Verizon joins Ubuntu’s potential smartphone launch partners

Verizon will help "shape" Ubuntu phone OS, possibly sell the phones.

Read the whole story

 

[Rabbiddog]

Ugh! I know what this means. More exclusive and carrier locked phones.

 

[potato44829]

Rabbiddog[/url]":28b8skuu]Ugh! I know what this means. More exclusive and carrier locked phones.

Not to mention the fact that the mobile market is already pretty packed.

 

[sunnieskye]

Didn't Verizon lead the way in providing all our data to the NSA? Linnux or not, no thanks!

 

[vherrera0079]

Aaaaand there goes Ubuntu's phone OS.

 

[jbrodkin]

sunnieskye[/url]":q0ija1o5]Didn't Verizon lead the way in providing all our data to the NSA? Linnux or not, no thanks!

Well, the NSA forced them to. Verizon was the one outed because of the FISA court ruling leaks. There's no reason to think the other carriers aren't being forced to do the same.

 

[JJoelW]

I am not saying this can't work, but Canonical has a lot of muscle to push against if they want to make a play in the mobile market, especially in North America. Offering a cheap, effective OS in places where users aren't buying up $700 phones every year or two might give them some traction if they want to make it work, but I still worry this isn't something worth buying as much as it is something that is different from everything else.

 

[CrookedKnight]

I can't wait to see VCAST for Ubuntu!

 

[undervillain]

Deutsche Telekom but no T-mobile?

 

[StarKruzr]

Well, so much for that. It was nice to think for a little while that we'd get an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit.

 

[vudaful]

You would think Verizon and Ubuntu would have opposing ideas on who has control. It's pretty much why Google is done with Verizon.

 

[ws3]

StarKruzr[/url]":2wimeyik]Well, so much for that. It was nice to think for a little while that we'd get an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit.

If you believed that you were a gullible ding-dong.
There is no real market demand for Ubuntu phones. The only reason any carrier would bother with them is if they have total control over them and can use them for their nefarious purposes.

 

[coder543]

JJoelW[/url]":1b3a0efu]I am not saying this can't work, but Canonical has a lot of muscle to push against if they want to make a play in the mobile market, especially in North America. Offering a cheap, effective OS in places where users aren't buying up $700 phones every year or two might give them some traction if they want to make it work, but I still worry this isn't something worth buying as much as it is something that is different from everything else.

You need to wait until it is released to decide what market it deserves to fill. It has some features that are very... compelling. For business and consumer alike.

 

[Swarley]

ws3[/url]":27smynm2]

StarKruzr[/url]":27smynm2]Well, so much for that. It was nice to think for a little while that we'd get an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit.

If you believed that you were a gullible ding-dong.
There is no real market demand for Ubuntu phones. The only reason any carrier would bother with them is if they have total control over them and can use them for their nefarious purposes.

Not to mention that Shuttleworth specifically mentioned that Canonical was going to make it easy for carriers to take over Ubuntu phone and fill it with shovelware.

 

[coder543]

ws3[/url]":v6cyejn3]

StarKruzr[/url]":v6cyejn3]Well, so much for that. It was nice to think for a little while that we'd get an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit.

If you believed that you were a gullible ding-dong.
There is no real market demand for Ubuntu phones. The only reason any carrier would bother with them is if they have total control over them and can use them for their nefarious purposes.

Drats! you've ousted the evil plan! Now what are we going to do with this OS that totally didn't have unique and powerful features of its own? /s

 

[ws3]

coder543[/url]":1en3f8d4]

ws3[/url]":1en3f8d4]

StarKruzr[/url]":1en3f8d4]Well, so much for that. It was nice to think for a little while that we'd get an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit.

If you believed that you were a gullible ding-dong.
There is no real market demand for Ubuntu phones. The only reason any carrier would bother with them is if they have total control over them and can use them for their nefarious purposes.

Drats! you've ousted the evil plan! Now what are we going to do with this OS that totally didn't have unique and powerful features of its own? /s

Oh yeah, I forgot, there actually is an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit: iOS

 

[Solidstate89]

Verizon will help "shape" Ubuntu phone OS

Welp, that's it. Put a fork in her, she's done.

 

[potato44829]

vherrera0079[/url]":2zhut14o]Aaaaand there goes Ubuntu's phone OS.

Don't get me started on the tablet version. I tried it out and instantly begged for android. Faster than you can say "bricked"

 

[Fritzed]

Verizon will help "shape" Ubuntu phone OS[...]

Ding dong, the OS is dead.

 

[coder543]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":74bu1dgd]

vherrera0079[/url]":74bu1dgd]Aaaaand there goes Ubuntu's phone OS.

Don't get me started on the tablet version. I tried it out and instantly begged for android. Faster than you can say "bricked"

The phone version is much further along than the tablet version... but even so, we're still talking about something clearly labeled a developer preview. That means, a preview release so developers can make apps for it. It's nowhere near ready to replace a consumer ready OS like Android or iOS. When it is released, then it'll be time to compete with the other OSes.

