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    'Ubuntu' to Turn Android Phones into Home PCs, Media Centers

    By Jared Spurbeck | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Wed, Feb 22, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    Ubuntu is an African word that roughly translates to "humanity to others." It's also "the third most popular desktop operating system in the world," behind Windows and OS X, according to its developer outreach page. And it might be coming to an Android smartphone near you, turning it into a home desktop PC as well as a media center.

    What is Ubuntu?

    Ubuntu is an operating system that is used by some businesses and nonprofits on their workstations and servers today, as well as by enthusiasts and hobbyists. You can download Ubuntu for free to use on your own laptop or desktop computer.

    The Ubuntu trademark is owned by a U.K.-based startup called Canonical, but the programming code that makes up Ubuntu is open-source just like Android's is, and many of Ubuntu's fans volunteer to help improve it. Canonical, meanwhile, makes money from selling apps through the Ubuntu Software Center, as well as music and its proprietary Ubuntu One online backup service.

    How does Ubuntu run on an Android smartphone?

    Ubuntu and Android are based on a core piece of software called the Linux kernel. Since the two OSes share the same kernel, it doesn't take as much processing power to run them both at the same time on top of Linux as it is to run, say, OS X and Windows with their separate kernels at the same time.

    Ubuntu isn't designed to be used on a smartphone-sized touch screen, and if Android phones are made which feature Ubuntu -- it isn't a sure thing yet -- you'll only be able to use the OS once you plug your phone into an HDTV or computer monitor. The music players, email programs and other apps will have everything synced between them, but while your phone is plugged in you'll be able to use Ubuntu with a keyboard and mouse like any other PC.

    Isn't this like the Motorola Atrix's Webtop?

    Not exactly. While desktop and media center connectors are available for the Atrix, its most heavily-promoted feature is the laptop dock, which is basically a netbook that requires you to plug your phone in for it to work. And once you do connect the Atrix to the laptop or a TV or monitor at home, all you can use (besides the media center interface) is the Firefox Web browser.

    Ubuntu has thousands of apps available in its Software Center, including popular games like Braid and World of Goo that were previously featured on Xbox Live and in the Wiiware store. It can also use the LibreOffice suite, comparable to Microsoft Office, and in general function as a full-fledged desktop computer. It may have trouble running some Windows apps, though, especially on phones with ARM processors instead of Intel x86 ones.

    When will Ubuntu-powered Android phones be available?

    No one has set a date yet. And according to Jamie Keene of The Verge, there are still some performance issues to work out, in terms of optimizing Ubuntu for a smartphone's hardware. (Canonical says it will work best on phones with dual-core processors and 4G connections.) Keene reports that Canonical is "in discussions with manufacturers to bring the OS to handsets," though.

    Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

     

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