Here we are, finally, with our first look at the Ubuntu operating system on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It’s certainly a vast departure from Android, but it is running on Android hardware, and we’re all neckbeards at heart. And hacking a new OS onto an old phone is an interesting proposition in any case.
But let’s face facts here: The Ubuntu OS, in its form we saw demoed tonight in Las Vegas, isn’t anywhere near ready for prime time. It’s not just laggy — touch response seemed way, too, too. Hell, they wouldn’t even let us touch it. That’s not anywhere near fair to the developers, of course — we know it’s not ready yet. That’s important to remember when the first system images are finally released, supposedly sometime in February. But what we did see tonight was kind of intriguing, especially in the context of a potential device for emerging markets.
As Jerry pointed out in a recent podcast, you’re not going to see an Ubuntu phone in a U.S. carrier store anytime soon. Mozilla’s Firefox OS is in that same state of flux, too. But we do love the idea of something different. Something to play with. And so, for now, we’ll have to remain content with a brief — and buggy — demo.