Seven years after Ubuntu developer Canonical stopped supporting a mobile version of the GNU/Linux distribution designed for smartphones, the folks at UBPorts continue to keep Ubuntu Touch alive and ticking. This week the team rolled out Ubuntu Touch OTA-4 with support for over two dozen smartphones and tablets.

In other recent tech news, it looks like Amazon plans to stop using Android for future versions of its Fire TV operating system, watch maker Fossil has announced it’s done making smartwatches, and if you’ve been wondering whether Sipeed’s tiny laptop with a RISC-V processor module is any good, an in-depth review suggests it may depend on what you’re planning to use it for (and if the answer is anything other than RISC-V development, maybe it’s not for you).

Sipeed Lichee Console 4a

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Ubuntu Touch OTA-4 Focal Release [UBPorts]

Ubuntu Touch OTA-4 Focal 20.04 LTS released, and the latest version of the mobile Linux distro brings per-contact ringtones, estimated charge time on the lock screen, integrated theme switching, and more.

Lichee Console 4A RISC-V devkit testing [CNX Software]

The Sipeed Lichee Console 4A is the first RISC-V mini laptop available, and while it’s not particularly useful as a general-purpose computer, it’s a fairly affordable option for those looking for a RISC-V development and testing platform.

Amazon job listing confirms that Fire TV is dropping Android-based Fire OS

Amazon’s Fire TV devices currently run an Android-based operating system called Fire OS, but it looks like Amazon plans to transition to a new OS (probably the Vega OS we’ve been hearing about). Fire tablets will likely remain unaffected (for now).

Odds are that future versions of the Fire TV OS will still look like this, but under the hood they could be based on a completely new operating system

Fossil is quitting smartwatches [The Verge]

Fossil Group is pulling out of the smartwatch business. The company hasn’t released a new Wear OS device since 2021, and has no plans for any new models. Software updates will continue for at least few more years though.

Fossil Gen 6

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  1. Just a thought. If Amazon fail to allow side loading on the new firetv. I can see them go a similar way of the fire phone. Which at the time was a very good phone!!!!

    Reply

  2. Yes, I want my AI doppelganger spy-droid distributed operating system to wake me up at the best time it deems fit. I want it to be my therapist and anticipate what I think and feel before I do so. This will be excellent tool for precrime enforcement.

    Reply

    1. When I crap-post when I’ve been drinking, remember posts like this…..

      At Anonymous poster — are you Some Guy? I like you, but I see a trend in these anonymous and disconjointed posts lets say that I know are from the same person — don’t say I disagree with you at all. If you are referring to Windows 12, well, yeah, I want nothing to do with it. As long as I can install Windows 11/10/Server, I will do so. Otherwise, I’m switching to Linux. Thank the gods I have only 15 months of college left before I graduate (and I already let my college know my grievances that they require Windows and Microsoft software to be able to function and even graduate our classes).

      Reply

      1. Yeah but DJ Ware is not a drunken shitposter like myself though.
        Warehouses full of exaflop supercomputers will almost certainly make it a reality. I doubt VPN’s are a solution to having your cloud of online interests mapped by an AI, especially given the amount of closed hardware chips that comes with consumer electronics.

        Reply

        1. Lol…

          Self-deprecating humor serves a purpose. But in the end, it’s just false humility.

          **

          So, staying on topic. I’m still very interested in Risc-V, I just wish there were more options one could purchase.

          About Amazon, I couldn’t care less about them. Every company in the IT sector is tightening their belts right now — laying off employees, abandoning products. The IT bubble is starting to burst.

          As Anonymous poster likes to say so much about e-waste (and I actually agree!), it will be less e-waste for our environment which I think is a good thing.

          Reply

      2. I’m not writing the comments with the sort-of-on-topic names. I try to stick to using the same name, not that saying so proves anything.

        Reply