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If you love Ubuntu then you might know about Ubuntu Edge which campaign never reach to the goal in 2013. I was quite thrilled to get that Ubuntu edge phone but end up with Nexus 4, so I could run latest Ubuntu Touch development. Canonical is partnered with Meizu a long ago and they are about to launch a new mobile "Meizu PRO 5" Ubuntu Edition. It will be the most powerful and rich-feature Ubuntu smartphone, I will take about specs in a bit. As you know Ubuntu recently announced it's first tablet which is made by Spanish company BQ.
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As you guys already know that Canonical has been working on mobile convergence from quite sometime now. Recently I was invited to the Ubuntu tablet press release and saw true convergence being done with new tablet (BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu edition) and phone (I think it was Nexus 4), and it was quite satisfactory that how things are going in the right direction.
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Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system which is being developed by Canonical Ltd and Ubuntu Community. It is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Being a most awaited Linux mobile operating system for users, it attracts geeks attention, so if you want to see some flavor of Ubuntu Touch on your desktop as well then use this Ubuntu Touch GTK theme. This new version for Ubuntu 15.10 is released by WarriorIng64 and BrahimSalem released two themes to give a little touch of Ubuntu Touch to Unity desktop, as I tested this theme is also compatible with Linux Mint 17.x/17 versions. Ultra-Flat icons used in following screenshots. You can use Unity Tweak Tool, Gnome-tweak-tool or Ubuntu-Tweak to change themes.

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Ubuntu OS on the desktop is very famous brand and has a long heritage in the open source community, but rather than confine itself to the one platform, Canonical set out on the path to use the same core kernel and deliver the same platform across smartphones, tablets, the desktop and TVs.
Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system which is being developed by Canonical Ltd and Ubuntu Community. It is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Ubuntu Touch is designed specifically for smartphones to power everything from entry-level handhelds to "high-end super-phones" that double as PCs. The OS is fairly cool, though. You swipe on the edges of the phone to bring up the app launcher, visit your home screen, multitask, and view menus instead of hardware buttons. The home screen is a bit different than what you see on iOS and Android, showing your open apps along the top and your shortcuts on the bottom. Lock screen features include: Missed calls and messages notifications, info-graphic animations, swipe left/right to unlock, lock screen security (Pin/Password), music control, date, time and alarm information.
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The days of the big mechanical cash register are long gone; even platen scanners are no longer considered a necessity for retail services, with big box retail chains like OfficeMax stores eschewing the glass and laser counter for a simple hand scanner. Many retailers already use Ubuntu or Linux operation systems for their point of sale (POS) systems due to the locked down security they offer, but for the most part this has been limited to large chain retailers with money to spend on a dozen POS stations at a time.
However, with the release of Ubuntu Touch 14.04, the winds of change may just be blowing in. As stated by developers—and reiterated in Ars Technica's review—the 14.04 is a "mostly stable" build of the Linux based mobile OS. It's not perfect, but the fact that it offers unrivaled security with the mobility and touch functionality of a tablet means this could be a contender for POS systems in small businesses everywhere.


Easy Checkout

According to the specs offered on the official site, Ubuntu Touch works on displays as small as 6.5 inches and as large as 20 inches, meaning that while buying a brand new tablet for just this purpose sounds like a great idea, most small business owners can probably get away with putting it on that Nexus 7 half the entrepreneurs of the world picked up last year to help manage their business better.

There are a plethora of apps, both free and paid, that can turn an Ubuntu tablet into a POS station, but with a five star rating on SourceForge and an update within the last 90 days, POSper is definitely the winner. This is a simple, easy to use touch-based POS app designed for use on a Linux OS—the touch-based functionality makes it seem that this one was designed specifically for Ubuntu Touch, but that's not even the best feature. POSper was designed specifically for small businesses, supporting an impressive range of hardware and databases to allow everyone who uses it to get the most out of every feature.

