If you haven’t been following the development of Mark Shuttleworth’s super-smart phone project, the Ubuntu Edge, have yourself a quick catch up here and here. The Ubuntu Edge is a concept for a smart-phone that will be more powerful than a desktop computer – hence, SUPER-smart phone. The project was to be funded through IndieGoGo, and while the project smashed the record for the largest crowdfunding project (ever) and raked in over R129 million, they fell R205 million short of their goal, breaking the record for the most money missed in a campaign. Alas.

If an IndieGoGo project’s funding target is not reached, the money has to be returned to the donors – with the website getting a cut of course.

This failure to reach the target has not deterred Shuttleworth. He insists that even though the Edge won’t be made (yet), we can expect handsets in the future to be loaded with his mobile Linux operating system, Ubuntu Mobile.

Ubuntu Mobile are targeting the 25% of people out there who own a smart-phone but use it as a phone only – huh? No apps, no content, no data – not much revenue. Shuttleworth says this 25% would be the ideal user-group for Ubuntu Mobile.

We’re talking about mid- to high-end phones – none of these is a superphone [like the Edge]. The Edge is a concept car, not quite like Formula 1, which 40% of people could drive. But we’re also working on putting a phone that’s the equivalent of a mass-market car on the road. I would very much like to see the Edge but I didn’t expect that the majority of Ubuntu Mobile users would come through the Edge – but through retail. Frankly, we’d see handset makers rebadge their Android phones and put Ubuntu Mobile on it.

He also says that Ubuntu would be preferable to Android, Firefox OS and Samsung’s much-delayed Tizen. Only time will tell.

[Source : The Guardian]