Product Code Database
Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system, developed by the UBports community. Its user interface is written in Qt, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as and . However, the original goal of convergence was intended to bring Ubuntu Touch to laptops, desktops, IoT devices and TVs for a complete unified user experience.
The project was started by Canonical Ltd. but on 5 April 2017 its CEO Mark Shuttleworth announced that Canonical would terminate support due to lack of market interest. It was then adopted by UBports as a community project. The UBports project was seeded by Marius Gripsgård in 2015 and the source code was transferred to the UBports Foundation where it since resides. UBports' mission is to support the collaborative development of Ubuntu Touch and to promote its widespread use.
Canonical released Ubuntu Touch 1.0, the first developer/partner version on 17 October 2013, along with Ubuntu 13.10 that "primarily supports the Galaxy Nexus and Google Nexus phones, though there are images available for other phones and tablets", and released a "relatively 'stable' build for wider testing and feedback" on 17 April 2014, along with Ubuntu 14.04. A preview version of the software is available for installation on certain additional Android handsets including the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition as a Developer Preview as of 21 February 2013. Developers have access to all of the source code under a license allowing modification and redistribution of the software.
Ubuntu Touch was released to manufacturers on 16 September 2014. BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition, the world's first Ubuntu-based smartphone went on sale in Europe on 9 February 2015.
In April 2016, the world's first Ubuntu-based tablet, the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition, was released.
In August 2016, OTA-3 was announced to support Android 6.0 BSP.
In August 2018, UBPorts released its OTA-4, upgrading the Ubuntu Touch's base from the Canonical's starting Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" to the nearest, current long-term support version Ubuntu 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus".
It would contain different graphical interfaces: when the device is connected to a desktop Computer Monitor, it features a standard Ubuntu Desktop interface (Unity). When the device is connected to a TV, the interface featured is the Ubuntu TV experience. It would have the ability to run standard Ubuntu Desktop applications and also the ability to run Android applications on the Ubuntu Desktop. which includes apps to make and receive calls and SMS messages directly from the desktop. Developers will be able to create one app, with two interfaces: a smartphone UI, and, when docked, a desktop UI.
A phone running Ubuntu for Android has to meet several requirements such as a dual-core 1 GHz CPU, video acceleration through a shared kernel driver with associated X driver; OpenGL, OpenGL ES/EGL, 2 GB storage, HDMI for video-out with secondary frame buffer device, USB host mode and 512 MB RAM.
Equipment producers would have been able to customize their distributions, including options such as Adobe Flash, Java, or custom interfaces. Ubuntu Mobile Edition
According to Canonical, Ubuntu Mobile would provide an "uncompromised Web 2.0 experience". It was to include features such as Web browsing, email, media, camera, VoIP, instant messaging, GPS, blogging, digital TV, Video game, contacts, and calendars, with regular software updates.
Libertine is Ubuntu's project to run traditional desktop X applications.
Ubuntu Touch's multitasking is accessed by swiping the finger from the right edge of the screen to the left, which switches to the previous application (short swipe) or shows all open apps (long swipe). Swiping up from the bottom is used to show or hide tools specific to the app being used, which gives Ubuntu Phone the ability to run applications with a large, uncluttered canvas by default.
Despite Ubuntu's popularity among open source developers, penetrating the legacy-bound business market will continue to be somewhat challenging for Ubuntu. Companies employing the "bring your own device" (BYOD) method have already adapted to using Android and iOS devices and the benefits posed by Ubuntu may not be adequately considered.
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In 2023, UBPorts argues that "Halium has 95% contributions from us only"
Joey Sneddon of OMG! Ubuntu disagreed with Covert's assessment, writing, "commentators like Covert are missing the point. See, Ubuntu Phones aren't really going to claw much market share away from Apple or Google. And this neat 'dock your phone and use it as a desktop' feature, whilst innovative, won't be the main lure for many .... During his keynote address earlier this week, Mark Shuttleworth continually referred to 'emerging' markets as the battleground on which an Ubuntu Phone would fight it out for impact .... It's this sector, the low-end, that the battle for the hearts, minds and hands of the less tech-savvy will take place."
Rich Trenholm writing for CNET on , "... But on first impression I'm hugely taken with Ubuntu Touch. It's elegant, thoughtful, and versatile, while remaining beautifully straightforward. ... it's by far the strongest potential rival to Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. In fact, I prefer it to iOS, which long ago lost its shine, and heck, maybe even to Android, too. Fingers crossed that manufacturers and phone carriers get behind it, because I'd happily lay down my own cash for an Ubuntu Touch phone."
Jason Jenkins, writing for CNET on , MWC Awards 2013, "... Lots was said about the impressive number of carriers and manufacturers Firefox OS has lined up behind it. But once put to a vote, Ubuntu Touch was the clear winner, with Firefox OS the runner-up. The team thought that Ubuntu Touch, the tablet version of which we got our hands-on for the first time at MWC, feels more like the complete package at this point. ..."
Jesse Smith from DistroWatch Weekly reviewed on 1 August 2016 the Ubuntu Phone in Meizu Pro 5 lauding the price, interface, responsiveness and frequency of updates, calling it a "pleasant phone and communications experience" and distinguished it as a user-oriented device as opposed to Android's application-oriented nature and noted that it would be more likely to appeal to those interested in technology—Linux fans in particular—but was too new to appeal to the public at large. This was due, in part, to the limited selection of phone apps, partially due to the small size of the market, but stated that LibreOffice and GIMP were available. It took him a while to understand what differentiated scopes from applications. He also noted that the platform was free of advertisements.
In 2018, Purism and the UBports Foundation began collaborating on making Ubuntu Touch available for the Librem 5. The PinePhone from Pine64 was made available for preorder on 15 November 2019 with support for Ubuntu Touch along with many other FOSS mobile operating systems. With the release of OTA-15 in December 2020, Ubuntu Touch began supporting the FX Technology Ltd. F(x)tec Pro1 (2019) and Pro1 X (2022) phones. The Volla Phone from Hallo Welt Systeme UG launched with official support for Ubuntu Touch in December 2020 as well (identical with Siemens GigaSet GX290).
Ubuntu Touch also supports Pine64 devices, such as the PinePhone, Pinephone Pro, and PineTab/PineTab 2 devices.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> (deprecated) Ubuntu MobileAndEmbedded wiki
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