Dual OS phone with Android and desktop Ubuntu not likely to arrive before 2014

It's beautiful. It even works. But if there's a downside to the notion of an Android phone that runs full-blown desktop Ubuntu when docked to a big screen and keyboard, it's the need for patience. Nearly a year after the first announcement, we've had an update from one of the key project leads, Richard Collins, to the effect that work on a converged Ubuntu for Android device is running on schedule, but won't culminate in an actual product until shortly after the launch of the first Ubuntu-only smartphone: "We are planning to very quickly follow our initial launch [of an Ubuntu-only handset] with the converged device which will have high-performing system components that will allow Ubuntu to run as a desktop OS when docked." Considering that the first Ubuntu smartphone isn't expected until early 2014, pending agreements with manufacturer and carrier partners, we could be looking at another 12-month wait. Still, the company probably wouldn't flesh out its roadmap like this unless things were going well behind the scenes. It's also possible that Canonical will release early builds of the dual OS for us to try -- just like it's going to cater for experimental GNex owners next month. In fact, Collins told us that we "might not have much longer to wait" before we see something new on Ubuntu for Android, even if it isn't a finished product. Read our full interview with him right here.Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, MobileComments

Ubuntu 13.04 will be called Raring Ringtail, emphasize mobile and battery life

After running with other alliterative codenames such as Oneiric Ocelot, Precise Pangolin and Quantal Quetzal, Canonical has announced the latest in its line of fauna-inspired Ubuntu releases -- Raring Ringtail. With version 13.04 CEO Mark Shuttleworth plans to start seriously laying the groundwork for phone, tablet and TV interfaces, which he hopes to have in place for the next LTS release in April of 2014 (14.04). Don't expect a full-fledged Ubuntu smartphone OS in six months, however, the first step will be working on core aspects of the OS, such as power and memory management, that will prove crucial to its success as a mobile platform. First though, the company needs to get through today's planned launch of 12.10, which will deliver some highly-anticipated webapp integration. For more, check out the source. Filed under: SoftwareUbuntu 13.04 will be called Raring Ringtail, emphasize mobile and battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Mark Shuttleworth's Blog  | Email this | Comments

Canonical introduces Ubuntu for smartphones

While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Android and Ubuntu play nice together, this does mark a new era for the platform. Today software maker Canonical announced Ubuntu for phones, which aims to make superphones also be a full PC. They’ve already crammed Android and Ubuntu together for dock webtop like features, but this …

Canonical narrows timeframe for Ubuntu for smartphones to 'late February'

Our first look at the upcoming Ubuntu phone OS left us excited but wanting for more details, and it seems that Canonical has now indicated when you'll first be able to grab it. According to OMG Ubuntu, engineering manager Alan Pope said that a downloadable image of the upcoming system will be available in late February for the Galaxy Nexus handset. From what we've seen so far, if you're brave enough to grab it you'll be in for a reasonably fluid and hackable experience, although actually doing something with it might be another story, since there's likely to be very few apps available. Still, for tinkerers with the handset who want to give Android a break, it'll be exciting times when a full-fledged Linux distro finally goes small.Filed under: CellphonesCommentsSource: OMG Ubuntu

I Want My Ubuntu TV!

CES is upon us, and is no doubt chock full of the usual suspects of consumer electronics OEMs, ODMs, and more. One interesting new attendee this year is Canonical, the folks behind the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution. Canonical is making a big push to get Ubuntu onto more than just desktops and laptops, and have been busy building relationships with CE companies to get it onto tablets, phones, and automobile in-vehicle infotainment displays. We'll see Ubuntu make appearances at several booths to demo this work. Canonical will also be announcing Ubuntu TV.

Tablets, phones, IVI systems and Ubuntu TV are a far cry from Ubuntu's humble beginnings as an easy to use Linux desktop. "Linux for human beings" has always been Ubuntu's tagline, not "Linux for human being's portable electronic devices." So one might be forgiven for asking "WTF, Canonical?" I posed a slightly more polite version of that question to Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical.

