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View Full Version : OMG, an android phone that turns into a pc and i think also has ubuntu!



madjr
January 10th, 2011, 09:30 PM
wow, check the video this is crazy!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/motorola-atrix-4g-hd-multimedia-dock-and-laptop-dock-hands-on/

http://freekko.blogspot.com/2011/01/motorola-atrix-or-how-smartphone-and.html

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/09/motorola-atrix-another-look-video/

ps, am not sure if that's a modified ubuntu in that motorola atrix, but i spotted gnome!
this is the future :popcorn:

3Miro
January 10th, 2011, 09:41 PM
Basically this is a very small laptop. That is the kind of phone I could buy, all the other ones I don't like. They are way too small to run real applications and way too big for just a phone.

earthpigg
January 10th, 2011, 09:50 PM
I'm pretty sure that's nautilus i see, and gnome-panel at the top with the applications-places-system removed and replaced by some panel icons.

Zero reason to believe I am looking at Ubuntu, though. In fact, I find that highly unlikely.

I'm sure Fedora users are also looking at this and saying "OMG it looks like Fedora!"

No... it looks a bit like gnome with a dock from where I am sitting. But it could still be any number of other alternatives, with any number of alternative bases. Gentoo, for all we know, or a FreeBSD port. This (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/FreeBSD_Applications.png) is what FreeBSD can look like, for example. Our only hint is Flash 10 and the phone's architecture.

A nerd needs to get his or her hands on this thing and give us the real scoop. :D

Donalt2010
January 10th, 2011, 09:51 PM
Awesome! Looks very like Ubuntu...

aysiu
January 10th, 2011, 11:39 PM
My understanding is that it uses some kind of basic Gnome, Nautilus, and a desktop version of the phone's own web browser (or at least uses the phone's web browser information (history, bookmarks, etc.).

Is there anything that says it uses Ubuntu specifically? Instead of just Android with some kind of Gnome-like layer on top?

GabrielYYZ
January 10th, 2011, 11:48 PM
here it said it is a "customized version of linux", i think it's motorola's own thing:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375273,00.asp

koleoptero
January 11th, 2011, 12:41 AM
Amazing device, I'm in love. I wants one, with the desktop thing.

kev77
January 11th, 2011, 12:46 AM
heres a nexus one running ubuntu!

http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-your-nexus-oneandroid/

Arex Bawrin
January 11th, 2011, 02:47 AM
Wow...just wow. iPhone killer if they market this correctly. I WANT!!

adduds
January 11th, 2011, 03:13 AM
unreal!!! gnarly post!! TY!

Bucky Ball
January 11th, 2011, 03:14 AM
Android runs on Linux.

Kalimol
January 11th, 2011, 04:26 AM
Yeah, my assumption after reading every article I could find about the Atrix after CES was that it was just Android's new DE. I think that was wrong, but it is pure Android.

One article mentioned that the window positions are maintained when you remove the phone from the desktop dock and plug it into the laptop dock, which implies that X never stops running. Seeing the window switcher in action, it's definitely not Compiz. The indicators in the panel at the top look more like Android's than anything else. There might be a little bit of Gnome in there, but I'm 98% certain that it's a proprietary DE build running on top of Android.

That's Firefox running there, by the way, not Chrome. = )

madjr
January 11th, 2011, 06:50 AM
ok, i just found out a few more things:

-using some gnome parts
-the file manager is nautilus
-the browser is firefox.


seems that android is really showing its traditional linux side, which is pretty logical since android is linux and the only way to get those seamless transitions from phone to desktop.

I think this is the closest demonstration of linux really becoming mainstream, not only on the smartphone side, but also on the desktop!

am sure this will open many more doors.

2011 is already starting to show that it will become the most exciting year yet!

lovinglinux
January 11th, 2011, 10:27 AM
This is a freaking clever idea. This is the type phone I would definitely buy.

