Who Would Actually Build an Ubuntu Smartphone? 230
Nerval's Lobster writes "When Canonical whipped back the curtain from its upcoming Ubuntu for smartphones, it set off a flurry of blogosphere speculation about the open-source operating system's chances on the open market. But which company would actually build such a device? Apple and Research In Motion and Nokia are all out of the running, for very obvious reasons. Motorola, as a subsidiary of Google, is also unlikely to leap on the Ubuntu bandwagon. While Hewlett-Packard has flirted with smartphones in the past, most notably after its Palm acquisition, the company doesn't seem too focused on that segment at the moment. That leaves manufacturers such as HTC, which currently offer devices running either Google Android or Windows Phone. But given Android's popularity, it might prove difficult for Canonical to convince these manufacturers to do more than release a token Ubuntu device—especially if Google and Microsoft apply counter-pressure."
Re:Who ? (Score:2, Informative)
Rose's did
Re:build your own (Score:4, Informative)
Now it's called "The Chinese".
They offer you any combination of software and hardware you would like, from what's freely available, for a small price. There are zounds of companies selling cheap, branded devices which are simply customized generic devices onto which some generic Android version has been installed. All it takes for Ubuntu for Mobiles is to be flexible enough to allow itself to be slammed onto those generic devices. Screen Resolution from X*Y pixels to Z*T pixels, accelerometer support, 3G Support, USB Dongle Support, etc. and you're done.
here in Romania we have Allview which offers cheap phones and tablets, with Android 4.0.4 and above. A dual-SIM (both SIMs working at the same time) device costs about 160 USD retail price, no strings attached. Of course, you don't get an exquisite hardware quality but at this price you can't ask for it, really. Those devices work, they do their stuff well enough.