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Opinion: The flawed reality of Google Contributor — paying for fewer ads, not a cause

Yesterday I wrote about the general availability of Google Contributor, a service through which consumers can choose to be billed an amount between $2-10 on a recurring monthly basis in exchange for seeing less display advertisements around the web.

Contributor is an interesting service that I likened to the Patreon and Kickstarter crowdfunding platforms, but that could make the web browsing experience a little less frustrating. Here’s how I concluded that post:
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Google Contributor live to US web users, contribute monthly to see fewer ads across the web

The confluence of several different events – the great shift to mobile computing where there’s little screen real-estate, a spurning of display ads, to name just two – is causing content creators and consumers alike to rethink how today’s media gets funded. Sites like Patreon and Kickstarter remove the middle-man from the funding process for projects which require lots of upfront investment and see slow development times by allowing anyone to contribute any amount of money they want to a project’s development.

Google last year threw its own hat into the crowdfunding space with the soft launch of Contributor, a way through which consumers can pay a monthly recurring donation to fund the sites they visit while seeing less ads. Now anyone in the United States can actually use it starting today.
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Indiegogo launches official Android app for crowdfunding on the go

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Following the launch of its official iPhone and iPod touch app earlier this year, crowdfunding service Indiegogo has now launched an official Android app on the Play Store. Indiegogo promised that an Android app was coming back in July after its international traffic on mobile devices doubled in the previous year.
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Crowdfunding service Indiegogo has an Android app on the way

Crowdfunding service Indiegogo is finally going mobile alongside the launch of a new look for its main website and a recent $40 million Series B funding round in January. While noting the platform’s traffic has doubled international on mobile over the last year, the company today launched its first mobile app for iPhone and iPod touch. Android users don’t get to join in on the fun today, but the company did sneak in a mention that an Android app is indeed in the queue:

Android App Is In Flight!.. We know that many of our funders and campaigners are on Android – ourselves included! We’re excited to bring our platform to Android devices everywhere… Sign up below and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready for you.

Those interested in learning more when the Android app is available can sign up here. We imagine the app will have many of the same features of the iOS version launched today, which includes the ability to both discover and support projects and manage campaigns you’ve launched.

Console OS hopes to bring a ‘manufacture grade’ Android experience to the Microsoft Surface

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Console OS,  a crowdfunded Android-based operating system made by Mobile Media Ventures that is currently seeking backing via Kickstarter. Although the platform is nearing its initial goal of $50,000, today its organizers announced plans to add support for Microsoft’s Surface devices. To do this, the Console OS campaign is adding a stretch goal $75,000 to make this idea a reality.


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Dual-OS Android/Ubuntu handset sets new crowdfunding record – but probably still won’t be built

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The Ubuntu Edge, a handset developed by Linux enthusiasts to run both the Linux-based Ubuntu OS and Android, has beaten Pebble to set a new crowdfunding record of $10.3M, reports TNW.

The Indiegogo page has now accrued over $10.3 million in pledges, toppling the Pebble smartwatch as the highest every fixed crowdfunding campaign. The United States is the highest contributing nation, followed by the United Kingdom – where Canonical also has offices – and Germany … 
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