Evil-Ernie
January 11th, 2011, 10:47 AM
Ok I want one, my head is not normally turned by these gadgets but I really like the look of that with its clearly Linux-based desktop and the mobility of it. It seems to be the best of both mobile and laptop worlds...

Question is how much will it be?

Zlatan
January 11th, 2011, 11:36 AM
Android runs on Linux.

yeah, another one (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1663873)

Glenn Jones
January 11th, 2011, 12:30 PM
This clearly is the future of computing and the death of desktops and laptops as we know it. Truly amazing.

I am interested in seeing the effect such phones have on enterprise and science; will we see a return of large data centres and all you do is plug in your phone and log into the mainframe? A return of the terminal almost?

Zlatan
January 11th, 2011, 12:58 PM
This clearly is the future of computing and the death of desktops and laptops as we know it. Truly amazing.

I am interested in seeing the effect such phones have on enterprise and science; will we see a return of large data centres and all you do is plug in your phone and log into the mainframe? A return of the terminal almost?

I think battery life is still an issue for these gadgets with big touchscreens. Unless manufacturers already finish selling old ones we are using now:)

Evil-Ernie
January 11th, 2011, 01:26 PM
I dont think desktops will ever die, just morph into something else. There will always be people like me that like to build and tinker their own harware, smartphones and laptops dont offer this. Even if I have a mobile tool that does everything I would still like something at home I can take to bits and modify.

I imagine if you dock the Atrix to use as a desktop it would take power from that and charge the battery, but I do wonder like Zlatan how the batteries stand up when its a standalone mobile device?

madjr
January 11th, 2011, 03:13 PM
ok, is not ubuntu:
http://www.tested.com/news/ces-2011-first-look-at-webtop-on-the-motorola-atrix/1606/

But, I am seeing an opportunity for ubuntu here.

Motorola is the first, but other OEMs will also want a similar solution. This will be the new trend and every smartphone will eventually become powerful enough to be a computer.

this "webtop" feature is very similar to ubuntu light for oems.

IDEA: why not create a version of ubuntu light with android as a base for OEMS?

the android base is for seamless transition from phone to desktop.

this would be for people who want smarthphone + computer in 1, the regular ubuntu version would not go away.

am pretty sure windows phone8 for arm (and apple of course) will try to copy this and do something similar, so we should definitely act NOW!

aaaantoine
January 11th, 2011, 04:04 PM
In effect, you're carrying around all your applications and files wherever you go. Indeed, this is the future we're looking at.

The first thing I can think of to make it better would be to allow it to seamlessly draw extra computing power from certain docking stations, such as by sticking an extra CPU and RAM on that notebook dock. At present, I imagine it doesn't do this, but it would be handy. A similar idea for extending components already exists in the form of the AI Touchbook (http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/), which stands alone as a tablet, but when a keyboard is plugged in it also gains an extra 5 hours of battery life.

I would hesitate to take this idea too far. You could have a house full of docking stations, but then lose your phone to a mugging or accidental drop. And you better pray that such an idea becomes an industry standard before you're locked in to one manufacturer.

madjr
January 11th, 2011, 05:07 PM
In effect, you're carrying around all your applications and files wherever you go. Indeed, this is the future we're looking at.

The first thing I can think of to make it better would be to allow it to seamlessly draw extra computing power from certain docking stations, such as by sticking an extra CPU and RAM on that notebook dock. At present, I imagine it doesn't do this, but it would be handy. A similar idea for extending components already exists in the form of the AI Touchbook (http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/), which stands alone as a tablet, but when a keyboard is plugged in it also gains an extra 5 hours of battery life.