 

[AreWeThereYeti]

I am waiting impatiently for the day I can plug my phone into a monitor and USB hub and use it as a Linux desktop. But not your way, Canonical. Build your stuff INTO Android, so it's both, or GTFO. The killer app is clear: Android + Linux desktop (with the ability to run Android apps from that desktop). This would compete directly with the whole Windows 8/"Meh"tro spaghetti ball. All those android apps, plus full Linux desktop, plus the option of even maybe running full Windows in a VM (if the device uses an Intel chip)?

I can hardly wait.

 

[Deleted member 1]

coder543[/url]":vud24kjo]

JJoelW[/url]":vud24kjo]I am not saying this can't work, but Canonical has a lot of muscle to push against if they want to make a play in the mobile market, especially in North America. Offering a cheap, effective OS in places where users aren't buying up $700 phones every year or two might give them some traction if they want to make it work, but I still worry this isn't something worth buying as much as it is something that is different from everything else.

You need to wait until it is released to decide what market it deserves to fill. It has some features that are very... compelling. For business and consumer alike.

In theory,you're right - it has certain features that make it compelling as a mobile OS. In practice,however, having a good or even great product can't guarantee you sales or mindshare (ie - WebOS)

 

[AreWeThereYeti]

ws3[/url]":c2i3tmzy]

coder543[/url]":c2i3tmzy]

ws3[/url]":c2i3tmzy]

StarKruzr[/url]":c2i3tmzy]Well, so much for that. It was nice to think for a little while that we'd get an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit.

If you believed that you were a gullible ding-dong.
There is no real market demand for Ubuntu phones. The only reason any carrier would bother with them is if they have total control over them and can use them for their nefarious purposes.

Drats! you've ousted the evil plan! Now what are we going to do with this OS that totally didn't have unique and powerful features of its own? /s

Oh yeah, I forgot, there actually is an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit: iOS

True. But not because of any benevolent intention on the part of Apple or the carriers. That resulted from the expected phenomenon of Apple using their 1600lbs of gorilla weight to make sure they gain and keep total, complete control of everything they touch. Good for them, good for their customers in some respects... but with no concern for the massive collateral damage (to the competitive ecosystem (books, anyone), to the idea of an open software market (adult software? Nope! Uncle Apple declares you to be a child), to the patent system) they inflict in the process.

 

[jdale]

jbrodkin[/url]":9nqh7spa]

sunnieskye[/url]":9nqh7spa]Didn't Verizon lead the way in providing all our data to the NSA? Linnux or not, no thanks!

Well, the NSA forced them to. Verizon was the one outed because of the FISA court ruling leaks. There's no reason to think the other carriers aren't being forced to do the same.

Untrue. Verizon and AT&T went to the NSA first. It was later after they wanted legal protection that the court orders were added to cover what they were doing. http://meincmagazine.com/tech-policy/2013 ... -wiretaps/

Why were they doing it? Unclear whether it was honest desire to spy on their customers for national security, or because they could charge the government for the service. (Same link as above.)

 

[netblaz]

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring,
UBUNTUFONE
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding,
UBUNTUFONE

Don't need live tiles, don't need DRM to call a friend of mine
Don't need apps or updates to have a real good time

 

[jdale]

bk109[/url]":r10ho56u]

coder543[/url]":r10ho56u]

JJoelW[/url]":r10ho56u]I am not saying this can't work, but Canonical has a lot of muscle to push against if they want to make a play in the mobile market, especially in North America. Offering a cheap, effective OS in places where users aren't buying up $700 phones every year or two might give them some traction if they want to make it work, but I still worry this isn't something worth buying as much as it is something that is different from everything else.

You need to wait until it is released to decide what market it deserves to fill. It has some features that are very... compelling. For business and consumer alike.

In theory,you're right - it has certain features that make it compelling as a mobile OS. In practice,however, having a good or even great product can't guarantee you sales or mindshare (ie - WebOS)

I'm certainly interested in this (and Mozilla's OS) for the same reasons I picked WebOS -- to keep out of a walled garden and to limit Google's surveillance.

On the other hand, the above sentence proves that I sure know how to pick a winner.

 

[netblaz]

now a more serious post!!

i have been eying ubuntufone and firefoxfone with great interest. i'm willing to forego angry birds if it means being able to completely code up my own experience. you can always root an android phone, but more often than not it's messy and draws carrier hostility.

 

[bvz_1]

jbrodkin[/url]":b8ho6vxp]

sunnieskye[/url]":b8ho6vxp]Didn't Verizon lead the way in providing all our data to the NSA? Linnux or not, no thanks!

Well, the NSA forced them to. Verizon was the one outed because of the FISA court ruling leaks. There's no reason to think the other carriers aren't being forced to do the same.

I thought that they actually approached the government and volunteered information on their users after 911.

Doesn't mean they weren't compelled after the fact, but I'm pretty sure that I read right here on the ars article about snowden that they proactively offered up our data.

Edit: looks like jdale beat me to it (with a proper reference to boot).

