6 ms·

The new Aquaris E5 HD Ubuntu Edition is now available to preorder

46 points by reddotX 11y ago

flavor8 11y ago
Once a ubuntu phone turns up that supports docking, as the original concept video shows, I'm all over it. Until then it's just a niche mobile OS with a restricted number of apps, and likely too many bugs.
- Roritharr 11y ago
  I find it funny that it seems that Microsoft will actually deliver on this promise before Ubuntu gets a chance to.
  - delonia 11y ago
    There is a third bq phone with Ubuntu expected in 2015. That phone will be the convergence phone.
    - cm-t 11y ago
      That device. Snappy Unity convergence in the pocket ! I will drop my BQ E4.5 for that ! To be honnest I have no idea if Microsoft Continium or any player will release something like that in 2015, any news ?
  - wlesieutre 11y ago
    Microsoft's docking just runs the desktop UI of their universal apps, as far as I know. You won't get the full win32 desktop with the ability to run Visual Studio. UI-wise it'll look similar to the average user, but it's a pretty different approach.
    - Roritharr 11y ago
      To be honest, as a Surface Pro 2 User, even with 8GB Ram in Phones becoming theoretically possible, i don't think i'd actually want to compromise any further down for my development environment ressourcewise.
      - eropple 11y ago
        I'm in the same boat. I picked up a bottom-model Surface Pro 3 during a startup liquidation and I'm pretty happy with it for VS2015, but I definitely agree that there's not much more "down" to go.
        wlesieutre 11y ago
        Agreed. I'm also on a SP3 (but the i5 version), and I wouldn't want to try doing serious work in a desktop environment on a cell phone processor. Maybe things will change in a few years as ARM/Snapdragon/etc processors continue to improve and phones get more memory, but for the time being I think MS's approach to phones + large monitors is preferable.
- dharma1 11y ago
  Working on it. It will come pretty soon
kevinbowman 11y ago
In my opinion, it's a race between FirefoxOS phones and Ubuntu phones as to who gets 4G first. I've been using FirefoxOS phones for a while (Open, Open C and now Flame) but I'm missing the 4G connection, and that may well be what tempts me away from FirefoxOS.
- callahad 11y ago
  I'm using an Xperia Z3 Compact flashed with Firefox OS and can report that the 4G radios work perfectly. :)
  - abrowne 11y ago
    Are there instructions for that device anywhere?
    - callahad 11y ago
      It's in the mainline B2G repo, so you should be able to follow the instructions at https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/b2g https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/b2g to get a build. Use `./configure.sh aries` to configure for the Z3C. Other supported devices include the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/B2G/blob/47113646d3d1692a267c248721bbd038895ff22a/config.sh#L193-L229 https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/B2G/blob/47113646d3d1692a267c...
      - abrowne 11y ago
        Nice, thanks. I knew the Nexus devices were supported, but I prefer smaller phones.
  - kevinbowman 11y ago
    That's great news, thanks! You may well have just changed my summer.
- delonia 11y ago
  The Meizu MX4 is expected to be released to Europe pretty soon. It has 4G. Obviously, it will be significantly more expensive than the E5.
m90 11y ago
Sorry to crash the party, but i just flashed Android onto my E4.5 Ubuntu edition this weekend, following a month of sheer frustration. While the UX concept is really nice everything else feels pre-alpha and should definitely not be sold as a commercial product yet. There's so much lacking (You want to import SIM contacts? Sorry, but maybe in a few releases.), Ubuntu Phone is just not ready for use as an everyday phone. If you want to get this phone, expect around 5 crashes and 5 additional reboots a day (unfortunately it will also really crash while being on the phone). I'm saying this as a not too heavy user. I really hope things improve and I can switch back in a year or so, but right now going back to Android was the best thing I could do.
- reddotX 11y ago
  Phone updates: May - Import contacts from SIM (among other things) https://insights.ubuntu.com/2015/05/29/phone-updates-may/ https://insights.ubuntu.com/2015/05/29/phone-updates-may/
- delonia 11y ago
  For a not-too-heavy user, the phone is fine as it is now. The system updates in April fixed the battery issues. Cannot imagine what you have been doing to the phone to crash five times.
  - m90 11y ago
    Interesting, the battery life and management was the only part where I thought it was really good. I never ever managed to drain it even on long days. I did not do too much, Browser, GMail, Camera, Music. That's it. It crashed on unlocking quite often. I'd get a black screen and the small rotating logo would appear. After the OS was back again it needed a reboot as no app would start up again in this "recovered" state.
- hobarrera 11y ago
  > You want to import SIM contacts? In all honesty, I don't think this is very common nowadays. If you're migrating from something like a Nokia 1100, your contacts might be in your SIM, but most users are migrating from another smartphone in 2015, and smartphones don't store contacts in the SIM.
Nanzikambe 11y ago
Happy ubuntu phone user here (E4.5) will probably skip the E5 and wait for the next one if it's beefier in spec. The only gripes I have with Ubuntu touch atm are: 1) Lack of USB or Bluetooth tethering 2) Lack of USB or Bluetooth tethering 3) Lack of USB or Bluetooth tethering 4) Lack of FDE
- wlesieutre 11y ago
  FDE == Full Disk Encryption?
  - Nanzikambe 11y ago
    Yep, it's coming soon(tm) according to Canonical source Mark's AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shuttleworth_founder_of_ubuntu/cba28et https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shu...
- reddotX 11y ago
  you can have USB tethering but you have to install the terminal app :wink: for now http://i.imgur.com/KQZNl1v.jpg http://i.imgur.com/KQZNl1v.jpg
  - Nanzikambe 11y ago
    Yep that works fine for my laptop. But I still need bluetooth tether for my android tablet. Sadly I still need that for essential apps (City Mapper, airline checkin apps, k9mail, chat secure)
- beagle3 11y ago
  Does it have wifi tethering?
  - Nanzikambe 11y ago
    Not yet