In spite of being free, POSper offers a number of features commonly only found in paid POS applications:
  • Ability to use multiple currencies (with programmable exchange rates)
  • Custom payment methods including "free" and "invoice"
  • Warning message when no payment type is selected (often even big retail POS systems simply do nothing in the case of this error, so this is an excellent feature for new users)
  • System warnings in plain English for new users
  • Printer templates with scale and margin features
With these simple must-have features available on a secure, stable and free system, what is it that's keeping Ubuntu Touch from becoming the clear choice for small businesses everywhere? As usual, it's a problem with plastic. At the moment the biggest hurdle to jump toward making a complete POS system for small businesses that works with a Linux operating system is actually the credit card reader. While there are plenty of readers that are compatible with Ubuntu and Linux, considering it's fairly popular with big retailers, they're a little pricey when it comes to individual sales.

However, retailers can rest assured that, as more small businesses get familiar with what a Linux OS can offer them in terms of security and ease of use, there's little doubt that Square and PayPal Here will offer compatibility before long.


A Full Retail Solution?

When it comes to small business retail, there are a lot of moving parts. While the POS terminal itself is extremely important to the daily operation of mom and pop shops everywhere, that's not the end of it. On top of needing a POS system and all related hardware, small businesses also need to make sure the checkout process is easy and inventory can easily be tracked.

Thankfully, those requirements have a single solution, and it's one that Linux can provide with ease: UPCs and other barcodes. Chances are you've already heard about the ZINT Barcode Generator, which offers easy creation of over 150 different barcode symbologies from UPCs to QR codes; this is one program that every small business that works with a barcode scanner could use, and it's designed especially for Linux.

ZINT Barcode Generator can also create USPS codes, making business easier for online retailers as well by offering simple shipping solutions. No more wasting hours in the post office every time a big order comes in! All you need is a Linux compatible barcode printer, like the ones offered by small business support company Shopify, and you're ready to get started.


Trust In the Future

Whether Ubuntu Touch ever catches on in small business POS systems remains to be seen. Considering the unrivaled security and ease of use, as the operating system becomes more streamlined in updates past the 14.04 you can expect to see it used more often in retail business everywhere. It may just change how small retailers do business, both from a cost perspective and when it comes to the go-to equipment.
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When you first pick up a phone with Ubuntu Touch, it will look like a phone with any other operating system. However, within moments, you will start to notice a few key differences like the search box at the top of the screen, and the unlocking feature which is controlled by a right-to-left rather than a left-to-right sweep. Recently released Ubuntu is ready to claim third place behind Android and iOS, the operating system giants of the smartphone world. But the novelty of this Linux-based system may have the potential to propel this operating system into first or second place once the kinks have been ironed out.

A Consistent Interface

Initially, Ubuntu was only set to appear on the European market, but T-mobile, the smallest of the US-based mobile carriers decided to join Verizon to bring this operating system to the U.S. market. In spite of bringing the system to America's markets, ZDNet reports that T-mobile won't have much input over the Ubuntu interface. Ubuntu's community manager, Jono Bacon was quoted by ZDNet as saying that he wanted to avoid the "interface fragmentation that plagues Android."

Because Google is given a lot of say over how they want Android to work, users can have completely different experiences when using the Android operating system on different phones. Ubuntu wants the same interface regardless of whether a user is holding one of T-Mobile's cell phones in the United States or a different carrier's cell phone in Europe.

Pros and Cons

The downside of Ubuntu Touch, according to IT World, is that it drains the phone's battery, and its early version is missing key functions like copy and paste, spell check, and calendar syncing. However, Bryan Lunduke from Network World reports that the system has a fast boot up time and a straightforward installation process. Once the system is installed, users will find convenient features like screenshots of all running apps on the home screen and "magic edges" that allow you to sweep between apps with the swish of a fingertip.

Intuitive Evolution

Ubuntu's edge is the development of a system that intuitively evolves to meet your needs, according to the system's manufacturer. Designed by artists who know how to synthesize data beautifully, the operating system intuitively creates a home screen that will make your life easier. It even memorizes the apps that you use regularly and stores them front and center for your convenience.

