Ubuntu Edge smart phone nabs over £2m funding overnight
Ubuntu, the company hoping to build the Edge smart phone, needs a total of $32m before it can be made.
Ubuntu Edge, the conceptual smart phone that's looking for funding, has raised over 2 million quid since its debut yesterday.
Proving that lots of people are keen on the idea of a mobile that runs both Android and the new Ubuntu OS platform, the Indiegogo page where donators can throw money at the hypothetical phone now shows over $3.3m has been collected, and probably more by the time you click that link.
While that's a huge amount of money to raise in a short time, the Edge still has a long way to go, and that's because British firm Canonical is looking for a total of 32 million dollars before it'll start building the phone. Yeesh!
If it gets funded, the Edge will launch in 2014, with 40,000 units being produced at first.
The impressive early boost to the phone's coffers could be down to an introductory deal, that saw those who pledged money on the first day get eventual access to the phone at a cut-down price.
The Edge, which will have at least 4GB of RAM and a 4.5-inch 720p screen, has only a month to raise the cash. If the funds aren't generated by 21 August then the mobile won't be built, and Canonical will likely ponder whether they could have asked for just a little bit less upfront moolah.
Elsewhere the Edge -- should it become real -- will have "the latest, fastest processor" and an impressive 128GB of storage. The phone would be the first purpose-built mobile to run Ubuntu OS, a fledging platform that looks to compete with rival operating systems from Apple and Google, and impressed us when it was revealed earlier this year.
In other Indiegogo news, the exciting 'Scanadu' medical gadget that's been likened to a real-life tricorder, has wrapped up its own crowd-funding campaign having earned a whopping $1.66m (roughly £1.1m), AllthingsD reports. We interviewed the inventor of the intriguing device and he proved a fascinating chap, so be sure to check out our in-depth chinwag on Scanadu's origins.
Will you invest in the Ubuntu Edge? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.