Linux vendor Canonical has demonstrated a version of Ubuntu running on an Android smartphone.
The new software has been demonstrated on a Motorola Atrix 2, which is an Android-based smartphone that can be used as a laptop computer by being docked in a laptop shell. In the demonstration, the device ran Android when it was being used as a phone, and automatically switched to Ubuntu when it was docked.
Canonical emphasises that Ubuntu for Android is a full version of Ubuntu running alongside Android in a dual-OS setup, rather than just an application or the Unity desktop environment. When docked, Ubuntu syncs email, contacts, music, and apps with Android while sharing connectivity.
Ubuntu for Android is being released as part of a broader strategy by Canonical to get Ubuntu on smartphones, tablet computers, and smart TVs, and follows the release of Ubuntu TV earlier this year.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
