source - Meizu

Last week, Spanish Manufacturer BQ partnered with Canonical to unveil the Aquarius E4.5 Ubuntu Edition at an event in London- the world's first Ubuntu Phone. Now we get a closer look at the handset in an unboxing and hands on video



The Ubuntu Phone is priced at just €170 unlocked and is expected to go on a flash sale later today. The affordable handset features a 4.5-inch display with a 540 x 960 pixel (qHD) resolution and Dragontrail glass for protection, 8GB of internal storage which can be expanded through microSD, an 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash, a generous 5MP front camera, dual-SIM and a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor with 1GB of RAM.

While the handset itself is quite generic looking in the design department, its highlight is its underlying software. Ubuntu's phone OS is very gesture oriented, and allows users to perform various tasks with swipes across the screen. The various services available directly from your Ubuntu phone homescreen are referred to as Scopes which are essentially feeds filtered by category. Besides these scopes, you also have the usual apps and a store for new apps.

Still Ubuntu for phones will have a long journey ahead, building developer relations in an attempt to make a name for itself in a highly competitive smartphone world.

Spanish company BQ has announced the Aquarius E4.5 Ubuntu Edition, which runs Ubuntu's phone optimized OS. The Aquarius is originally powered by Android, like the other tablets and e-readers the company manufacturers. However, BQ has decided to optimize its existing Aquarius smartphone to run Ubuntu.

The Aquarius E4.5 features a 4.5 inch display with a 960 x 540 (qHD) resolution, 8GB of internal storage which can be expanded through microSD, dual-SIM, an 8MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor with 1GB of RAM.

When Canonical first announced Ubuntu Touch for phones, it showed great potential with its gesture based navigation and controls. Canonical even rolled out versions of Ubuntu Touch for Nexus devices, but its initial hype has faded away, and the company has been striving hard to establish itself as a key smartphone player. Hopefully the partnership with BQ and the launch of their new Ubuntu phone will help the company establish itself.


You can purchase the Aquarius E4.5 for a reasonable $190 starting next week in select European market. While the phone has all the markings of being a winner, its ultimate success will lay with the app support and the presence of an eventual strong eco-system.



source - Ubuntu | BQReaders (Facebook)

One of the most compelling visions for the future of computing is in the idea of convergence - the idea that there should be one operating system that spans all devices. Some companies like Microsoft and Google are taking a slow road to convergence while companies like Apple don't see it as a way forward. Canonical is the one company which has been working toward convergence with Ubuntu.

The basic idea for Ubuntu is that the OS itself will be the same on your phone, tablet, PC or TV; and, the apps that run will be the same as well with the design adapting to suite the size of the display it is running on. This makes it easier for the developer, because you write an app once and it will run on multiple devices. Additionally, it makes the experience better for users because you don't have to set up the same app multiple times or worry about transferring app data, because it's all the same app. We are seeing similar functionality with Windows 8 right now in the app space, but the systems themselves are still separate.

Canonical's Community Manager Jono Bacon has released a new video showing off this convergence with a community-made Reddit app called Karma Machine. Bacon shows the app running on a phone, tablet, and Ubuntu PC and how the UI will adapt to each display. This functionality looks pretty compelling, especially keeping in mind the plans to allow you to dock your mobile Ubuntu device to a monitor and keyboard and have it serve as a full Ubuntu PC. In this case, when you dock your phone, any apps open would simply adapt to the new display, while underneath they are still running the same code in the same OS.


Canonical will have the phone and tablet system ready to go with Ubuntu 14.04 in April, and it will be releasing the Ubuntu Software Centre for mobile devices when handsets start hitting the market, converged apps will not be coming at the same time. Converged apps rely on the new Mir display server and Unity 8 UI in order to work, but both of those pieces have been delayed and won't be part of Ubuntu 14.04. We are likely to see those updates and proper converged apps in Ubuntu 14.10 in October.


source - OMG! Ubuntu!

