals can buy the smartphone-cum-PC for $780 at the moment, but Canonical is also offering business bundles of 100 handsets, including a month of support, for $80,000. Bloomberg is the first business to opt for the bundle — but it will get its money back if the project isn't fully funded." Update: 08/08 12:58 GMT by T : One more note: Canonical has dropped the price to $695 for the remainder of the fundraising campaign.

Comments

Ubuntu Edge now $695, thanks to industry backing.

[Janek Kozicki]

These news are already outdated. Ubuntu edge is now selling for $695.

With 14 days to go, it’s time for our biggest announcement yet. From now until the end of the campaign, we’re fixing the price of the Ubuntu Edge at $695! No limited quantities, no more price changes. You wanted a more affordable Edge, and now you’ve got it.

So of course we’re passing those savings on to you. There’s now a single unlimited $695 Ubuntu Edge perk, which comes with a year’s subscription to LastPass Premium and a place on the Founders page. At the end of the campaign, anyone who’s already pledged more than $695 for the phone will be offered a refund of the difference.

Free publicity

[Arrepiadd]

Bloomberg is the first business to opt for the bundle — but it will get its money back if the project isn't fully funded.

This is no more than free publicity for Bloomberg then. They're pledging to give 80 thousand USD to a project if it gets fully funded. Said project after getting 7 million in the first 24 or 48 hours, has only managed to go up 1 more million in two weeks. And it needs 24 million more in the next two weeks!

Chances of actually having to give the 80 kUSD... close to 0. Free publicity... a lot!

Re:Free publicity

[AlphaWolf_HK]

Not that I'm being hopeful or unhopeful (I'm not interested in this project - I'm happy with my smartphone already) it's actually quite common for massive amounts of money to come in at the start of a crowdsourcing project, and then after a big initial rush things slow to a trickle until you get near the end. Will they reach their goal? Who knows, but slowing down like this at this point in time is normal, (and I assume expected) successful projects and failed projects alike.

Re:Free publicity

[FlyMysticalDJ]

Great idea! More companies should take advantage of this free publicity. Like about 290 more companies.

FSF questions

[santiagoanders]

Were the following questions by the FSF ever answered?

"Will the Ubuntu Edge versions of both Android and Ubuntu contain or rely on any proprietary software or proprietary firmware?"

"Will the Ubuntu Edge include any Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) software?"

"Will the device's bootloader be free software?"

"Will the device have Restricted Boot, or will users be able to replace the operating system with a free one of their choice?"

"Will Ubuntu Edge include F-Droid, the free software Android application repository, as part of a commitment to promote and recommend only free software?"

Re:FSF questions

[ssam]

there was a question about open hardware http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shuttleworth_founder_of_ubuntu/ that gives you some of the answers

"This first version of the Edge is to prove the concept of crowdsourcing ideas for innovation, backed by crowdfunding. If it gets greenlighted, then I think we'll have an annual process by which the previous generation backers get to vote on the spec for the next generation of Edge.
So in this first generation Edge, no, we didn't look for open hardware specifically. We can choose silicon with more open drivers as we finalise the spec, but again I think the priority for the CPU / GPU will be performance to hit the goal of convergence.
In future generations, it would be great to see if we can do an all-open device, for example."
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shuttleworth_founder_of_ubuntu/cba2wga

Re:FSF questions

[BitZtream]

Dear FSF,

No.

Go make your own phone and distribution instead of demanding everyone do everything exactly like you want.

Seriously, get over yourselves.

I'm not buying into the edge on indiegogo, but if it comes to fruition before Apple does the same thing with OSX and iOS on the iPhone, then I'll be hard pressed not to just switch to Linux. See not everyone in the world is a freetard, some of us just like to get the job done and don't mind paying for it and not always knowing momma's secret receipt.

If you want an FSF phone/PC, then get the FSF to make you one.

Re:Not "buying"

[charles2678]

Not much for reading the fine print? Kickstarter's terms are such that legal action is entirely possible for a backed project which doesn't result in reward delivery. So -- no, not a donation, a time-delayed purchase.

Re:Not "buying"

[evilRhino]

Why the hate? This campaign is not on Kickstarter, it's on Indiegogo. Secondly, if they don't raise enough money to make it happen, contributors get their money back.

Re: Yeah, but who would buy a smartphone

[jeffmeden]

What is your concern with sapphire glass? It should be a big improvement over what is used on phones now.

Sapphire glass is *more* brittle than Gorilla Glass, so if you thought edge-drop screen shatters were a problem before, watch out. You will never be able to scratch the screen, but it will be so sensitive to shock that you will need substantial protection anyway.

Re:Not "buying"

[h4rr4r]

Good for you.

Personally, I bet more of those not for profits are scams than kickstarter drives. For a great example pick a random large charity and find out what their execs make. If you are fine with that, check their overhead costs. There are charities spending less than 30% of their funds on charitable activities.

With kickstarter you are paying for a product to be hopefully created, this means there is risk involved but this may be the only way such a product is ever created. If you don't like that then simply do not participate. There is no reason to expect others to share your views.

Re:It's a great deal now.

[BitZtream]

The reason sales have stalled is because not everyone is stupid.

You live in a fantasy.

I don't really understand why sales have stalled as this is going to be 2-3 years ahead of the market.

So they are going to magically come out with a phone 2 or 3 years ahead of the market ... when they aren't even currently in the market and have no experience doing what they claim they are going to do. And they claim they are going to do it far better than the people who produce the hardware itself?

Canonical is some how going to get Samsung (or whoever) to make magical new hardware that they themselves don't sell? Its not like Canonical can fab chips or make AMOLED displays or any of the other related bits.

Only a fool and his followers make and believe statements like these.

Re:Why I won't support this?

[Knuckles]

The date is right there on the indiegogo page. Vaporware maybe, but you could say that for nearly every crowdsourced project.

Re:Why I won't support this?

[dominux]

wrong wrong wrong wrong

it ships (if it does) with a dual boot Ubuntu Touch/Android setup. If you boot into Android you can plug in an HDMI monitor and run Ubuntu desktop on the big screen sharing some stuff between the Ubuntu Desktop operating system and the Android operating system. They promise that sometime after launch they will do the desktop OS trick alongside Ubuntu Touch as well as alongside Android.

So this is an Ubuntu Touch phone, and an Android phone from day 1. If you want to start the Ubuntu Desktop then you can do that from day 1 if you booted into Android and at some point you will be able to start the Ubuntu Desktop from Ubuntu Touch.

So yeah, it is a bit complicated, and has two more operating environments than a phone needs, but if you are going to correct people you do have a bit of an obligation to get your facts in order.

Re: Yeah, but who would buy a smartphone

[MrEricSir]

How is this different than any other phone you buy outright?

How many other phones double as a desktop computer?

Finance firms should be interested in FOSS

[jago25_98]

Bloomberg, as a financial and inparticular, media firm should be interested in privacy and security.
There isn't a phone out there that has integrity to trade... closest we got was Replicant on a Samsung but the modem had carte blanche to everything so it was imperfect.

So Bloomberg would be a good customer. Any Bloomberg employee who has sensitive info has the possibility of communicating privately.