The Canonical team has done it again. They’ve shown off Ubuntu on Android phones before, running the full desktop. now we get to experience it for ourselves, and this release is for the Nexus 7. It’s native Ubuntu, no emulation, no virtual machine, just Ubuntu replacing Android completely.

It’s a very easy install process (though you do have to have Ubuntu on your computer, from what it seems). After finding the installer and unlocking your Nexus 7, it’s a one click process. Founder of Ubuntu Mark Shuttleworth had this to say:

We’ve said that the driver of Unity was to build an experience that spans phones, tablets, desktops and tv. I think we can do that by 14.04.

So in 13.04 we’re focused on tuning the performance of the base system in mobile settings – memory footprint, boot performance, battery life, etc.

We’ve ported Ubuntu to the Nexus 7 (it’s just the desktop) and will all be focused on that for 13.04.

If you want to give it a go, remember that it is not a Google-approved process and could be dangerous to your device. No one but you is responsible for any possible damages. Proceed with caution. But if you’re sure, hit the source link for the full instructions to unlock your Nexus 7 and flash Ubuntu. It’s not a finished build by any means, but it is a developer preview which could be both useful and fun to play around with. So who is flashing this?

Ubuntu Nexus 7 | XDA