Phonecto

One of the fastest growing areas of cell phone development at the current time is in the area of mobile Internet connectivity. Unfortunately, the developments in this area have been limited so far; the mobile Internet just doesn’t look a whole lot like the Web 2.0 environment that you have gotten used to using. The limitations of handheld devices in terms of online media entertainment and mobile web page development have made it so that the online experience that you currently may have on your mobile phone differs considerably from that which you are accustomed to using on your full-sized laptop or your desktop computer. This is starting to change and Ubuntu Mobile is a leader in that changing world. Using a Linux-based operating system, Ubuntu Mobile aims to bring the full Internet experience to handheld mobile devices.

The Mobile Internet on Phones

We are starting to see developments made in the mobile Internet but they are still in limited stages as far as hand-held devices go. The main leap that has been made in recent history has been the development of the iPhone which brings a mobile broadband experience to the mobile phone. The iPhone is a great step towards allowing the full Internet to be accessible through mobile phones but it is limited in what it can provide to the user in comparison with the complex Web 2.0 world that is available on larger computers. Further developments in mobile phone technology are likely to be seen as development of Google’s adroid advances. However, at the current time, the full Internet experience is not accessible on cell phones.

Mobile Internet Devices

One area in which there there has been significant development is in the area of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). These are handheld devices which are also frequently called “ultramobiles”. They are bigger than cell phones but considerably smaller than the average laptop. Software and hardware are both being developed which will continue to allow for greater mobile Internet experiences on these devices. Ubuntu Mobile is one of the major leaders in this area of mobile broadband development.

What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a user-friendly operating system built using the Linux operating system platform. This fact makes it appealing to some users and less appealing to others. For those who are not familiar with it, Linux is an operating system which offers an alternative for people who don’t like the Windows OS but aren’t interested in becoming Mac users. It is an open source platform which means that it is particularly of interest to developers who want to create new programs and applications for their operating system. Not very many people outside of the developer world have latched on to Linux yet but there is a strong movement to give Linux (and Ubuntu) a stronger toehold in the mainstream computer user environment.

We are likely to see this happen in particular as a result of the developments that have been made in the area of making Ubuntu mobile. An increasing number of people are interested in accessing mobile broadband through handheld devices that are smaller than existing small laptops. Ubuntu has made some major leaps in this area, leaps which we are seeing start to hit the shelves in 2008. Because of this, it is making Ubuntu and Linux in general a more appealing option to the average computer user than what we have seen in the past. Ubuntu is free software that is available for desktops, laptops and servers. Their most recently development has been that of Ubuntu mobile which brings this open source software development to the handheld environment.

What is Ubuntu Mobile?

Ubuntu Mobile takes the Internet as developed and tweaked by Ubuntu and moves it to the world of handheld devices. The tag line of the product is “Full Internet, No Compromise” which sums up the reason that this product differs from the other mobile broadband options that are currently available. Mobile phones that are able to access the Internet are limited in what they can offer to their users. Although there have been great advances made in mobile phone Internet, there remain many things that you can do on your basic laptop that simply aren’t yet possible on the mobile phone. Ubuntu Mobile changes this to an extent by bringing the full Internet to the handheld device.

It should be reiterated that Ubuntu Mobile is for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and not for cell phones per se. However, because MIDs can be VoIP-enabled and may use Bluetooth technology, it is possible to use them for the same functions that you would use your mobile phone. Although MIDs are larger than the average mobile phones, they are still handheld devices which are not considered by most consumers to be too cumbersome to carry on a daily basis. This is particularly true for people who already carry laptops and who would like to reduce their mobile computing experience down to a smaller size without losing the functionality of it.

Ubuntu’s goal is to make sure that there is no difference between the Internet you experience on your desktop computer and the Internet that you experience on your handheld device. They are bringing the “rich Internet experience” that you have become accustomed to on your other computers to the mobile devices that you can carry with you everywhere that you go. Ultimately this may lead to a situation in which we see the full mobile broadband experience available on mobile phones.

What Makes Ubuntu Different

In addition to the fact that Ubuntu Mobile is moving forward with a full version of the Internet that isn’t available through cell phones at this time, there are some major differences of Ubuntu in general which make this mobile broadband platform a different option in comparison to the competition. The main difference with Ubuntu is the fact that Linux products are designed to be highly user-friendly and yet very easy to customize or personalize. The Windows or Mac platform is basically the same from user to user but the Linux platform may look very different from one user to the next depending on the level of customization that has been implemented in its design.

In terms of Ubuntu and Ubuntu Mobile, this means that users are more capable of creating the kind of Internet that they want to have on their own individual handheld devices. One of the favored aspects of this is that users can integrate their handheld device with their social networking and Web 2.0 sites. The use of different applications (varying by product) is another major feature appealing to the broad market of potential mobile broadband consumers.