While Ubuntu Touch offers a unified experience across smartphones and tablets, Ubuntu for Android allows users to continue using Android on their smartphone and enhancing your experience when docked to offer a full Ubuntu desktop.

Canonical engineer Victor Palau demonstrates Ubuntu for Android running on a Google Nexus 4, which has been attached to an external monitor using a Slimport HDMI cable.

Do you remember the Ubuntu for Android concept, where Canonical adopted the Android kernel to Ubuntu in order to allow Ubuntu to parallel boot with Android. Well it looks like they plan to bring that concept to life through Ubuntu Edge smartphone, which will offer a full mobile and desktop experience in a single device.

In order to achieve this Canonical has started a 30 day fundraising campaign in Indiegogo, which will fund a limited production of 40,000 Ubuntu Edge devices. Canonical aims to raise $32 million (£21.5 million) in order to achieve this and funding this project could result in you being one of the first people to own a new Ubuntu Edge device.


The Ubuntu Edge is shaping up to be quite a beautiful device, crafted in metal with a 4.5 inch display which will have a 330ppi pixel density and built using sapphire crystal, 128GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM and the promise of the fastest available multi-core processor under its hood. The battery will use silicon-anode technology in order to provide even better battery life.


The device can be connected to any HDMI display converting it into a desktop and the dual-LTE chip within the handset will ensure you stay connected at all times.

The Ubuntu Edge will dual-boot both Ubuntu OS and Android and convert into a full Ubuntu desktop experience when necessary. We have already seen Ubuntu Phone in action with its swipe based interface, which can be seamlessly switched to the Ubuntu desktop interface with no file syncing or transfer required.

Additionally booting your device into Android is also supported in order to allow Android users to continue using their apps on the Ubuntu Edge.

The Ubuntu Edge is a smartphone which runs Ubuntu OS and is capable of booting to Android. The device can also be docked into an HDMI display and used as a full Ubuntu desktop. The device features a 4.5 inch touch display with a 720 by 1280 pixel resolution, 128GB of internal storage, an 8 megapixel rear camera, a 2 megapixel front facing camera for video calls and is powered by a multi-core processor with 4GB of RAM

The full Ubuntu Edge specifications follow

The Ubuntu team has been hard at work preparing their mobile operating system for public consumption by early 2014. The Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview which was released back in February, may not have been usable as a daily driver, but the latest version has seen significant progress.

You can check out  the following video by The Ubuntu Community Manager, Jono Bacon who demonstrates the progress made by the mobile platform in the past months.


The Google Galaxy Nexus is his device of choice over the past couple of weeks and he demonstrates some of the basic features in action, like the phone interface and how text messaging works. He also demonstrates the weather application and multi-tasking between various apps. You are also given a glimpse of the working web browser and social integration with networks like Facebook or Twitter.

Keep in mind that Ubuntu Phone is still in a development phase and as you will see the performance has still not been optimized to the handset used on the demo. However we are very keen on seeing how this progresses as new features keep being added and performance is improved.

Installing Ubuntu Phone on supported devices should be the same as before, so be sure to check out our guide on How to install Ubuntu Touch on your Nexus device if you want to use the operating system yourself.


source - Jono Bacon (You Tube)

You can download Ubuntu 13.04 for your device through the following link:



If you are already running Ubuntu on your computer you can download the update for free using the Update Manager on your system.

The Raring Ringtail update has several new features and improvements, but it seems to focus mostly on social networking.Ubuntu users can add their Twitter and Facebook accounts to their online preference pane and control which apps will have access to their social networks.




Ubuntu One is another feature which has been improved with this released offering 5GB of free cloud storage to save your files, which can be accessed from any of your devices. This means you can view the files you save from Ubuntu on your iOS, Android, Windows, Mac device or through the web.

Additionally Ubuntu Touch was released for select Android devices and you will be able to access your favorite features of the platform across multiple devices if you have installed Ubuntu Touch on your Android handset.

