2012-02-23

Ubuntu for Android

Ubuntu Android add-on designed to replace PCs - Computerworld

Canonical has released a version of Ubuntu that can drive PC monitors from Android phones
IDG News Service - Canonical has unveiled software that will give Android smartphones the ability to run full desktop computer sessions on computer monitors and television sets.
"The processors at the heart of smartphones are approaching the power of low-end laptop processors, so we use the horsepower to power a desktop experience," said Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth. "If you link your phone to a computer monitor and keyboard, then the phone can drive a full desktop session."

The company launched the software, called Ubuntu for Android, at the Mobile World Congress, being held this week in Barcelona.

The software works as an add-on to the Android mobile operating system, which is also based on Linux. When connected to a computer screen, keyboard and mouse, the software will launch a full desktop environment based on the Ubuntu Unity shell.

Ubuntu for Android | Ubuntu


A full Ubuntu desktop, on your docked Android phone

  • Complete desktop solution for full productivity on docked Android phones
  • Easy to integrate with existing Android phones in development
  • Certified apps for business users from Adobe, Citrix, VMWare and more
  • Drives sales of multi-core phones with faster CPUs, more cores, more RAM and high-end graphics
  • Drive adoption of 4G handsets since office apps shine with low latency and higher bandwidth
  • Canonical leads in ARM Linux support, co-creator of Linaro with ARM
  • Target the enterprise thin client, and emerging market first-PC markets
  • Ubuntu and Android share the same kernel, running at the same time, accessing data and applications
  • The world’s favourite free desktop fully integrated with the world’s favourite open phone






Why Ubuntu for Android can succeed where others failed | Android Central

It's Ubuntu for Android, not Ubuntu on Android

Android runs on the Linux kernel. Ubuntu runs on the Linux kernel. We're looking at one kernel, with modules and drivers for all the hardware, and only the processes presented to the user change based on how the screen is being displayed. Plug your phone into a monitor through the HDMI output, and the processes that run to give you Android on your phone are suspended, and the processes that run to give you Ubuntu on the desktop are initialized. Make sense?
Doing it this way, your desktop experience isn't dependent on the Android OS running on your phone. In other words, it's not really Ubuntu on Android. It's Ubuntu with Android.
It's not a dual-boot solution either -- it's done dynamically and triggered when you plug in an external monitor. Because it's all running off the same kernel, you can just hop back and forth. That's the way it should be done.

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