Coinciding with the desktop Ubuntu 13.10 release, Ubuntu for phones is now officially available for installation on the Google Nexus 4 and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The release bills itself as being feature complete, with many exciting features available including:
gesture control for multitasking and regularly used apps,
click packages
cloud photo storage
easy access to search from anywhere
extensive personalization possibilities,(My Personal Favorite)
and a set of APIs with which to build new applications. And because all of the included core applications run natively rather than through an interpreter, Ubuntu promises high levels of performance.
But as this is just a beta release, not everything is fully baked just yet. For starters, only two devices are currently supported. And even for those devices, the experience isn’t quite perfect. For starters airplane mode and a lock screen have not yet been added. And remember the promise of convergent computing where a smartphone can function as a complete PC, as long as it meets the minimum requirements? Well, that’s not yet available. Despite the limitations, today’s release is quite exciting. It’s always nice to see other software options available for the devices that some of us already own.
Ubuntu coder Michael Hall held a Ubuntu Touch Development Workshop aimed at spurring and fostering application development for the soon-to-be-ready platform. Both of these presentations can now be viewed online.
The installation process is relatively simple but at the same time at risk of bricking your phone as this is just a evaluation version.
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