Ubuntu Mobile - Why did it die?

[Gaming4JC]

Hello,
I bumped across this Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Mobile) while looking for a linux distro for an old HP Ipaq Pocket PC. Closest thing I found was Familiar linux, but I was like... wow! Ubuntu on a pocket pc? A true dream! :D

So why did it die and all references get pulled from ubuntu.com? :p
Seemed like an awesome project imo...

[mendhak]

It costs a lot to launch a new platform for mobile phones/smartphones, so you generally need a very rich company behind it: So you have the Symbians and the Androids and all the other popular names. I suppose the closest 'thing' would be Android.

[Johnsie]

The Ubuntu dev community decided to back Android. There has been alot done to make Ubuntu compatible with Android and you will see alot more in the next few releases.

[iponeverything]

As the legendary sage Colbert the Great once said "The market has spoken."

[Excedio]

Wow...I had never heard of this either. But apparently people used to talk about it here.

Ubuntu mobile for iphone/ ipod touch? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=742323)

Ubuntu Mobile vs OpenMoko: Overlap but not quite the same? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=508246)

Ubuntu Mobile Browser Emulators (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1370054)

Ubuntu Mobile / MID / Moblin port (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1029833)

Ubuntu Mobile on Archos 5? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1013533)

ubuntu mobile compatible devices (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=718407)

While the idea of it sounds fun...it definately would not be practical. As said above, it would be quite an undertaking. It would cost a ton of money to get it to be popular and to convice people to try it.

I do wonder if there is an .ISO somewhere to download and possibly play with in a virtual machine.

EDIT: Found it... http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/mobile/releases/hardy/