Following Verizon's decision to join the Ubuntu Carrier Advisory Group last month, another U.S. carrier has become part of the Ubuntu mobile club. Canonical recently announced that T-Mobile US is now a member of the CAG, which will allow the carrier to take part in meetings concerning Ubuntu for mobile and give feedback that will contribute to the platform's development. T-Mobile's decision to join the CAG doesn't guarantee that the big magenta operator will end up stocking Ubuntu handsets, but it does give T-Mo the opportunity to be one of the first carriers to do so.
First introduced in January 2013, Ubuntu for mobile focuses heavily on gestures to get around. One example of that is "Edge Magic," a feature that allows a user to access content and switch apps by swiping in from the sides of the device. The first Ubuntu-powered smartphones are expected to hit the market in the first quarter of 2014. There's no word yet on what the first consumer-facing Ubuntu phones will be like, but Canonical recently kicked off an Indiegogo campaign to raise $32 million for the Ubuntu Edge, a smartphone that dual boots Ubuntu and Android and is exclusive to backers of the crowdfunding effort.