I would hesitate to take this idea too far. You could have a house full of docking stations, but then lose your phone to a mugging or accidental drop. And you better pray that such an idea becomes an industry standard before you're locked in to one manufacturer.

the laptop dock has a much bigger battery that gives the power and charges the phone at the same time.

and as for loosing your phone, am sure most of the stuff is synced in the cloud.

this is a solution for personal mobile computing.

i dont think it would be a good idea to make your phone the family pc hehe (but its going to be possible)

Grenage
January 11th, 2011, 05:14 PM
I'd personally stick with a decent smartphone and fast PC, than a chunky phone and a slow computer. It's a nice idea, but I can't see many people buying into it.

Evil-Ernie
January 11th, 2011, 05:34 PM
I'd personally stick with a decent smartphone and fast PC, than a chunky phone and a slow computer. It's a nice idea, but I can't see many people buying into it.

I have fallen for it hook, line, sinker and copy of the Angling Times! :D

I would rather have that than a smartphone, it would give me that extra bit of usebility over a 'standard' smartphone.

In saying that I would still keep my desktop PCs ;)

Evil-Ernie
January 11th, 2011, 05:44 PM
I'd personally stick with a decent smartphone and fast PC, than a chunky phone and a slow computer. It's a nice idea, but I can't see many people buying into it.

I have fallen for it hook, line, sinker and copy of the Angling Times! :D

I would rather have that than a smartphone, it would give me that extra bit of usebility over a 'standard' smartphone.

In saying that I would still keep my desktop PCs ;)

madjr
January 11th, 2011, 05:44 PM
I'd personally stick with a decent smartphone and fast PC, than a chunky phone and a slow computer. It's a nice idea, but I can't see many people buying into it.

not sure what you mean by chunky...

is the same size as an iphone, but is the most powerful phone in the market right now.

and this is already starting to become a trend thanks to the more powerful dual-core nvidia tegra / arm hardware, and may become a defacto once the hardware is more powerful in 1 or 2 years.

all you will need is that little charger/dock.

Even microsoft is porting windows8 to arm to try and copy stuff like this.

Apart from that it was considered one of the best / most innovating products of the entire CES and of course the "iphone killer", so just with that publicity alone, am pretty sure many will be buying into it.

sure, this doesnt mean we are obligated to use this, its just what personal mobile computing will become.

you can still use one of those regular phones and a traditional computer if you want, so fear not, they are not going away.

Grenage
January 11th, 2011, 06:06 PM
not sure what you mean by chunky...

is the same size as an iphone, but is the most powerful phone in the market right now.

Lol, when I first looked at the picture, I thought that the cradle was part of the unit.

aysiu
January 11th, 2011, 07:25 PM
Apart from that it was considered one of the best / most innovating products of the entire CES and of course the "iphone killer", so just with that publicity alone, am pretty sure many will be buying into it. I see this term a lot (iPhone killer), and I have no idea what that means. So all of a sudden people will no longer buy iPhones?

rifley
January 11th, 2011, 07:50 PM
Wow! As a former user said, this IS the future! :)

madjr
January 11th, 2011, 08:43 PM
I see this term a lot (iPhone killer), and I have no idea what that means. So all of a sudden people will no longer buy iPhones?

well the iphone was considered the "leader" of the pack all these years, but from mid 2010 onward that started to change.

apple was supposed to be the "innovator", but now is looking more and more like a "follower" or just "another" phone.

right now the Motorola Atrix, is way, way ahead, more than what was foreseen. So much that AT&T is investing a fortune to keep this one exclusive for some time.

Sure apple will try to copy/counter in some way this or next year.

But not too much they can do really to regain their wow factor.

StaticIp
January 11th, 2011, 08:50 PM
Do want!

koleoptero
January 11th, 2011, 09:00 PM
...But not too much they can do really to regain their wow factor.

They will have a wow factor because even if they copy the idea they will promote it as if it was their own. It has happened before. (if anyone says *citation needed* read the tech news more often :P)

earthpigg
January 11th, 2011, 09:04 PM
from here (http://www.tested.com/news/ces-2011-first-look-at-webtop-on-the-motorola-atrix/1606/)


we caught the Astrix running a version of Firefox compiled for Ubuntu systems. However, that doesn't mean you can simply go ahead and install other Linux-built applications as you see fit. A Motorola rep made it clear that native Webtop apps will be strictly controlled — though web-based apps are fair game. How additional native apps will be downloaded or distributed wasn't clear.

