Ubuntu for Phones Hits Developers Next Week

Canonical — the company behind the Ubuntu project — announced that the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu will be available for the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4 on Feb. 21, 2013.

Canonical says the Touch Developer Preview is designed for enthusiasts and developers — giving them a chance to “familiarize themselves with Ubuntu’s smartphone experience and develop applications on spare handsets.”

Even better, Canonical will install the new OS on the phones of developers who want it and are attending Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona Feb. 25-28.

It so happens that I have a Nexus 4 and I’ll bet at MWC. I’m not sure if I’ll have time to get the flash install on the Nexus 4 before I leave for Spain so I may just stop by the Ubuntu booth to get it done.

Earlier this week, Canonical released its design guides for Ubuntu apps. These guides give developers insight into the design vision for Ubuntu, as well as global patterns that need to be followed so that apps will behave consistently.

The company also released a developer SDK for developers that want to build apps using native Qt/QML, web or HTML5.

Ubuntu is just one of many companies duking it out for another spot in the mobile marketplace. In addition to Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8, we’re also seeing lots of movement on the new BlackBerry 10 OS, as well as rumblings from the Tizen, Sailfish and Firefox OS.

By focusing its preview builds on the Nexus line of handsets, Ubuntu is hitting at the perfect sweet spot of developer and enthusiasts. I can’t wait to give the OS a try next week.

Image courtesy of Canonical

Credit: Mashable