As 4G version goes on sale, Galaxy Tab 10.1 gets 'Tabuntu' hack

By Eric Brown
2011-06-29

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The 4G LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is now available for pre-order on Verizon, but won't ship for four to six weeks. Meanwhile, hackers have loaded a version of Ubuntu Linux they call "Tabuntu" onto the Tab 10.1, enabling users to access both this and Android simultaneously.

The well-reviewed Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was supposed to have been available for pre-order starting June 8, but only the Wi-Fi version made the cut. Now the 3G/4G version of the 10.1-inch Android 3.1 ("Honeycomb") tablet is finally available for pre-order, priced at $530 for the 16GB version and $630 with 32GB. The bad news: no shipments are planned for another four to six weeks.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Android 3.1

Equipped with Google's updated Android 3.1 version of the tablet-oriented "Honeycomb" operating system, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is 8.6 millimeters thin and weighs only 1.25 pounds. The slate, seen by many as a legitimate challenger to Apple's iPad, is powered by a 1GHz, dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. It employs a 10.1-inch, 1280 by 800 pixel display, a two-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, and a three-megapixel rear camera.

Tabuntu: Tab 10.1 hacked with Ubuntu

Canonical is so keen on getting Ubuntu Linux on tablets that it has risked alienating a good share of its loyal users by replacing GNOME with a touch-oriented Unity UI stack on Ubuntu 11.04. Still, there are few tablets, let alone high-end models, that run Ubuntu. Now GalaxyTabHacks shows how you can load Ubuntu onto the Galaxy Tab 10.1, still enabling users to run Android.

Tabuntu running on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The rambling demo video shown below is rather amusing because it sounds as if "Zedomax" is trying the hack for the first time. Therefore, he is unable to hide his disappointment at the slow performance of the virtual Tabuntu.

The hack does not appear to use Ubuntu 11.04 or Unity, yet it does offer the Ubuntu Remix touchscreen interface. The hack, which allows Ubuntu to run "in the background 'chrooted'," enables tablet users to run native Linux programs in addition to Android apps, says GalaxyTabHacks.

Why do it? The age-old "because it's there" mantra applies, and, as the GalaxyTabHacks story puts it, "And lastly, 'why not'?"

Tabuntu on YouTube
Source: GalaxyTabHacks
(Click to play)

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