 

[PhilGil]

AreWeThereYeti[/url]":csbe9s1b]I am waiting impatiently for the day I can plug my phone into a monitor and USB hub and use it as a Linux desktop. But not your way, Canonical. Build your stuff INTO Android, so it's both, or GTFO. The killer app is clear: Android + Linux desktop (with the ability to run Android apps from that desktop). This would compete directly with the whole Windows 8/"Meh"tro spaghetti ball. All those android apps, plus full Linux desktop, plus the option of even maybe running full Windows in a VM (if the device uses an Intel chip)?

I can hardly wait.

I'd just be happy if I could run a few Android apps on my Linux desktop. There was a lot of buzz about that last year when the Android kernel was merged back in to the mainline Linux kernel, but I haven't heard much about it since.

Ultimately, though, I'd love to trade in my Android phone for one that's more open and not joined at the hip to Google. I'm really hoping Firefox OS gets some traction.

 

[beebee]

AreWeThereYeti[/url]":1sms6jrs]I am waiting impatiently for the day I can plug my phone into a monitor and USB hub and use it as a Linux desktop. But not your way, Canonical. Build your stuff INTO Android, so it's both, or GTFO. The killer app is clear: Android + Linux desktop (with the ability to run Android apps from that desktop). This would compete directly with the whole Windows 8/"Meh"tro spaghetti ball. All those android apps, plus full Linux desktop, plus the option of even maybe running full Windows in a VM (if the device uses an Intel chip)?

I can hardly wait.

You can run openSUSE on a Samsung S2 with chroot.

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-arm/ ... 00052.html

 

[beebee]

Duplicate post.

 

[Deleted member 1]

I think this is excellent news. Now Ubuntu Phone has a real fighting chance in the US.

 

[microlith]

ws3[/url]":3syjww2s]Oh yeah, I forgot, there actually is an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit: iOS

Or perhaps the right thing to do is follow Europe's lead and eliminate carrier exclusivity for handsets? And do away with air protocols that let carriers control handset choice?

The problem isn't the OS, it's the carriers and their undeserved power.

 

[Trencher93]

The amount of weasel words in this article makes my eyes hurt. But it would be interesting if a major carrier like Verizon standardized their low-end phones on a mobile OS instead of rolling their own.

 

[mattholimeau]

Swarley[/url]":kaui0zk9]

ws3[/url]":kaui0zk9]

StarKruzr[/url]":kaui0zk9]Well, so much for that. It was nice to think for a little while that we'd get an OS unencumbered by carrier bullshit.

If you believed that you were a gullible ding-dong.
There is no real market demand for Ubuntu phones. The only reason any carrier would bother with them is if they have total control over them and can use them for their nefarious purposes.

Not to mention that Shuttleworth specifically mentioned that Canonical was going to make it easy for carriers to take over Ubuntu phone and fill it with shovelware.

Not to mention that Shuttleworth has already filled Ubuntu with shovelware. Unity, amazon search... Do. Not. Want. Go back to "linux for windows users" (i.e., streamlined, user friendly linux) and I'd start considering Ubuntu again. Reopen Bug #1. Until then, I only hope Canonical goes belly up.

 

[potato44829]

coder543[/url]":23cqpsv7]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":23cqpsv7]

vherrera0079[/url]":23cqpsv7]Aaaaand there goes Ubuntu's phone OS.

Don't get me started on the tablet version. I tried it out and instantly begged for android. Faster than you can say "bricked"

The phone version is much further along than the tablet version... but even so, we're still talking about something clearly labeled a developer preview. That means, a preview release so developers can make apps for it. It's nowhere near ready to replace a consumer ready OS like Android or iOS. When it is released, then it'll be time to compete with the other OSes.

True, I guess I'm used to Windows dev previews where they work.

 

[AreWeThereYeti]

beebee[/url]":2obodes4]

AreWeThereYeti[/url]":2obodes4]I am waiting impatiently for the day I can plug my phone into a monitor and USB hub and use it as a Linux desktop. But not your way, Canonical. Build your stuff INTO Android, so it's both, or GTFO. The killer app is clear: Android + Linux desktop (with the ability to run Android apps from that desktop). This would compete directly with the whole Windows 8/"Meh"tro spaghetti ball. All those android apps, plus full Linux desktop, plus the option of even maybe running full Windows in a VM (if the device uses an Intel chip)?

I can hardly wait.

You can run openSUSE on a Samsung S2 with chroot.

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-arm/ ... 00052.html

edit: ah, that actually looks pretty interesting. Not quite a full merger, but at least the ability to run a desktop environment and Android at the same time. Nice. How to get and support this capability onto general Android devices is the challenge, though, since not many people still have the S2.

 

[Dark Laser]

Ha ha ha! Linux & locked bootloaders! XD

 

[jmshub]

So Verizon Wireless will sell Ubuntu phones? The store salesfolk will still try to talk everyone into a GS4 on display in the front of the store beside the iPhone before showing the customer the Ubuntu phone way in the back, that may or may not work...and possibly on a display that says BlackBerry Storm Exclusively at Verizon Wireless...

 

[Garst]

Open source meets total bloatware.