UBUNTU FOR PHONES. The Ubuntu operating system is getting a smartphone version, though no carriers have signed on yet. Screen shot from http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/phone

MANILA, Philippines - It looks like there's going to be a new contender in the smartphone arena in the coming year.

Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu Linux project, announced on January 2 that it was developing Ubuntu for phones.

According to the announcement, the Ubuntu Phone operating system will come with a number of its own additions to the smartphone space that should make the battle for smartphone supremacy more interesting. Among the named additions are the inclusion of a global search for apps and other content, voice and text commands in applications that allow for quick access to an app's capabilities, native and web or HTML5 apps, and the ability to make controls appear or disappear only when the user wants them to show.

One of the additions particular to the Ubuntu phone OS is something called edge magic, which enables thumb gestures from the screen's 4 edges. Edge magic will let users find content or switch between apps more quickly, Canonical asserts.

While the announcement led Linux enthusiasts to feel a sense of pleasant surprise, Engadget tempers the good cheer with the realization that things are still in the pipeline. Engadget notes there are no immediate plans for actual Ubuntu phones and no carriers have signed on to take the Ubuntu phone OS for a spin.

If any carriers weren't paying attention before though, they might be considering taking up the Ubuntu banner eventually depending on what Canonical brings to the bargaining table. - Rappler.com