Canonical Unveils Deeply Integrated Ubuntu For Android, Mixes Phones With Desktops
Canonical Unveils Deeply Integrated Ubuntu For Android, Mixes Phones With Desktops
Posted 02/21/2012 at 12:27pm
| by Brad Chacos
26
Comments
Print
As smartphones grow more and more powerful, they've come to resemble miniature computers more than the rotary phones of our past. In fact, smartphones and tablets are becoming so powerful that some analysts have posited that we're moving into a post-PC world. Maximum PC's response? Post PC my ass -- but that's a lot harder to say in the wake of the new Ubuntu distro for Android devices. When you're squawking, it's a normal Android phone, but the second you connect the phone to a monitor and keyboard -- BAM! -- you're greeted by a full Ubuntu desktop experience.
This ain't no namby-pamby slap-dash conversion, either; Android and Ubuntu run side-by-side and share the same address book, calendar, settings, photos and social media passwords to make the whole thing seamless. You'll be able to make calls and texts while using the Ubuntu desktop, too. The magic happens because Android and Ubuntu for Android use the same kernel.
It's a really intriguing concept, but be forewarned: you'll need a pretty beefy phone to pull it off, plus the aforementioned monitor and keyboard. Here are the phone requirements:
- Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or higher
- Dual-core 1GHz CPU or higher (multi-cores required)
- Video acceleration: shared kernel driver with associated X driver; Open GL, ES/EGL
- 2GB storage for the OS disk image
- 512 MB RAM
- HDMI video out with secondary frame buffer device
- USB host mode
Canonical plans on showing off Ubuntu for Android at Mobile World Conference next week; hopefully, we'll get more details then. In the meantime, here's the list of specs and features. The OS is only available to OEMs at the moment, alas.
Does Ubuntu for Android get you jazzed, or do you consider it another unwanted attempt to blur the line between PC and smartphone? No matter what, it's a nifty out-of-the-box idea.
More like this
26
Comments
Comments are closed on this article
pet789
February 29, 2012 at 9:02pm
my roomate's aunt makes $83/hr on the laptop. She has been without work for 8 months but last month her pay was $8682 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Read more on this site...Nuttyrich . com
vistageek
February 22, 2012 at 7:49am
Motorola has kinda had this with their lapdocks for a while now.
kixofmyg0t
February 22, 2012 at 4:36pm
Its built into their phones. You don't even need the dock to run it.
gmvolk
February 22, 2012 at 7:27am
Something like this would make me want to get a smartphone. I could easily replace my laptop and phone and have the info I need when I needed it. I don't think I'd want to do it with Ubuntu, or any Linux for that matter. I have tried lots of distro's and, at least for me, they just aren't ready for the mainstream yet. Like others have said, trying to get WiFi going(or sound or the half a dozen other things) working on Linux right out of the box can be problematic. Of course with this being on the phone/hybrid pc that may not be an issue. When I first saw the Atrix, I was thinking this would be the future. Too bad Atrix did not use a real OS(meaning Linux or Windows), not saying it's bad since I never used it, but it was, from what I have read, very limited in what it could do. To have a popular distro on a phone, that can in turn become your PC can very well start making other phones follow suit. The only big drawback would be the carriers ability to limit what you could do once docked as a PC, and I suppose you would have to rely on cloud storage?
bpstone
March 06, 2012 at 8:14am
Many Linux desktop distros are not ready for the average general consumer. It is getting there and the pace is readily increasing. In the professional server realm, Linux is king; for several good reasons. The operating system on your computer should specifically meet your needs. If no environment other than Windows with Explorer shell can do so, then do not complain about the other ones. That is like me complaining that my vehicle cannot perform well with formula cars on an Indy circuit. It does not fit the bill. Got it? Just do not use them. Often times it is the person, not the computer software that is the underlying issue. Take this comment as constructive criticism.
