Look out iOS, Android, et al, a new kid is headed towards smartphone OS town-- Linux in Ubuntu form, as developers Canonical set to focus attentions on smartphones from 2013 onward.
It won't be a cut-down version of the PC OS either. According to Canonical Ubuntu 14.04 designed for use in smartphones and smart TVs as well as computers.
The interface is enhanced for touchscreens, apparently using all screen edges "for a more immersive experience" and thumb gestures for fast switching between apps.
Canonical aims the OS at two markets-- lower-end smartphones and an enterprise customers wanting to converge phone, PC and thin client into "a single enterprise superphone."
Now the company looks for OEMs and carriers willing to go for Linux, providing engineering services and compatibility with the typical Android Board Support Package (BSP). Programming language support includes HTML5, QML and OpenGL, but no Dalvik (the Android Java Virtual machine).
Ubuntu 14.04 is currently on show at CES 2013, but will only be available from 2014. Perhaps by then Canonical will manage to get a big name mobile vendor on board the Linux train.
