Gadgetory

it's been three years since we last used Ubuntu on smartphones in that time the platform has gained compatibility with a wider range of hardware picked up a few interface improvements and spawned some slick new features from the Ubuntu booth at MWC i'm michael fisher with pocket now let's go hands-on with Ubuntu for phones I'm a sucker for new interfaces so before I kick out about gesture controls there are a few things you should know about Ubuntu for phones the so called apps you see on these demo devices are mostly just wrappers for mobile websites well it's apparently pretty easy to code native apps in Qt there's not really an app ecosystem to speak up also while you can install the OS on a wide range of handsets we saw it running pretty well in an ancient Nexus for only a handful of phones currently offer it pre-loaded out of the box we used Ubuntu for phones on the best hardware currently supported amazing pro 5 and while there were a few hiccups here and there on this pre-release software on the whole it was really quite impressive Ubuntu takes a different approach to the homescreen with something called scopes they're kind of like Google now meets old-school Windows Mobile with the today's scope displaying everything from local weather to nearby restaurants to missed calls when you want to get to other apps you slide the launcher in from the left side and though they are if you want to shuffle between apps you're already running in the background you swipe in from the right and there they are if you like the idea of Windows continuum but don't so much like the Windows bit pay attention if you're using a phone with HDMI out you can plug into an external monitor or TV and pair it to a keyboard and mouse and poof Ubuntu on the desktop and while continuum is getting all the headlines this is actually superior in a few ways apps run in Windows instead of being forced to fullscreen the browser can manage multiple tabs without constantly reloading and all apps installed on the phone will run in desktop mode as well not just a small subset of apps now granted there aren't many apps to begin with but still it's nice that you're not limited look Lubuntu four phones has been in the works for a while and it's not likely to catch fire anytime soon people aren't exactly clamoring for a third mobile platform and do I really want to exchange all my third-party apps for web wrappers course not but in many parts of the world phones from Google Apple and Microsoft just aren't feasible for one reason or another Ubuntu for phones could be a nice fit for people in those regions while here at home more and more folks are complaining that there's nothing exciting and smart phones anymore well here it is we'll know how well it works in the real world following a full review coming soon for now we're just happy that there's another option out there there's still more to see from MWC 2016 in Barcelona so be sure to subscribe here on YouTube and follow all the breaking news at pocketnow.com till next time this has been michael fisher captain two phones on twitter thanks for watching everyone we'll see on the other side