The developer preview of Linux distro Ubuntu is now available for tablets and mobile phones. Excited? I am. Well, I was initially. Sadly, I'm a Galaxy Nexus (Toro) owner. The preview is available to Nexus devices but only the GSM variants. I own the Nexus 7 tablet but I decline to install the preview for now.
Image credit: Ubuntu
The OS demostrations I've seen of late seem to be promising, offering yet another open platform for our mobile devices. Ubuntu's video details more on the features of the OS for tablets and phones. My first glance at the real world views of Ubuntu Phone lead me to think the OS was slightly lagging in performance. The UI is nice, but the devices being tested showed slow transitions from screen to screen and app to app.
I had to take this first look with a grain of salt. I mean, the OS is in preview. It's not going to be perfect just yet.
I shared the information about the developer preview to my circles on Google+ It was received with mixed reactions from my wonderful geek followers. Some felt that removing the Nexus experience from current devices was pointless. Others were just curious to see what the OS had to offer.
Darryl Barnes is clearly excited about the OS preview. "Downloaded. Installing to Nexus 4 tonight ... can't wait to dump Android," he says. There are concerns that the preview will not allow for the radio to handle cell calls. It will be a WiFi device only. Barnes has other ideas.
"I will have data working on mine by this weekend," he says. "It's nothing to reverse-engineer the radio for use under Ubuntu."
I can't wait to hear about Barnes' progress on getting the radios to work for him. Hopefully he will keep us in the community updated.
If I catch a wild streak in my personality, I may take the dive in formatting my Nexus 7 to play around with the OS preview, but I won't make any promises. What are your thoughts on the preview? Will you experiment with the images available for your Nexus device? Leave me a comment with your plan and thoughts on Ubuntu Tablet/Phone Developer Preview.
I'm Ant Pruitt and this is aGNUdomain.
Jordan Keyes of TWILDOTTV installed the preview on his Nexus 7 to give us his first look. Check out the video below from his channel.
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