New app links Ubuntu cloud services to Android phones

Who says smartphones can connect only to computers running Microsoft's Windows or Apple's Macintosh systems? Now, smartphones and devices running Google's Android operating system can connect via the cloud to computers running the free Ubuntu Linux operating system. "Ubuntu One is your personal cloud. But it's not just about syncing files — whether you need to access your contacts, notes or bookmarks from any computer or the web, enjoy your favorite music from a cloud integrated store or stream your entire collection to iPhone and Android mobile phones — we've raised the bar on personal clouds," Ubuntu said. Ubuntu is a free operating system based on Linux. It includes equivalents of Windows and Mac software. The Ubuntu One cloud service (one.ubuntu.com) presently allows connections to iPhones via apps for both the iOS and Android platforms. One can stream his or her own data to iPhone or Android phones. A beta client allows computers running Windows systems to access the service. The basic package is free, but offers only 2 GB of space (https://one.ubuntu.com/basic/). The mobile package, for $3.99 (P171) a month, allows music streaming from the cloud as well as syncing of contacts and photos (https://one.ubuntu.com/mobile/). — TJD, GMA News