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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."

35 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Supported formats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Are the audio and video formats supported in hardware or in software?

    1. Re: Supported formats by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      Who cares? The only people who would want this will on with how great it is even if it can't make a phone call because, you know, UBUNTU!

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    2. Re: Supported formats by amalcolm · · Score: 2

      Or, because, you know, NOT GOOGLE or MICROSOFT

      --
      Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
    3. Re: Supported formats by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      Except it's built on an android base.

      Played with it a lot, was one of the alpha and beta testers, it's crap. Steaming crap.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    4. Re: Supported formats by amalcolm · · Score: 1

      I can't see any evidence to supprot the claim that it's based on Android. http://www.ubuntu.com/phone/de... suggests you can write apps in Qt, so presumably there's no Dalvik, JVM etc: With the arrival of the Ubuntu SDK, apps can be written to work on all Ubuntu form-factors: it’s the same Ubuntu OS on the desktop and on the phone, so a single native application can work on both. Which means you re-use most of the app when you add support for a new form-factor.

      --
      Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
  2. Which bands? by tepples · · Score: 1

    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?

    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. 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.

    3. Re:Which bands? by unrtst · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This (and more) is the kind of information I fully expect to find in the article.
      I realize no one reads the articles, but I made the mistake of reading this one. The summary is just a (rather well done) paraphrasing of the entire article, which weighs in at 275 words (vs 87 for the summary), and it includes zero additional information; not even a link to a full article elsewhere!

      Thank you PhotoJim for the info. Personally, I'd appreciate it if there was a clear statement by the manufacturer, or the carriers themselves, and would like to have it detail exactly what limitations there are. I think I'd be ok with 3g. Otherwise, I think I'll just hope to find them on ebay to pick one up for wifi-only use.

    4. Re:Which bands? by unrtst · · Score: 2

      ... some additional info to save others the trouble:
      * BQ is selling them for €199.90 and €169.90 respectively (E5 HD, E4.5)
      * Engadget apparently converted that wrong. That is currently $223.82 and $189.21 respectively.
      * http://store.bq.com/gl/
      * ebay seems to have these at around $300 - $400 right now

    5. Re:Which bands? by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

      Agree that this is interesting and is information that should have been in the article or available through the summary. Do you have a source for this information? I'm interested to know if this is a problem that can be fixed, or if it is a strict limitation of the hardware.

      More and more mobile carriers are moving to plans where they do not subsidize the cost of the phone. I could buy three of these for the price of one iPhone, and most Android phones at this price point are utter garbage. If the 3G or 4G were working, these would look like a very solid option.

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
    6. Re:Which bands? by PhotoJim · · Score: 1

      This phone simply doesn't support the North American 3G/"4G" bands. The phone would need different radio hardware to support North American 3G.

    7. Re:Which bands? by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

      A sincere thanks for the clarification.

      OTOH, there is +5 informative post in this thread that claims the phone can do 3G. I guess I'll go do some research...

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
    8. Re:Which bands? by PhotoJim · · Score: 1

      It does 3G, just not North American 3G, based on the original article's assertations. I did some googling and found nothing to go against this.

      Its 3G is 900 and 2100 MHz - neither band is used in North America (excepting isolated areas like St. Pierre and Miquelon).

  3. What software? by Blaskowicz · · Score: 2

    What programs does it run? Can I run a bash terminal out of the box? Is it possible in any way to run something like KDE for tablets, or a different GUI?
    Are the scopes any good for something if you disable privacy-violating features?

    What browser does it even use?
    I have many questions, in fact too many questions. Hard to know what the phone really is about.
    On the plus side it doesn't cost 500 or 600 euros..

    1. 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 :)

  4. Any useful reviews? by Kludge · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How good is this Ubuntu phone?
    What windowing system does it run?
    Does it come with a terminal program like my N900?
    I can get root if I want it?

    Most reviews don't answer these important questions, and when I search on google, I just get ubuntu stuff.

    1. Re:Any useful reviews? by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 1

      Searching for "privacy ubuntu phone" yields enough hits not to buy it. But important questions (do I have to have an account somewhere to use my own phone?) are not answered.

      --
      Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
    2. Re:Any useful reviews? by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/...
      Shorter with a promise of a follow up review
      http://www.cnet.com/products/m...

      I kind of want it. But I'm a little annoyed at myself with my android phone (s6) since the latest update (T-Mobile) once again locked the bootloader.

    3. Re:Any useful reviews? by dominux · · Score: 1

      no, you don't need to have an account to use the phone, you need a SIM card. If you want to use various googley (alphabetty) features like gmail then you need a google account. If you want to use telegram then you need a telegram account, same for facebook and ebay and various other things. Your phone will collect accounts, get over it. If you want to install things from the store then I think you need a launchpad/ubuntu account in order to leave feedback, fairly sure you can install apps one way or another without having that - but your phone will collect accounts, get over it.