46 points by reddotX 11y ago

Once a ubuntu phone turns up that supports docking, as the original concept video shows, I'm all over it. Until then it's just a niche mobile OS with a restricted number of apps, and likely too many bugs.

Roritharr 11y ago
I find it funny that it seems that Microsoft will actually deliver on this promise before Ubuntu gets a chance to.
- delonia 11y ago
  There is a third bq phone with Ubuntu expected in 2015. That phone will be the convergence phone.
  - cm-t 11y ago
    That device. Snappy Unity convergence in the pocket ! I will drop my BQ E4.5 for that ! To be honnest I have no idea if Microsoft Continium or any player will release something like that in 2015, any news ?
- wlesieutre 11y ago
  Microsoft's docking just runs the desktop UI of their universal apps, as far as I know. You won't get the full win32 desktop with the ability to run Visual Studio. UI-wise it'll look similar to the average user, but it's a pretty different approach.
  - Roritharr 11y ago
    To be honest, as a Surface Pro 2 User, even with 8GB Ram in Phones becoming theoretically possible, i don't think i'd actually want to compromise any further down for my development environment ressourcewise.
    - eropple 11y ago
      I'm in the same boat. I picked up a bottom-model Surface Pro 3 during a startup liquidation and I'm pretty happy with it for VS2015, but I definitely agree that there's not much more "down" to go.
      - wlesieutre 11y ago
        Agreed. I'm also on a SP3 (but the i5 version), and I wouldn't want to try doing serious work in a desktop environment on a cell phone processor. Maybe things will change in a few years as ARM/Snapdragon/etc processors continue to improve and phones get more memory, but for the time being I think MS's approach to phones + large monitors is preferable.
dharma1 11y ago
Working on it. It will come pretty soon

kevinbowman 11y ago

In my opinion, it's a race between FirefoxOS phones and Ubuntu phones as to who gets 4G first. I've been using FirefoxOS phones for a while (Open, Open C and now Flame) but I'm missing the 4G connection, and that may well be what tempts me away from FirefoxOS.

