The open-source, Ubuntu-powered mobile phone is moving forward once
again, according to Mark Shuttleworth, founder of both Canonical and the
Ubuntu Linux operating system.
As CIO Journal has noted, Mr. Shuttleworth envisions the rise of an Ubuntu-powered phone that runs desktop grade applications and plugs into peripherals such as large displays and keyboards. In other words, he is working to achieve true mobile-desktop-laptop convergence — the only computer you need, in your pocket, all the time. He tried to raise $32 million to fund development of such a phone, known as the Edge, in a widely publicized crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The campaign ended in 2013, short of its goal.
Last month, the first Ubuntu-powered phone came to market, in Europe. Spanish vendor bq made the Aquaris E 4.5 Ubuntu edition phone available during flash sales, and Meizu of China has plans to make a similar product. The midrange hardware doesn’t connect to large screens or keyboards, which means true convergence will have to wait. But it’s a start, as far as Mr. Shuttleworth is concerned.
He expects distribution of the phone in the U.S., too. The phone is
notable mostly for its new twist on the mobile user experience. The
operating system separates the app from its data. So for example, in
which data is broken out of the app and aggregated on a home screen. For
example, all of one’s news or weather can appear on one screen,
regardless of the source. The system employs native apps and HTML 5.
“As you read news, or subscribe to music streaming services … all of those things use different pages on the home screen. It feels more light weight,” he said in a phone call with CIO Journal. Users navigate the system by swiping along the edge of the screen, not by pressing buttons, according to Mr. Shuttleworth. The system is known as “Scopes.”
Looking further into the future, he expects that something closer to the promise of the Edge will be realized. He argues that other phone platforms such as Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phone are moving in that direction, too. “The full desktop version of the new Windows 8.1 operating system can be run on a variety of smaller tablets, making it easier for people to use them as full replacements for laptops and PCs. That sort of convergence could –eventually – lead to a new software development paradigm for CIOs, who wouldn’t need to develop or manage multiple versions of their apps,” CIO Journal has reported in 2013.
“Do you need a keyboard, a mouse and large display for certain kinds of productivity? If you are going to work on something substantial … there is no suggestion we will get away from those things for the moment,” Mr. Shuttleworth said. “The question is, what is the brain you need? Is a laptop shell and a phone good enough? One benefits from one set of data all the time, and you are always connected. I think that proposition remains very good.”
As CIO Journal has noted, Mr. Shuttleworth envisions the rise of an Ubuntu-powered phone that runs desktop grade applications and plugs into peripherals such as large displays and keyboards. In other words, he is working to achieve true mobile-desktop-laptop convergence — the only computer you need, in your pocket, all the time. He tried to raise $32 million to fund development of such a phone, known as the Edge, in a widely publicized crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The campaign ended in 2013, short of its goal.
Last month, the first Ubuntu-powered phone came to market, in Europe. Spanish vendor bq made the Aquaris E 4.5 Ubuntu edition phone available during flash sales, and Meizu of China has plans to make a similar product. The midrange hardware doesn’t connect to large screens or keyboards, which means true convergence will have to wait. But it’s a start, as far as Mr. Shuttleworth is concerned.
- Canonical’s Mark Shuttleworth
“As you read news, or subscribe to music streaming services … all of those things use different pages on the home screen. It feels more light weight,” he said in a phone call with CIO Journal. Users navigate the system by swiping along the edge of the screen, not by pressing buttons, according to Mr. Shuttleworth. The system is known as “Scopes.”
Looking further into the future, he expects that something closer to the promise of the Edge will be realized. He argues that other phone platforms such as Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phone are moving in that direction, too. “The full desktop version of the new Windows 8.1 operating system can be run on a variety of smaller tablets, making it easier for people to use them as full replacements for laptops and PCs. That sort of convergence could –eventually – lead to a new software development paradigm for CIOs, who wouldn’t need to develop or manage multiple versions of their apps,” CIO Journal has reported in 2013.
“Do you need a keyboard, a mouse and large display for certain kinds of productivity? If you are going to work on something substantial … there is no suggestion we will get away from those things for the moment,” Mr. Shuttleworth said. “The question is, what is the brain you need? Is a laptop shell and a phone good enough? One benefits from one set of data all the time, and you are always connected. I think that proposition remains very good.”
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