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Hands On: Ubuntu OS For Smarthones

Jan 8, 2013, 12:30 PM by Rich Brome and Eric M. Zeman @richbrome

Canonical had an early build of its Ubuntu Linux smartphone operating system at CES and we took a look. It has a clean and fast user interface, though its chances in the market are questionable.

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Canonical announced its Linux smartphone platform last week. The new operating system is as powerful as Ubuntu's desktop version of Linux, and looks similar in terms of the user interface. We spent a few moments using it with one of Canonical's product reps and came away impressed with the design and speed of the operating system.

The software was being demoed on a modded Galaxy Nexus from Samsung. In this case, the hardware doesn't matter at all. The platform is being made available to carriers and hardware makers by itself, similar to the way Google offers Android for free. Canonical hopes it can spur adoption of its platform by giving it away for free, too. Here is a look at it in pictures and video.

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About the author, Rich Brome and Eric M. Zeman:

Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.

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mickrussom

Jan 8, 2013, 1:49 PM

junk

ubuntu is buggy junk.

developers will love it, and everyone else will hate the piles of bugs and the disgusting look and feel.

Mark_S

mickrussom said:
ubuntu is buggy junk.

developers will love it, and everyone else will hate the piles of bugs and the disgusting look and feel.

The feeling is likewise to MAC OS.

...

Overmann

At least it comes from an established operating system. Android is still developing features that should have been in it from the start but hadn't been implemented yet.

As for bugginess, I haven't seen it any worse than any other OS, really.

Zpike

Jan 11, 2013, 12:45 PM

Awesome

Just found this article and this looks like an awesome implementation. I use Android because it's the best right now, but I would be interested in seeing an established Linux distro come to smart phones. I hope Ubuntu does a bang up job with it and doesn't rush it to market.

Pilgrim7

It looks awesome. I'm an iOS user, but would give it a try. I use ubuntu in my desktop. (Though my laptop is a MacBook pro)

KOL4420

Jan 8, 2013, 3:28 PM

Not bad

I really dig the idea of a new operating system. Kinda getting really bored with the Android. Even on the Note 2 with the tons of features. Looking forward to trying something new hopefully by next year itll be worthy.

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