Mobile working Toolkit

Canonical releases Ubuntu MID Edition

Stephen Shankland CNET News.com

Published: 25 Jun 2008 09:20 BST

Canonical on Tuesday released its first publicly available developer edition of Ubuntu for mobile internet devices.

Ubuntu Mobile Internet Device (MID) Edition works on two devices at present, the Samsung Q1U and the Intel Crown Beach development station, for building devices using Intel's Atom processor.

Ubuntu MID Edition can also be run on ordinary computers through the KVM virtualisation software. A mobile internet device (MID) — a concept Intel is aggressively promoting — is a mobile device that is larger and more like a normal computer than, for example, an Apple iPhone, but smaller than an ultraportable PC.

"This release marks the start of a way for new users to experience Ubuntu and open-source software and, as the hardware becomes commonplace, it will become a very exciting place to get users experiencing applications from our communities," said David Mandala, project manager of the Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Group, in a blog posting.

Canonical will release new versions of the software on the same six-month cycle as it uses for the desktop version of the open-source operating system, the company said.

"Ubuntu MID Edition, a fully open-source project, gives the full internet, with no compromise," the project description said. "All unnecessary complexity in the user experience is eliminated."

Ubuntu MID can be used with a touchscreen and has a specially designed web browser.

Credit: Coders now can try mobile Ubuntu Linux from CNET News.com