This looks like what Ubuntu had set out to do several years ago but never delivered on. The screenshots seem to be showing actual desktop Linux applications, so I guess there's an X (or Wayland) server being fired up, which is pretty sweet; I dig the idea of having access to "real" tools without having my own PC or booting to USB.
Oddly though, despite this being a distribution of Linux and Android, it seems like it's aiming for a commercial/closed-source release. I wonder how that's going to work?
It's been a long time since I've reminisced about the MID/UMPC craze. I remember trying to save my money for months for an OQO and reading review blogs on all the new devices every week. What a time to be alive.
Looking back, the present mobile device market feels so boring in comparison.
(despite negative reviews, I had one when it came out and plugged it into hdmi monitor or webtop to use like a computer quite often...although primarily useful for watching netflix on big screen and browsing internet.)
you don't have to have to buy the webtop inorder to use the hdmi output, which will convert into a desktop (I think I had to use a custom rom, though). I can't blame them for trying to make money and being innovative.
Although, I would have liked a generic standardized keyboardscreen interface so could use any hdmi+usb cellphone with any keyboardscreen.
Cool hardware, but it doesn't look like their product tried to also be your mobile phone
It tried to be a text message/email/personal assistant that was also your PC. There were mobile phones back then, and even PDA/phone mashups, but the iPhone wouldn't be around until the 7th year of the company.
Android is Apache licensed, so they don't have to release any Android code that they modify. The kernel is GPL2, so they would have to release any kernel changes, if they made any. The Debian distribution they use can be unmodified, probably. So everything they actually create can be in proprietary-land.
Oddly though, despite this being a distribution of Linux and Android, it seems like it's aiming for a commercial/closed-source release. I wonder how that's going to work?