The best of Ubuntu Touch
Canonical hasn’t given up despite the fact that its Ubuntu edge smartphone had never gained the idle market share. It has now fixed the bugs and brought the Ubuntu Touch with the “release to manufacturing” (RTM) status that will lead to the entrance of Ubuntu platform in the genuine phones as MX4 of Meizu will be the first smartphone to load the operating system.
The Ubuntu Touch was finalized and initial “RTM” chronicle was officially released on Sep 16. It is faster and bug-fixed in its operations as compared to its earlier experiences on Nexus smartphone including Nexus 4, Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. Though only being fast and bug fixed isn’t enough to create a competitive market demand, like the earlier experiences with the Ubuntu Touch, any issue of crash, freeze, or any other bugs while running on genuine hardware can turn to be a crucial point. It is therefor expected to remove the obstetrical and also not to surprise users with certain gifted issues.
[Tweet “Ubuntu Touch is a single OS for phone, PC, and TV… Simply awesome. “]
MEIZU MX4, FIRST TO LOAD IT
The Ubuntu users has been waiting for the new smartphone launch with the most open platform, since its partnership with Meizu and BQ. Developers were not ready to reveal any clue about the new launch but finally the waiting customers got the signal of its arrival with the announcement of the latest MX4 smartphone by Meizu. It also cleared the confusion by accepting that its Meizu MX4 will be the flagship platform for the new OS. It was earlier in the February that Canonical announced its partnership with the Meizu from China and Spanish BQ, for the creation of Ubuntu phones that would be available for online sales.
Meizu MX4 is the powerful smart phone by the Chinese smartphone manufacturer. This is the latest device of Meizu which is also an octa-core phone. With this model Meizu is using the MediaTek MT6595 for the first time. The MX 4 is said to be more powerful than the current Nexus 4 available initially on the Android Kit Kat 4.4.4, while the users will be able to install Ubuntu on it without any issues when it is maid available for installation.
Still more details on the Meizu MX4 are about to come, initially it was expected to be using MediaTek MT6595 system-on-a-chip while its Pro various might have a Samsung Exynos 5430 processor about 4GB of RAM with a 2560×1536 fortitude screen.
The BQ has also showed off a glimpse of its Aquaris smartphone using Ubuntu, early in march. No leak found so far but it is expected in the market soon, maybe before Meizu.
It is Different
Phone and PC on the single Platform
Ubuntu is working on the idea to make your phone more convenient for the PC thus the whole desktop experience might be available on your phone, with supporting monitor, keyboard and other hardware. It has equipped its smartphone with powerful intelligence as of a PC and builds the only of its kind, a convergence device that is a phone that can covert into full PC while dock into other hardware and again a smartphone.
It has the ability to replace the phones and laptops with a single device. The Ubuntu smartphone are actually the complete enterprise solutions. It supports remote Microsoft Windows applications running over RDP, Citrix or VMWare. It provides the operators an opportunity for enterprise solution especially to SMEs.
It Integrates with Desktop
If you hold an Ubuntu phone, than its now a possibility to have the same data across your devices, all having the same desktop. This is also possible through third party apps but now it has been made integrated through the platform that will now capture the use of third party apps.
Trust comes with larger Community
Ubuntu phone is a part of a complete ecosystem of Ubuntu which is the fourth most important developer of the open source software. Android and many other open source developers lakes an upstream where the other open source developers can contribute with bug fixed and other enhancements, there is no developer repository. These also invalidated the credentials of Android’s open source.
Canonical has claimed that its Ubuntu smartphone will be the most open mobile platform available so far, saying that it is a single OS for phone, PC, and TV. The claims can lead the company on the path of success if it was made true.
Good in Price
Prices are not confirmed yet but the phones would sole without contract. The initial prices estimated ranged from $200 to $400 that is good and ranged into average than the iPhone 6 Plus that is available at $749. It has still determined to provide the high quality experience by keeping on mid high end. The final prices and the marketing strategy was kept undisclosed and lift in the hands of partners the ‘Meizu and BQ’ for the final touch.
Some other Features
Canonical, among the high-end competing platforms like Android and iOS, is now ready to enter in to the competition. Though the other platforms are high earners but considering the market Canonical also managed to make its way through Ubuntu. There are many features already disclosed in the new platform, which makes the phones running on it, able to replace many of the mainstream phones.
Good for Updates
Update is not an option in Ubuntu phones but a primary function. It follows the desktop environment of the update process instead of phones that gives it the option of steady updates so there would not be an update lag. It will update the system as they were made available online.
Customization
Customization is what achieved by the users in Android. Unlike the older platforms where customization was limited to the manufacturer, android made it open into the mobiles. This was incorporated with the development of the open sources software. Android is no doubt, still the name for the customization among the smartphone but as the Ubuntu claims to be the most open source, it will also provide the users new ends of the customization.
There is a wide range of apps already available to work with the Ubuntu phone. Also it will enable aloof of desktop apps to run on the mobile interface, now you would not miss any of the app. Though the Canonical also worked hard making sure the availability of a sizable number of the apps with the launch of its Ubuntu Phone. The number of apps is also increasing as the new developers continue to bring their software onto a platform.
It insures the Security
Both the Android and Ubuntu takes their basis from the Linux which provides them with an inherited certain level of security. Though being a straight uptake of Linux kernel the Ubuntu is even more secure. It gives the users with the sense of trust by being a large as will a more secure platform. It has got more impotence in the time of internet security issues like Malware attacks and the leakage of private data.
Powerful Search
The Scopes along with more than 100 search sources is available in the Ubuntu Phone. It will give the users great searching powers which has only experience by the Unity and Scopes users. Now with the open source Ubuntu it has been enhanced more. The Scopes searches almost all the directories from the local storage to the famous search engines and info sites on the internet.
Even more Gestures
It has made the gestures more easy with left, right, up and down swipes. Its solid gesture experience gives you the functions on either side. From left to right it shows the running apps while right to left will lead you back into the launcher, similarly from down to up swap it will open up the options and from up to down the notifications are shown.
Expect More
It’s been a long road to this point for Canonical. It has announced the earlier mobile version of Ubuntu about a year ago since than there has been no launch except the rumors on smaller level. It has came with a potentially lower profile launch this year keeping in the view the experiments of the past. After its Operating System was made available to developers about a year ago, the Canonical months later tried a failed attempt that aimed to crowd-fund one of the high end smartphone launch for its platform. The low profile launch easily shows that it has learned from the past and its now trying to cash the earned awareness. It will bot be a hard task for Canonical anymore, to fulfill its aim to make the top 50 mobile apps available to run on Ubuntu by this year.
So the Ubuntu smartphones are finally in the way to the smartphone market. The company has announced that both of its partners ‘Meizu and BQ’ will begin selling Ubuntu smartphone before the last days this year. It is going to be available thought the smartphone market globally, depending on the view of its manufacturing partners. Its likely that they will target the emerging markets, where it has to stand out beside iOS and Android.