Ubuntu is making its way to offer a great cross platform solution for its users and its success depends on how the users and developers accept the platform as a mainstream offering.

We previously reported that Canonical had released the Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview for certain Nexus devices. They have also provided a somewhat detailed guide on how to install these images on your devices. However it is important to remember that you may face various obstacles during the setup process. In order to make the process easier and help you through any issues you may phase, we have put together the following step by step guide on how to install the Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview on your Nexus devices.'

The Developer Preview is available for the Google Nexus 4, Google Nexus 7, Google Nexus 10 and Google Galaxy Nexus. The Developer Preview is meant to be used for development and evaluation purposes only as it doesn’t provide the features and services offers by a retail device. Please make sure you have one of the following devices before you proceed.

• Google Nexus 4 (mako)
• Google Nexus 7 (grouper)
• Google Nexus 10 (manta)
• Google Galaxy Nexus (maguro)

[NOTE] Only the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus is mention. Please do not proceed if you own a Verizon Galaxy Nexus or Sprint Galaxy Nexus.
[DISCLAIMER] Please keep in mind that this is a pre-release build not intended for the general public. Also note that this build should not be considered or treated as an Android custom ROM or launcher. You can cause device malfunction or permanent damage if you don’t understand what you are doing. Please proceed at your own risk
Requirements

• A computer running Ubuntu. You can either build a dual boot environment or install and run Ubuntu a virtual environment like VirtualBox or VMware Player.
• Download and install the Android SDK on that computer.
• Download and install the JRE or JDK. You can do this using the Ubuntu Software Center.
• Root your Nexus device and install a custom recovery of your choosing.
• Make sure that USB debugging is enabled on your Nexus device.

Preparing your Computer
On a computer running Ubuntu 12.10 or later, open a terminal window (press Ctrl + F2) and then type the following commands, one at a time:

• sudo add-apt-repository ppa:phablet-team/tools
• sudo apt-get update
• sudo apt-get install phablet-tools android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot

Preparing your Nexus device
Unlock your bootloader if you already haven’t done so. Keep in mind that unlocking the bootloader will erase all the content on your device so be sure to backup any required data before you proceed.

• Turn off your Nexus device
• Switch it back up by holding the power button and the volume down button
• When you have rebooted into the bootloader, connect your device to the computer using the USB cable
• Open a terminal, and type ‘sudo fastboot oem unlock’ without the quotes. When this is done, your bootloader will be unlocked — and any data on your device will be wiped.

Installing Ubuntu Touch on your Nexus device

Assuming you've got USB debugging enabled and all the tools on your Ubuntu desktop (or notebook) PC, all you have to do is type the following command into a terminal window:
phablet-flash -b
This will download the appropriate version of Ubuntu for your device and deploy it onto your phone or tablet.

[NOTE] This step may take some time. Feel free to catch up on your reading until it is done.

• Once the downloads have been pushed to your Nexus device it will be booted into Recovery mode
• Go to your custom Recovery and Select to install Zip files from your SD Card.
• Manually select and install the following files:
  quantal-preinstalled-boot-armel+xxxx.img (here xxx represents your nexus version (eg: Nexus 4 – mako)
  quanal-preinstalled-phablet-armhf.zip
• Once the installation is complete, reboot the system.
• Your Nexus device should now boot into Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview

You can install future nightly builds just by typing “phablet-flash” without the “-b.”


Reverting back to Android on your Nexus device

With the Google I/O coming along, the potential of having Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie on your Nexus devices will surely make you want to revert back to using Android. In order to restore to Android, you will first have to download the latest factory image for your device by heading over to the Google Developer website.
Now connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, extract the disk image, and use the terminal command “chdir directory” where directory is the name of the new directory you created by extracting the file.
From that directory, type the following commands, one at a time:

• run adb reboot-bootloader
• run ./flash-all.sh

If you receive a message saying you don’t have permissions, type the word ‘sudo’ before the second command.
Once you’ve re-installed a stock version of Android, you can go ahead and root it, install a custom recovery, and restore from the backup you took before you started this whole process.