RUSENSITIVESWEETNESS
February 22, 2012 at 5:27am
Let's see 3GHz phones that run games at 2560x1600 and juggle magazine layouts with ease.
Now order me some Chinese, bitch!
OCFRED
February 21, 2012 at 8:53pm
Pretty slick, I've been pissed enough with whole unity thing to go KDE however thats just a few tweaks to the settings in 11.10+, Pangolin is looking to be hot. Still this is so ten years ago, the data ought to be blue toothed to inputs and displays.
dgrmouse
February 21, 2012 at 7:21pm
I would be all for this if there existed sufficient assurance that rigid controls were in place to prevent carriers from snooping on my every action.
aarcane
February 21, 2012 at 4:44pm
Something like this has been in development on XDA forums for a while. It's not that huge an announcement.
Hey.That_Dude
February 21, 2012 at 1:33pm
Yeah, this seems both awesome and not.
A tablet computer would do better. The tablet wouldn't need the screen per say and the keyboard could be the attachment that triggers the change from Android to Ubuntu.
Smartphone is a great idea if you have the phone run as a co-processor or something like that, and have a built in proc to the station.
ashinms
February 21, 2012 at 1:32pm
Damn. I thought this was ubuntu with bluestacks hardwired in. At least now there's an actual need for these multicore phones that keep coming out.
jonnyohio
February 21, 2012 at 1:21pm
When I can play skyrim on my smartphone THEN I might believe its a post pc world!
kixofmyg0t
February 21, 2012 at 1:14pm
Oh yay! Now I get to spend an hour in terminal trying to get Wi-Fi working(because every distro I've ever tried never has Wi-Fi working out the gate).
Why would I bother with this crap when both my Atrix AND Droid Bionic have this same feature and have had them for MONTHS.
Fail.
GJEMaximumPC
February 22, 2012 at 5:57am
No disrespect, but I feel you may be out of sorts and the minority here on the issue you brought up concerning Linux WiFi. I've been using Linux Mint and Ubuntu distros for the past three years and I have had absolutely no issues concerning my WiFi adapter, the router being used, nor the connections taking place. I've even used lesser known and supported distros like Puppy Linux and TinyCore, and they have found and setup my WiFi connection easily enough with the proper input of an encryption code for the router.
Not saying your router does not have issues, but honestly, you seem to be the minority nowadays in this area. Sure, five to ten years ago, there were a lot of problems with drivers and basic setup on Linux, but Ubuntu, thankfully, paved the way forward for all of Linux-proper in this area by getting these minor issues fixed at installation.
kixofmyg0t
February 22, 2012 at 4:45pm
I don't know what it is but Ubuntu hates me. In fact I just sold my HP netbook and put Ubuntu on it before I sold it. I did manage to get wifi working though. Fedora works for me, which is why I prefer it. I tried Mint 9 and it was a horrible crash prone mess......and I've never had Linux straight up crash on me before. Well except for the custom Red Hat crap we have on our Blue Force Trackers but still....
I am a minority though. I like Unity better than Gnome too.
illusionslayer
February 21, 2012 at 4:57pm
You aren't a very intelligent fellow are you?
The device will sell with everything properly configured for Wi-Fi to work. You should also get some less obscure hardware and use better distros. Every distro I've used has had Wi-Fi work out of the gate.
Why would you buy a newer cheaper phone with a better implementation of the technology over an older phone? I don't know. Why would you buy a car over a bike that has had wheel technology for CENTURIES?
kixofmyg0t
February 22, 2012 at 12:10am
Yes because a HP DV7 is VERY obscure. Also Ubuntu and Mint are crappy distros right then?
Idiot.
Every version of Ubuntu since 8.04 doesn't have Wifi work out of the box on ANY of the laptops I've tried them on. These arnt "obscure" laptops either. Everything from HP's to Sony VIAO's and even Alienware. Its always "disabled"(for lack of a better term and trying to keep it understandable to the less Linux informed readers) by default and the only way to "fix" it is either A; connect to a hardline or B; spend about 15~20 minutes in terminal.
