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Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

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Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#41

Post by samwillis »

LukeHoersten wrote: post #5

I really wish Canonical would focus on making the Linux Desktop/Laptop experience better but perhaps this will play out like Apple: bootstrap the company's growth on the success of a mobile device (iPod in Apple's case). Plus, Canonical can offer something Google really can't: a common interface across all devices (Chromebook hasn't really worked out).

The chromebook was the biggest selling laptop this Christmas on amazon.

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/chromebook-christmas-be...

Definitely far from not working out! I think it's pretty darn proven as a consumer product.

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#42

Post by [deleted] »

LukeHoersten wrote: post #5

I really wish Canonical would focus on making the Linux Desktop/Laptop experience better but perhaps this will play out like Apple: bootstrap the company's growth on the success of a mobile device (iPod in Apple's case). Plus, Canonical can offer something Google really can't: a common interface across all devices (Chromebook hasn't really worked out).

[deleted]

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#43

Post by vibrunazo »

StavrosK wrote: post #34
vibrunazo wrote: post #31

Here's their developer site: http://developer.ubuntu.com/get-started/gomobile/ From what it looks like, I'd need to redesign my apps from ground up using QML. They could have leveraged Android apps ecossystem, like Amazon, OUYA and even BB10 are doing. But chose not to. Out of nothing other than greed. And for that one reason, I predict dead on arrival. Edit: Just had an Ubuntu community manager answer my question on…

How could they? This isn't Android, it's an entirely different OS. If it ran Android apps, it might as well be a custom launcher instead.

They had a working prototype that would run Android and Ubuntu side by side. Would work as a standard Android phone. But when you dock it to the desktop, it's a 100% capable Ubuntu computer, sharing resources with Android. That was perfect. It's the best of both worlds, I'm sure it would be a huge hit. Leverage both the Android mobile ecosystem + Linux desktop at once? That was genius. But instead they chose the greedy path and try to control all of it themselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv1Z7bf4jXY

edit: I just learned that Ubuntu for Android was not abandoned. It's still a separate project. They wanna release Ubuntu for Android first in mid 2013. And hopefully that will be a gateway to get Android users interested in the Ubuntu Phone which will launch in 2014.

http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#44

Post by Andrex »

justincormack wrote: post #20
recoiledsnake wrote: post #19

Edit: Here's the keynote video. Skip to about 6:35 sec for the new bits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU Direct link to 6:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU&feature=play... First thoughts: 2014 is a long way away and a whole year is an eternity in mobile space. It kind of looks like Unity in portrait mode but without the dock. What does it bring new to developers that isn't there in Android? F…

I think having anti-fork rules on the Android kernel would violate the GPL, so that couldn't happen...

The anti-fork rules concern Google's support and applications for devices, not the source code of the OS itself.

Amazon has forked Android, but by doing so they aren't allowed to use any of Google's apps in their devices.

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#45

Post by mtgx »

recoiledsnake wrote: post #19

Edit: Here's the keynote video. Skip to about 6:35 sec for the new bits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU Direct link to 6:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU&feature=play... First thoughts: 2014 is a long way away and a whole year is an eternity in mobile space. It kind of looks like Unity in portrait mode but without the dock. What does it bring new to developers that isn't there in Android? F…

> It says it uses the Android kernel and drivers to be compatible with the hardware

Where did you see that? Are you sure you're not confusing it with the "Ubuntu for Android" project? That is a different project from this.

I don't think an Ubuntu phone will have anything to do with Android. It's its own OS, and you won't see it on all phones or anything like that - just on the "Ubuntu phones" that will be shipping starting with 2014. They might port it to some existing hardware like Galaxy Nexus for demo purposes, though, the way Mozilla did with Firefox OS on Galaxy S2.

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#46

Post by fluidcruft »

justincormack wrote: post #20
recoiledsnake wrote: post #19

Edit: Here's the keynote video. Skip to about 6:35 sec for the new bits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU Direct link to 6:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU&feature=play... First thoughts: 2014 is a long way away and a whole year is an eternity in mobile space. It kind of looks like Unity in portrait mode but without the dock. What does it bring new to developers that isn't there in Android? F…

I think having anti-fork rules on the Android kernel would violate the GPL, so that couldn't happen...

The golden handcuffs are your ability to ship Android's userland (including access to use of trademarks and Play Store). If Google shuts you out, you're out. Ship all the linux kernels you want.

Technically, you can probably ship something based on pure AOSP, but your competitors will have had pre-AOSP access to the code for multiple months and there are no guarantees that AOSP even works without Google's magic proprietary mojo. CyanogenMod had to develop the missing pieces when Google sent their C&D over the proprietary bits. I would suspect defensive things designed to make it more difficult for Amazon to leech AOSP are either present or coming soon particularly with the rumors that Amazon is working toward introducing a phone.

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#47

Post by pajju »

I always wished for myself and for the larger web community a 'Rock solid web based Open' Mobile Platform, and the change is happening very fast.

I fell in love with Ubuntu, with the 12.04 Release. Remarkable, well thought user experience. 6 months back, I switched completely to Ubuntu 12.04 and its my primary machine now. I'm blown away with their agile methodologies, love every small part of the web-integration and the Ubuntu software market.

Worth mentioning, Ubuntu Desktop is also strongly emerging as perfect web platform with tight integration with web-services. Many Developers are considering this as a strong open platform(as its web), and have started writing apps for ubuntu software market. So these apps should run seamlessly on Smartphones too.

The concept of HUD to search inside an webapps and navigate complex menu's is revolutionary! Worth mentioning, webapps are now exactly like native desktop apps; I recently used the Gmail webapp, it opens as separate app and we can search inside gmail. (They have an API to enable such HUD controls for any webapp).

All such advancements are only possible today, as we have faster Javascript engines, can leverage Cloud services, access to cheaper hardware and much faster Internet Penetration and adoption than ever before. The web can function as a strong platform by itself and not a hybrid model.

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#48

Post by [deleted] »

justincormack wrote: post #20
recoiledsnake wrote: post #19

Edit: Here's the keynote video. Skip to about 6:35 sec for the new bits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU Direct link to 6:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU&feature=play... First thoughts: 2014 is a long way away and a whole year is an eternity in mobile space. It kind of looks like Unity in portrait mode but without the dock. What does it bring new to developers that isn't there in Android? F…

I think having anti-fork rules on the Android kernel would violate the GPL, so that couldn't happen...

[deleted]

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#49

Post by [deleted] »

justincormack wrote: post #20
recoiledsnake wrote: post #19

Edit: Here's the keynote video. Skip to about 6:35 sec for the new bits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU Direct link to 6:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWHJDLsqTU&feature=play... First thoughts: 2014 is a long way away and a whole year is an eternity in mobile space. It kind of looks like Unity in portrait mode but without the dock. What does it bring new to developers that isn't there in Android? F…

I think having anti-fork rules on the Android kernel would violate the GPL, so that couldn't happen...

[deleted]
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