First Ubuntu smartphone goes on sale next week

[Shawn Knight]

It’s been several years in the making but the first Ubuntu-powered smartphone is nearly upon us. The BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition will finally go on sale starting next week although it’s not the same handset that was promised a few years ago.

Canonical, the group behind the Ubuntu Linux distribution, launched a crowdfunding campaign in the summer of 2013. The campaign aimed to raise an astronomical $32 million to fund the creation of what would have been a top-tier smartphone running the Ubuntu operating system, the Ubuntu Edge.

While Canonical managed to raise a record $12.8 million, it fell far from the initial goal.

The group’s intentions to launch an Ubuntu-powered handset never wavered, however, which is how we got to the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition.

The handset is actually a BQ Aquaris E4.5 that’s been loaded with Ubuntu. This mid-range phone features a modest 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 540 x 960 and is powered by a quad-core MediaTek Cortex-A7 SoC clocked at 1.3GHz. There’s also 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.

Canonical is pricing the phone at just €169.90 ($195), far cheaper than the $695 that the Ubuntu Edge would have set buyers back. It’ll be offered initially through a fire sale next week with a handful of European carriers.

Canonical is still working on its US device strategy but as of writing, there’s no timeline for a launch outside of Europe.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59672-first-ubuntu-smartphone-goes-sale-next-week.html

 

[tipstir]

I hope they do good. Nice to see a new OS for the phone being introduced. Based on Linux like Android is..Android is so limited. Let's see how this other version of Linux does on the market?

 

[VitalyT]

...only for people who like thick frames...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_na3RRTo6Lp8/SaTDPPDVYnI/AAAAAAAAA4o/BvoAbFxUcLc/s1600-h/Picture 3.png

 

[hahahanoobs]

So they began with a new OS and 2013 super-phone specs, and ended up with just an OS with weak *** hardware. This project is going down in flames... again. A fire sale is pure irony.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Since you guys are knocking the new guy, could you list all the $200 or less phones that would be a better choice?

 

[oldikes]

Killed it with the screen rez. I dont care about thickness or bezel nor do I even need 1080p but that screen res....

 

[igotdembombs]

So they began with a new OS and 2013 super-phone specs, and ended up with just an OS with weak *** hardware. This project is going down in flames... again. A fire sale is pure irony.

The hardware really isn't that important. They can take the same software and put it into a different phone. This was about developing a new OS.

 

[Guest]

@cliffordcooley Moto G, moto E and for 299$ you get the one+

 

[hahahanoobs]

The hardware really isn't that important. They can take the same software and put it into a different phone. This was about developing a new OS.

Samsung thinks we could use another OS (Tizen), and so does Mozilla, but what we really need are for the existing ones to get better first imo. When you have too many options, it only confuses consumers, and they are left with friends' recommendations and we all know what those recommendations are. OS's people know.

The idea for the Ubuntu phone was interesting. I was excited when I saw a demo a while back, and then I saw their Kickstarter goal. It was a good idea, but that's all it was. It didn't really offer anything we haven't seen, or could be done by existing OS's. Oh it could connect to a monitor and be a PC in your pocket... Yea, I don't think anyone needs that. lol Imagine your phone being plugged into a monitor, kb and mouse, AND the wall for power to run Linux? An OS that hasn't been picked up by mom's and dad's since its existence?

If anything, this project should of started where it is now, at the bottom, with the OS, with the founders' own time and money, instead of taking shortcuts with crowd funding. They tried to ride the train, but forget their tickets.

 

[sullybach]

Since you guys are knocking the new guy, could you list all the $200 or less phones that would be a better choice?

Well seeing that there won't be any apps.....

 

[BloodyMatters]

I hope they do good. Nice to see a new OS for the phone being introduced. Based on Linux like Android is..Android is so limited. Let's see how this other version of Linux does on the market?

If you find Android limited.. You must find iOS a pain...

 

[Nobina]

It doesn't look all that appealing, which could be the biggest problem because that's what sells. Hardware wise it depends on how heavy the OS is, I'm guessing it's not. Maybe a 720p display with get rid of those huge *** bezels. Apps will be a problem because similar to WP it's a new OS and late to the game.

 

[Kibaruk]

Since you guys are knocking the new guy, could you list all the $200 or less phones that would be a better choice?

The Moto G, first, second, third, fourth and fifth choice.

This sounds like a new flop following the "new" OS phones (Mozilla OS, Amazon Fire), with less than average phones that can't take on the competition. A huge phone with an awful screen resolution already killed it for me.