The first Ubuntu smartphone makers named

Canonical has signed agreements with two companies that will produce Ubuntu smartphones and sell them worldwide. The first partners were Meizu (China) and bq (Spain).

Meizu is one of the largest hi-end smartphone manufacturers in China. The company has 1,000 employees and 600 retail stores, and the brand has strong positions in China, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine and Israel.

Bq is the largest seller of unlocked phones in Spain. Over the past year, it sold almost 1.5 million devices.

Meizu and bq should release smartphones in a modern configuration by the end of 2014. Sale will be through their online stores, as well as the site Ubuntu.com.

Recall that in August 2013, the Indiegogo crowdfunding site ended the campaign to raise money for the production of the Ubuntu Edge smartphone. The Canonical device set a world record for the amount of funds raised from the population for the release of a future product: almost $ 13 million, although it was less than the “planned” $ 32 million.

Ubuntu Edge is a smartphone-computer with the following preliminary characteristics: 4 GB RAM, dual LTE, desktop version of Ubuntu and Android, as well as the ability to connect an external monitor and keyboard. What will be the characteristics and name of the Meizu and bq smartphones is still unknown.

Another good news is support has been received with several telecom operators in several countries who are also ready to distribute Ubuntu smartphones through their telecom stores. Today, the Ubuntu advisory group has 16 operators , including Vodafone, EE, T-Mobile USA, Three Group, Deutsche Telekom, Verizon, Telstra and Portugal Telecom.