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Ubuntu Phones Now Available Worldwide (On Some Networks)

Posted by Soulskill on from the migrating-marmoset dept.

An anonymous reader writes: When Canonical's phone-centric adaptation of Ubuntu first made it onto devices last year, it received a mostly "wait-and-see" reception. For anyone outside Europe, they didn't have much choice, since it was unavailable elsewhere. Now, BQ has opened sales of the Ubuntu phones worldwide. That said, the devices still have technological restrictions. "Both of these devices support GSM bands 850, 900, 1,800 and 1,900, as well as UMTS 900 and 2,100 — so you're not going to get any joy if you're on a CDMA network like Verizon."

4 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Which bands? by Dragonslicer · · Score: 4, Informative

    AT&T and T-Mobile are the big GSM carriers in the United States. Which bands do they use, so we can compare them against the bands compatible with the phone?

    I think T-Mobile uses the two of those four that are used in Europe, and AT&T uses the other two, but I may be a few years behind on my information. A quick search on Google says AT&T uses 850 and 1900. A phone that supports all 4 bands should work on both AT&T and T-Mobile.

  2. No 4G by amorsen · · Score: 3, Informative

    Only 2G and 3G.

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  3. Re:Which bands? by PhotoJim · · Score: 4, Informative

    This Ubuntu phone will work on AT&T and T-Mobile's 2G GPRS/EDGE networks, but not their 3G/"4G" UMTS/HSPA networks and not their LTE networks. In other words... it will work, but data will be very slow.

  4. Re:What software? by dominux · · Score: 4, Informative

    it runs various QML programs and there are a bunch of web based things mildly optimised for it.
    Yes, you can run a terminal out of the box.
    No, you can't run KDE or a different GUI (well you probably can, but if you were going there this isn't a good starting place)
    The scopes are equally pointless with or without privacy violating things (and really, that is almost entirely bogus FUD anyway based on the misunderstanding that the global search box in Unity was an application launcher, those concerns don't apply on the phone (there is no global multi-scope search)). Scopes are just categories of things you can search for, they are not that exciting.
    It uses a browser based on QML and Webkit, it is called Oxide and they ripped off the Safari icon for it (compass needle pointing north east).
    If you know Ubuntu and have been using it avidly since 2006 and know Unity 7 really well, then forget all that you have learned because this isn't the same at all. It is a new phone platform, bit like Android or iOS with no clearly defined market. I have one, it is my one and only phone, it is OK, but really I am not very demanding and completely anti-social so I don't really need to have a phone at all :)