Ubuntu Touch set to get Apps Collection, add yours now

Ubuntu Touch set to get Apps Collection, add yours now

What is Ubuntu Touch, you ask? Touch is a super ambitious project sponsered by Canonical to get Ubuntu on mobile devices--you know--the phones and tablets kind. It's the OS that will power the upcoming Ubuntu Phone. If you haven't already, watch this longish viral video on Ubuntu Phone, explained in detailed by Mark Shuttleworth himself. Ubuntu Touch's first installable preview was released was released on 21st February, and is up for grabs to be installed on a limited set of devices. Ubuntu Touch is slated for an end-2013 or early-2014 release.

Michael Hall, of Canonical, announced on his blog their plan for inclusion into the next Ubuntu Touch Preview image a collection of functional and usable apps developed for Ubuntu Touch by third-party developers.

So Alan Pope (popey) and I have kicked off what we’re calling the App Collection, which are apps being developed outside of the scope of our Core Apps project, but that we still want to support, promote, and  guide through the process of getting them ready for deployment to Ubuntu devices.

It is interesting to note that a set of Core Apps for Ubuntu Touch is already under active development, and this App Collection will feature apps in addition to the ones in the Core Apps bundle. And it is a good opportunity for interested developers to get their own app featured in App Collection. As Michael concluded:

This is a great opportunity for you, as a developer, to get your app in the hands of a large number of early adopters.  It’s also a great opportunity for us, being able to promote off our platform and how it is being used by the app developer community.

App development on this new platform is possible using Ubuntu SDK, and developers can use either of QML--JavaScript-based declarative language--(for native apps) or HTML5 (for webapps). Exciting times ahead!

Blackberry Investigating ‘Convergent’, Ubuntu Touch-style Future for their Mobile OS

Blackberry Investigating ‘Convergent’, Ubuntu Touch-style Future for their Mobile OS

Ubuntu’s goal to run one OS across multiple devices is forward thinking – so much so that it seems other operating systems are now keen to get in on the act.

Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins, in an interview with ABC, has revealed that the company are investigating ways to power laptops and tablets from a Blackberry-powered smartphone.

Sound familiar?

If you’re a regular reader of this site, or just generally don’t live under a rock, then this multi device, single-computing concept will be. Canonical, Ubuntu’s financial backers, also have an aim to power tablets, phones, TVs and desktop using a sole OS – Ubuntu. Their goal is to have the same code running on each device, but with its interface automatically adapting to suit the screen-size and form-factor.

Admittedly Canonical/Ubuntu are not the first company to explore the idea of computing convergence. Google, whose Android OS runs on Phones, Tablets and TVs, and possibly soon powering the base of Chrome OS, are exploring their own pseudo-convergent story. But it’s fractured implementation is, perhaps, not as elegant a solution as that proposed by Canonical with Ubuntu.

But do Blackberry stand a chance should they follow a convergent strategy?

While details are scant right now, the company will be providing more details on their plans at Blackberry World in May. But, plucky courage aside, history doesn’t bode well for them.

Motorola gave Android convergence a spin with their dockable-line of Atrix devices (which didn’t take off); and Samsung mooted it with their Galaxy Note II (originally planned to ‘convert’ into a desktop PC when docked). It’s only ASUS, with their bulky PadFone concept, that sits as the sole semi-successful attempt at bringing unified computing to the masses.

Microsoft, with Windows 8, have also attempted to bridge common ground between desktop and tablet computers.

Sidenote

At January’s press unveiling of the Ubuntu Phone I over-heard a discussion concerning Blackberry and Ubuntu Touch. From the snatch I heard it seems that several of Ubuntu Touch’s original designers were subsequently hired by RIM (now known as ‘Blackberry’) to work on Blackberry 10.

If anyone has any more information/pointers on whether this is true I’d love to hear from you. Contact details are at the top.

Twitter Core App Cancelled for Ubuntu Touch

Canonical today through software engineer Robert Bruce Park confirmed plans to cancel the Twitter app for Ubuntu Touch.

The Twitter App was one of the core apps targeted for colloborative development with the community contributors playing a equal role.

Robert Park had this to say on the Ubuntu Phone mailing list:

“So far, Twitter Core App has been cancelled due to negotiations with Twitter. So, disappointingly, official twitter app will be a browser pointed at m.twitter.com.”

Mr. Park had in previous conversations on the mailing list highlighted the fact that users who would eventually be buying the first Ubuntu Phones would react poorly to the lack of a official Twitter or Facebook app and that it was pretty critical that Canonical buy the rights to use the Twitter brand on the upcoming platform.

It is unclear how failed negotiations will impact the overall Ubuntu Touch UI considering that displaying the amount of tweets received was a hallmark feature of the new crisp UI.