Meizu, the famous smartphone manufacturer from China, and Canonical, the company that develops the Linux-based Ubuntu operating system, have officially signed up a deal to promote a new edition of Flyme OS at Meizu headquarters in China. The modifiied OS will roll out as Ubuntu Touch.

During the Mobile World Congress, or MWC, 2014 event, Meizu and Canonical had unveiled a sample model of Meizu MX3 that was based on the Ubuntu OS. However, after the presentation of the prototype at the MWC event, there hasn't been any news on it from both companies.

According to Oizoioi, Meizu MX handsets running on Ubuntu-powered Flyme OS are expected to be available for purchase during the first quarter of the coming year in China and Europe. The site speculates a Meizu MX4 model will have the Ubuntu OS. But as of this writing, it is not known which Meizu models are going to feature the brand new OS.

Ubuntu Touch, a brainchild of Canonical, has been in testing phase for quite some time. The core technologies used in developing the desktop edition of Ubuntu are the same ones that are used for developing Ubuntu Touch. Oizoioi claims the apps that are designed to support Ubuntu Desktop will also be compatible with Ubuntu Touch and vice versa.

The site adds that a device running on Ubuntu Touch can also be connected with Ubuntu Desktop parts. This means by connecting an external monitor to the Ubuntu Touch device, users can take advantage of full desktop experience. Oizoioi further states Meizu is aiming to expand its business base to European and Asian countries and fans of the popular smarpthone maker are eagerly waiting for the arrival of Ubuntu Touch-powered Meizu handsets.

Meizu also collaborates with Alibaba and utilises its cloud storage services. Oizoioi believes that since Meizu will not stop featuring its Flyme OS on its handsets so soon, the forthcoming devices running on Ubuntu Touch will continue to sport the appearance and functionality of the Flyme OS.

What do you think about Ubuntu Touch? Will it turn out to be a serious competitor for Android in 2015? Do let us know your thoughts by posting your comments.