    4. Re:Any useful reviews? by gox · · Score: 1

      Well, requiring a Ubuntu One account (which asks for your Full Name and e-mail) in order to install software was a terrible choice. Last time I checked, they still thought it was a good idea.

      You don't need an account to use the phone though, nor a SIM card. Also if you enable write access, you can use the repositories just like you would in any Debian distro, but lose the ability to install OS updates. You also can't get updates without a Ubuntu One account (at least by default).

      Bluetooth is almost completely missing, there is no encryption, and the default terminal software (you need a Ubuntu One account in order to install), lacks some key combinations. Translations are quite good.

      My overall feeling is, it will continue to lack the features that motivates me to look for an alternative OS, so I did not want to spend more time on figuring things out.

    5. Re:Any useful reviews? by greenfruitsalad · · Score: 1

      i thought it was only necessary for installing non-free commercial software. you still get apt install, should you choose to use it.

    6. Re:Any useful reviews? by sad_ · · Score: 1

      "do I have to have an account somewhere to use my own phone?"

      No. But you can have your ubuntu phone manage (supported) accounts for you and even select if apps are allowed to use this account.

      --
      On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
    7. Re:Any useful reviews? by sad_ · · Score: 1

      - How good is this Ubuntu phone?

      it is different and takes getting used to. There are frequent updates to add new things. but it is not at the same shine & polish level as android is now. It's perhaps Android 2.x quality and that's not too bad first a first public release, right? Most apps on the 'store' are made by true hobby/oss programmers, so quality varies, a lot of webapps too.

      - What windowing system does it run?

      mir + unity 8. before you go nuts, it actually works pretty well for a phone interface. I'm not sold on unity on the desktop (use xubuntu myself), but i have no issues with it running on the ubuntu phone.

      - Does it come with a terminal program like my N900?

      there is a terminal available; apt works, vi works, what else do you need? :)

      - I can get root if I want it?

      yes.

      --
      On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
    8. Re:Any useful reviews? by gox · · Score: 1

      You can use apt after enabling write access, but then you lose the ability to install "default" OS updates. If you are a former N900 user, the whole environment will feel intentionally crippled.

      Priorities differ though, and I particularly liked the user interface.

  5. Re:Woo by amalcolm · · Score: 2

    Seems to me this could be competition gor Google, Microsoft and Apple, so it's a good thing. I guess it could pave the way for your favorite Linux distro to follow?

    --
    Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
  6. No 4G by amorsen · · Score: 3, Informative

    Only 2G and 3G.

    --
    Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
    1. Re:No 4G by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Only 2G and 3G.

      That's OK, you're life is moving too fast anyway.

    2. Re:No 4G by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

      You're the second person to post this information. The only problem is you contradict each other on whether 3G will work, and neither of you offer a source to verify against.

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
    3. Re:No 4G by amorsen · · Score: 1

      It's right there in the summary. It lists the GSM bands and the UMTS bands. At least it does HSPA+ both up and down, but that is little comfort if you are in a 4G area with lousy 3G coverage...

      See also http://www.bq.com/gb/aquaris-e... if you do not trust the summary...

      --
      Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
    4. Re:No 4G by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

      Since this story is about the introduction of the phone's availability in North America, the only relevant question is whether it is capable of connecting to 4G and 3G in North America. This information is not at all reflected in any of the links which you have provided. As has been discussed earlier in the thread, though the phone has 3G capabilities, this does not include the ability to connect to existing 3G networks in North America.

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
    5. Re:No 4G by amorsen · · Score: 1

      The story is about the introduction of the phone's availability outside Europe. Insert joke about ignorant Americans here.

      --
      Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
    6. Re:No 4G by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

      You are right, I was being a bit provincial. But pointing out the phones hardware capability still doesn't answer the question of whether it can connect to those services anywhere outside of Europe.

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
  7. Re:They should have concentrated on desktop by dominux · · Score: 1

    in theory, one day the desktop will run the phone operating system. I think this is what they mean by convergence, it will all be the same and it will all be QML. You might still be able to run GTK things on a desktop, but I am not 100% sure of that, I just can't see a viable desktop based on just QML things if it is supposed to be a successor to Ubuntu desktop.

  8. Re:They should have concentrated on desktop by t551 · · Score: 2

    QML is just a layout description language, sort of like a much better implementation of Android's layouts. It has a tiny bit of smarts, so you can write simple applications just in QML, but the general way it's used is that C++ code loads the QML layout, then selects and manipulates widgets within the layout (again, like a much saner reimplementation of Android's UI approach).