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| Dual - booting phones with Android in the future |
Android isn’t perfect. It has issues, it has flaws. And sometimes, you just get the urge to change the software that you’re running. The beauty of Android is that you can do that. You can do everything from a simple launcher tweak to a full-blown ROM change. Now, it’s becoming possible to even change the operating system you’re running on.
We first saw this with the ASUS Transformer Book Trio, which ran both Android and Windows 8. On the go, you had an Android and light Windows tablet. But when you plugged it into its keyboard dock, it really came to life with a full blown Intel Core i7 processor, expanded hard drive and larger battery, which turned it into a fully fledged Windows 8 laptop. A unique device, to say the least.
Unfortunately, the Transformer Book Trio was a niche device that never really blossomed. It was struck with a high price that effectively killed the deal for many potential buyers. But the execution of the Transformer Book Trio isn’t the only way to release a dual-OS device.
Just in the last couple of days, we’ve seen the CEO of Jolla, creator of Sailfish OS, come out and say that Jolla is working to allow Sailfish to run on Android hardware. Within just a couple of months, you could run an entirely new operating system on your existing Android device. No need to go out and buy a new high-priced device, just simply do a little bit of work and get it right there on your Android phone. Can we get a round of applause for Jolla for working to make this reality?
I’ll be completely honest; I think Sailfish looks quite nice. And since it’s compatible with Android apps, I’d be perfectly happy with, at the very least, trying it. If it’s as simple as flashing a new ROM onto my phone, I would be entirely up for using it. The UI looks beautiful, and I’m leaning towards optimism that apps designed for Sailfish will look just as nice.
Now here’s a thought. What if we didn’t need to flash it onto our Android phones? What if our phones came pre-installed with Android and Sailfish? Dual-booting Android and Sailfish phones? It’s entirely possible. Both operating systems are rooted in Linux, and because we can flash Sailfish onto Android phones, they must be able to run on the same hardware. With full Android app compatibility, the idea of a phone running both Sailfish and Android sounds quite appealing.
Dual-booting phones could, in fact, be the future of Android. When you press the power button on your phone to boot it up, you could simply have an option asking which OS you wanted to boot into. Let’s be honest, a lot of us certainly wouldn’t say no to that. If you’re really a die-hard Android fan then you can simply boot into Android and run your favorite li’l OS. But if you prefer to shake things up a bit, then you could boot into a different OS such as Sailfish, or even something like Ubuntu for Mobile. Any of the other open source operating systems that also have a Linux core could easily be an option for dual-booting phones.
Source : Android and Me
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