Maximized Screen Space

Apps are also managed from a hidden control panel. Rather than wasting space on your screen, this panel only appears when you swipe the bottom edge of the phone. This allows you to maximize your screen space.

Still in Third

Although Ubuntu offers everything that mobile users need including most of the apps that they use on a daily basis, with my experience I can say the system isn't mature enough to compete with Android yet. Once the developers have ironed out the glitches and eliminated the crashing and freezing, however, this operating system will be able to stand on its own with the other two competitors, and it may even edge into first or second place, eventually.
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Ubuntu OS on the desktop is very famous brand and has a long heritage in the open source community, but rather than confine itself to the one platform, Canonical set out on the path to use the same core kernel and deliver the same platform across smartphones, tablets, the desktop and TVs.
The OS is fairly cool, though. You swipe on the edges of the phone to bring up the app launcher, visit your home screen, multitask, and view menus instead of hardware buttons. The home screen is a bit different than what you see on iOS and Android, showing your open apps along the top and your shortcuts on the bottom. Most of the Canonical's energy has gone into the first stable release of Ubuntu Touch than desktop but some rumors mentioned Canonical didn't ignored Ubuntu desktop. I am constantly testing Ubuntu touch on Nexus devices, I reviewed the Ubuntu Touch 1.0 first release on Nexus 4.
Now I tested last build of Ubuntu Touch 14.04 with Mir display and Unity 8, so I can say it is much stable, smooth and faster than previous builds. Most of the functions works perfectly. So lets start...
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Despite the rapid advancement of popular smartphones, there are still certain functions that just don't translate well from a desktop or laptop computer to a phone. In many cases, this is simply because a given website or program hasn't been given the proper attention to be designed in a mobile-friendly manner, and often the result is as simple as an app or a new version of a website.


For example, if you're an online gamer you may be familiar with the website arcade betfair. It's a popular online with an enormous variety of games and live betting forums, allowing users to create accounts and put actual cash on the line in everything from arcade games, to sports outcomes, to traditional casino activities. Truth be told, this site is actually fairly clean and practical when accessed on a mobile phone or tablet - however, in order to simply make the experience more user-friendly, the folks at Betfair have also invented a number mobile-specific apps to allow users the best possible experience.

This is merely one example of how independent sites and developers are taking steps to bridge the gap between computers and mobile devices, and it's happening more and more every day. But earlier this month, as noted at droid-life, we may have quietly received one of the bigger developments in bridging this gap for the smartphone community. In early October this year, Ubuntu released its Ubuntu Touch mobile version, calling it a "true mobile release" and providing a unique and potentially groundbreaking new OS for smartphone use.

Ubuntu Touch is still in its early stages of exposure and perhaps even development, but there are some indications of its significance for the mobile market. To quote leading engineer Rick Spencer from the same Droit Life article, "Ubuntu Touch 13.10 is a full server-grade OS that offers a mobile experience and is lean enough to support mobile devices, kicking off a new era in mobile security and computing convergence."

More specifically, the Ubuntu Touch SDK features a combination of basic apps for daily use and unprecedented potential for users to create apps within the OS. Its selection of core apps includes basic utilities, music, a few games (sudooku and letter drop), and the basic developer tools Terminal and File Manager. And finally, its display and functionality are equipped to be entirely customizable, allowing each user to create the optimal mobile phone OS experience.