However, at this time, many of the features of Ubuntu Mobile are really only designed for application and program developers. For example, you can alter your interface to use HTML, Java, Flash and other systems based on your preferences. You can also get customized sets of licensed media codecs and special custom engineering features. These are things that will appeal greatly to developers and highly technical mobile broadband users but probably aren’t suited to the average mobile broadband user at this time.

Despite this aspect of Ubuntu Mobile, there are many things that are being done with it today that do appeal to the broader market of people who are interested in using the full Internet on their handheld devices. These things which are being developed and honed on Ubuntu platforms today by those developers who can maximize the use of Ubuntu mobile are the things that we are likely to see turn up in the general market in the months and years to come.

What you can do with Ubuntu Mobile

Ubuntu Mobile lets you do everything on your mobile Internet that you could do on your home Internet connection. This includes:

• Browsing the Internet (using the Firefox web browser)
• Complete email capability including address book
• Instant messaging abilities
• Camera, photo viewing and image altering capabilities
• Ebook reader so that you can read during your commute or travels without having to carry a book along with you
• VoIP calling features allowing for low-to-no-cost international mobile calls through your handheld device
• Accessing GPS and 3D mapping features
• Blogging, Vlogging, Social Networking and RSS News Reader
• Ability to view PDF files through the Adobe PDF Reader
• Full media options including music, video and digital TV access
• Calendar, scheduling and remote collaboration functions

Features of Mobile Internet Devices

In addition to the Internet features that are available with Ubuntu, this software program accesses and makes use of the basic features of major mobile Internet devices (MIDs) being developed today. Those features include:

• Small size of the device with a touch screen of between four and seven inches
• QWERTY keyboard which may be either physical or virtual
• Wi-Fi and WiMax connectivity so that you can access Internet in hot spots and through municipal wireless networks where they are available
• Bluetooth capability and VoIP potential so that your MID may function as a phone
• Above average storage, memory and speeds which enhance the mobile Internet experience
• Long battery life so that you can continue accessing the Internet while you are on the go
• Speakers, microphone and headphone jack which are particularly useful for media playback as well as voice and video conferencing for business remote collaboration
• USB outlets for making use of additional computer accessories

It’s All In The Touch

The small laptops and few mobile phones that are on the market today which do allow you some Internet capability generally require that you carry and use a stylus to touch the screen on your computer. Ubuntu uses a touch screen system similar to the one that you would see on the iPhone. It allows you to tap or caress the screen of your phone in order to move the Internet across the mobile phone screen, make Internet selections or move between media options.

The Ubuntu Community

Those people who are already familiar with Linux will know that there is a community built up around the use of this operating system and the products that come out of it. Windows users are basically indifferent to one another and Mac users are a broad category of people who may or may not be involved with the Mac community. In contrast, most people who use Linux are highly interested in the open source, customizable opportunities that it presents. Because of this, they tend to be greatly involved with one another and participate in forums and online groups which allow them to support one another in the use of Linux products.

This community mentality that applies to Linux in general specifically applies to the Ubuntu and Ubuntu Mobile communities. What this means is that a new Ubuntu Mobile user will find that there is a network of support and assistance already set in place for them. This is somewhere to go to ask questions and somewhere to get advice about customizing your handheld device. It even means that you as a mobile broadband user can give input into better design and development of this new mobile Internet option.

So Where Do I Buy The Ubuntu Phone?

It is worth reiterating again that Ubuntu Mobile is not a mobile phone. In fact, it’s not any kind of hardware at all but rather software that can be used on different mobile devices. It is a platform that is being developed so that the people who do design and build the hardware for mobile devices can easily integrate Ubuntu Mobile into their design and therefore provide the world with handheld products that offer full Internet capabilities. Ubuntu Mobile is currently being made available to Original Design Manufactuers (ODMs), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and telcos that are interested in offering this type of mobile broadband experience to their consumers.

This doesn’t, however, indicate that Ubuntu Mobile is something that isn’t going to be seen on the market until some far away future date. The company is currently already offering this product to the aforementioned groups for shipment in the latter months of 2008. This means that we should start seeing fully-enabled Ubuntu mobile devices hitting the market this year. The device that is most frequently associated with Ubuntu Mobile at the current time is the Nokia N800 Tablet. However, handheld devices with Ubuntu Mobile installed will likely be sold through a variety of manufacturers in order to allow the maximum number of people to start accessing this type of mobile broadband experience.

What to Expect

Ubuntu Mobile handheld devices are likely to be available on the market before the end of the year. However, there is not likely to be a big push from consumers to test out this product immediately. The Linux community, programmers and developers and the users of desktop Ubuntu are the ones who are going to get a jumpstart on using the new devices when they come out. However, there’s a possibility that the demand for this type of product will be large enough that more average users will start to consider the purchase of these types of devices. Additionally, this is a step further in the development of the mobile web which is likely to spur the competition into creating handheld devices and mobile phones that can stand up to the products being developed by Ubuntu today.

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