When does the Ubuntu phone arrive?

[MC Fox]

When is Ubuntu going to announce some solid information about what is happening? I ( a simple user not a developer) would like to jump in but am tired of vague, shape shifting pronouncements. Depending where you read we should have had a phone out somewhere between this time last year to this time next year. I am long overdue for equipment updates and must make a decision whether to go Ubuntu or bail out.

[ian-weisser]

You think that hardware availability and rollout schedule is determined by the software company instead of the carriers and equipment OEMs?

[3rdalbum]

Bail out, buy an Android. I recently bought a Moto G - good phone. Ubuntu Phone won't be worth buying over Android for at least a couple of years, assuming any OEMs release phones.

[MC Fox]

Thanks Ian-Weisser Point taken but I am just looking for some guidance. I have plans too.
Apparently I am asking too much of Canonical.

[MC Fox]

Thanks 3rdalbum
Same probably goes for the tablet too.

[grahammechanical]

We have solid information:

1) these matters are covered by confidentiality agreements.
2) it is up to OEMs to decide if they want Ubuntu on their mobile devices and what hardware they bring to market and what services will be part of the product.
3) As of end of October 2013 Ubuntu Touch is at version 1.0 - optimized for the phone. Now Ubuntu Touch is being optimized for the Tablet form factor. That will be version 1.5.
4) at a recent count there were 72 developers developing apps for Ubuntu Touch and there were 166 apps in the Click (app) store. Numbers are rising all the time.

If you want to keep up to date on what the Ubuntu development community is doing then bookmark this page.

http://developer.ubuntu.com/blog/

Regards.

[MC Fox]

Thanks. Bookmarked.

I now have to decide between a Nook HD or Nexus 7. When they are out of date I will check back and see what may be happening. I signed up for email updates from Canonical, I now see why I haven't received any.

[NooBuntu63]

If you want to keep up to date on what the Ubuntu development community is doing then bookmark this page.

http://developer.ubuntu.com/blog/

Regards.


:lol: Well, at least in one forum, they're engaged in the pointless Mac vs PC wars that we're all looking to Ubuntu to get away from, to begin with...

[MC Fox]

Looks like we are going from April to "2015".

http://siliconangle.com/blog/2014/01/17/ubuntu-touch-and-tizen-phones-a-no-show-for-2014/

Unless you are a friend of some Canonical hotshot on Reddit dedicated Ubuntu users are left in the dark.

[renntag2]

I would love to see an Ubuntu based phone. Would hope that success isn't hindered by carrier bloating or restricting excessively.

[tgalati4]

I watched Jono Bacon's "Crossing the Chasm" (https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale11x/presentations/crossing-chasm-together) presentation from Scale11x last year. I sat through it at Scale, then I rewatched it this afternoon. I missed a key point in the presentation. "Together" It is a community effort to get the convergence strategy to a position that it can cross the chasm of getting mass adoption. I think we in the community are frustrated at how long it takes for this adoption to occur. I was using the X-Windows system in college in 1982, and I am still using it today in the form of xorg.

So I admit that I was a naysayer to Ubuntu Phone, but after watching Jono's talk (again), I finally see what is happening and how Canonical and the Ubuntu community can work together to bring some cool technology to the masses. It is a different path that most of us are used to with commercial/consumer/throw-away products. 2014 is definitely the year of linux on the desktop and maybe on the phone.

[MC Fox]

My initial comment was even though I am hooked up for Canonical updates I have heard nothing from Canonical besides Hurrah we have an agreement with an unnamed phone company. So if I watch this hour long dissertation from Scale 11X I will have a real date for when an OEM touch phone or tablet will be available to purchase? (That is what this thread I supposed to be about.)
No? I didn't think so.

Notice how many people thought they could (or did) obtain a phone or tablet with the requirements listed "working with us" page, download the software and have a working touch phone? Again one might think that the webmaster would remedy this misunderstanding somewhere obvious instead of having to discover one's mistake by sifting through forum pages.

Webmaster - Unless someone can offer some solid answers end the madness and erase this thread.

[Vladlenin5000]

My initial comment was even though I am hooked up for Canonical updates I have heard nothing from Canonical besides Hurrah we have an agreement with an unnamed phone company.

No longer unnamed, well, still sort of but... Even when named most of you probably never heard of it. However I can assure you that company makes one of the best smartphones in the whole world, with a unique and beautiful design and they already made their almost-fork version of Android...

Here's a hint: http://forum.meizu.com/redirect.php?tid=15297&goto=lastpost#lastpost

[philinux]

+1 the mx3 looks very good on paper.

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-meizu-ubuntu-smartphones-confirmed-for-2014-release?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+d0od+%28OMG!+Ubuntu!%29

[philinux]

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-aquaris-ubuntu-phone-specs?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+d0od+%28OMG%21+Ubuntu%21%29

Just seen this from the MWC.

[MC Fox]

We are starting to get somewhere. The questions are when and if this will be available stateside and if that $300.00 figure is no contract.

[bass740]

We have solid information:

1) these matters are covered by confidentiality agreements.
2) it is up to OEMs to decide if they want Ubuntu on their mobile devices and what hardware they bring to market and what services will be part of the product.
3) As of end of October 2013 Ubuntu Touch is at version 1.0 - optimized for the phone. Now Ubuntu Touch is being optimized for the Tablet form factor. That will be version 1.5.
4) at a recent count there were 72 developers developing apps for Ubuntu Touch and there were 166 apps in the Click (app) store. Numbers are rising all the time.

