Vodafone and Canonical test ‘cloud smartphone’ based on Anbox Cloud

Vodafone and Canonical demonstrate a prototype smartphone that uses a cloud version of Android: Canonicals Anbox Cloud. Apps and games run from the cloud, which means that the smartphone can contain relatively simple hardware.

The cloud smartphone only needs an internet connection and the capacity to decode videos, Canonical writes. All calculations and file storage are performed on virtual machines in the cloud. A prototype of such a device will be shown by Vodafone at the MWC in Barcelona. It is unknown what hardware the phone has.

Canonical and Vodafone think that such a cloud smartphone has advantages, because calculation tasks that require a lot of energy do not have to be performed on the smartphone itself. For example, x86 apps can also be run in the cloud. The cloud smartphone does have physical cameras and sensors on board, so that users “do not notice any difference from what they are used to”.

Vodafone uses Canonical’s Anbox Cloud for the prototype. This is an Android version that can be hosted on a cloud infrastructure of your choice. Cloud service providers can use Anbox Cloud to offer mobile apps via streaming and Canonical states that mobile providers can use it to provide ‘innovative value-added services’ to their customers.

Concrete plans for the release of a so-called cloud smartphone have not yet been announced. It is also not clear to what extent the prototype differs from regular smartphones. After all, a cloud smartphone must contain a screen, cameras, a modem and sensors. The only difference with a regular smartphone would then be in the power of the soc and the amount of memory and storage.

Vodafone and Canonical ‘Cloud smartphone’