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Revision 28 as of 2013-01-04 23:09:35

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Product Information

Information about the phone platform, features and specification can be found on the Device page of Ubuntu's website. No software images are currently available. Check back in the future for further updates regarding software availability.

Developer Information

An Ubuntu SDK preview is available to allow the development of applications for Ubuntu on the phone. The toolkit components, tutorials and API documentation are available on the Ubuntu App Developer Site.

IRC

We are on irc.freenode.net in the #ubuntu-phone channel.

If you do not have an IRC Client or are brand new to IRC you can quickly and easily sign on to our team channel here.

Ubuntu Phone FAQ

This document aims to collect all the information we know about the Ubuntu Phone project and links to useful media. This is not in any way official.

  • When can I buy one?

Not yet. Maybe in 2014.

  • Will the source code be available?

Yes, on launchpad and managed in much the same way as the desktop distribution.

  • When can I see one?

At CES in Las Vegas or Mobile World Congress.

  • What phones will it run on?

It is running on a Galaxy Nexus (not a Nexus 4) as a development platform but it will be targeting phones that will be released as new in 2014 and don’t yet exist.

  • What apps are available?

There is a dialer (that actually works and makes calls, not a UI mockup) and a number of other applications that have been demonstrated. There is one application that is a hello world framework that is released at http://developer.ubuntu.com/get-started/gomobile/ Other applications will be based on QML or HTML5.

  • Will desktop applications such as LibreOffice run on it?

When the phone is docked to a screen you should be able to use the full desktop applications. When they are on the small screen they would need a QML display which might be part of the same application.

  • How much will it cost?

This is unknown and depends on the hardware that it comes with. There are indications that it would be targeting super high end phones and other indications that it would be a low end mass market device. There hasn’t been much talk of a mid-range device.

  • Is this the same as Ubuntu For Android?

No, that is a different technology based on running Android operating system with Ubuntu running in a chroot under Android and with integration between the Ubuntu and Android personalities. Ubuntu Phone does not have an Android operating system - however it may have the same kernel and drivers that Android uses as both are based on the Linux platform.

  • Is this something to do with Linaro?

There does not appear to be any Linaro involvement at the moment but some parts of the Linaro toolchain such as the compiler are being used. The kernel being used on the demo systems is the Android Open Source Project kernel.

  • Is there an Emulator available?

No.

  • Will I have root access to modify my phone's core components, unlike on Android?

This can't be yet predicted. While Ubuntu itself aims to be a completely open system, and as a part of it's philosophy Canonical will recommend this approach, the manufacturers themselves may decide to lock the system down in a way similar to Android. This is because limited access to core resources means much easier support for manufacturing company. Locking down mechanisms won't be a feature of Ubuntu Phone OS, but manufacturers can't be forced to leave the system on their phone fully open.

  • Does it use the debian packaging system

Yes.

  • Is it running X or Wayland or something else?

Unknown.

Media Coverage

Videos

Articles

  1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20891868

  2. http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/01/ubuntu-phone-os-unveiled-by-canonical

  3. http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/2/3827922/ubuntu-phone-os-announcement

  4. http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/3/3831012/the-ubuntu-phone-has-a-speed-problem-and-im-not-talking-about-lag

  5. http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/02/ubuntu-for-smartphones/

  6. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/01/canonical-unveils-ubuntu-phone-os-that-doubles-as-a-full-pc/

  7. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/01/why-mark-shuttleworth-thinks-ubuntu-on-phones-will-outclass-android/

  8. http://www.zdnet.com/ubuntu-linux-enters-the-smartphone-wars-7000009302/

  9. http://www.zdnet.com/ubuntu-mobile-os-has-potential-but-theres-a-long-uncertain-road-ahead-7000009340/

  10. http://www.zdnet.com/canonicals-ubuntu-smartphone-os-in-pictures-7000009330/#photo

  11. http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/02/technology/mobile/ubuntu-smartphone-linux/

  12. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2013/01/02/ubuntu-mobile-shows-the-way-for-the-whole-ce-industry/

  13. http://mashable.com/2013/01/02/ubuntu-for-phones/

  14. http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/02/canonical-brings-ubuntu-os-to-phones-official/

  15. http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/03/ubuntu-android-ios/

  16. http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/01/ubuntu_smartphone/

  17. http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Canonical-phones-in-Ubuntu-for-phones-1776104.html

  18. http://www.techradar.com/news/software/mobile-computing/ubuntus-seen-the-future-can-it-deliver-it-1122330

  19. http://venturebeat.com/2013/01/02/ubuntu-for-phones/#GYoD5SZmHs1od2Q2.99

  20. http://www.datamation.com/mobile-wireless/ubuntu-linux-lands-on-smartphones.html

  21. http://thehackernews.com/2013/01/canonical-announces-ubuntu-for.html

  22. http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2233618/ubuntu-the-mobile-operating-system-of-the-future

  23. http://topics.jp.msn.com/digital/general/article.aspx?articleid=1599918

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