The extra tech-savvy amongst you in all probability know that Android is primarily based on the Linux kernel. But it is nothing like a typical Linux that you might have seen on PCs – or on smartphones.
Nokia and Intel spent a lot of money and time making an attempt to launch a Linux-based smartphone working system. The Nokia N9 noticed the 2 firms be part of forces to create MeeGo, the union of Nokia’s Maemo and Intel’s Moblin. However, it was caught between Symbian and Windows Phone and by no means lived as much as its potential.
There have been followups like Samsung’s Tizen, a successor to MeeGo that powered some phones previously, some smartwatches till lately and is nonetheless getting used a sensible TV platform. There was additionally Firefox OS, which borrowed Android’s Linux core to hurry previous essentially the most troublesome elements of OS improvement. But until you dug into the internals, chances are you’ll by no means have recognized about Tizen’s or Firefox OS’ Linux lineage.
Canonical, the corporate behind one of the crucial common Linux distributions, tried to carry its rules of free, open-source software program to the smartphone subject with Ubuntu Touch.
Version 1.0 was launched in 2013 and was primarily based on Ubuntu 13.10. It ran on phones just like the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4. A later model was ported over to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition. But these have been simply tech demos primarily geared toward builders.
Canonical itself wished to construct the first-ever Ubuntu Touch cellphone and in 2013 it turned to IndieGoGo for assist with funding a first batch of 30,000-40,000 models. The aim was set at an formidable $32 million.
At the center of that marketing campaign was a cellphone named Ubuntu Edge. It was not supposed for retail gross sales, it will be obtainable solely to backers. This was presupposed to be a know-how demonstrator that paved the best way for different Ubuntu phones.
Ubuntu Edge, Canonical’s Linux-powered cellphone
The cellphone had pretty highly effective {hardware}. An unnamed “multi-core CPU” was hooked as much as 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage (bear in mind, this was in 2013) in addition to a 4.5” HD show. For comparability, a Galaxy S4 from the identical yr had solely 2GB of RAM and as much as 64GB storage.
But that’s not all, utilizing its MHL connector, the Edge may hook up with an exterior monitor over HDMI and switch into a desktop PC. The cellphone’s connector may concurrently do USB On-The-Go, so you might hook up a keyboard and a mouse too. Unfortunately, these mobile-to-desktop transformations by no means appear to seek out an viewers. Microsoft’s Continuum was related – besides primarily based on the way more common Windows – and it flopped.
Ubuntu was each a cell and a desktop OS
Even the Ubuntu Edge couldn’t escape the shadow of Android and the cellphone was able to dual-booting Ubuntu and Android. This was a good technique to give backers a peace of thoughts – even when the entire Ubuntu OS factor didn’t work out, they’d nonetheless have a high-quality Android cellphone.
The marketing campaign began off robust with a $600 “For one day only” tier that really overshot the 5,000 backers goal barely. This was a nice offers because the cellphone was initially set to value $830.
The marketing campaign was off to a robust begin and it hit $3.5 million simply 24 hours after it started, then received to $8.5 million in 17 days (it was set to run for a month). Interestingly, Bloomberg spent $80,000 on 100 Edge phones, changing into the primary main company backer of the venture.
Anyway, it rapidly grew to become clear that the marketing campaign won’t ever attain its funding goal, so Canonical dropped the value of the Edge to the $695 for the final two weeks of the marketing campaign. Then it dropped it even decrease, $625, however by that level it was too late.
The deadline arrived with $12,733,521 gathered, 39% of the aim. And with that the desires of a correct Linux smartphone had as soon as once more withered on the vine. But all was not misplaced and several other smartphone makers stepped up.
In late 2014 Spanish cellphone maker BQ grew to become the primary to launch a cellphone with Ubuntu Touch out of the field. Well, that or Android 4.4 KitKat – the BQ Aquaris E4.5 was supplied in inventory Google Experience and an Ubuntu Edition flavors.
