[rlpb]

> Why can't they just make this an OS project...

It is already an OS project, and is happening regardless of the Ubuntu Edge fundraising initiative. Images are available for various hardware, including the Nexus 4 for example. (But it's still a very early preview, not for production use.)

> Can someone explain to me why this has to be a hardware project?

Mark Shuttleworth explains the reason for the Ubuntu Edge initiative in the video on the main fundraising page. My interpretation: the high end phone that exists in 2014 will not be as good as what technology is available, because the existing phone hardware industry is conservative in technology selection. As Ubuntu is focusing on a converged experience with phone hardware driving the desktop as well, it would be better for the hardware to be better than what the industry is expected to deliver by 2014. So Canonical are driving this initiative, which is separate from the existing Ubuntu phone plans, to additionally deliver a phone with better hardware than what will be available on the market otherwise.