The makers of the Ubuntu Linux operating system for notebooks, desktops, and servers have been working on a version for phones and tablets… and hope to see the first of those devices ship later this year or early in 2015.
Meizu and bq have already announced plans to sell phones with Ubuntu Touch software, and now it looks like an Ubuntu tablet could also ship before the end of the year.
Update: The tablet has been delayed indefinitely.
Ubuntu for tablets
Phoronix reports a tablet called the UT One is in development by Demski Group and Mastermind Hardware and Logistics. It’s possible the groups are just loading Ubuntu on an OEM-made device that would otherwise ship with Windows or Android, but that doesn’t change the fact that the UT One could be one of the first tablets sold with the new touch-friendly version of Ubuntu as its primary operating system.
The tablet is said to feature a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display, an Intel Atom Z3735D Bay Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage.
It has a microSD card slot, 2MP front and rear cameras, WiFi, Bluetooth, and stereo speakers. The UT One has a 7900mAh battery for up to 8 hours of run time, and the tablet measures 0.4 inches thick and weighs 1.4 pounds.
Note that the image above shows what Ubuntu looks like on tablets — but it doesn’t necessarily show what the UT One looks like. While the makers of the UT One hope to ship their product in December, I haven’t seen any actual pictures of the tablet yet.
Sounds great! When can I pre-order one?
Late November
I’m interested in the concept here but not this particular hardware, and I worry that manufacturers would confuse the two. I also think Atom-based Win8 tablets are not particularly worth anyone’s time, being so low powered as to be effectively a toy. But maybe that’s all tablets are in general right now.
False. Atom-based Win8 tablets can do quite a huge amount of things. The only way you can say this with a straight face is if you haven’t used a Windows 8 tablet. Since I got mine I’ve put my Android tablet aside.
Same here, I would rather grab the Windows 8 tablet instead of the Kindle. It has a better browser and a better selection of software.
So true. Honestly, I feel like my Android tablet is a toy by comparison.
If you thought that was at all a statement of preference for Android tablets, you need to work on your reading comprehension. I want a tablet I can use instead of a laptop, and to be blunt, an Atom processor isn’t even close to capable of meeting my needs. Right now, the only real option in that category is the Surface Pro, and it would be nice to see some competition. Ubuntu Touch on yet another low cost tablet is a long way from scratching that itch.
I really don’t think it has anything to do with what type of Android tablet you are talking about. That was an example.I have an iPad as well. Neither are used as much as my Windows tablet. I’ll be blunt too. A Windows tablet with Atom is a lot closer to doing real work than any Android or Apple tablet. Surface Pro is closer to competition with a Macbook Air than any tablet, and seriously, what exactly do you want to do with it other than consume some media and play some games? If you want to do actual hard work like graphics design or programming, a tablet isn’t the device you should use. Sure, a Surface Pro has touch and can be removed from the keyboard, so technically, its a tablet, but even the commercials show it side-by-side with a Macbook Air. Frankly, most people using tablets don’t want… Read more »
No tablet is worth a damn for real productivity compared to a laptop. the limitation factor isnt the lack of power, it’s the lack of meaningful input in tablet mode. you can’t type quick enough on the on screen keyboards, or accurately enough for any sort of real data entry. And the moment you keep it with a keyboard all the time you might as well have a laptop and bypass the limitations that tablets always have (i.e. battery capacity, processing power, etc) If you just plan on setting it on a desk with a keyboard, just use a desktop. The point is, tablets are a totally different niche then you are looking for. they have different uses. even if you had a tablet with a 3.5Ghz processer, 16GB ram, decent graphics, and 1 TB storage, it wouldnt replace your desktop, or even your laptop. since the moment you are… Read more »
I guess it might depend on your definition of tablet. Although I haven’t actually used it, the Asus Transformer T200 hardly sounds like a toy. It sounds like a device you can run real apps on, like Word. I think there may be a review on this site of using the lesser T100 as a desktop replacement.
My concern about this tablet would be the lack of apps, unless maybe it can run Android apps. For Windows the only Metro app I’ve found worthwhile is their Mail app. This might be the only tablet with fewer apps than a Windows tablet. 😉
It has a number of apps already but of course is an os that’s not even out yet…
However in about a year the os will have full convergence so you can even transform it into a real desktop.
Ubuntu spyware instead of Google/Apple/MS… not sure I see a compelling reason to choose this. I think that Mark is wasting his time/money on mobile… Ubuntu desktop is very good…. he just needs to monetize it properly.
With those specs, it better be cheap.
Yes it should
It will be aggressively priced
I will surely buy one.
I’m hoping for a 7″-8″ tablet with Ubuntu Touch. For now, I’m eyeing one of the phablets from bq or Meizu and hopefully use it as a tablet device. If it goes well then I may actually use it as my everyday phone.
Ubuntu Tablet sounds good to me.
I hope they make an 8″ model too.
man … i hope i can get one , but i also hope i can get a ubuntu phone :), a tablet is probably better if the phone can’t be used with a carrier .
🙂 Excellent! The dawn of a new era.
Weren’t these supposed to be available in Oct 2014? I’m tired of waiting. I’m gonna buy an iPad instead.