Canonical has laid down its cards for Mobile World Congress next week, and they certainly resemble a full house. Ubuntu for Android will be a specialised version of the popular Linux distro that’s powered by your phone – a bit like Motorola’s WebTop solution for the Atrix, and very similar to Google’s own rumoured plans for out-of-favour Chrome OS. Could this spell the end for it?
To be clear, Ubuntu for Android isn’t Ubuntu on your Android phone: instead, the plan is for future phones to fire it up whenever popped in a specialised dock, giving you an easier interface on a big screen – as well as access to Linux apps, which include everything from Spotify to VLC Media Player.
There is integration between Ubuntu and Android – Ubuntu will use your Android phone’s address book, and from the looks of the screenshot above, open Android apps in a desktop mode too. WhatsApp on your laptop? We like the sound of that.
It also appears to put Canonical, the company steering Ubuntu, on a head to head course with Google itself, which has been rumoured to be planning a fullscreen Chrome view for Android phones when docked, in place of its poorly received Chrome OS laptops.
Ubuntu for Android is being demonstrated at Mobile World Congress next week. While there aren’t any confirmed partners yet, Canonical says it will support both ARM chips and x86, meaning there’s no reason any phone, even one powered by Intel, couldn’t run it – provided the manufacturer is game, and that it also packs a HDMI connection.
What do you reckon? Will Ubuntu for Android propel Linux into the mainstream or has Google got nothing to fear? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