If you want to keep up to date on what the Ubuntu development community is doing then bookmark this page.

http://developer.ubuntu.com/blog/

Regards.

Hello, I signed up to this forum today after being sick of my HTC One constantly asking to obtain my friends list on Facebook in a sneaky matter, painting a picture that once I allow them my friends list, that I can post freely and start using Facebook.

Ubuntu is the only hope left in this filthy Market. I came here today and I dont see a donate Tab, why? Many would love to support this project that gives the hope of privacy.


I noticed you state they must wait on OEM to decide. But if so were back to square one.

Whats the reason Ubuntu for phones cant be released for download and compatible with some latest phones and the end user decides if they want to install it on their droids or phone of choice?

Similar to Ubuntu for Desktop, you dont have to ask Lenovo or Toshiba if they want your OS on their machines. The end user makes that decision.

I feel big companies will take advantage of this in the future and turn a great project back to the starting point as to why it was initiated in the first place.

Release it and let the community enhance it.

I wish to see this OS on more phones soon.



Thanks

[Vladlenin5000]

Hello, I signed up to this forum today after being sick of my HTC One constantly asking to obtain my friends list on Facebook in a sneaky matter, painting a picture that once I allow them my friends list, that I can post freely and start using Facebook.

It probably isn't your phone asking for that permission but the Facebook app itself. And it's only logical, how could the app work otherwise?


I noticed you state they must wait on OEM to decide. But if so were back to square one.

Whats the reason Ubuntu for phones cant be released for download and compatible with some latest phones and the end user decides if they want to install it on their droids or phone of choice?

Not so simple. Almost all hardware require specific drivers and most of them are closed-source, proprietary. We can even achieve 3D and FullHD features in Debian/Ubuntu for ARM in the Allwinner A10 (and others) due to that, the drivers have to be released by Allwinner or Mali...


Similar to Ubuntu for Desktop, you dont have to ask Lenovo or Toshiba if they want your OS on their machines. The end user makes that decision.

Again, not so simple. In many markets computers can't be sold without OS therefore there must be at least one factory installed and, consequentially, supported by the manufacturer. The end-user can at his/her choice decide to install another in parallel or remove the factory installed one entirely but that's his/her decision. The manufacturer is under no obligation to give support for the non-official OS for a given model and, more often than not, the manufacturer's tech support/customer service will ask the end-user to reinstall/recover/re-image with the original OS for troubleshooting purposes, even when it's not plausible the issue being caused by software. There are procedures and a troubleshooting workflow that must be followed by the support agents; whether or not they like to ask the customers to do that is irrelevant.

PS - Ubuntu Touch for HTC One and HTC One X is a "work in progress". You can test it right now - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/Devices/M7 and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/Devices/endeavoru - but, of course, you won't get help from HTC in process and they may void your warranty (if any). You're on your own, as usual.

[bass740]

The actual message but this is the least of the issues its just an addition to a new intrusive behavior by droid phones and the makers. Which are causing more to be in search of this forum. So many are getting high hopes by the read of the forums and coming here for the same reason.
"HTC sense will receive the following info: your public profile and friend list. This does not let HTC post to Facebook. ( how nice of them). Your public profile is your name, profile picture and other public info."


Digging deeper into Ubuntu I found this article recently released which addresses the concerns of big companies wanting a hold of ubuntu shaping it into todays phones.

This tactic, Shuttleworth explains, saw the company ’explicitly rule out‘ partnering with more established mobile manufacturers. ( good call )
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-meizu-ubuntu-smartphones-confirmed-for-2014-release?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+d0od+%28OMG!+Ubuntu!%29


If drivers are currently a problem this late into the project with all the hype this OS has then theres a serious issue. I figured theyre polishing the OS by now not trying to get a wifi card to work. Still hope something is released.

[bass740]

I myself would be greatly satisfied with a browser wifi, 3g, and a phone app. Anything else is extra, on something such as the new One.

[3rdalbum]

The actual message but this is the least of the issues its just an addition to a new intrusive behavior by droid phones and the makers.
HTC Sense has always integrated with Facebook. It contains its own Facebook reader. Nothing new there, my HTC Desire from 2010 does the same thing.


If drivers are currently a problem this late into the project with all the hype this OS has then theres a serious issue. I figured theyre polishing the OS by now not trying to get a wifi card to work. Still hope something is released.

You don't understand. Drivers are not a problem on supported devices. What you asked about was why we can't install Ubuntu on any mobile phone just like we install on PCs. The answer to that question is that drivers are not available for the thousands of different chips available in smart phones today. Unlike on PCs you can't just download a driver on its own, or reverse engineer the one that is running. On phones, drivers only come built-in on the operating system. Ubuntu can't get these drivers for every piece of hardware out there. Only certain phones have drivers available that Ubuntu can incorporate.

Not to mention, PCs are comparatovely standard hardware compared to phones. There is not "one way" of booting a phone. Every phone has a different startup sequence. By contrast, every PC has a BIOS or UEFI and the same code can boot any PC. Not so with phones.

[bass740]

Thanks for the informative post 3rd, its intrusive regardless of the length of time they've been doing this, they shouldnt be asking, but like I said theyre not the main issue but was the last straw. Google is 10X worse, and download almost any app now and it wants everything.

So I think this OS cant fail once its released.

I think a Donate Tab on this site would go a long way helping this project.