Ubuntu Edge breaks crowdfunding record

Smartphone device surpasses $10.27m marker set by the Pebble smartwatch last year

The Ubuntu Edge smartphone has overtaken the Pebble smartwatch to become the world's biggest-ever fixed crowdfunding campaign.

The campaign, which is taking place on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, will only receive funds if the developer behind the device, London-based Canonical, receives pledges of funding from customers of at least $32m (£20.5m) by 21 August.

With only six days to go, Canonical announced this morning that it has passed the $10.27m raised by the Pebble smartwatch last year on rival crowdfunding site Kickstarter.

Customers can pledge anywhere between $20 to be a "founder" of the venture, to $80,000 for an "enterprise bundle" of 115 of Ubuntu Edge smartphones, which are billed as a "single-device solution for enterprise mobility and convergence". More than 14,500 Ubuntu Edges have been pledged for, Canonical revealed.

If its ambitious project comes off, Canonical hopes to deliver the device, which is priced at $695, to 40,000 customers next August.

Writing in a blog post three days ago, Canonical co-founder Mark Shuttleworth said the campaign is allowing consumers to signal their interest to a mobile industry "that caters overwhelmingly to the mainstream".

"We're going to need a huge push, a surge in awareness that builds momentum to carry us over the line," he said. "No one here is giving up while the goal remains achievable, and you have all gone out of your way to add your voice to the chorus."