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Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

engadget.com

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Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#2

Post by mtgx »

Swiping from the edges is exactly what I was hoping Google would do with Android, instead of wasting screen space with buttons. I think all Android's buttons could be repurposed into "edge actions", although they'd have to make them intuitive enough for people to get it quickly.

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#4

Post by mickle00 »

"...there are no immediate plans for actual Ubuntu phones, and no carriers have been signed up yet -- although we're told that the OS will run on any new phone built for Android, should the manufacturer see merit in installing Ubuntu instead."

It will be interesting to see if/when a manufacturer picks this up, to hit the mainstream market.

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#5

Post by LukeHoersten »

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).

Re: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones

#6

Post by dmix »

mtgx wrote: post #2

Swiping from the edges is exactly what I was hoping Google would do with Android, instead of wasting screen space with buttons. I think all Android's buttons could be repurposed into "edge actions", although they'd have to make them intuitive enough for people to get it quickly.

Isn't this what Windows 8 did for submenus?

I found it incredibly confusing in the context of using a mouse, but never tried it with touch.

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