UPDATE: Ubuntu Edge SmartPhone And Desktop Looking For Funding

Ubuntu smartphone future is moving closer with funding appeal

We have seen technology shrink for a good many years. From the desktop computer to the laptop to the tablet. Add to that the smartphone which has increased in its value by embedding fantastic picture taking along with the ability to access the web. We have seen music and other thing merged into the smartphone and we all know that the computing power literally puts a computer into your hands. Ubuntu has been moving in that direction, along with others before them, such as the Motorola Atrix. The Ubuntu Edge will be their first smartphone coming to market.

The Unbuntu Edge is now a crowd-sourcing project on Indiegogo. And while the idea of that may not seem like much, consider that the goal is $32 million. That's right, $32 million. This is a record setting goal and if they achieve it, will be a fantastic achievement. But it is the goals for this which are attracting attention for so many. The Ubuntu smartphone is entering a very competitive smartphone market. That is a tough one to do and to help them in this effort, they are bringing the Ubuntu Edge as a smartphone that can also act as a desktop computer.

Sounds interesting. You could carry a single device and have everything that you need with you. You only have to add monitor, keyboard and mouse so that you now have a computer to do all your normal activities. And since the Ubuntu Edge can boot into either Android or Ubuntu (FireFox), you get your choice for the interface. All of this sounds very interesting and one that is going to be a challenge to accomplish.

While some have said they are not going to make the goal, as of today, they are closing in on the 25% mark with 24 days to go. So, it looks like they are going to get the money necessary to move into the production of the Ubuntu Edge with estimated delivery for contributors of May 2014. The really big challenge of making a smartphone with a great desktop interface will take much more work for the Ubuntu team.

This one is really worth following because if they are successful, they will be changing the direction of smartphones in the future.

UPDATE It seems that the Ubuntu Edge Smartphone is not going to meet the high expectations of $32 million which is a sad situation. They are currently under $10 million with 9 days remaining which would indicate they will fall short of the goals which were laid out. Give the fast start to the contributions, we are surprised that things dropped off so quickly after the first few days.

Smart Phones To Replace Your Car Dashboard

Technology continues to make huge improvements in what it can do in our lives. We have seen so much integration that one wonders where it will go next. You may have to look no further than the car that you drive to see your smart phone or tablet being integrated into your transportation. I am not talking about plugging a connection into your smart phone so that you can listen to music. Nor am I talking about taking features of the OS and integrating them into your console. The future holds many things for us and having your smart phone as your dashboard in the future may be what it holds. And some are coming much closer.

There are already kits available where you can plug in your tablet or smart phone into the dashboard to become your music and/or navigation system. As an example, the Visteon system which lets you put your iPad in your car dashboard or the Devium which lets you integrate your smart phone into your dashboard. But, those are add ons to your car and are not truly integrated into your car.

The future holds much more promise than that for you. Imagine a time where you snap your smart phone or tablet into your dashboard and it becomes the dashboard for your car. That is what the future holds for us. And it may not be that far away. A recent example coming is the Smart eBike which will have a place to plug in your iPhone. And once plugged in, it becomes the dashboard for the electric bike. That is the integration coming in the future and is not that far off. As shown in the picture, the smart phone shows the battery level and speed as it is now connected to the electric scooter. The eBike with smart phone integration is scheduled for delivery in the US in 2014 and with that, we expect to see the ability to use many different smart phones as the electric bike dashboard.

We can expect to see more electric scooters coming with smart phone integration in the next few years where you plug your smart phone into a dock and it becomes the dashboard for your use. It will not be too much longer before we will start to see some of the same uses for mobile technology in electric cars or even gas powered vehicles. The integration between our mobile devices and our transportation is not that far away. The future integration of what we carry with us each day with how we move about is the wave of the future.

Use Your Old Smart Phone As A Door Viewer

As we get new smart phones, the big question comes to mind as to what you do with your old one. I have several that are sitting around and wonder what I might be able to do with them rather than just recycling. There needs to be something that I can do to use the technology to benefit myself. And I am sure that I am not the only only one that has this dilemma.

There is an Indiegogo project going on which is going to find something to use your old smart phone to better usage. It is the Xentry which transforms your old smart phone. So, exactly how is it going to use your old phone? They are going to build cases to hold that phone and then transform it into door viewer for your front door. They will also be including their mobile app which will work with the phone.

With this, you will be able to use the WiFi connection on your old smart phone to capture the person at the door via live video. You can record them speaking and you can speak to them. And you will be able to connect your current smart phone up to your old smart phone which is now acting as a door viewer. With the standard accelerometer in your old smart phone, it will be able to detect that the front door has been opened.

This all sounds really great. They are going to throw in a voice changer into the app on your old smart phone to disguise your voice. Along with that, they are going to have the ability to say a custom message when someone comes through the door. All of this sounds really great. But, you have to participate to make this happen.

As part of the Indiegogo project, they need your support to make this happen. You can go to the contributions page and contribute money to the project. For $55 and above, you can get one of the Xentry custom cases to fit your old phone. Though the current number of cases is limited. Cases for the iPhone are a sure thing. For Android smart phones, they have them for the Galaxy S Fascinate. Obviously, they do not have much selection, but that will change once they get the funding to make this a reality. Take some time and visit the project.

