Canonical Anounces Ubuntu Coming To Smartphones and Tablets


By: Talha Bhatti  |   February 20th, 2013   |   Business, Mobile Apps, News, Smartphones, Tablets
Canonical

Ubuntu, the popular Linux-based computer operating system from Canonical , will now be coming to a tablet near you. The software developer behind Ubuntu is taking aim at what they believe is the future of computing and is looking to  transform their Ubuntu OS into the engine for mobile devices and televisions. Canonical announced that they will be providing developers with a version to install on tablets and smartphones including the Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus devices. Eager developers can start downloading on Thursday, February 21 while the company expects to have a the first Ubuntu run devices hitting the market in 2014. Richard Collins, the head of Ubuntu Mobile Products, spoke about the new planned OS from his firm and stated that, “We come from a very deep legacy, and successfully establishing the [Ubuntu] operating system for desktops and TVs and, more recently, phones.”

 

Canonical is not worried that they are entering the market place at a time when competitors like iOS, Android and Windows Phone are well established. The thinking behind this is that according to Collins sees devices converging in the future. The company thinks Ubuntu can become a big part of the ecosystem that will include both mobile device and living rooms by 2016. Collins says, “That’s a pretty ambitious target for anyone coming into the industry, but we’ve done our research and we’ve had the conversations that let us know that there’s a space for us.”

 
Canonical has formed partnerships with Dell, HP, Asus, and Acer to help establish Ubuntu in the PC sector and will now be looking at mobile and hopes to have a release by April 2014. Their release will give mobile and PC a single operating system which will get an update every six months. This release cycle is a lot faster than iOS, OS X, Windows and Android and Canonical hopes it will be the key to catch up and surpass the competition.

 

Collins also mentioned Ubuntu and Canonical’s other strong points including its focus on software. This separates the company and its product from other company’s like Apple’s iOS which is built with specific hardware in mind. He pointed at Ubuntu aiming to be a single operating system for both mobile and desktop as another advantage. While other company’s juggle two different OS platforms for their products, Canonincal will not have to do that. Furthermore, the company does not have legacy software issues that the larger competitors face. The gesture-based interface that Ubuntu us expected to introduce will also be another advantage over competitors.

Source: Pandodaily

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