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The biggest strength and weakness of Ubuntu Phone is that it's a device without an intrinsic set of services. If you buy an Android device, you get Goog

The biggest strength and weakness of Ubuntu Phone is that it's a device without an intrinsic set of services. If you buy an Android device, you get Google Services. If you buy an iPhone, you get Apple services. What he's missing is that the device is pretty much useless without the services. The services are as necessary to the functionality of the device as say, filesystem drivers are on an operating system. Yes, it's possible to have an operating system without filesystem drivers, but it's not going to be very useful to your average consumer. Similarly, it's possible to have a smartphone without location services, or push notifications, but it's not going to be very useful. While these can be strengths (at least in Google's case) they are effectively a lock in to services that may or may not meet your requirements. You certainly can get Telegram or Signal for either of those, but they're never going to be as integrated as Hangouts or iMessage. This goes throughout the device including things like music and storage as well. I don't know what he means with regards to "storage" (cloud storage, perhaps?) but when it comes to messaging, I find that Telegram actually makes a better text messaging application than Hangouts. The UI is easier, it's easier to scan through archived messages, and it's faster. That's leaving aside the obvious privacy improvements that Telegram brings over Hangouts. Similarly, I find that Spotify does a better job of handling music on Android than Google Play Music. It has better integration with its desktop client, better sync, and it doesn't lose its network connection when switching from wifi to LTE. Android already has the strengths and disadvantages of Ubuntu Phone (mostly thanks to Google's incompetence). I'm not sure what Ubuntu Phone brings to the table that would make it better than Android. Right now, it appears to be an OS like Android with many fewer apps, and even more headaches when it comes to cloud services.

jasonkostempski 10y ago
If they're trying to target the same customers that buy Apple and Android for the services and all the other skin-deep beauty, I think they're going to fail for sure. Hopefully, there's enough people that just want a general purpose computer with and open source operating system that just happens to include cellular internet connection (bonuses for me would be a a hardware keyboard, is at a size that actually fits in your pocket and has a hard switch to disconnect it from the network). I would also gladly pay more, even with the inconveniences that might come with such a device. I hope they target something like that and there are enough people that want it.
- quanticle 10y ago
  Hopefully, there's enough people that just want a general purpose computer with and open source operating system that just happens to include cellular internet connection (bonuses for me would be a a hardware keyboard, is at a size that actually fits in your pocket and has a hard switch to disconnect it from the network) There aren't. I'm sorry, but the number of people who actually truly care about "general purpose computing" and privacy just isn't high enough to form a viable market segment for any but the most specialized of hardware vendors. If it were not the case, we'd have seen a lot more phones with truly open hardware and software stacks. That said, if you're willing to relax the "pocketability" requirement, a laptop running GNU/Linux and tethered to your phone fulfills every other requirement. (PS: What is it with the "hardware keyboard" requirement? It's not like you're going to be writing the next great American novel on your phone. For text messaging and short e-mails what difference does it make?)
  - jasonkostempski 10y ago
    "What is it with the hardware keyboard" Just typing in a simple search with any words that don't autocomplete is excruciating. URLs, user names, passwords, anything that isn't a dictionary word, are impossible to type. The only things touchscreen is good for is infrequent single taps, panning and zooming.
- BuuQu9hu 10y ago
  Folks interested in what you describe should probably look at the Neo900 or the Pyra: https://neo900.org/ https://neo900.org/ http://pyra-handheld.com/ http://pyra-handheld.com/

jasonkostempski 10y ago

If they're trying to target the same customers that buy Apple and Android for the services and all the other skin-deep beauty, I think they're going to fail for sure. Hopefully, there's enough people that just want a general purpose computer with and open source operating system that just happens to include cellular internet connection (bonuses for me would be a a hardware keyboard, is at a size that actually fits in your pocket and has a hard switch to disconnect it from the network). I would also gladly pay more, even with the inconveniences that might come with such a device. I hope they target something like that and there are enough people that want it.

quanticle 10y ago
Hopefully, there's enough people that just want a general purpose computer with and open source operating system that just happens to include cellular internet connection (bonuses for me would be a a hardware keyboard, is at a size that actually fits in your pocket and has a hard switch to disconnect it from the network) There aren't. I'm sorry, but the number of people who actually truly care about "general purpose computing" and privacy just isn't high enough to form a viable market segment for any but the most specialized of hardware vendors. If it were not the case, we'd have seen a lot more phones with truly open hardware and software stacks. That said, if you're willing to relax the "pocketability" requirement, a laptop running GNU/Linux and tethered to your phone fulfills every other requirement. (PS: What is it with the "hardware keyboard" requirement? It's not like you're going to be writing the next great American novel on your phone. For text messaging and short e-mails what difference does it make?)
- jasonkostempski 10y ago
  "What is it with the hardware keyboard" Just typing in a simple search with any words that don't autocomplete is excruciating. URLs, user names, passwords, anything that isn't a dictionary word, are impossible to type. The only things touchscreen is good for is infrequent single taps, panning and zooming.
BuuQu9hu 10y ago
Folks interested in what you describe should probably look at the Neo900 or the Pyra: https://neo900.org/ https://neo900.org/ http://pyra-handheld.com/ http://pyra-handheld.com/