Ubuntu for Phones makes major mobile push

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Canonical's Ubuntu OS is popular for being easy to install and use and for being quite malleable and capable of running efficiently on older PCs. Back in 2011, we featured a story about Ubuntu making inroads to mobile and late last year it was announced that multi-core smartphones could easily run the mobile version of the OS. Ubuntu just announced Ubuntu for Phones which will be showcased at CES in Las Vegas next week.

Looking quite sleek and elegant with some design elements reminiscent of WebOS, Ubuntu for Phones seems to run just fine on multi-core Android smartphones and is looking like a viable competitor to Google's own Linux-based Android OS. 

What Ubuntu for Phones brings to the table is the ability to shift gears and actually run a desktop-grade operating system with the hardware from a smartphone or potentially a tablet. Neither Apple's iOS nor Google's Android have this capability although we're seeing a lot of crossover with desktop and mobile operating systems sharing a lot of features (i.e. Windows RT).

Can Ubuntu come from behind and quickly get us to the real Post-PC era where mobile devices are capable of running full-blown desktop operating systems? It is possible. Ubuntu seems to have big plans for a developer network as well as an app store moving forward.

Ubuntu on Phones could be one of the most disruptive stories of 2013. It is certainly something we will keep covering.