The limits of Ubuntu Touch and the development of the concept from here are difficult to determine, but it certainly seems as if this release is a major step in continuing to bridge the gap between computer and smartphone capabilities.
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Ubuntu Touch 1.0 stable version hands-on video review on Nexus 4 phone and Nexus 7 Tablet

Canonical has released Ubuntu 13.10 desktop and first stable version of Ubuntu Touch for phones & tablets. Ubuntu Touch user interface is aimed to offer the simple solution than other mobile OS like Android, according to canonical. The OS is fairly cool, though. You swipe on the edges of the phone to bring up the app launcher, visit your home screen, multitask, and view menus instead of hardware buttons. The home screen is a bit different than what you see on iOS and Android, showing your open apps along the top and your shortcuts on the bottom. Most of the Canonical's energy has gone into the first stable release of Ubuntu Touch than desktop but some rumors mentioned Canonical didn't ignored Ubuntu desktop. We are constantly testing Ubuntu touch on Nexus devices, After installing first stable release on Nexus 4 we can say you should give a try if you own Nexus 4 but on Nexus 7 Ubuntu Touch stuck with any application, anytime, zero results with this tablet. With Nexus 7 it can be Mir display problem but I couldn't figure out problem.
It runs smooth and fast on Nexus 4 without any problems. I can say at this stage you shouldn't expect this OS to compete with Android since it is first stable release and I am pretty happy with this release (But only on Nexus 4 device).

It is pretty easy to install on Nexus devices, You can follow guide here. For other devices you have to do some hacks and other stuff in order to run Ubuntu Touch, well it is not really easy to install on other devices if you are not developer/expert. You can see other supported devices list and their Ubuntu Touch status here. There is still no news on the release of first device that will come pre-installed with Ubuntu Touch OS, but we shouldn't expect them to appear before early-2014 at least. I can say Ubuntu Touch is stable but off-course it isn't finished yet, till now it's core apps completed 87% out of 100 percent. Battery life with Ubuntu Touch isn't great, it drains battery more quickly than Android.

What is available:
  • Animated lock screen (works perfectly)
  • Web browser (Perfect, also play flash videos but not smooth as expected)
  • Camera (On Nexus 4 front + back with flash works perfectly)
  • Contacts, Dialer, Friends (Online accounts)
  • Gallery (To categorize images)
  • Messaging
  • Update Manager
  • File Manager (Only able to open video files)
  • Shorts (RSS App)
  • Stock Ticker (App)
  • Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Notes (Apps)
  • Music Player (With basic controls)
  • Terminal
  • Files can be transfer via usb cable (only tested under Ubuntu desktop)
  • Sudoku and Dropping Letters Games.
  • Facebook (Much better)
  • Many other applications can be installed with just one click via More Suggestions.
  • Enable/Disable dash plugins.

What left:
  • Twitter App (It is available as webapp but not as expected)
  • Software Manager
  • Video Player (But videos can be played via file manager)
  • Dock Mode (HDMI desktop mode)
  • Ubuntuone (App)
  • File Manager (Lack of features)
  • Email client
  • And many more things are missing.

Question: Should you install it on your device?
At the end I can say at this stage Ubuntu Touch isn't for end users (for daily use) but more for manufacturers and carriers. If you want try it on your device.

Video: Ubuntu Touch on Nexus 4 Phone


Video: Ubuntu Touch on Nexus 7 Tablet


Screenshots

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ubuntu touch
Linux distributions continue to make great headway into the operating system market, and Ubuntu is often the Linux distro of choice for new users. PC tablets are slowly controlling the market field with more sophisticated units being available to consumers. With this development, Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) are moving into that market, offering the superior functionality and design of Ubuntu on the said gadgets.


Ubuntu Design

As with other versions of Ubuntu, the tablet and smartphone moves away from traditional methods of accessing apps. Unlike Android, Windows and Mac, Ubuntu has done away with navigation buttons, opting instead for swiping gestures for accessibility. Yahoo news reports that 'This gives it a cleaner, less cluttered feel than most other tablets.


Smartphones first

Canonical have previously announced their move into smartphones. This is due in the next Ubuntu version which 13.10, codenamed 'Saucy Salamander' and due for release on 17th October 2013. Carriers will have to test the software after the final release so it is unlikely actual smartphones will be available before early 2014. The long anticipated tablet release is slated for Ubuntu 14.04, a version as yet without a codename, but due to be a long term support (LTS) version.


