Back in February, we heard a little bit about Ubuntu for Android, a project from Canonical to bring the popular Linux system to Android smartphones. It sounded like a much more feature-packed version of the sort of thing Motorola has going with WebTop, which piqued our interest. A video highlight some of the system’s capabilities was filmed at the Fórum Internacional Software Livre in Brazil last week, giving us an up-to-date look at the progress the project has been making.
Shortly after putting this Motorola Atrix in its dock, Ubuntu is up and ready to go on an attached HDMI monitor. That means access to full versions of popular apps, including everything from web browsers to office productivity software. Like with Webtop, the phone’s primary Android interface is still controllable in a sub-window, letting you keep using your smartphone apps alongside these Linux programs. It’s impressive just how much functionality is retained in this mode, with even phone hardware like its camera operating properly.
In spite of that tiny delay when moving in and out of Ubuntu, the phone seems to be running quite smoothly, and considering all that must be going on behind the scenes to have everything working like this, it’s still pretty darn impressive.
Unfortunately, we’re not up on our Portuguese, so we’re not getting as much out of this video as a native speaker could. Even if we can’t follow along, just from what we can see on-screen we’re very excited to hear more about Ubuntu for Android, and specifically learn details of how it could be coming to phones.
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