Ubuntu Phones Will Arrive In October


According to the Wall Street Journal, Canonical is claiming that its new Ubuntu OS will be with developers by late February — ready for phones to launch in “two geographically large markets” this October.

The Wall Street Journal report doesn’t specify which company will be making the first Ubuntu phones, but Canonical claims that it will be easy for Android phone manufacturers to hop across to the new platform. The Journal sadly doesn’t hint at where those large markets are.

If you want to know more about what we can expect from Ubuntu’s mobile OS, you can read our preview — but expect no buttons, a gesture-heavy interface, and straightforward compatibility with external displays and keyboards.

In fact, Canonical’s also spoken to Fast Company Design about its design philosophy for the new OS. The interview makes for a pretty wacky read, with Canonical citing traditional Japanese architecture as an inspiration for the new design.

While gesture-based mobile interfaces are yet to prove their mettle, Ubuntu insists that its OS is actually “a leap from where mobile user interfaces were”. Let’s wait and see what October brings. [WSJ, Fast Company Design]


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.