I wonder, how long until the DRM rubbish that is strongly implied here is stripped away.

I see no reason why this mobile computer couldn't be made to run a full-blown traditional Operating System, repositories and all, while still retaining it's Android heart for traditional phone uses.

Zlatan
January 13th, 2011, 09:30 AM
from here (http://www.tested.com/news/ces-2011-first-look-at-webtop-on-the-motorola-atrix/1606/)



I wonder, how long until the DRM rubbish that is strongly implied here is stripped away.

I see no reason why this mobile computer couldn't be made to run a full-blown traditional Operating System, repositories and all, while still retaining it's Android heart for traditional phone uses.

I'm waiting for Unity to be finished and Ubuntu getting into mobile devices little-by little, especially when it gets Wayland:)
link (http://www.markshuttleworth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/unity-netbook-maximised.png) somehow does remind me layout of a phone.

Evil-Ernie
January 13th, 2011, 10:09 AM
they will have a wow factor because even if they copy the idea they will promote it as if it was their own. It has happened before. (if anyone says *citation needed* read the tech news more often :p)

+1

HappinessNow
January 13th, 2011, 11:45 AM
well the iphone was considered the "leader" of the pack all these years, but from mid 2010 onward that started to change.

apple was supposed to be the "innovator", but now is looking more and more like a "follower" or just "another" phone.

right now the Motorola Atrix, is way, way ahead, more than what was foreseen. So much that AT&T is investing a fortune to keep this one exclusive for some time.

Sure apple will try to copy/counter in some way this or next year.

But not too much they can do really to regain their wow factor.

It is ashamed that ATT will have an exclusive on this.

I am ready for Google to step up to the plate and become a cellular provider to save us from the riff-raff of providers; ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc. etc.

Phone does look awesome but I would be reluctant to have to buy all the accessories, now if they could make it work with existing laptop, desktops and tablets then that would be great!

DeadSuperHero
January 13th, 2011, 03:56 PM
I think it's actually a custom UI/DE done by Motorola. I have no idea how they did it, but I think it's a brilliant gimmick to show off the phone's dual-core processor.

madjr
January 13th, 2011, 06:30 PM
Phone does look awesome but I would be reluctant to have to buy all the accessories, now if they could make it work with existing laptop, desktops and tablets then that would be great!

You are wrong!! :)

the only thing you need is the little dock/charger.

thats all you need for the desktop computer and hd home entertainment center.

and here's another cool thing:
the laptop is not a real laptop. is ultra thin fanless. It only has a battery inside.

is about the same as having an ultra thin macbook air, except is just a fraction of the cost and the battery life of the moto atrix + laptop would be much more.

the dual core nvidia tegra hardware is quite powerful already, specially for gaming (which android has a lot), but by next year am sure the performance will double.

kmrs75
March 11th, 2011, 06:33 AM
So I just got one of these phones yesterday so far its cool
I like it but I'm not use to the touch screen
The docking pc is a waste of money
I might get the docking charger with the keyboard and mouse
It came with hdmi cable

Now I am just need it to link to my ubuntu PC

Nasair
April 22nd, 2011, 10:55 PM
This is epic, found my next phone. I've been saying for a while they should have something just like this phone on the market, I guess phone carries didn't want to directly compete with the likes of Dell since now they'll get all kinds of end user questions that aren't phone related any more.
I hope they make a phone for something other than AT&T or at least an unlocked one, since I'd rather not have to root my phone.

grahammechanical
April 22nd, 2011, 11:32 PM
Check out this link and see who had this idea first

http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/products/smartbook.htm

Regards.