Canonical’s third Ubuntu handset can be yours for €300

If you want to one-up your smug BlackBerry-toting mate who’s constantly calling you an iSheep or brainless droid, then Canonical’s new handset will do the job.

The company’s third Ubuntu-powered smartphone will be available for European gadget hipsters to snap up form tomorrow, for €300.

Installed on a Meizu MX4, Canonical’s aim is to attract enthusiasts, which probably goes some way to explaining its odd sales strategy.

You’ll only be able to buy the handset from Meizu’s website, where you’ll be instructed to click on “an interactive origami wall” for more information on the handset, in addition to unearthing one of a finite number of daily invites – and we thought the OnePlus One was a pain to grab at launch.

The total number of invites hasn’t been revealed, but you can try as many times as you like if you’re out of luck on the first day.

Specs-wise, there’s nothing to get massively excited about. A 5.36in screen with an odd 1152×1920 resolution is paired with a 20.7MP camera, quad-core 1.7GHz processor and 16GB of (non-expandable) storage.

It’s a far cry from the Ubuntu Edge, the high-end concept smartphone which failed to meet its funding goal, despite raising US$12 million, but if you’re hankering to try something different, then you can’t stand out much more than this.

[via The Verge]

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.