To install Ubuntu on the phone, you require Ubuntu terminal commands, so let’s warn you right away – don’t try this unless you are familiar with using Ubuntu. Installing the Preview OS was surprisingly easy but when you start it up, be prepared to receive many fake notifications of social networks as well as a fake contact list. Unfortunately, the Preview version is still a work in progress, so you won’t be able to sync your Nexus 4 with your e-mail, contact list and social accounts – which is a huge downer! However, in terms of overall performance, we found it quite pleasing. It looks good, works quite smoothly, and feels familiar to those who have used Ubuntu on their computers. There’s no landscape mode on the phone yet, and we’re not quite sure if there’s one in the works. It looks promising, but getting the hang of it can take time. We found it especially difficult to navigate. Opening an app wasn’t tough, but once in the app, it took quite some time to figure our way around or return to the previous screen. Ubuntu Touch Preview requires you to swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen to get a back button. Hopefully, Canonical will work out the kinks and make the user experience on the Ubuntu Phone a whole lot better over the next 8 months before they release the actual OS.
