There was an interesting press conference this morning held by Canonical, the makers of the Ubuntu operating system that has gained a following among the Linux crowd. While the phone, pc desktop and even tv versions had previously been shown, this was the grand unveiling of the tablet version that the company is hoping will catch on and provide a true 4th OS platform rivaling Android, Apple's iOS and Microsft's Windows and Windows Phone. The company has announced that Google's Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets will be the very first to receive the OS Developer Preview on February 21st.
The OS features a few tricks up its sleeve such as 'Sidestage' which is described by Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth here:
"Ubuntu allows a phone app on the screen at the same time as a tablet app," Canonical said. "The Ubuntu side stage was invented both to enable efficient multitasking and to improve the usability of phone apps on tablets."
There's also efficient use of all the screen edges with a swipe on all four sides bringing up some dedicated function such as settings, open apps etc. The Ubuntu tablet OS uses the same OS and code as the phone, PC and TV interfaces which the company promises will provide a 'unified experience' between all your devices. The company is promising that development for Ubuntu will be very easy with an easy to use and advanced SDK. So what say you forum members? Will you try Ubuntu for Tablets on your Nexus 7?
Full press release
HERE.