Full PC experience

Canonical are aiming for a full PC experience once PC tablets are docked. Typical for the Ubuntu design, it will feature easy ways to add multiple users, making it ideal for enterprises which need the said gadgets, especially in the field, where they can be used by many individuals. It will also offer full disk encryption, and full user data encryption, which at the moment is a unique capability. Screen sizes supported range from 6 inches to 20 inches, and resolutions between 100 and 450 ppi. As with full PC versions, the tablet Ubuntu will be light on device resources, keeping speed and accessibility at a maximum.

We are certainly looking forward to the release of Ubuntu for tablets, it brings a new player into the field and challenges Android, Apple and Microsoft to keep improving in order to stay ahead.
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Ubuntu OS on the desktop is very famous brand and has a long heritage in the open source community, but rather than confine itself to the one platform, Canonical set out on the path to use the same core kernel and deliver the same platform across smartphones, tablets, the desktop and TVs.
Ubuntu Touch is designed specifically for smartphones to power everything from entry-level handhelds to "high-end superphones" that double as PCs.
Canonical announced that it was making an alternative mobile device operating system, called Ubuntu Touch. With its lack of need for hardware buttons and use of screen sides as hot zones to initiate gesture commands, the underlying UI concept is vastly different from Android.

In the past Canonical announced that the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu for the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4. This is intended for developers and enthusiasts to get used to Ubuntu's smartphone version. Now Ubuntu Touch support 4 devices Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10, Which means you can install latest builds of Ubuntu Touch on these devices but there are some issues also with these devices except Nexus 4. Installation instructions are available here.

We are constantly testing Ubuntu Touch on Nexus 4 whenever a new update come out(Daily builds). Since we installed latest build of Ubuntu Touch we can say it is somewhat usable as phone.
It does all basic phone operations, these features are working fine: GSM (Calls, Messaging), 3G Data (sometime makes problem), WiFi, Camera Front + Back with flash, Gallery, File Manager, Terminal, Web browsing (basic), Ubuntu-one (like web browser), RSS App, Notes App, Weather App, Music Player, Dialer, IM App (can be setup from system settings), Clock, Calendar, Contacts and few other app suggestions available like 'Google Plus', so on...

Lock screen features include: Missed calls and Messages notifications, Info-graphic animations, Swiper lock screen left to unlock, Lock screen security (doesn't work at this moment), Lock screen music buttons, Date, Time and Alarm information.

Screenshots:










Some known issues:
We've noticed if sim is locked via pin code, Ubuntu Touch won't recognize the network and won't ask to unlock Sim pin. Web Browser is very basic and there is no alternative at this moment for Ubuntu Touch. There is no App-store available at this moment and no applications available at this moment to open documents/pictures/other data.

Ubuntu Touch is still in development and needs a lot of improvements in UI/Settings.
Some of the important Apps still not complete but from available icons these can be used like opened in mobile web browser:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • UbuntuOne
  • Ebay
  • Amazon

Hands on Video Preview

XDA-developers also has Ubuntu Touch forum.
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Install Ubuntu Touch theme in Ubuntu 13.04 Raring/Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal/Linux Mint 15/14 (GTK)

Ubuntu touch is most awaited OS for phone, which will have great features and nice look. So the WarriorIng64 made Ubuntu touch themes for GTK. These theme are derived from Ubuntu default Ambiance and Radiance theme to give you feel of Ubuntu touch phone. Both themes are well designed and looks great with GTK 3.6.
ubuntu touch theme
ubuntu touch theme
Theme tested on Ubuntu 13.04/12.10 with GTK 3.6.
Nitrux Icons used in screenshots, Also checkout icons collection
You can use Unity Tweak Tool, Gnome-tweak-tool or Ubuntu-Tweak to change themes.

To install Ubuntu-Touch theme set in Ubuntu/Linux Mint open Terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and copy the following commands in the Terminal:
That's it
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