 

FAQ

1. How to enable USB debugging on your device
   Go into the Settings on your Android device, and from the Developer options area, check the box for USB debugging.
   • If you’re running Android 4.1 or later, you’ll need to go to the About Phone (or About Tablet) section and tap the Build number 7 times before Developer options shows up in the settings.
   • If you’re running Android 4.2.2 or later, you’ll need to accept a host key on your device for debugging to work. So on your PC, type “adb kill-server” followed by “adb start-server” (without quotes) and check the OK box on your tablet when it asks you to accept the key.
     -
2. What to do if you receive ‘adbd cannot run as root in production builds’ message.
   Once the Ubuntu Touch files are pushed to your device you may receive the following error message
   -
3. What to do if you receive ‘adb error: device offline’ message
   This means that your device is no longer visible to ADB. You will need to perform the following steps
   • Disable and enable USB debugging on your device
   • Now perform the following command on your terminal, one at a time: ‘adb kill-server’, ‘adb start-server’ without the quotes.
     -
4. How do I flash the Ubuntu files on your Nexus device?
   Flashing the ‘quantal‘ files to your Nexus device is similar to flashing a custom ROM to your handset. If you are unfamiliar with flashing custom ROMs, its best to get acquainted with doing so first. You can find a basic guide on how to root your Android device and install a custom ROM here. If you own a Nexus 4, check out our guide on how to root your Nexus 4 here.

This guide is still a work in process as I attempt to go through various scenarios of installing the Ubuntu Touch Preview on your Nexus devices. Feel free to add your own questions, comments or suggestions in the discussion section below to help our readers further.

As promised Canonical has released the Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview for the Google Nexus 4, Google Nexus 7, Google Nexus 10 and Google Galaxy Nexus. The Developer Preview is meant to be used for development and evaluation purposes only as it doesn’t provide the features and services offers by a retail device.
In any case, Canonical should have enough Ubuntu users and fans to build a strong base of users willing to test out Ubuntu Phone and tablet. Whether it will be a strong enough building block to compete against a market dominated by Android and iOS is still to be seen. However the slick UI and modern gesture based elements which the new OS offers makes Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview a very promising offering.
[DISCLAIMER] Please keep in mind that this is a pre-release build not intended for the general public. Also note that this build should not be considered or treated as an Android custom ROM or launcher. You can cause device malfunction or permanent damage if you don’t understand what you are doing. Please proceed at your own risk
In order to download and install the Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview, first make sure you have one of the following devices:

• Google Nexus 4 (mako)
• Google Nexus 7 (grouper)
• Google Nexus 10 (manta)
• Google Galaxy Nexus (maguro)

[NOTE] Only the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus is mention. Please do not proceed if you own a Verizon Galaxy Nexus or Sprint Galaxy Nexus.
If you are ready, you will find the detailed instructions on how to install the Ubuntu Developer Preview on your supported Nexus device here. You can also read the official guide from Canonical here.

Ubuntu has unveiled Ubuntu for tablets, which is a tablet optimized version of Ubuntu which is visually similar to Ubuntu for Phones which was unveiled last month. Canonical has been planning to make Ubuntu an all-in-one operating system, to cover all devices from phones to tablets to desktops and TVs.

If you want a closer look at Ubuntu for tablets you can do so at the upcoming MWC, where devices running Ubuntu for tablet will be displayed. Additionally Ubuntu for tablet preview images will be available for download on February 21st, just like the Touch Preview of Ubuntu for Phones. These image files will be compatible with the Google Nexus 7 and the Google Nexus 10.

