Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
A new smartphone that runs on the Ubuntu operating system is going on sale in the UK next week, but customers looking for an alternative to the iPhone or Android devices will have to be quick in order to get one, various media outlets reported on Friday.
According to CNET.com, the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition will only be available in limited quantities through a first-come, first-served flash sale. Details of the first sale will be announced through Ubuntu and BQ’s social media accounts on Tuesday, the website explained.
Ubuntu is an open-sourced operating system (OS) developed by British firm Canonical, and to date it has primarily been an alternative for PCs that do not run Windows or Mac-based operating systems. Now, however, its developers are looking to expand it to devices such as phones, tablets and even drones.
The Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition uses what BBC News describes as a “card-like user interface” which, unlike its primary competitors, does not play a heavy emphasis on apps. The flash sale is aimed at “early adopters,” the company said, and the developers are hoping that those individuals will help promote the platform through word-of-mouth.
Canonical, which based their operating system on Linux, told the British news agency that it was hoping to emulate the success of Xiaomi and other Chinese companies with its flash-sale release strategy. Offering limited numbers of the smartphone for short periods of time will allow them to gauge demand for the device before committing to a full production run, they explained.
“It’s a proven model – we’re making sure that the product lands in the right hands,” Canonical vice-president of mobile Cristian Parrino told the BBC. “We are way away from sticking this in a retail shop in the High Street. [But] it’s where we want to get to.”
Chris Green, from the UK-based PR firm Davies Murphy Group Europe, said that he believed that core Ubuntu users “will clamor to buy the phone just because they will be curious to see what it is, how it works and how they can develop for it,” but that demand amongst the “more mainstream, early adopter market” would be limited because “people are more app-focused.”
Not focused on apps
Unlike Apple or Android-powered devices, the Ubuntu phone does not put a focus on apps. It can run program written in the HTML5 web programming language or its native QML code, but those apps are hidden away by the unique user interface features on the US.
Rather than showing apps, is uses themed cards called “Scopes” to collect different types of content. The home screen or “Today Scope” presents a selection of items based on the things that the user most frequently interacts with, including but not limited to local weather forecasts, news headlines, social media trends and the most frequently used contacts, BBC News explained.
By swiping to the right, users can either place a call or access some of the other Scopes, which include ones devoted to music, video, photos, things that are going on nearby, and one that gives access to the camera and third-party software programs. Users can also create their own Scopes, and individual services can be set to have their own dedicated Scope cards.
The phone hardware will offer what TechCrunch calls “pretty bog standard mid-range specs,” including a 4.5 inch display, 1GB RAM, a quad-core A7 processor that can run at speeds of up to 1.3Ghz, 8GB of built-in storage, and 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. It also has a dual-SIM slot and is usable on any network, according to PC Magazine.
—–
Follow redOrbit on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest.
Comments