If you happen to journey over to the Ubuntu home page these days you see a notice that alerts you to the fact that the Mobile World Congress will be graced by tablets that are driven by Ubuntu’s Linux operating system.
Under the moniker of Tastefully Tactile it is pushing it as a solid alternative in the post-PC era, a multitasking tool that provides the flexibility and functionality that modern users are seeking in their tablets.
The operating system hardware requirements are broken down into two categories, entry level consumer tablets and high end enterprise offerings. It is designed to support displays that vary from 7-10 inches for entry level consumer tablets to 10-12 inches for high end offerings.
A minimum of a dual core Cortex A15 for entry level processor or a quad-core A15 or an Intel processor for the high end. Memory for entry level is a minimum of 2GB with 8GB storage and 4GB memory and 8GB storage is preferred for the high end. The device will be able to run all PC apps at the high end and will support a keyboard dock.
While some of the details have yet to be revealed prior to its debut at the show on February 25, there is a good deal of interesting tidbits at Ubuntu’s site including a picture of the tablet displaying its multitasking ability by having both a Skype phone app and a running tablet app on the screen simultaneously.
The multitasking ability extends to the software where developers can use one set of code and the operating system to create apps that can be used for pc productivity apps, phone and TV interfaces, easing development issues. It touts its security features including the ability to have multiple users’ accounts on the same device with full encryption of each user’s personal data.
There are plenty more and I am sure they will be spelling out who hardware partners and tablet specific developers will be at the show. Canonical is providing service and design support for the operating system.