Ubuntu for tablets are planned for devices between 6 and 20 inches with minimum specs which include 8GB of storage, an A15 processor and 2GB of RAM. Ubuntu for tablets also goes after a specific aspect which tablet manufacturers have been ignoring until recently, which is multi-user support. Even though Apple feels that each person in a household needs their own iPad, Google recently introduced multi-user support on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, giving users a chance to share a single tablet. Ubuntu seems to following in these footsteps.


The login screen for Ubuntu tablets looks like a combination of the Ubuntu desktop login and the Ubuntu Phone welcome screen. The various user accounts can be found on the left along with a guest account. On the right side you have an interactive wheel, which displays all the notifications. It isn't clear what the right side will display when no user is logged into the device.


The OS itself is very gesture centric. The Unity app bar is still on the left edge, and swiping out from that edge will bring up the App Screen, where you can see running apps, and other apps on your device.

One of the big features of Ubuntu for tablets is its multi-window mode called side-stage which is similar to what Microsoft introduced in Windows 8. Ubuntu's side stage takes the right edge of the screen and allows users to run a phone-optimized app alongside a tablet-optimized app, and if the apps are universal, the apps can be switched between the larger and smaller viewing area.


Ubuntu looks to be using a concept similar to Android when it comes to spanning across multiple platforms. Since the UI from phone to tablet to desktops will use the same design, it will be optimized to work with each screen. Throughout the platform you'll see the same design language and features, including the notification tray that from Ubuntu phone, which can now be pulled down in the side stage for easy access while still doing something else. The side stage also holds the new dedicated share menu for Ubuntu, which promises support for major networks. Facebook, Twitter, Ubuntu One, Gmail, and Pinterest were shown off in the demo, but it is unclear if the menu will expand as you install apps, like the Android share menu, or if it is set like iOS. Ubuntu Dash is also part of the demonstration and allows you to easily search for any content both on and off the device.


Just like with Ubuntu for Phones, Voice Controls will plat a major role in Ubuntu for Tablets. The idea is to make powerful apps which will enable using your tablet as a creation device and not just a consumption device through voice commands.


Its clear that Ubuntu’s all-in-one strategy will rely on the convergence of devices, and the video demo shows that Canonical understands this. Connecting your phone to a dock offers you the full desktop experience, and the tablet is no different. It also looks like Ubuntu will allow phones to be docked with tablets, similar to the Asus PadFone. This means you can dock your phone to your tablet, and whatever you had open on your phone will be displayed in the side stage. Dock your tablet to a keyboard, and you'll get the Ubuntu desktop with all of your apps transferred over, and dock to a TV and you'll get the TV interface for a more "lean back" experience for watching video or playing games.

Microsoft may have taken the first step in the direction of convergence but Canonical seems to be taking the right step. Google’s desktop and laptop experience is still tied to Chrome OS, while Apple doesn’t seem to have any immediate intention of combining their desktop and mobile platforms. So Ubuntu is stepping forward and offering us an experience we are bound to enjoy. We cant wait to see how the experience applies in practice.



source – Canonical

Canonical is getting set to releasing the preview image of Ubuntu for phones and a new countdown timer has shown up on the company’s website. The timer also includes the text "Tick, tock, tablet time!" which indicates that Canonical is about to show the work they have done on Ubuntu to make it tablet ready.

Work on making Ubuntu tablet ready has been going on since last October with the Nexus 7 being used as a reference device. The focus has been on optimizing the operating system to run on mobile processors and to be more efficient with memory and power.


Several of these improvements have already made their way to  Ubuntu 13.04, which is due to be released in two months. Meanwhile Ubuntu 14.04 which is due in April 2014 is expected to be an all-in-one OS which will span across phones, tablets and computers.



source - Ubuntu

The Canonical team promised to share some Ubuntu preview images and it looks like they won't keep us waiting much longer. The company announced that they will be releasing the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu Phone on February 21st, and that it will include support for the Google Galaxy Nexus and the Google Nexus 4.

Canonical wants to make it clear to users that the images shouldn't be used as your primary driver, saying the preview is "intended for enthusiasts and developers, to familiarize themselves with Ubuntu's smartphone experience and develop applications on spare handsets".

