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Who Would Actually Build an Ubuntu Smartphone?

Nerval's Lobster writes "When Canonical whipped back the curtain from its upcoming Ubuntu for smartphones, it set off a flurry of blogosphere speculation about the open-source operating system's chances on the open market. But which company would actually build such a device? Apple and Research In Motion and Nokia are all out of the running, for very obvious reasons. Motorola, as a subsidiary of Google, is also unlikely to leap on the Ubuntu bandwagon. While Hewlett-Packard has flirted with smartphones in the past, most notably after its Palm acquisition, the company doesn't seem too focused on that segment at the moment. That leaves manufacturers such as HTC, which currently offer devices running either Google Android or Windows Phone. But given Android's popularity, it might prove difficult for Canonical to convince these manufacturers to do more than release a token Ubuntu device—especially if Google and Microsoft apply counter-pressure."

4 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Can I run it on my old phone? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't that sad? A state-of-the-art piece of technology is only a clunker because its handicapped.

    Tell me about it...
    -- Stephen Hawking

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  2. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... case closed ...

    No, dammit, keep that case open! I want to put in an aftermarket battery. I have my soldering iron right here.

  3. Who ? by rossdee · · Score: 1, Funny

    Does a cellphone even work from inside the TARDIS ?

  4. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Everything doesn't have to cater to everybody. Duh.

    Right, but if a mobile OS boots in a forest, and nobody is there to write fart apps for it, does it make a noise?