Ubuntu For Android turns your smartphone into a desktop PC!

Few revelations in technology light up the eyes of jaded journalists. But Canonical, the makers of the popular Ubuntu Linux distro, have managed just that with their new Ubuntu For Android operating system.

Now, this isn’t a half-baked attempt like Motorola’s WebTop or the thousand “Android compatibility” desktop solutions we keep hearing about. Canonical’s idea is the best mobile-desktop harmony we have ever seen.

Essentially, the entire OS is loaded up on your Android smartphone (Android is based on Linux and uses the same kernel as Ubuntu). You place your phone in a dock connected to a screen – that combination is the equivalent of your desktop’s CPU cabinet. The familiar Ubuntu OS boots up powered by your phone!

Canonical has obviously built in several enhancements that make your experience better. For example, you can accept and reject calls as well as send and receive SMSes directly from the desktop. And you can even access some of your favourite Android apps on the big screen.

A screenshot of the new Ubuntu For Android

The Verge got some hands-on time with it and reports that the default Ubuntu apps come configured to leverage your Android apps. So for example, Thunderbird is already synced to access your Android Mail app, Rhythmbox shows songs from the Android music player, etc.

But we know the main hindrance that’s crossing your mind right now. “What happens if I have to pick up my phone to talk?” That’s the killer feature of Ubuntu for Android, if you ask us. If you are in the middle of a desktop session and you pick up your phone, all you have to do is place it back in the dock to resume from the last state you were in. Brilliant!

Of course, you will need a pretty powerful Android smartphone to do this. Canonical lists the minimum requirements as a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of free memory space, and USB and HDMI connectivity. Most top-of-the-line smartphones offer these features now and they are only bound to get more easily available in mid-range handsets.

Canonical will be debuting Ubuntu for Android at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, so stay tuned for more details.

Sources: Ubuntu For Android, The Verge