Canonical will also release tools to make it easy to flash your device with Ubuntu Pone on the same release date.

Additionally users who attend the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of the month will be able to head over to the Canonical boot hand have the team set up and flash your device with Ubuntu. Canonical has said that  Ubuntu Phone is capable of running on any device that can run Android, and the team will have a range of devices running Ubuntu demonstrating this at the MWC booth.

Stay tuned to our site for instructions on how to download and install Ubuntu Phone on your Nexus device and for more information on Ubuntu Phone at the MWC.



source - Canonical

Canonical previously announced that they had a new new Ubuntu product for 2013. It turned out that it wasn't a product release, but it was in fact a product  announcement for something the company plans to release in 2014 – Ubuntu for phones.

This announcement is in line with previous comments from Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth, who said that the company planned to bring Ubuntu to phones and tablets with the release of Ubuntu 14.04, which is expected in April 2014.


Now it has been confirmed that Ubuntu 14 will be a universal operating system, capable of running on both mobile devices and traditional PCs. In today’s announcement Shuttleworth also said  that Ubuntu for phones is being built from ground up, and offers a crisper, sharper experience on low-end devices. Ubuntu for phones is expected to feature a lean mode, which will allow it to run on an A9 ARM processor with 1GB of Ram and a heavy mode aimed at high-end hardware.

Shutterworth believes that the low-end devices will encourage adoption like Android, especially in emerging markets,  but by offering a less complex user experience than the competition.

Canonical will also target enterprise and high end markets by converging Ubuntu on mobile and traditional desktops. A process we have previously seen in demonstrations of Ubuntu for Android, where a phone doubles as a computer,when it is docked. While Canonical did state that Ubuntub1.04 will be compatible with a typical Android  Board Support Package,there was no news on which hardware partners would be involved in manufacturing the first Ubuntu phones.


As demonstrated in the trailer, Ubuntu for phones is heavily dependent on gestures. The Unity bar can be accessed from the left, allowing you to get to your apps. Swiping down from the top reveals various options, including, Messaging, audio options, battery info and connectivity settings. The operating system is expected to support native apps, along with web apps and HTML5 apps.

These apps will be made available through the Ubuntu Software Center which will allow  customization options for partner apps, content and services. Operators and OEMs will also be able to customize their brand offerings accordingly.

Canonical hopes to keep a unified system, allowing manufacturers to focus on hardware design and integration.. But since Ubuntu is an open source operating system it it uncertain how well this will work out in practice.

A QML toolkit and application SDK are expected to be released next week and developers will be able to create a single app with a smartphone and desktop interface. Canonical has also promised to release images for the Google Galaxy Nexus to be released within the next few weeks for developers to be able to test the operating  system.

You can watch the full Ubuntu Phone keynote below


Until now Ubuntu has built a name for itself as a desktop platform. its attempt to penetrate the smartphone market will be highly dependent on the support it receives from the developer community.  Its design and usability show that the platform can easily win over support from hardware partners, but developer support seems to be the key requirement for a platform to grow in popularity in the modern post PC era.



source: OMGUbuntu | Arc Technica | Ubuntu (YouTube)

The NexPhone is a concept device by NexCrea which uses Ubuntu for Android software to offer an all-in-one combined device experience.

While current generation devices rely on the cloud to sync data between them, the NexPhone concept hopes to allow users to carry all the data on one device – their phone. They can then dock their NexPhone onto the NEXTABLET, NEXLAPTOP or NEXMONITOR an have a fully functional tablet, laptop or desktop computer, all powered by the NexPhone.



How practical is this venture? Personally we didn’t think much of it. It’s very common for people to loose their mobile phones, and having your entire data rely on one device doesn’t seam very practical. While we do applaud the concept we feel that certain aspects of real world use should be better thought out for this device.

