The Ubuntu operating system has been adapted to run on smartphones.

Using a small piece of code which will easily replace the Android on a Samsung Galaxy or Nexus Phone. The Popular Linux-based software will allow users to run desktop apps on their handsets, allowing them to double for PCs when docked to monitors.

Ubuntu is amongst the most popular operating system to be based on the Linux kernel – the code that lets software and hardware work together. With an estimated figure of more than 20 million PCs already use it. In many cases these are older machines which benefit from the fact it is less demanding on computer power than Windows – and is virus-free.

The new version has been designed to work on last and current-generation Android handsets which share the Linux kernel. This means Ubuntu can re-use existing software drivers to control the hardware.There are already 45,000 native apps for the system – albeit with several notable omissions such as Adobe’s Photoshop and the Office suite, although alternatives do exist. In addition Ubuntu can run web apps written in the widely-adopted HTML5 language.

Ubuntu’s founder, Mark Shuttleworth, said he was in talks with manufacturers for devices to be sold with the system pre-installed within the year, despite questions from analyts wondering if consumers really want the power of a fully fledged computer on their phone.