Bloomberg Is First Major Corporate Ubuntu Edge Backer
Bloomberg pledges $80,000 towards Ubuntu Edge, but project looks set to miss funding target
Bloomberg has become the first major corporate backer of the Ubuntu Edge, pledging $80,000 towards the project to build a crowdfunded smartphone, but this is unlikely to be enough to help Canonical reach its ambitious funding goal of $32 million (£20.8m).
Canonical says the pledge is a huge boost for the company and other backers who want to get their hands on the world’s first “truly converged computing device”, but at the time of writing, the Ubuntu Edge has achieved just $8,544,097 of its target with just 14 days of fund raising left.
Bloomberg has signed up for the ‘Enterprise 100 perk’ which would give it 100 Ubuntu Edge smartphones as well as access to a range of workshops and technical support.
Ubuntu Edge funding
It said it had pledged the money because of the open nature of Ubuntu Mobile and the seamless transition from a desktop to mobile environment made possible with the platform.
“Bloomberg supports open innovation and initiatives, such as Ubuntu Edge, that align with our software development and business priorities,” said Shawn Edwards, chief technology officer at Bloomberg. “With this investment, Bloomberg developers will contribute to an open technology initiative that could benefit our clients and have a powerful impact on the future of mobile computing.”
“Bloomberg’s developers are already designing and building software for advanced devices because our clients demand a seamless experience from the desktop to the mobile platform,” added Justin Erenkrantz, head of web architecture at Bloomberg. “Ubuntu’s goal to offer a single-device solution for enterprise convergence and mobility is an exciting prospect and one that complements our vision for open development on the mobile platform.”
Canonical claims the Ubuntu Edge will not be made if it does not achieve its funding goal and told TechWeekEurope that the target was deliberately ambitious to show other manufacturers the demand for Ubuntu mobile and what was possible with the operating system.
However the company is confident that even if it doesn’t raise the money, it will have generated enough publicity for other manufacturers to build handsets using the platform.
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