In any case you can see the NexPhone in action in the following video demo:

What do you think of the NexPhone? Devices like the Asus PadFone have already taken a step in this direction. So do you feel one device should handle all your technology needs or do you prefer having the cloud as a central source for your data.

If you are looking to share files between your Ubuntu and Windows computers, your best option may be to use Samba file sharing.

The following guide will show you how to install Samba Server in order to share files between your Windows and Ubuntu computers.

To install, open 'terminal' and enter the following command:
Once this process completes you will have Samba installed. Next you need to configuire it to make it accessible.

Run the following command to open the configuration file
Find the following section:
Remove the ';' from the 'security = user' line and add the following below it:
This will make Samba use the smbusers file to look up the user list


Create a Samba User

1. Run the smbpasswd utility to create a password for your samba user:sudo smbpasswd -a <username>
   
2. Add that user to the smbusers file:sudo gedit /etc/samba/smbusers
3. Add the following line to connect the username with the user you want to give access to<username> = “<username>” 

You can now create Samba shares and give access to users by listing them here.

If you have any issues or easier methods to achieve this, leave us a comment below.

Using your smartphones to power a desktop or a laptop is not something new. The Motorola Atrix 4G demonstrated that it was possible by introducing a Webtop based laptop dock which allowed you to connect your device to a laptop and experience it's content on the larger laptop screen with the added keyboard advantage.

While Webtop didn't provide the perfect desktop environment, Ubuntu plans to offer something that will change this by bringing the full Ubuntu Desktop to your docked Android handset.

By adopting the same kernel as Android, Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) will allow Ubuntu to parallel boot with Android. When you dock your Android device, you will have immediate access to all your favourite Ubuntu apps along with the Android apps from your device.

With smartphones growing more and more powerful it only makes sense that that power is put to better use. This will allow you to essentially create a document on an Ubuntu based desktop and edit it while you are on the road on your mobile device.

Canonical is planning to demonstrate their platform at the upcoming MWC, so we will soon be able to see the potential of the latest version of Ubuntu. the company believes that this will be a key feature of high end handsets by the second half of 2012.

I personally believe this is a mutually beneficial feature for both Android and Ubuntu. Ubuntu will get extreme recommendation through Android, While Android can continue to steal customers away from Windows, by offering a desktop solution on their handsets.

However the rumors of Android JellyBean offering an integration of Chrome OS with Android  may become the largest road block in Canonical's plans.

Do you guys think this project has potential to succeed? Share your thought in the comments section below.


source - Ubuntu

Ubuntu is probably the most popular among Linux distributions. It seams that the Linux kernal is all around us these days mostly as the core that drives modern mobile operating systems like Android. So it is no surprise that the most popular desktop distro is planning to make it's way to smartphones, tablets and even smart TVs.

This announcement was made by Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu, who said that the company is currently focussing on the release of Ubuntu 12.04 which is due for release in April 2012. The upcoming release will be a long term support release and will focus on stability and improvements to the Unity UI. Following which they will shift their focus to mobile devices.

“This is a natural expansion of our idea as Ubuntu as Linux for human beings. As people have moved from desktop to new form factors for computing, it’s important for us to reach out to out community on these platforms. So, we’ll embrace the challenge of how to use Ubuntu on smartphones, tablets and smart-screens,” Shuttleworth said.

Ubuntu's approach to building one OS to suit all form factors is what Microsoft is currently working on with Windows 8 and it's Metro UI. While Microsoft will enter the market before the mobile version of Ubuntu is ready, Shuttleworth is confident that Ubuntu will have a part to play in the mobile market currently dominated by Android and iOS.

We have no doubt that a linux based operating system is a force to be reconnec with, especially one that comes backed with a name and reputation of Ubuntu. But the keyword is apps, and the biggest problem seen by the similar Meego (Maemo) operating system was the poor support from developers to build cross platform apps.

Will Ubuntu face the same fate ? or will you be happy using an Ubuntu based smartphone or tablet ?