callahad 11y ago
I'm using an Xperia Z3 Compact flashed with Firefox OS and can report that the 4G radios work perfectly. :)
- abrowne 11y ago
  Are there instructions for that device anywhere?
  - callahad 11y ago
    It's in the mainline B2G repo, so you should be able to follow the instructions at https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/b2g https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/b2g to get a build. Use `./configure.sh aries` to configure for the Z3C. Other supported devices include the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/B2G/blob/47113646d3d1692a267c248721bbd038895ff22a/config.sh#L193-L229 https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/B2G/blob/47113646d3d1692a267c...
    - abrowne 11y ago
      Nice, thanks. I knew the Nexus devices were supported, but I prefer smaller phones.
- kevinbowman 11y ago
  That's great news, thanks! You may well have just changed my summer.
delonia 11y ago
The Meizu MX4 is expected to be released to Europe pretty soon. It has 4G. Obviously, it will be significantly more expensive than the E5.

m90 11y ago

Sorry to crash the party, but i just flashed Android onto my E4.5 Ubuntu edition this weekend, following a month of sheer frustration. While the UX concept is really nice everything else feels pre-alpha and should definitely not be sold as a commercial product yet. There's so much lacking (You want to import SIM contacts? Sorry, but maybe in a few releases.), Ubuntu Phone is just not ready for use as an everyday phone. If you want to get this phone, expect around 5 crashes and 5 additional reboots a day (unfortunately it will also really crash while being on the phone). I'm saying this as a not too heavy user. I really hope things improve and I can switch back in a year or so, but right now going back to Android was the best thing I could do.

reddotX 11y ago
Phone updates: May - Import contacts from SIM (among other things) https://insights.ubuntu.com/2015/05/29/phone-updates-may/ https://insights.ubuntu.com/2015/05/29/phone-updates-may/
delonia 11y ago
For a not-too-heavy user, the phone is fine as it is now. The system updates in April fixed the battery issues. Cannot imagine what you have been doing to the phone to crash five times.
- m90 11y ago
  Interesting, the battery life and management was the only part where I thought it was really good. I never ever managed to drain it even on long days. I did not do too much, Browser, GMail, Camera, Music. That's it. It crashed on unlocking quite often. I'd get a black screen and the small rotating logo would appear. After the OS was back again it needed a reboot as no app would start up again in this "recovered" state.
hobarrera 11y ago
> You want to import SIM contacts? In all honesty, I don't think this is very common nowadays. If you're migrating from something like a Nokia 1100, your contacts might be in your SIM, but most users are migrating from another smartphone in 2015, and smartphones don't store contacts in the SIM.

Nanzikambe 11y ago

Happy ubuntu phone user here (E4.5) will probably skip the E5 and wait for the next one if it's beefier in spec. The only gripes I have with Ubuntu touch atm are: 1) Lack of USB or Bluetooth tethering 2) Lack of USB or Bluetooth tethering 3) Lack of USB or Bluetooth tethering 4) Lack of FDE

wlesieutre 11y ago
FDE == Full Disk Encryption?
- Nanzikambe 11y ago
  Yep, it's coming soon(tm) according to Canonical source Mark's AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shuttleworth_founder_of_ubuntu/cba28et https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shu...
reddotX 11y ago
you can have USB tethering but you have to install the terminal app :wink: for now http://i.imgur.com/KQZNl1v.jpg http://i.imgur.com/KQZNl1v.jpg
- Nanzikambe 11y ago
  Yep that works fine for my laptop. But I still need bluetooth tether for my android tablet. Sadly I still need that for essential apps (City Mapper, airline checkin apps, k9mail, chat secure)
beagle3 11y ago
Does it have wifi tethering?
- Nanzikambe 11y ago
  Not yet