
Meizu Pro 5 Ubuntu Edition launches globally - bpierre
https://insights.ubuntu.com/2016/02/17/meizu-pro-5-ubuntu-edition-launches-globally/
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trtmrt
I am not-so-proud owner of Meizu MX 4, it is the worst phone I ever had, and
probably worst phone on the market. Although I have paid for it as little as
$300 it is terrible phone ... Battery life is unpredictable, you can take it
off the cable, and it will show it is completely charged, in next moment it is
flat zero. Sometimes it will run for day on 10% constant and just shut down.
Charging while phone is turned-on does not work well, so not sure what is
going on. I have tried contacting company but no one responded at the end I
will need to buy another phone. Also lots of apps are not there, skype is
almost unusable, there is not WhatsApp or Viber, maps ... running application
or anything else is not there ... Only thing good for is that you have
Console, and that is all ... you can write bit of code and play with ssh but
overall BAD exp ....

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anonbanker
everything you listed sounds like an android problem, and not build quality.

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rndmio
Phone hardware is not the problem they have, Ubuntu phone is. The UX is bad,
the app situation is bad (no, mobile websites are not sufficient), it has no
point. I got jaded after seeing the Ubuntu TV announcement which quietly went
nowhere, and every time I try Ubuntu phone (easy to install on a spare Nexus
4) the fundamentals haven't improved. It's nowhere close to Android or iOS,
nor is it a powerhouse replacement for something like the Nokia N900.

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slgeorge
Well the point is to have alternatives.

The platform itself is a full Linux so of the three it's closes to being a
"replacement" for the Nokia N900. Since no-one's developing the N900, it's
actually the best chance of a Linux phone at this point.

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dyladan
Does this mean an Ubuntu phone will finally be available in the US?

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curt15
Could Microsoft try to ensnare this in its patent traps if it arrives in the
US?

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corv
Can anyone that has tried a Ubuntu Phone give a review?

Is this Android under the hood as was the case with Firefox OS?

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logicrook
Linux enthusiasts have had a very bad time when wanting to try a Ubuntu phone
because you had, to do so, to activate an account with a valid email address.
As you may imagine these Linux users are concerned by privacy issues, so it
was a definitive problem.

Other early reviews of people who could get past that were usually not good
because of not-consumer-readiness and low-specs of the phone, making usage a
slow torture.

I hope these early reviews should be forgotten, so wait and see.

BTW, the fact that FXOS is heavily reliant on android was revealed to me as a
cruel joke: you need to use a Microsoft only program to be able to unlock your
FX phone. Hooray for free software!

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se6
Linux enthusiast here. Had a BQ E4.5 Ubuntu edition since April 2015 and I am
pretty pleased with it. I love the UX.

It has come a long way already: the off the air (OTA) upgrades roughly every
month make it better and better. It is more than usable. If not having Skype,
WhatsApp etc.. is not a show stopper for you, then it can be a great phone for
you. There are already many apps, but of course not comparable to Android. Can
see an official app viewer here:
[https://uappexplorer.com/](https://uappexplorer.com/)

Also the dev tools for it are great. The Ubuntu SDK, based on QtCreator is
pretty slick. It is quite easy to write a native app. There are many
guidelines and good docs for it:
[https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/](https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/)

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logicrook
Happy to hear that! Could you comment on the account requirement? Is it still
a thing?

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slgeorge
To use the appstore you need an Ubuntu One account. Basically, so it can
customise the experience (ie reload your apps onto a new phone) to you and
lets you buy commercial applications. Most end-users want _convenience_ and
customised experiences are a good way to go. If you absolutely require privacy
then using a temporary email would be a way around it.

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dman
I dont see a store that is selling this listed anywhere in the announcement.

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voltagex_
>Samsung Exynos 7420 Octa-core processor

Uh oh, Samsung's Exynos division does _not_ have a good record of publishing
kernel sources.

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struct
At the bottom of the article: "Update on Ubuntu Phone security issue".
Excellent advertising!

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jchiu1106
What's your point? Every platform has security issues. I'd rather have them
disclose than not.

