Anyone in the world can buy an Ubuntu phone (but shouldn't)
If you were dismayed that Canonical's campaign to launch an Ubuntu-running smartphone crashed and burned, then today might be your lucky day. Spanish smartphone maker BQ has already been selling two Ubuntu devices to Europeans but, from today, it's opening that offer out to everyone in the world. The Aquarius E5 HD and E4.5 both run the much-feted Linux-based operating system and are available for just €199 ($218) and €169 ($185), respectively.
Of course, there are at least two caveats that we should make you aware of before you grab your credit card and start ordering. Firstly, this is a European handset, so buyers elsewhere should check which bands their local carriers use or face being left with a lemon. Both of these devices support GSM bands 850, 900, 1,800 and 1,900, as well as UMTS 900 and 2,100 -- so you're not going to get any joy if you're on a CDMA network like Verizon. Then, of course, there's the fact that when we reviewed this phone and software combo back in July, we advised holding off while the bugs were being ironed out of the system.
