You Can Now Preorder BQ Aquaris M10, World's First Ubuntu Linux Tablet

Aaron Mamiit, Tech Times 29 March 2016, 09:03 am

Earlier in the year, an Ubuntu Linux tablet was said to be in the works. The tablet would be the first Ubuntu-powered one that would be released, and it would be based on the Android-powered BQ Aquaris M10.

Preorders for the Ubuntu version of the BQ Aquaris M10 are now up, with the tablet offering a different experience among the numerous iOS, Android and Windows devices out in the market.

At the official BQ online store, interested customers can now preorder the black full high-definition model of the Ubuntu-powered Aquaris M10 for €289.90 (about $325) and the white high-definition model of the same tablet for €249.90 (about $280).

Customers that preorder the tablets can also avail of the special launch offer, which will include a screen protector for the device and a duo case that comes in colors of blue, black or cherry.

According to the listings, the deliveries of the tablets will commence beginning the second week of April.

Both models of the Ubuntu-powered BQ Aquaris M10 feature a 10.1-inch screen with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and 16 GB of internal memory, along with expandable memory through a microSD card up to 200 GB. The batteries of the tablets are massive 7,280 mAh ones, powering the MediaTek quad-core MT8163A processor of up to 1.5 GHz, MediaTek Mali-T720 MP2 GPU of up to 600 MHz and 2 GB of RAM.

Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, will not be the first one to try to stage an effort to infiltrate an industry dominated by the operating systems of Apple, Google and Microsoft. Many others have failed though, including Mozilla's Firefox OS.

Ubuntu has a strong following though, which gives it a chance to at the very least survive in the tablet scene. In addition, the operating system also boasts the Convergence feature, which allows users to connect accessories and peripherals meant for the PC to the Ubuntu-powered BQ Aquaris M10. By attaching a keyboard and mouse, for example, users will be able to truly transform the tablet into a device that functions as a PC.