Ending a long time rumor Canonical announced that it is going to release smartphone version of its OS Ubuntu.
This OS is currently the number three desktop operating system with 20M users, and about 30,000 downloads per day. 2012 was a great year for this popular Debian-based Linux distribution with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS as the most popular release in the history of Ubuntu.
"We expect Ubuntu to be popular in the enterprise market, enabling customers to provision a single secure device for all PC, thin client and phone functions. Ubuntu is already the most widely used Linux enterprise desktop, with customers in a wide range of sectors focused on security, cost and manageability," said Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical. "We also see an opportunity in basic smartphones that are used for the phone, SMS, web and email, where Ubuntu outperforms thanks to its native core apps and stylish presentation."
Smartphone interface is entirely based on Ubuntu's unity interface which was made default interface since 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) release.
Every edge of the phone has an interesting purpose...
Swiping up the left edge brings the app launcher similar to in desktop. Using top edge you can search your phone and the internet. A swipe from the right edge takes you back to the previous app you are in. Swiping up from the bottom edge of the phone reveals app controls.
I personally think this option enables faster switching between apps than any other smartphone. And also the global search feature enables easy finding of content, apps and different products.
The OS will have both web-based HTML-5 apps as well as native apps.
Ubuntu OS has support for both ARM and x86 processors. This means it could be made to run on most, if not all, of today's Android-powered smartphones without too much effort.
The OS starts with a artistic welcome screen.
Shuttleworth confirmed that universal version of smartphone OS will be available in April 2014 with Ubuntu 14.04.