Docks, transformers, computing cores and taking it all with you

Back in the mists of history -- probably the late '90s or early '00s -- I remember reading a blog post. I'm afraid I have been unable to find it again, so you'll have to take my reminiscing on faith (but please leave a comment if you know what I'm talking about). This post dissected and analyzed a collection of freshly granted IBM patents which, taken together, painted a picture of the future of personal computing that has stayed with me ever since.

In essence, they called for each person to be carrying around a personal "computing core" -- a device we'd recognize today as a modern smartphone, although it was close to science fiction back then -- that could be docked into a variety of shells to become other devices, such as a laptop or a desktop. While Apple's PowerBook Duo subnotebooks were designed to transform into desktop computers when docked with their base units, they didn't quite meet the 'computing core' definition

I was reminded of this recently when reading Anandtech's review of the clumsily-named Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101. If you're unfamiliar with it, the Eee Pad looks, at first glance, like Yet Another Identikit Android Tablet, as it has very similar specs to the rest of them -- Android Honeycomb software, dual core NVidia Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip processor, 1 GB RAM and so forth.

The Asus, however, has two key things in its favor. Firstly, for the baseline Wi-Fi/16 GB configuration, it's $100 cheaper than the iPad. Secondly, it works with a $150 laptop dock accessory that turns it into a netbook.Continue reading Docks, transformers, computing cores and taking it all with youDocks, transformers, computing cores and taking it all with you originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 05 May 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop & Netbook Editions due Oct 10; Dell first to release hardware?

Open-source addicts have been eagerly awaiting Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop Edition and Netbook Edition, and Canonical has confirmed they won’t have long to wait for it; both versions will go up for download on October 10 2010.  Meanwhile, DigiTimes‘s sources reckon Dell will be the first to out an Ubunto 10.10 based netbook.

That could happen within a month, according to Canonical, though the organization declined to comment on the speculation as to which company could be manufacturing it.  Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition includes a new UI, called Unity, which is specifically designed for smaller displays; it also supports touch and gestures for devices like tablets.  An Ubuntu Light version can boot into a functional state in just seven seconds, with a browser and messaging apps. Press Release: Latest Ubuntu Version Puts Focus on Consumers and Mobile Ubuntu 10.10 adds features for desktop and netbook users London, October 7, 2010: Canonical today announced the upcoming availability of Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop and Netbook Editions for download on Sunday, October 10. Focused on home and mobile computing users, Ubuntu 10.10 introduces an array of online and offline applications to Ubuntu Desktop Edition with a particular focus on the personal cloud. Ubuntu Netbook Edition users will experience an all-new desktop interface called ‘Unity’ — specifically tuned for smaller screens and computing on the move. Ubuntu One, the personal cloud service for Ubuntu users, includes new services and expanded features, significant performance enhancements and interoperability with other operating systems including Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone and Microsoft Windows. The Ubuntu Software Centre, which gives users instant access to thousands of applications, games and tools, now includes the ability to purchase commercial applications, providing a unified portal for both free and commercial software. The Ubuntu community is putting renewed focus on attracting application developers and software publishers to make their work available to Ubuntu users. The universe of applications, both free and commercial, certified on Ubuntu continues to grow. “Ubuntu 10.10 for desktops and netbooks is our most consumer-friendly release yet,” said Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical. “Ubuntu One’s personal cloud services will put Ubuntu at the heart of many users’ computing worlds even when they need or prefer to use other platforms. Unity has the opportunity to change how we think about our use of computers and the Software Centre will bridge Ubuntu with the applications users need to switch to the world’s best OS.” Ubuntu One Basic, available free of charge, provides a personal cloud for sharing and syncing files, contacts, bookmarks and notes, with 2GB of free storage, access to music from the integrated store and (new in 10.10) a beta client for Windows allowing users to integrate their Windows and Ubuntu worlds. As part of the paid Ubuntu One Mobile service, applications are now available for Android and iPhone so users can stream their music collections from their personal cloud to their mobile devices and synchronize contacts. Users might find that they need extra capacity so 20GB blocks of additional storage can be purchased on demand. Unity is a new interface for Ubuntu that is making its debut in Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition. It is designed for highly mobile computing, making the most of precious screen space on mobile devices. The Unity interface also supports touch and gestures for the increasing number of devices that will support it, with larger icons and a more touch-intuitive interface. Pricing and availability Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop Edition is available free of charge for download from Sunday, October 10 from http://www.ubuntu.com. Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition (featuring the Unity interface) is available free of charge for download from Sunday, October 10 from http://www.ubuntu.com. Existing Ubuntu users can upgrade directly from Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. Ubuntu One is available from http://one.ubuntu.com. Ubuntu One Basic is free of charge. Ubuntu One Mobile costs USD $3.99 per month or USD $39.99 annually. Ubuntu One 20-pack storage costs USD $2.99 per month or USD $29.99 annually for each 20GB package. Ubuntu Software Centre and its applications can be accessed from the Ubuntu Applications menu. Relevant Entries on SlashGearDell picks Ubuntu as its Linux distro for consumer PCDell’s employee leaked the models for Dell Linux systemsDell Ubuntu Not Really a Money-Saving VentureDell getting gutsy like Gibbon and putting Ubuntu on XPS m1330Michael Dell has a soft spot for Linux

