Linux nerds worldwide cried out in unison when the Ubuntu Edge IndiGoGo campaign failed a couple of months ago, some say that the call for a genuine Linux phone isn’t there, others say that the ridiculous $800 early bird price was to blame. Regardless, the campaign fell dramatically short of it’s target and failed to get off the ground.
While the disappointment may still be fresh in the minds of many, there is good news on the horizon. Ubuntu Touch is launching a stable build for the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 (2012) and the Nexus 10 (2012) devices on October 17th this year. The expectation is that the Nexus 4 will follow a matter of only a few weeks later.
The Developers Edition of Ubuntu Touch has been available via the Canonical website and it’s certainly worth a look if you’re too itchy to wait for the full release only a few weeks away. Be forewarned though, it’s not ready to be a daily driver and suffers some (expected) bugs that affect the functionality of your device, particularly phone functions.
The release of Ubuntu Touch 1.0 is timed perfectly to coincide with the release of Ubuntu 13.10 (Saucy Salamander) for Desktop machines and has the ability to launch the full desktop version of Ubuntu when docked to a large screen monitor via HDMI or MHL. Perhaps this is the start of mobile devices becoming the device that controls your entire digital life.
Are you looking forward to trying a stable production build of Ubuntu Touch on your Nexus Device? Let us know in the comments below
Something to do with my old N7 🙂
Yes. I think it will be worth a play.
I think it has the potential to be a bit of an underground hit. It obviously wont compete with Android or iOS, but it will have the Linux subculture snuffling around it. It could be fun.
I love this description: “Snuffling around it” that really gave me a good chuckle for the morning, cheers Gregorian!
I’ll give it a shot on my Nexus 7.
This is going on my gnex. Ill be very interested to watch the development.
any news on how their JVM is going?
Not that I have read…
But if anything major drops I’ll post an update.
Yes I want thissss. I’ve wanted this for a while. I want my phone to be my desktop as well.
So very keen on the idea
I’ll be testing it again with my 2012 Nexus 7 ASAP!