Ubuntu smartphones may launch by Oct 2013, reports

Ubuntu smartphones may launch by Oct 2013, reports

Ubuntu smartphones will be the first of the smartphones which will run on the open source based Linux platform. And when it was announced a while ago there were strong reports of the first wave of Ubuntu smartphones not hitting the shelves by early 2014. But according to latest developments, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth has told the Wall Street Journal that smartphones running on Ubuntu would be released this October.

Shuttleworth didn’t mention any OEMs or the hardware for the Ubuntu smartphones. However, those itching to get their hands on the OS have reason to rejoice, as Shuttleworth stated that a ROM of Ubuntu will be available for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus later this month.

He also said that the operating system will make its debut in two major markets this year, but didn’t reveal which countries they might be. Shuttleworth did state that North America is a key market for Canonical. It is likely that the company will release its smartphones in lesser-developed markets too.

Ubuntu Smartphones

Canonical unveiled the new Unbuntu smartphones back in January when the platform was showcased at the Consumer Electronic Show 2013. The operating system promises a less cluttered interface than its contemporaries, and one of its most unique features is that it can become a full PC and thin client when docked.

The company will also be releasing the new operating system’s SDK, which will let developers create native or HTML5 apps. It will allow developers to re-purpose web apps so that they look and work like native apps. All the basic smartphone features like web browsing, SMS, MMS, photography, email and media are supported. Canonical will also be partnering with OEMs and ODMs to bring the operating system to a wider audience.

Ubuntu will also bundle Ubuntu One—its free cloud storage service—with the mobile OS, just like it does for the desktop variant. The service will let you automatically upload all your data, media, files and apps to the cloud, so they can be accessed from the desktop or other devices.

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