Canonical has partnered with BQ and Meizu to bring the first Ubuntu-based smartphones later this year, after showcasing the samples next week at the Mobile World Congress.
Canonical, the company behind Linux-based Ubuntu operating system, will bring the first Ubuntu-based smartphones later this year. The new devices will be built by two manufacturers, BQ in Spain and Meizu in China. The news comes after the company announced Ubuntu for mobile last year, an alternate mobile platform other than iOS and Android. The details of the new smartphones remain scanty with very less known about the built-in features.
Mark Shuttleworth, Chief Executive Officer of Canonical, was kind enough to reveal little yet important details of the upcoming smartphone to the reporters in a conference call, reports PC World. He hinted that the phone developed by BQ will support dual-SIM function and the Meizu will offer dual-boot system with Ubuntu and Android on it. Working prototypes of the new phones will be shown next week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
This is not the first time Canonical is attempting to launch a smartphone based on its OS. The company launched its Ubuntu Edge, a smartphone built on Ubuntu Touch OS, on Idiegogo funding site earlier last year, but failed to reach its pledged goal, short of about $20 million.
Canonical is aiming at a rebound and plans to take the number three spot in the global mobile OS market, competing with the likes of Microsoft's Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS. But that is a long way to come as the current OS makers have secured a prominent place in the market by collectively powering 94 percent of all smartphones.
Shuttleworth describes Ubuntu as an Android-like open source software, which will attract many developers for its similarities with Android. Google's mobile OS is currently the most dominant OS in the world with almost 80 percent smartphones using the platform. Shuttleworth is well aware of the fact that lack of apps in store can lead to criticism, so he plans to have at least 50 top rated apps from Android and iOS at the time of launch.
The MWC event is already hyped up with expectations of Samsung Galaxy S5 making its debut. Other companies including LG, Nokia, and Apple are likely to show some of their devices at the mobile event. It will be challenging for Canonical to lure the audience toward its new entries, but CEO Shuttleworth remains positive.
"We are very confident we'll have a good showing," he said.
