It’s arrived. My beautiful new Ubuntu phone.

Although that does mean that I won’t have a phone with a WordPress app any longer.

So Internet Explorer has reached the end of its life. For many years, I’ve used it only at work, since there’ve been better alternatives pretty much since the browser arrived with Windows 95, almost two decades ago.

Personally, I’ve never liked the waste of screen space and the obvious security issues over the years. And, of course, the fact that Microsoft were trying to push their offering onto users.

Naturally, there’s to be a replacement. And I’m sure I’ll avoid that too. Unless I’m at work.

I’ve just turned-off iMessages so my phone can no longer send group messages. It’s probably the iPhone feature I’ll miss most when I move away from all things Apple. I use very few Apps right now, having been slowly deleting these over the past few months, mainly to see whether I could cope with a phone without such things.

I won’t deny that I’ll miss having an iPhone. And, if I don’t bond with the new phone (when it arrives), I’d not hesitate in buying another.

But, fingers crossed.

I’ve finally managed to order an Ubuntu phone, in a second flash sale which I stumbled upon by chance. There’s now a link on Twitter. But it’s probably sold out again. Until next week.

I don’t even have the thing in my hands yet, but I’m so happy that Canonical have finally released a linux phone. It’d be great for them if it’s a huge success, but a small but solid share of the market should be enough to secure that the concept has a future.

Well, the first Ubuntu phone has arrived. Sort of. Sadly, it’s only initially available through flash sales, direct from BQ, the manufacturer. It may not be a high spec phone, but it looks good. There’s also soon to be a higher end ubuntu phone from Meizu, allegedly to be announced/released next month.

I missed out on the first flash sale, but I’m be watching out for the next.

A couple of months ago, like many other Karotz owners, I received an email advising that, from 18 February 2015, my Karotz would cease to function.

Sadly, in common with its parent, the Nabaztag, the concept simply doesn’t work. Economically, that is.

I mean, you’d need to have an expanding market for the devices to pay for the existing server support. While the devices are brilliant, the business model can’t work.

Unfortunately, my Karotz hasn’t worked for a couple of days now (the LED should be green when connected), so it seems that the plug may have already been pulled.

So, I’ve dusted-off an old Nabaztag and am currently installing stuff to the Raspberry Pi, which apparently makes a pretty decent replacement server.