Goal Zero & ATT To Setup Charging Stations - Alternatives?

Is this really the best solution to be provided for charging phones?

[caption id="attachment_5458" align="alignleft" width="305"] Credit: Goal Zero[/caption]Many of us remember the problems experienced in New York and New Jersey where power was out in areas for an extended period of time. So much so, that people were lining up to charge smartphones, tablets and laptops so that they could continue to communicate with others. It brought out the worst fears that we all have about our devices running out of power because there is not a power source available. It seems that in New York, ATT & Goal Zero have teamed up to provide solar power stations to people who are in need of a charge for their smart phones. This sounds like a great idea. Or is it?

This has been widely reported, such as by The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal. Calling them the Street Charge stations, the goal is to provide 25 of the solar power chargers from Goal Zero in a partnership with AT&T. This sounds like a really great idea. They will place these in various areas where those who need a charge can use one. At least on the surface it does sound like a good idea.

We all know about the problems with with cell phone theft where thieves do the snatch and grab routine before running off with a person's cell phone. Here in San Francisco, this is a very big problem with people sometimes getting injured as thieves steal smartphones. It was just last week where officials in both San Francisco and New York were calling on wireless carriers to put "kill switches" on smart phones to make they worthless to thieves once reported stolen.

That does not look like it is going to happen anytime soon. And as a result, the really great idea of solar charging stations in New York is going to create a situation for thieves to steal them. Having people standing around with their smartphone sitting on a table is going to invite problems. A better alternative is to have a battery charger which you carry with you to charge up your smartphone. At least you would not be exposing yourself to getting your phone stolen.

SmartThings Provides An Open Home Security System

KickStarter Friday - Opening Connections To Other Products

Home security systems have become very important today. And there are so many different ways that you can protect your home and belongings. The problem with so many of the various home security packages which are available is that they are not open. If you buy a package from a security company, you get their products along with the monthly fees. You cannot add some other product into the mix. Even the ones which leverage mobile technology today are not able to take advantage of other products or apps. And there are a number of different methods used for communication, like ZigBee, Z-Wave and WiFi. And vendors are not going to include multiple methods for communicating with devices.

So, for this weeks KickStarter Friday, we are talking about SmartThings which raised over $1.2 million for their base product. This was done last year and they have shipped product. At the moment, they are working to manufacture more to meet the continuing demand and you can "Reserve Your Spot" for one when they come in which is currently estimated to be in May. The SmartThings hardware unit and the associated software is being worked on to continue to include more and more devices.

If someone's product allows for it to be controlled by a 3rd party, then it can be controlled by SmartThings. There are developers working to add various products and controls to be able to join the SmartThings unit. While this does sound like a fantastic way of doing things, it is going to take a little while longer to create the software connections to other devices. The company is working to make connections to the things in your home and allow for automation of them from a single device. That is a big undertaking and if they are only 50% successful, they will have a great product.

While they sell "things" which are devices you would normally have with a security system, such as door and window monitors, it is the potential to use other devices which do not come from SmartThings. Their SmartApps are designed to let you monitor just about anything that you can reach which has an interface. And with that, they have a large development effort which appears to be operating much in the same way as open source projects. It is these apps which will allow the SmartThings unit to monitor and control so many more items than one would think. It is all dependent on whether those devices will allow for the SmartApps to access their information.

This may be the next be thing for home security and move beyond the limiting packages that you are forced to purchase.

Rumors Of Amazon Smart Phone

A smart phone from Amazon is said to compete against the iPhone.

Making money seems to be one of the many things which Amazon is always working on. Another is the desire to be involved in selling technology which they own. The Amazon Kindle Fire is one which has been very successful for them and there is talk of the next version coming out this year. So, it is not surprising that reports of Amazon working on releasing their own smart phone in the near future is being rumored.


Based on a Bloomberg article, Amazon is talking to Foxconn about producing a smart phone which would complete with the likes of the iPhone and Android devices in a growing market. They even indicate that Amazon has been buying some technology patents to potentially protect them from all the ongoing lawsuits which have been going on around the world. One would have to assume they are watching the Northern California case between Apple and Samsung.

One can assume that Amazon would be introducing a lower priced smart phone then competitors as part of the process to enter the market. While the price would be lower, the actual hardware in the phone would not directly match up with other smart phones and be a little behind the times. This is similar to what they did with the Kindle Fire when they entered the market by including lower priced components which were not close to the cutting edge at the time of release. We would expect to see the same with any Amazon smart phone.

Amazon has a number of things going for them if the rumor is correct regarding them releasing a smart phone. They have a great marketing channel already in existence and have demonstrated their abilities with the release of the Kindle Fire. On top of that, they have a distribution channel for everything they sell which has been in existence for many years. These two things combined gives Amazon everything they need to promote and sell their smart phone. They obviously would have to find wireless carriers for the phones to work with. One can assume they will be using the Android OS since they have done the same for their Kindle Fire. From that point on, they would be maintaining the OS to fit exactly what they want it to be.

Earning money is something which drives a company like Amazon to add products which they believe are going to alter the market and give them a larger market share. The Amazon Kindle Fire has clearly demonstrated this. Whether an Amazon phone will do the same is not a sure thing. If the rumors are true, look for Amazon to flood the market and grab market share.