I wouldn't even begin to describe this "technology" as either "new" or "better" than Motorola Webtop. Webtop just WORKS. No screwing with terminal, no messing with "repositories"....just hook up a HDMI cable(because that's all you need. Its easy to flash a modded webtop so it doesn't require a $500 dock) and off you go. Everything just works out of the box. Anyone can use it, the same can't be said for Ubuntu.
Slurpy
February 22, 2012 at 12:46am
My m11xR3 worked out of the box with Ubuntu 11.10 (whichever adjectivized animal that was), as did my six year old Dell Inspiron (E1505, I think?) when I was bored over Thanksgiving. All I had to do was select my router and put in the encryption key.
They were, however, both running upgraded Intel Wifi chips, instead of the default Dell GenericWares that normally came with those models.
Still went back to Win7, though, I couldn't stand Unity. More of a pain in the ass than Gnome!
bpstone
February 21, 2012 at 1:28pm
An hour in the terminal? (Õ_Õ)? What the hell? It is not that damn hard. lol
Peanut Fox
February 21, 2012 at 1:20pm
Having other options is nice as maybe not everyone likes Motorola phones, but it could prove to be a cheaper venture than the Atrix was.
kixofmyg0t
February 21, 2012 at 1:56pm
How much cheaper do you get than a HDMI cable? That's all you need for webtop.
Peanut Fox
February 21, 2012 at 2:00pm
For the Atrix they had the optional laptop dock. I don't know if the Atrix had an HDMI out, but the phone itself and that dock were expensive even with a plan it was 500 bucks for the two of them.
This leaves room to add a dedicated GPU within the dock if something like Thunderbolt takes off. Which it being Intel it probably will.
kixofmyg0t
February 22, 2012 at 12:16am
All Motorola phones have had HDMI out for a couple YEARS now....where the heck have you been?
That stupid laptop dock isn't needed for webtop. I never bought ANY dock for my Atrix or Bionic but I've used webtop on both. All you need is a HDMI cable and flash a modded webtop apk so the dock is no longer required.
I'm not gonna pay $500 extra on something that's already built into the phone.
Peanut Fox
February 22, 2012 at 8:09am
I can assure you I don't keep track of the specs of every single smartphone that releases. But a few years ago(not even 3 years) we'd be looking at the original moto droid which did not have HDMI out.
I'll say that only having HDMI out is limiting. You only have access to blue tooth peripherals, which I'll admit isn't so bad if a basic keyboard and mouse are all you want. But having the option to stuff more hardware into a dock, a dedicated GPU, more connectivity, added storage, makes it an interesting proposition for a PC.
Peanut Fox
February 21, 2012 at 1:12pm
They're still a tad light in the performance space comparability, but any smart phone today kicks the crap out of Windows 95 and a number of XP machines from just a few years ago. It's much harder to say these are not PCs than it is to say that they are.
It's crazy to consider that I've seen Maximum PC dream machines with less performance than some of these phones.
Connect with MaximumPC
Featured Content
The gang discusses the GTX 690, Trinity, Ivy Bridge, Amazon, big-box stores, MMOs,...
This month's issue
Feature
Build a PC On Any Budget
Feature
Cloud Services Showdown
How-To
Encrypt Your External Drive
Build It
Upgrade an X58 Rig
Most Commented Articles
Latest Max PC Tweets
- maximumpc: Original RickRoll Video Returns to YouTube After 24-Hour Copyright Hiatus http://t.co/MaH9Sxyy1 day 1 hour ago
- maximumpc: Corsair has decided not to go forward with its $78 million IPO, citing weak equity market conditions http://t.co/A5a4DAzj1 day 1 hour ago
- maximumpc: Want to work at Maximum PC? Our Online Managing Editor, Alex, is moving away, so we need a new one. http://t.co/9Z7JCh0E2 days 23 hours ago
