Will Ubuntu for smartphones explode Bitcoin?

[RodeoX]

I just saw the announcement about Ubuntu 2013 for smartphones. It is epic and I'm pee-in-my-pants excited to get one! There is also a real Bitcoin connection here. We should make a push to keep as many bitcoin app options available in the repositories as we can. It would be easy and *secure to use BTC on a native Linux phone, and being open source it could expose many new people to the currency.


Announcement:
http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/phone

Phone features:  
(He talks about phone from 6:10 - 13:40)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cpWHJDLsqTU
What would a killer bittcoin app for Ubuntu phone have?

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[HDSolar]

Nope

[01BTC10]

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=134388.0

[Jan]

Nope

Right. I see no reason why this would affect Bitcoin in any way. If the OP is thinking running a full node on a smartphone then think again. Many older desktop computers already have a hard time syncing from scratch.

[cypherdoc]

i think this is very exciting as well.

[kangasbros]

First ubuntu phone will be in 2014, so this sounds like hype. However it might be little easier to develop bitcoin apps for ubuntu platform, but I don't know if that is going to matter.

Jolla, the finnish mobile startup that plans to make premium phones, is also rumoured to be somewhat bitcoin-friendly. It is run by ex-nokia people.

[Carlton Banks]

Ubuntu for smartphones would have to explode first, and that's not too likely. Not this year anyway, although there are plans to get phones shipping with Ubuntu pre-installed in 2014. Even then, it'd have to be pretty compelling to make people want to switch from Android (and it's hard to see how they can possibly compete with the features and apps that Android has).

Not that I wouldn't consider an Ubuntu phone, I'm all for a bit of OS diversity. And thankfully, this particular round of the OS wars shouldn't suffer as badly from the problems of the previous such rounds, and all despite even more variety amongst the competitors.

[furrycoat]

They have no connection to Bitcoin, just a phone calling itself a PC is all I see.

[Stephen Gornick]

I see no reason why this would affect Bitcoin in any way.

Presuming the Ubuntu solution would be 100% open source, then I think it would have an impact. 

Right now, I don't feel comfortable that my Android device cannot be controlled to either monitor or manipulate my usage.  Does someone from my mobile provider (or Google) pushing the next Android update have the ability to inject a few lines of code to read the BitcoinSpinner key and upload it?   Maybe they already have it, how would we know?

With 100% open source, a rogue section of code like that would likely get caught somewhere.

[Darkneo]

I don't feel it will be any different than android, there are so many options that android offers. I feel the services offered to the public will be the biggest help to attract new people.

[becoin]

I don't feel it will be any different than android, there are so many options that android offers.

It doesn't matter how many options does Android or any other OS offer. The only option that really matters is 100% open source software and 100% open source hardware! And every day more and more people understand that this is really the most important option. All the rest is just after it!

[becoin]

Does someone from my mobile provider (or Google) pushing the next Android update have the ability to inject a few lines of code to read the BitcoinSpinner key and upload it?   Maybe they already have it, how would we know?

You are quite right unfortunately. Google have closed their JVM for Android. Every time you use a Java app on your Android phone you depend on Google's mercy!

[Mike Hearn]

If you have a "stock" Android phone then the manufacturer can send you OS updates, one of which could theoretically pose as a security update and then steal your keys. Random apps you install off the market couldn't do that.

But - reality check - no major consumer electronics brand name is going to steal money off peoples phones. That just isn't a threat worth worrying about. Such a theft would be detected immediately, it would trash the reputation of the brand overnight and the money to be gained from it would be trivial.

At any rate, if you're paranoid enough to want to handle that attack, you can reflash your device to Cyanogen or some other alt build and verify all changes by hand, if you like.

[2112]

But - reality check - no major consumer electronics brand name is going to steal money off peoples phones. That just isn't a threat worth worrying about. Such a theft would be detected immediately, it would trash the reputation of the brand overnight and the money to be gained from it would be trivial.

I'm sorry, but your reality check just bounced. Two example scenarios where this could happen:

1) major brand does outsourcing deal with a non-brand where the value of the contract is set low because the sub-contractor relied on the non-traditional sources of income.

2) major brand does layoffs and the employes push an update with accidental-on-purpose exploit that facilitates this type of theft.

If the brand is really major you can count on no-expenses-spared PR campaign to cover up such missteps.

Those scenarios aren't theoretic, paranoid speculations. Those are things that did happen to e.g. Hewlett-Packard and probably many others.

[Stephen Gornick]

If you have a "stock" Android phone then the manufacturer can send you OS updates,

I'm not too familiar with mobile network infrastructure.  So that is LG sending an OTA update for my Virgin Wireless branded-O/S to my mobile, and not my mobile network provider (Virgin Wireless)? 

Those are things that did happen to e.g. Hewlett-Packard and probably many others.

Yup.  This isn't a problem just for mobiles either.  This same risk occurs with any updates where the user doesn't have 100% control.  Microsoft, for instance, has sent Windows Updates that install regardless of the setting that enables automatic updates.

All that is needed is one bad egg with access to slip in a few lines of code to cause widespread misery.  And there are lots of bad eggs:

We recently dismissed 16 employees for accepting bribes

- http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate-News/Safaricom-sacks-70-workers-over-theft-and-bribery-/-/539550/1500846/-/904lrp/-/index.html

[Darkneo]

If you have a "stock" Android phone then the manufacturer can send you OS updates, one of which could theoretically pose as a security update and then steal your keys. Random apps you install off the market couldn't do that.

But - reality check - no major consumer electronics brand name is going to steal money off peoples phones. That just isn't a threat worth worrying about. Such a theft would be detected immediately, it would trash the reputation of the brand overnight and the money to be gained from it would be trivial.

At any rate, if you're paranoid enough to want to handle that attack, you can reflash your device to Cyanogen or some other alt build and verify all changes by hand, if you like.

Stock? What is this stock you speak of? I'm always rooted and reflashed the first chance I'm able to. I  can't handle all that bloatware.

Honestly, no carrier would let a phone be completely open sourced. They would be too concerned about security flaws, at least in the US, fortunately with a rooted phone and web sockets, you can use a lot of that to do just about anything you need from the app if you wanted to do something with bitcoin. I like the idea of being able to use bitcoin anywhere from a phone, but I'm not sure if it could take off.

[novusordo]

Honestly, no carrier would let a phone be completely open sourced. They would be too concerned about security flaws, at least in the US, fortunately with a rooted phone and web sockets, you can use a lot of that to do just about anything you need from the app if you wanted to do something with bitcoin. I like the idea of being able to use bitcoin anywhere from a phone, but I'm not sure if it could take off.

The poor security in closed-source phone OSes is a double edged sword. Phones are exposed to hacks, but this also enables "rooting" and flashing custom firmwares, allowing us to do whatever we please with our devices.

[MoonShadow]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miracleas.bitcoin_spinner&hl=en

[Elwar]

I had a Palm Pre that had a linux OS running on it. That was several years ago. How is another linux phone a big advance?

[crazy_rabbit]

I just saw the title and I thought, "Will Ubuntu for smartphones make any difference to anyone?"

Unless HTC or Samsung pick it up- probably not for a long while. You'll need some miracle to get that mainstream.