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Tag: canonical

  • Ubuntu For Smartphones to be Launched in 2014

    Canonical has announced that it will launch early next year, the first version of Ubuntu for smartphones, a less conventional operating system for users, but which is expected by many fans.

    Ubuntu for smartphones is based on the same kernel and drivers as Android, but brings a new interface for the portable devices. For those who already use Ubuntu on PCs, the interface will not be surprising. We are talking about a redesign and reconfiguration of Unity, the UI promoted by Canonical on its last Ubuntu distributions.

    The absolute novelty with which Canonical hopes to gain ground in the mobile segment is how the user will use gestures on a smartphone. More specifically, browsing through gestures will cause (or not) users to try the new interface. For example, a short finger swipe gesture from the left to the center of the screen activates a menu Unity alike in which the user will find his favorite applications.

    Also, swiping to the right of the screen will display the latest applications used, and a similar gesture made at the bottom of the screen will activate notifications.

    An important aspect is that, although it runs based on the Android kernel, Ubuntu Mobile does not use the Dalvik Virtual Machine, so that Android applications are not compatible with the mobile operating system from Canonical. However, Ubuntu Mobile will offer the advantage of running native applications without a dedicated virtual machine, which means that performance may be even better than that offered by Android.

    At the same time, through a stand, users of devices with Ubuntu Mobile are able to connect to a monitor and use it with the mouse and classic keyboard in the same way that they use their PC.

    Currently, Ubuntu for smartphones is running on Galaxy Nexus only, but Canonical will soon publish versions for other devices as well.

    The first smartphone with Ubuntu pre-installed will be launched in early 2014.

  • Ubuntu Linux Mobile – An alternative to Google Android

    Google’s Android OS will soon have Ubuntu Linux for mobile devices as competitor, an operating system developed under open source and available for use for free.

    Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, revealed that after finalizing the latest version of the operating system for PCs, their efforts will be focused on extending this platform towards the most popular computing platforms currently used. Thus, in the near future we will have available Ubuntu Linux distributions for tablets, Smart TV devices and, of course, smartphones.

    In the preparation for this expansion, Canonical is currently in talks with many of the producers of mobile devices chipsets, including ARM, a leading manufacturer of processors for tablets and smartphones.
    Through this extension into the world of mobile devices, Ubuntu becomes a direct competitor to Android OS, an operating system which, ironically, is compromised even by Google creator, after the recent acquisition of Motorola, one of the major mobile phones manufacturers in the world.

    The acquisition of Motorola Mobility is not seen well by the other hardware manufacturers, because it transforms Google from simple software developer in hardware manufacturer. Thus, Android OS ends up being caught in a conflict of interests arisen between Google’s creator and the other mobile devices manufacturers. This way, Ubuntu Linux is seen as the saving solution, a free and flexible alternative, coming from a company far less intimidating than Google.

    Interestingly, the strategy chosen by Canonical is ingenious, but without a solid brand that has resonance among the users of tablets and smartphones, its success or the potential failure depends almost entirely on the partnerships concluded with the hardware manufacturers.

    The delivery of Ubuntu OS on as many devices is essential for its promotion, but it remains to be seen whether the facilities offered will be able to rise at the standards of a strong competition, such as the one provided by Google with its Android 4.0.

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