Canonical has released a new version of the Ubuntu Touch operating system, this time based on the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS which was released on april 17, 2014.
This release of Ubuntu Touch features the followings:
- overhauled home screen
- scope experience
- new web container featuring the V8 javascript engine and chromium rendering
- Qt 5.2
- enablement stack from the Android 4.4 branch
The new image has not the highest quality yet so you may experience some problems and bugs, but this release of Ubuntu Touch version is definitely a big step forward compared to the initial release done in October 2013. Ubuntu developers have been working for more than a year now, and are still working very hard with high velocity to give the user a very nice product.
Unfortunately, this is not a supported release but it is very important for the team to hand out a relatively ‘stable’ build and get feedback from the user, so Ubuntu Smartphone can be mature enough for hitting the market late this summer.
The Ubuntu Touch team has learned alot from previous images, fixing multiple unity8 bugs in this release (some scope optimization, carousel interaction with last image, preview widgets, new default background) and several bugs for touch settings and their tests.
Ubuntu powered phones will ship this year from two manufacturers: BQ in Spain and Meizu in China. The price tag is not known yet, but according to an interview of the Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth for the Inquirer the upcoming Ubuntu mobile phones will cost between $200 and $400.
Later a Canonical spokesperson revealed for arstechnica that the final pricing structures will be set by the two hardware manufacturers, BQ and Meizu.
Even this is not the final place where Ubuntu Touch team want to see their product, it is very nice to have a stable image that linux geeks and smartphone users can rely on for their digital life. At the moment, the main goal of Canonical is to create an operating system that can be easily installed across many different devices such as netbooks, desktops, tablets and smartphones.
As a linux geek and ubuntu “lover” I wish all best to Canonical and I badly hope they reach their goal. By the way guys, it is time to upgrade from a saucy-based Touch image to a trusty-based one!
