Pre-order the first Ubuntu Linux tablet
BQ's Aquarius M10 can double as a Linux desktop for about $289.
If you've been talking a lot about using Ubuntu Linux away from your PC -- or using a mobile device as your PC -- you now get to put your money where your mouth is. BQ has started taking pre-orders for both the HD and full HD versions of the Aquarius M10, the first official Ubuntu tablet. Shell out a respective €259 ($289) or €299 ($335) and you'll get a 10-inch slate using Canonical's open source software, which can switch to a desktop PC mode when you attach an external display, keyboard and mouse.
As you might have guessed from the names, what you pay mostly dictates the screen quality. The HD model is frugal, with a 1,280 x 800 display and a modest 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor. Splurge on the full HD version and you'll get both a sharper 1,920 x 1,200 panel and a speedier 1.5GHz chip. Neither is especially powerful between their 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, rear 8-megapixel camera and front 5-megapixel cam. However, they might still scratch the itch if you crave something Linux-based besides Android -- just be ready to wait until the second week of April to get yours.