Motorola phases out Webtop, points to a Lapdock-shy world

When Motorola launched its Webtop concept alongside the original Atrix 4G, it had grand visions of replacing our PCs with a smartphone, a Lapdock and some optimism for a mobile-focused future. Most of us don't appear to have shared that rose-tinted view, as Motorola has confirmed that devices from the Photon Q 4G LTE and Droid RAZR M onward don't carry Webtop and won't get it in the future. The firm is blunt in explaining the cut and says that "adoption has not been strong enough" -- we just weren't buying those desktop- and laptop-oriented docks in the large numbers Motorola would need to devote further attention. As CNET explains, the move isn't surprising in light of Google's cost cutting as well as an initial $500 Lapdock price that likely chilled any momentum, even after prices dropped to as little as $200 in the Atrix 2 era. We'd also point to a market that still favors budget laptops and tablets: when $400 will get you an entirely separate Transformer Pad TF300, albeit without a keyboard, it's hard to justify buying what amounts to an empty shell. At least we'll still have our PadFone to keep us company while you read the full statement below. Motorola's Webtop app helps users extend their smartphone experience to larger screens. While consumers around the world have adopted Webtop and the concept spurred a lot of innovation in the industry, the adoption has not been strong enough to justify continued resources being allocated to developing Webtop on future devices. We have also seen development of the Android operating system focus on the inclusion of more desktoplike features. Beginning with Photon Q and Droid Razr M/Droid Razr HD/Droid Razr Maxx HD, we will no longer be including Webtop on our products moving forward.Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, GoogleMotorola phases out Webtop, points to a Lapdock-shy world originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  CNET  | Email this | Comments

Canonical gets a little more precise about what's in store for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Look, codenames are all fine and dandy, but we want the meat -- we want to know exactly what Precise Pangolin has in store. Specifics are still a little hard to come by, but there were some tidbits out of the Ubuntu Developer Summit. For one, Canonical has decided to bump the size of the ISO from 700MB to 750MB. That might not seem like a huge deal, but it means CDs are out and thumb drives or DVDs are in for installs. The company is also considering using Ubuntu One accounts for logging into the desktop, allowing you to quickly sync your settings and files on any Ubuntu machine -- not unlike Google's Chrome OS. Lastly there are a few software changes coming. The Software Center will be getting some serious optimization for quicker launches and better performance, while Rhythmbox will be returning to the fold after being banished for Banshee in 11.04. You'll find a few more details about Ubuntu 12.04 at the source link.Canonical gets a little more precise about what's in store for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Extreme Tech  | Email this | Comments

Canonical Announces Ubuntu for Android

Canonical's Ubuntu TV, unveiled earlier this year, was the first in a series of announcements about "Ubuntu on devices". The next device in Canonical's multi-screen strategy for world domination is being unveiled next week at Mobile World Congress 2012, and it's an Android-powered smartphone. It's not entirely what you might think, though.

This is not an Ubuntu app running atop Android. Nor is it an all-Ubuntu device running an Android emulator. Rather, Ubuntu for Android is the full Ubuntu desktop running side-by-side with Android on a shared kernel that provides context appropriate access to all your content. When out and about, the phone operates as any other Android-powered phone; but when you slip the device into a dock connected to a monitor, keyboard and mouse you get the familiar Ubuntu desktop experience.