Ubuntu for Android aiming to turn your smartphone into a computer

Smartphones are getting more and more powerful in the last few years and they have finally caught up with computers from not that long ago. This is the reason for manufacturers to start thinking of ways to combine the two in one pocket device. Motorola tried this with the Lapdock accessories, which, although a big step forward, weren’t very successful. Now though, Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, have decided to also give it a try with their Ubuntu for Android project.

The idea is simply – you use your mobile phone for calls, e-mails and what not during the day and when you get home, you put it on a docking station, which connects it to a monitor, keyboard and mouse and essentially turns it into a computer, running Ubuntu. So far, the project is in an early beta stage and the company still has to work with the main manufacturers of Android devices, in order to optimize the software and make sure, that switching from one OS to another and working with applications is as fast and stable as possible. Another issue is the lack of Ubuntu programs for ARM-based devices and even though Intel’s x86 mobile processors are going to hit the market any time now, it’s probably going to take a while for them to become popular. Canonical are going to attend the Mobile World Congress at Barelona, so more information should be released pretty soon. B. A.