Google Nexus 7 Tablet Gets Ubuntu Support By Canonical

Google Nexus 7 users who appreciate a nice install of Ubuntu are in luck. Canonical on Sunday announced a Linux distribution that can run on the Google Android powered tablet in place of the factory-installed Jelly Bean version of the Android OS.

Canonical is quick to point out that the installation is meant to promote the development of future Ubuntu iterations for mobile devices and not for general use.

The process according to the Ubuntu wiki outlines the installation process which includes starting with an unlocked Nexus 7 bootloader. Installing the distribution package also requires a computer that is already running Ubuntu and the Ubuntu Nexus 7 Desktop Installer.

Installation is a breeze (or at least it should be) and only takes about 15 minutes to complete.

The best part of the Nexus 7 Ubuntu install? Users can revert back to Google Android Jelly Bean if needed.

Ubuntu installs for mobile devices has seen a large push in recent times as more users abandon their traditional PC or desktop systems for smartphones and notebooks.

According to Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth, the future of Ubuntu installs will focus on battery life, numbers of running processes, and memory footprint.

Ubuntu Developers at this weeks Ubuntu Developers conference were encouraged to bring along a Google Nexus 7 tablet and prepare to install the newest version of Ubuntu for mobile devices.

This is hardly the first time the Nexus 7 has been hacked; last month developers managed to change the devices camera so it can shoot and record in 720P high-definition output.