Hello Linux Geeksters. The Ubuntu developers have released the “Ubuntu and Android dual boot developer preview”, a tool that enables the users to run in dual-boot Ubuntu Touch and Android, on their Google Nexus 4 device. Most likely, support for Google Nexus 7 and Google Nexus 10 will be implemented soon.
Being still under massive development, it is not ready to be used by regular users yet. Since many Nexus enthusiasts don’t afford to wipe the data on their phones entirely and switch to Ubuntu Touch, the new dual boot feature may increase the number of Ubuntu Touch users fast, taking in account that Ubuntu Touch has became quite stable.
As I have already said, the Ubuntu dual boot application is installable only on Google Nexus 4 smartphones with an unlocked boot-loader (for now), Android 4.2 installed and 2.7 GB of free space. You have to download the Android app on your phone and install it, enabling you to reboot into Ubuntu. More information can be found in this wiki.
For those who don’t know, Ubuntu Touch is officially supported only on the Google Nexus smartphones and tablets, despite the fact that it has been experimenally ported on OPPO Find 5, Pantech Vega Iron, Xperia Tablet Z and many other phones/tablets. The first stable version of Ubuntu Touch, based on Ubuntu 13.10, has been officially optimized to work onLG Nexus 4, but it is not mature enough to compete with Android yet. After the latest Mir updates, Ubuntu Touch can be successfully installed on all the existing Google Nexus devices: LG Nexus 4, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10, except Nexus 5.
