Software:Ubuntu for Android

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Ubuntu for Android
Ubuntu logo
Android for Ubuntu.png
Ubuntu running on an Android device, docked to a desktop monitor
DeveloperCanonical Ltd.
OS familyUnix-like
Working stateInactive[1]
Source modelOpen-source
Update methodAPT (front-ends available)
Package managerdpkg (front-ends like Synaptic available)
Platformsx86, ARM[2]
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux kernel)
Default user interfaceUnity shell
LicenseGPLv3 and LGPLv3[3]
Official websitewww.ubuntu.com/phone/ubuntu-for-android

Ubuntu for Android is an inactive variant of Ubuntu designed to run on Android phones. It was expected to come pre-loaded on several phones.[4] An Ubuntu for Android mock-up was shown at Mobile World Congress 2012.[5][6] As of April 2014, this project is no longer under active development by Canonical[7] which stated "development within Ubuntu [..] is complete. To take the development further requires a launch partner in order to make the necessary modifications on the Android side."[1] While Canonical is "very much open to such a partnership", its current focus is now on Ubuntu Touch that does not include Android (but also uses the Linux kernel).[1]

Features

  • Both Ubuntu and Android run at the same time on the mobile device, without emulation or virtualization, and without the need to reboot. This is possible because both Ubuntu and Android share the Linux kernel.[2]
  • When the device is connected to a desktop monitor, it features a standard Ubuntu Desktop interface (Unity).[2]
  • When the device is connected to a TV, the interface featured is the Ubuntu TV experience.[5]
  • Ability to run standard Ubuntu Desktop applications, like Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC, etc.[8]
  • Ability to run Android applications on the Ubuntu Desktop.[9]
  • Make and receive calls and SMSs directly from the Desktop.[8][10]

System requirements

According to Canonical a phone needs the following requirements:[8]

  • Dual-core 1 GHz CPU
  • Video acceleration: shared kernel driver with associated X driver; OpenGL, ES/EGL
  • Storage: 2 GB for OS disk image
  • HDMI: video-out with secondary framebuffer device
  • USB host mode
  • 512 MB RAM

Note: Most smartphones cannot use MHL and USB simultaneously on a single port. To use both features at the same time, a separate HDMI port is needed (Motorola Razr/Razr HD, Xperia S/Acro S, Asus Padfone), or the upcoming MHL2 port. There is also a non-standard solution available (Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/Note2).[citation needed]

Reception

Katherine Noyes, writing for PC World, noted "As a longtime Ubuntu fan, I have to admit I'm especially excited by the prospect of having my Ubuntu desktop available on my phone, wherever I go."[4]

Joey Sneddon, writing for OMG! Ubuntu! noted "Both [Android and Ubuntu] run at the same time on the same device. The net result of this is a super efficient workflow."[9]

Ubuntu for phones

Main page: Software:Ubuntu Touch

In a conference in London, on 2 January 2013, Mark Shuttleworth unveiled the concept for an upcoming mobile operating system - "Ubuntu Touch", that will probably be released "by the end of the year. The device(s) on which it will be released will deliver a personalised, full screen-to-screen experience - with a 'welcome screen, not a lock screen'". Thereafter, a concept for one phone with Ubuntu for Phones was published on Ubuntu's official channel on YouTube, in which it is shown as a simple, rounded bar-type smartphone, with no buttons on the front, unlike what is usually seen on most smartphones. The Welcome Screen is shown to have the standard Ubuntu background image, with digital clock on top, and small-to-big circles in the centre, circulating Unread/Notifications/Talk Time. Each of these parts appear and fade each after the other, while changing the colour of the circles in the background and the placement of the little ones. From the Welcome screen, the user could swipe to any of the four directions: up for notifications, left for the app menu, swipe from the right to launch the previous app, and swipe from the bottom to display the operations menu. Also, the user would be able to launch Voice Control by touching the bottom-right corner outside the interface, where the soft buttons would be on other smartphones. In the main menu, you could swipe far to the bottom and release to launch the Home Screen.[11] The Ubuntu for Android project, as said, is the first step for this new phone OS. Developers will be able to create one app, with two interfaces: a smartphone UI, and, when docked, a desktop UI.[12] The software would then be integrated with Qube, and Quickly development (as told in the OMG! Ubuntu's Google+ hangout). Full information about the phone and OS is currently available in Ubuntu's official page for the product "Ubuntu on phones". Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130523171347/http://www.ubuntu.com/phone. . A Developer Preview was released in February 2013.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Ubuntu for Android is no longer under active development: Canonical". NDTV Gadgets. http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/ubuntu-for-android-is-no-longer-under-active-development-canonical-516996. Retrieved 26 May 2014. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Ubuntu for Android". 14 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120223030248/http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android. Retrieved 23 February 2012. 
  3. ↑ "Commercial info". Ubuntu. 14 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120224033222/http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android/commercial-info. Retrieved 23 February 2012. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Noyes, Katherine (21 February 2012). "Ubuntu for Android Will Bring the Desktop to Your Phone | PCWorld Business Center". Pcworld.com. https://www.pcworld.com/article/250356/ubuntu_for_android_will_bring_the_desktop_to_your_phone.html. Retrieved 23 February 2012. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 « (21 February 2012). "Blog Archive » Ubuntu in your pocket". Mark Shuttleworth. http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1011. Retrieved 23 February 2012. 
  6. ↑ Ubuntu for Android at Mobile World Congress. "Ubuntu for Android at Mobile World Congress". Android Central. http://www.androidcentral.com/ubuntu-android-mobile-world-congress. Retrieved 28 February 2012. 
  7. ↑ Grush, Andrew (29 April 2014). "Remember Ubuntu for Android? It’s not dead, but it’s in limbo". Android Authority. http://www.androidauthority.com/ubuntu-for-android-limbo-374454/. Retrieved 26 May 2014. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Features and specs". Ubuntu. 14 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120223032327/http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android/features-and-specs. Retrieved 23 February 2012. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sneddon, Joey-Elijah (14 December 2009). "Meet Ubuntu for Android: The Next Step in Ubuntu’s Multi-Device Plan". Omgubuntu.co.uk. http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/02/ubuntu-for-android-announced/. Retrieved 23 February 2012. 
  10. ↑ Keene, Jamie (11 October 2011). "Ubuntu for Android hands-on: a full Linux operating system when you dock your smartphone". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/21/2812424/ubuntu-for-android-hands-on. Retrieved 23 February 2012. 
  11. ↑ Shuttleworth, Mark (2 January 2013). "Mark Shuttleworth Demos Ubuntu Phone 2013". Planet Ubuntu, on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxIv23_oHIk. Retrieved 3 January 2013. 
  12. ↑ Joey-Elijah Sneddon (2 January 2013). "Ubuntu Phone OS Unveiled by Canonical". OMG! Ubuntu!. http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/01/ubuntu-phone-os-unveiled-by-canonical. Retrieved 4 January 2013. 
  13. ↑ Sneddon, Joey-Elijah (21 February 2013). "Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview Released, Available for Nexus Devices". http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/02/ubuntu-touch-developer-preview-released-available-for-nexus-devices. Retrieved 4 January 2014. 

External links




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