The BQ Aquaris E4.5 was the primary cellphone with Ubuntu Touch pre-installed
The Aquaris E4.5 had a 4.5” qHD show and was powered by a MediaTek chipset with a quad Cortex-A7 CPU and 1GB of RAM, plus 8GB storage. It went on sale in February 2015 at a worth of €170, it was supplied in Spain, Portugal, the UK and Sweden.
The extra superior BQ Aquaris E5 HD Ubuntu Edition was unveiled in mid-2015 with a 5” 720p show, the identical MediaTek chipset and a barely greater worth of €200.
BQ Aquaris E5 HD Ubuntu Edition
In 2016 BQ additionally launched the primary Ubuntu Touch Tablet, the Aquaris M10. Canonical’s aspirations for Ubuntu Touch included smartphones, tablets, sensible TVs and, ultimately, laptops and desktops too. This would have created a unified Ubuntu expertise throughout all platforms.
The BQ Aquaris M10, the primary Ubuntu Touch pill
Anyway, this 10.1” pill had a 1,920 x 1,200px display and likewise used a MediaTek chipset (quad A53 at 1.5GHz CPU, Mali-T720MP2 GPU) with 2 gigs of RAM, 16GB storage and a 7,280mAh battery. And as you may inform from the “Ubuntu Edition” within the identify, it had an Android model as nicely. Pre-orders began in March 2016 at €290. There was a cheaper €250 model with a decrease decision 1,280 x 800px display as nicely.
BQ wasn’t Canonical’s solely accomplice – the ever-adventurous Meizu joined in and teased the Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition within the build-up to MWC 2015. This model of the cellphone launched in China in May of that yr at a worth of CNY 1,800 (round $290 on the time). A month later it arrived in Europe at €300.
Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition
The follow-up to that got here in early 2016 with the Meizu Pro 5 Ubuntu Edition. Like the Android model, this was a modern and highly effective system with a giant 5.7” 1080p AMOLED show, an Exynos 7420 chipset (from the Galaxy S6), a 21MP digital camera and an aluminum physique that measured solely 7.5mm thick. The Pro 5 Ubuntu Edition launched at $370.
Meizu Pro 5 Ubuntu Edition
Check out our hands-on with the Ubuntu Edition for a glimpse on the state of Ubuntu Touch. A significant UI factor have been the so-called Scopes – these just like the swipable dwelling screens on Android, however every was targeted on a explicit job, e.g. Photos, Music, News, and so forth.
More firms joined in, however not one of the massive gamers confirmed any curiosity. Purism’s Librem 5 and Pine64’s PinePhone had plans to help Ubuntu Touch, however these barely moved the needle.
As lately as 2021 an Ubuntu-compatible cellphone made the information, although not in a great way – The F(x)Tec Pro1-X group ran out of Snapdragon 835 chips and needed to change to the 662.
The F(x)Tec Pro1-X had a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and will run Ubuntu
If you’ve an previous Android cellphone sitting in a drawer, you may check out Ubuntu Touch – right here is the checklist of supported units. This checklist contains Nexus and Pixel phones, OnePlus and Xiaomi, Poco and Nord, some Galaxys, a number of tablets too.
The venture isn’t useless, by the best way, simply a couple of months in the past the UBports Foundation launched a new model of Ubuntu Touch primarily based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
After the preliminary success of Windows Mobile, Microsoft tried to recapture the cell market twice – as soon as with Kin, then once more with Windows Phone. Nokia foresaw the tip of Symbian’s domination, however couldn’t see the longer term clearly sufficient to select a successful substitute. BlackBerry couldn’t get again to the glory days both as its revolutionary BlackBerry OS 10 was met with disinterest. Mozilla failed too with Firefox OS (although KaiOS lives on). Samsung quietly dropped Tizen out of the cell market too.
And we are able to add Canonical’s Ubuntu Touch to this checklist. Android rapidly grew to become the default “good enough” OS and it sucked out all of the oxygen from the smartphone market – apart from Apple, which is doing its personal factor with iOS, each firm that desires to make smartphones ultimately settles on Android. Any different platform simply can’t get the vital mass of customers, {hardware} distributors and app builders that is wanted to stay round for greater than a yr or two.
…. to be continued
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