Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical Ltd and the Ubuntu OS, demonstrated the new mobile OS at CES this week. Ubuntu is a free, open source OS for PC’s, and soon “commercially available” for our smartphones. In the accompanied videos below, the OS was introduced by Shuttleworth and an Ubuntu representative. Ubuntu Mobile is demoed on the delicious Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
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According to Shuttleworth, the smartphone version of Ubuntu is built on the existing desktop OS, which means the two will integrate easily. It certainly looks seamless in its operation and is designed with no buttons by default. In future the intention is to fully integrate into a tablet with a keyboard and connectivity to other Ubuntu devices, turning one simple device into a media center.
In an elaborate display, an Ubuntu representative shows even more of how every part of the smartphone has been incorporated into the design of Ubuntu. Because of the default “zero buttons” design, every corner and edge of the phone is used for the UI. Sadly, the OS does not support landscape view as yet, but we are assured that the developers are working on implementing this in the future.
