ubuntu phone - yes, no, maybe?
 

It is possible to get 3 different phones with ubuntu phone now, none of them too expensive.

good.

i wonder what people's experience or informed opinion is?

ubuntu is pushing "convergence", which basically means that one operating system runs on all devices, that i can use my smartphone as a computer...
how far along is it?

now there's loads of blog articles and reviews out there, but most of them focus on comparing ubuntu phone (UP from now on) to other phone OSs - with their fully grown app universe. of course UP comes up short!
but that's not what i'm interested in. OS stability, and the standard browsing, music and video, and of course phone and sms is good enough for me.
but, i want the same freedom i have with my linux desktop install: to Do Things.
(my most important project is still to get a usable connection to the data & media stored on my kitchenserver.)

the day before yesterday i had a chat with someone on #ubuntu-phone - i think it was a dev.
i asked if i can use & upgrade it like any normal ubuntu/debian-based, install apps and utilities and so on.
basically he said, gui apps are difficult because UP uses a different gui model than Xorg, but basically yes, but you loose you guarantee that OTA (over the air) updates will work. but they should, regardless.

yesterday i was browsing the ubuntu phone section on ubuntu forums; of course people only post if something doesn't work - it looks like a normal and healthy distro forum to me.
OTA updates come in almost daily, i gather. very lively development.
there was, however, a lot of familiar discussions about how to get some app or other working; familiar from my 2 android phones: convoluted and fragile solutions, like installing ubuntu desktop in a chroot.
UP even recommends adb (android debug bridge?) as the only way to access the phone from your computer. or the standard mtp connection. so it's the same shit as everywhere.

the other aspect is this:
- ok, android is big, evil google, but there's a few established solutions around to use it without an account, use f-droid instead of play store, well documented security hacks and so on.
- UP certainly isn't the white knight here, but if not google, what do they use, is it really "better" than google and can i opt out easily?

yes, i am seriously considering to buy a UP phone, as soon as i get the feeling that it is an improvement freedom and security wise.

i wonder what people's experience or informed opinion is?

How easy is it to change the battery without destroying the phone and does it have a external sd card slot for extra storage.

My questions were answered below earlier this year.

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/cof...new-phone.html

thanks for that link.
very interesting, lots of info, basically same questions as mine.
some development has happened during the 6 months since the op of that thread got their phone.
recently the UP people added another bq device, the bq e5 (see 1st link in my first post).
it's a little better than the e4.5, and has a larger screen which is particularly important for me.

things i'm still wondering:
- will i be able to update my ubuntu phone continuously, in a way that is more consistent with the desktop version (several years), and much better than what android devices offer?
- it's become quite clear that convergence isn't quite there yet, but:
- it sounds really good for the future, but i wonder what exactly is possible right now (even command line apps, not graphic)

about the battery life, the UF thread you linked is a dead end, op was just panicking.
it seems the bq e4.5 (UP's low end model) has an inbuilt battery, which i gather is problematic for rokytnji. i can see why, but even if the e5 has one too, i'm not bothered by it.

i thought all phones on the market have a slot for sdcards. the e5 has one (it's a little tricky to get to the specs page, but the info is there).
the meizu doesn't! holy crap, that's an important point, thanks for pointing that out.

but i was more interested in the e5 anyway, which i think is not too expensive compared to android/samsung prices.

i am still somewhat at a loss about what exactly UP's version of "the google universe" is, and if it's possible to opt out.

i will give this thread one gentle bump before the weekend ends...
hopefully some people respond...

The Linux Luddites cover smartphones heavily and frequently have comments about the Ubuntu phone. Unfortunately, no specific episodes come to mind to point you toward, but, if you click the "toggle show notes" icon for each episode, you may should find some interesting links.

I'm not particularly interested in the topic until the Ubuntu phone moves farther away from being vaporware. Plus I find the whole "convergence" notion mildly irritating--concluding that persons must have the same or similar interface on all their devices is, AFAIC, insults the intelligence of users. But that's just me.

If developing apps is easier than Android then I'd love to have Ubuntu phone.

I'd be willing to put it on a Nexus 4/5 if I had one. Maybe I'll pick one up next year around April/May-ish. Even if I did I think I'd still dual-boot with Android. Ubuntu is simply not mature enough on mobile.

But there are a few things I think I would miss from Android:
* Swype
* Evernote (offline)
* Insanely accurate voice typing
* Decent native email client

thanks for the hint.
unfortunately, i wasn't able to find any sort of search function on that website, and even a web search only leads back to the main site, which doesn't seem to contain the phrase "ubuntu phone"... if someone could assist, i'd be thankful.

i always thought that to encompass the whole operating system, in other words, i can install the same ubuntu on my phone as on my laptop...

...and this:

That is a weakness on their website. Unfortunately, the shownotes must be ploughed through one at a time.

I sent them an email about the lack of a search function in response to your post, with a link to this thread.

We shall see what we shall see.

It is quite a good podcast.

I heard back from the Linux Luddites.

They say that their most in-depth discussion of the Ubuntu Phone and OS was in this episode:
https://linuxluddites.com/shows/episode-35/

They have, however, touched on it in other episodes.

They have also added a search box to their website.

I must say I was impressed by their prompt, responsive, and courteous reply.

wow, thanks for all this.
and thanks to linuxluddites. i started listening to it now. 2h 20min, urgh... but fortunately the UP article seems to be the first!

They do tend to run on. They have recognized that this is a problem; they still record every two weeks, but break each episode into two bits and release every week.

While I never expected them to succeed, I currently see it as the only "3th choice" mobile platform that might actually get there.
They (Canonical) made the right decision in focusing on software only.

After what happened with Jolla and Sailfish OS (robbing people with fake/non-existing tablets), I'm considering UP as well.
One of UPs biggest advantages is that it doesn't need to be successful to be useful.

Re: Ubuntu Phone-Yes, No, Maybe?
 

Check this out!
http://www.ubuntu.com/phone
http://www.ubuntu.com/tablet

No Whatsapp no Ubuntu phone