Mobile By James Plafke Feb. 19, 2014 3:34 pm
The last time we heard any real buzz surrounding Canonical’s foray into the mobile field, it was last December when the company made known that the Ubuntu smartphone finally had its first partner. At the time, it was kept a secret, but now those hardware manufacturers have been revealed. They are not household names.
The two manufacturers, Meizu and BQ Readers, will be the first two companies producing and releasing smartphones with Ubuntu’s mobile OS pre-installed. The phones will be available globally sometime this year, but they will be targeting emerging markets so they have a better chance to compete with iOS and Android. Unfortunately, nothing else about the phones have been revealed — such as a precise date, price, specs, and even carriers — but it’s likely safe to assume that they will be disclosed during Mobile World Congress next week.
Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical’s founder, did note that the company will reveal two more manufacturers with household names will be joining the Ubuntu smartphone initiative by 2015, though those companies have yet to be revealed.
As for Meizu and BQ Readers, those companies are big in China and Spain, respectively, but neither have much of a presence in the US. Of course, it doesn’t really matter what kind of presence a hardware manufacturer has if the operating system doesn’t support popular apps. Windows Phone is prime example of this; the hardware and OS are just fine, but the app store is notoriously lacking in popular apps. However, building up your install base in whatever markets you can is obviously the best initial move, and that’s what Canonical appears to be doing.
Whatever Meizu and BQ Readers do produce, though, the phones will likely not be anything like the Canonical’s failed crowdfunded project, the Ubuntu Edge. The Edge — a powerful smartphone that when plugged into a larger display can boot the full desktop version of Ubuntu –*was a solid idea, and likely where smartphones are headed sometime in the future. Though the campaign raised $12.8 million — a massive feat for any crowdfunding project, especially on Indiegogo — the initial $32 million asking price was far too much, and that future is still far out.
Expect more news out of Mobile World Congress next week.
More...
The two manufacturers, Meizu and BQ Readers, will be the first two companies producing and releasing smartphones with Ubuntu’s mobile OS pre-installed. The phones will be available globally sometime this year, but they will be targeting emerging markets so they have a better chance to compete with iOS and Android. Unfortunately, nothing else about the phones have been revealed — such as a precise date, price, specs, and even carriers — but it’s likely safe to assume that they will be disclosed during Mobile World Congress next week.
Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical’s founder, did note that the company will reveal two more manufacturers with household names will be joining the Ubuntu smartphone initiative by 2015, though those companies have yet to be revealed.
As for Meizu and BQ Readers, those companies are big in China and Spain, respectively, but neither have much of a presence in the US. Of course, it doesn’t really matter what kind of presence a hardware manufacturer has if the operating system doesn’t support popular apps. Windows Phone is prime example of this; the hardware and OS are just fine, but the app store is notoriously lacking in popular apps. However, building up your install base in whatever markets you can is obviously the best initial move, and that’s what Canonical appears to be doing.
Whatever Meizu and BQ Readers do produce, though, the phones will likely not be anything like the Canonical’s failed crowdfunded project, the Ubuntu Edge. The Edge — a powerful smartphone that when plugged into a larger display can boot the full desktop version of Ubuntu –*was a solid idea, and likely where smartphones are headed sometime in the future. Though the campaign raised $12.8 million — a massive feat for any crowdfunding project, especially on Indiegogo — the initial $32 million asking price was far too much, and that future is still far out.
Expect more news out of Mobile World Congress next week.
More...
