Meet Ubuntu for Android: The Next Step in Ubuntu’s Multi-Device Plan
Meet ‘Ubuntu for Android’, a side-by-side pairing of Android and Ubuntu operating systems running on the same device single phone.
It’s the the latest part of Canonical’s ‘multi-device’ future for Ubuntu.
When in your pocket, your Android phone is the same as it ever was: an Android phone. But once you connect it to a monitor (by way of a nifty looking dock a fully-featured Ubuntu desktop is launched, running the familiar Unity interface.
Both OSes run on the same Linux kernel, so this isn’t a case of an ‘Ubuntu app’ installed on Android (or vice versa, an Android VM running in Ubuntu). Both systems run at the same time, on the same device.
The net result is a super efficient workflow.
With emphasis on the super.
What makes this so interesting is that the two systems aren’t independent of each other: they can share information and interact.
- Send and reply to SMS notifications in Ubuntu’s Messaging Menu
- Make and receive calls via your phone from the Ubuntu desktop
- Browse the Internet using your phone’s data connection
- Search through your Android contacts in the Ubuntu Contacts Lens
And Canonical says it will even be possible to run your Android apps on the Ubuntu desktop, albeit in a special window.
200 Million Users in 4 years
When Mark Shuttleworth set a goal to reach 200 million Ubuntu users by 2015 many scoffed until he laid out Ubuntu’s multi-device plan.
In many countries mobile phone sales dwarf those of traditional PCs and netbooks.
"The desktop is the killer-app for quad-core phones in 2012′′ says Mark Shuttleworth. "Ubuntu for Android transforms your high-end phone into your productive desktop, whenever you need it."
However, don’t expect to get your mitts on an Ubuntu for Android phone just yet.
Like the recently unveiled Ubuntu TV, Ubuntu for Android is a prototype at present. A carrot of potential dangling in front of phone manufacturers, OEMs, and interested parties. They’re encouraged to talk to Canonical to learn more about the technology and—we hope—ship it.
More details on Ubuntu for Android can be found on the official Ubuntu website, which has a dedicated page for the project @ ubuntu.com/devices/android.