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Two Ubuntu Phones Coming This Year, Heres Whos Making Them
By Joey-Elijah Sneddon under Hardware, News, Ubuntu Phone February 19, 2014
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Ubuntu Phone Handsets from Bq and Meizu Coming This Year http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-meizu-ubuntu-smartphones-con...
1 of 6 24.09.2014 15:40
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Bq Will Launch One Of the First Phones Running Ubuntu
The first Ubuntu smartphones will launch later this year, Mark Shuttleworth has confirmed.
Two manufacturers, China based Meizu and Spanish OEM BQ Readers, are both set to release Ubuntu-powered handsets at some point within 2014.
Devices made by more established manufacturers with household names are, were told, expected to follow 2015.
Bq Readers are a relatively small device maker, while Meizu currently lacks a substantial presence in the UK or the US.
Canonical say they explicitly ruled out partnering with established mobile manufacturers
But its precisely for this reason that Mark Shuttleworth says Canonical opted to buddy up with them; it wants it critical first devices to be handled by partners who are specialists at
penetrating emerging markets. This tactic, Shuttleworth explains, saw the company explicitly rule out partnering with more established mobile manufacturers.
In a mobile space dominated by just two operating systems and a handful of handset manufacturers, such a tactically minded guerrilla approach could be what;s needed to break up an
increasing entrenched, established and well ordered orthodoxy.
The Phones
The Meizu handset is rumoured to be a re-purposed version of their latest 8-core Android phone
(tweet this)
For all the openness about strategy, Canonical are keeping the details of the devices close to their chest for now, at least. No pricing information or timescale to launch has yet been
given, though were likely to learn more once the Mobile World Congress event kicks off next week.
Shuttleworth said that both phones will be initially only be available in select countries.
The Meizu handset is strongly rumoured to be a re-purposed version of companys latest Android device, the Meizu MX3. This 5.1-inch mobile is powered by an 8-core ARM Cortex
15 CPU, paired with a 3-core GPU and 2GB of RAM.
With Ubuntu enjoying a lot of success in China right, and one of the nations largest telecom networks already a backer of the mobile OS, its not too much of a leap to imagine that this
handset will launch there first.
The BQ Ubuntu Phone will take advantage of dual sim technologies
Little is know about the BQ device other than that it will take advantage of dual sim technologies and, again, be based on an existing Android-powered phone.
As existing devices from both companies can already be bought globally, and with Bq the biggest seller of unlocked smartphones in Spain, it should be relatively easy for those outside
of launch territories to get hold of one.
Marketshare
Asked if he thought it was realistic to expect Ubuntu to beat Blackberry or Microsoft into third place, Shuttleworth said hes looking for Ubuntu to be the open alternative to
Android, adding that he expects people who would consider buying an Android device would consider buying an Ubuntu device.
Our [OEM] partners appreciate that our business model is straightforward; we charge [them] a fee per device; and we share revenues from the app store with them.
Incentives from app store sales or not, many remain sceptical as to whether Ubuntu can truly find a place in a market where even companies like Microsoft, with their bottomless
pockets, are struggling to make inroads.
Shuttleworth described Tizen as a fading force thats unlikely to ship on phones
They will be hoping that the disruptive nature of Ubuntu Touch as a convergent device a PC in your pocket, if you will as being key to establishing share. Apples recent
stockpiling of Sapphire glass screens, the material proposed for the ill-fated Ubuntu Edge concept phone, and the choice of phrase of the A7 chip as desktop class, are, Mark said,
interesting choices to note.
Ubuntu Phone Handsets from Bq and Meizu Coming This Year http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-meizu-ubuntu-smartphones-con...
2 of 6 24.09.2014 15:40
Of their open-source competitors Tizen was described as a fading force that Canonical now views as much less of a competitor than it was 6 months ago.
Last year Mark Shuttleworth claimed household brands were interested in shipping Ubuntu Touch, though Canonical Community Manager later stated that he thought no major
OEM would ship devices running it during 2014.
bqmark shuttleworthubuntu phoneubuntu touch
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Ubuntu Phone Handsets from Bq and Meizu Coming This Year http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-meizu-ubuntu-smartphones-con...
3 of 6 24.09.2014 15:40
180 Comments


Fatal1ty_93_RUS
Never actually heard about BQ, wow, no wonder they are striving to provide people with
Ubuntu-equipped devices



Bradkal
My only problem is button placement, I'm used to the sony way of doing now and to me it just
makes sense, you don't need to stretch your figures or have your hand half way up your
phone to change the volume, I have actually dropped a phone when pressing the wake/sleep
button on the top of the iPhone, so these are my biggest worrys for moving to a Ubuntu
Phone!



Nick Richardson
I agree with that. Samsung has caught on and my Galaxy S4 Mini has the unlock on
the side. Unlock/lock on the top in a horrible decision


Me
Will never buy a Chinese phone. Ever. I trust their government make sure that every phone
produced in China is spied. Sorry Ubuntu, you cross the line this time. Bye Bye..



Bruno Jesus
Here we are more worried about US spying on us... That's why a lot of people does
not trust Google and Android.



Me
Well bruno.. google and facebook ARE "spying" on all of us. That is a sad truth
indeed. Our sense of privacy is long dead... But at least in the West, only
perverts and criminals need to be afraid. Unlike chineese citizens, who might
just disapear one day for merely thinking the wrong thoughts.. And we all know
how much energy china put in order to keep everyone in line..



Bradkal
I'm sorry but not only does every phone ever come from china, but I think more people
are weary about america and them spying on everyone..



Me
Dont even compare! Not that I am American..but I am quite sure that there are
more people in china wishing they could live in America than the other way
around...



Bradkal
I never said there wasn't, pay is awful, company's care less, etc, but
america has shown that it will send drones willy nilly, not only to outside
contrys, but to there own and that they trust no one!
If I knew Chinese or Chinese people talked English natively, perhaps
we'd have a better idea which contry is worse government wise!
I think China is worse internally, and america is worse externally at the
moment, perhaps america will get worse internally (They did neuter net
neutrality and said they'd send drones into the usa) or perhaps china will
get better internally!



Me
Dont get me wrong.. US has some bad side.. but the big noise made
was after the exposure of the NSA done by an American with a too big
sense of self criticism. I honestly wouldnt expect that from any chineese
nor russian guy. Mainly because these countries are just... not free.. But
yes, slowly.. too slow maybe, the chineese might become more civilized.
Question is, if by then how many specise of animal will extinct.. how
polluted the world will become, how many chineese will continue to
suffer because of their lack of sane culture.. And yes boycoting is not
the best way. But the way the west just gave up on dealing with the
eastern monstrocities is lame. And now Ubuntu couple with a chineese
company. SAD


Bradkal


Ubuntu Phone Handsets from Bq and Meizu Coming This Year http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-meizu-ubuntu-smartphones-con...
4 of 6 24.09.2014 15:40
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Ubuntu Phone Handsets from Bq and Meizu Coming This Year http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/bq-meizu-ubuntu-smartphones-con...
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