Posted inNews

Ubuntu Touch OTA 18 brings improved performance for older devices, among other updates

The developers of Ubuntu Touch have released their 18th stable update to the GNU/Linux distribution for smartphones and tablets. One of the key changes in Ubuntu Touch OTA-18? The folks at UBPorts say it “almost always feels feaster” than the previous release on the same device. That’s especially important for older hardware with aging specs. […]

Posted inNews

Volla Phone X rugged phone is available for pre-order with Ubuntu Touch or Android

The folks behind the Volla Phone are now taking pre-orders for a second phone that will also be available with a choice of Android or Ubuntu Touch operating systems pre-installed. As expected, the new Volla Phone X is a rugged smartphone with similar specs to the company’s first phone, but a more durable body. It also […]

Posted inNews

News Roundup: Hardware-accelerated video on the PinePhone, themes on the Librem 5

It’s been a busy few weeks in the Linux phone space (and a busy few weeks outside of it, which is why I haven’t had time to write much – but follow @linuxsmartphone on Twitter for more timely updates). Here’s a roundup of some recent news. Phosh 0.12.0 released [Purism] Updates to this open source, […]

Posted inNews

Ubuntu Touch OTA-17 brings initial support for NFC and other improvements (coming May 12, available for testing now)

The UBPorts team is set to roll out the next update to Ubuntu Touch on May 12th. While Ubuntu Touch OTA-17 won’t have as many user-facing changes as some previous builds of the operating system, there are still some goodies baked in, particularly for folks with a couple of specific devices. For example, Ubuntu Touch […]

Posted inNews

Lillbits: Acer’s rugged laptop and tablet, B&O’s bookshelf speaker, and Dell divests VMWare

Acer launched its first rugged laptops and tablets under the Acer Enduro brand last summer, and now the company is updating the line with a new 4.1 pound, 14 inch laptop with an IP53 certification for water and dust resistance and a MIL-STD-810H tested design and a 10 inch rugged tablet with the same certifications. […]

Posted inNews

Ubuntu Touch for the PinePhone is moving to a new kernel for better hardware support

Ubuntu Touch can run on dozens of smartphones that originally shipped with Android thanks to the Halium tool that allows the Linux distribution to communicate with the hardware in those phones using Android drivers. But if you’re running Ubuntu Touch on a PinePhone, you don’t need Halium since the phone supports mainline Linux kernels or […]

Posted inNews

Lilbits: Chip shortage, Pebble smartwatch afterlife, and mining Bitcoin with a Game Boy

The global chip shortage is leading to product delays and price increases for a wide range of products including automobiles, game consoles, and single board computers. And it could continue through much of 2021, and possibly into next year or beyond. There are a number of factors contributing to the shortage – rising demand for […]

Posted inNews

Ubuntu Touch port for the Fairphone 3 running Android 10

The Fairphone 3 is a smartphone manufactured using ethically-sourced materials when possible and designed to be repairable – the phone’s maker sells replacement parts and even a camera upgrade module that essentially turns the phone into a Fairphone 3+. While the Fairphone 3 ships with Android software, the bootloader is unlockable and you can install […]

Posted inNews

Lilbits Leaks: Walmart’s Android TV stick, Qualcomm’s next-mid-range laptop CPU, Samsung’s Galaxy A phones

Walmart’s working on a media streamer powered by Google’s Android TV software. The company hasn’t actually announced the new product yet, but an FCC listing spilled the beans. Meanwhile Evan Blass has spilled the beans on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy A72 smartphone, Windows Future has spilled a few beans about Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon processor for mid-range […]

Posted inNews

Ubuntu Touch OTA-16 released with improved browser, video recording, Android app support and more

The latest update to the Ubuntu Touch operating system for smartphones and tablets is here, and it’s a big update, with changes to more than a third of all binary packages in the operating system. With official releases available for 26 different phones and tablets, Ubuntu Touch OTA-16 includes a number of updates to core features of […]