Canonical has launched Ubuntu 13.1, its first step towards offering a screen-agnostic, open source platform that works across desktop, tablet and smartphones.

Ubuntu 13.1 now includes a number of mobile core apps created by its developer community, including a browser, calendar, clock, weather and calculator. Ubuntu 13.1 also introduces a Smart Scope function on both desktop and phones, which combines search results from many different websites automatically and learns user preferences to improve its performance.

Canonical has created its first SDK for the Ubuntu platform, so developers can create native, HTML5 and responsive apps, using a single codebase for any device running the OS. The open-source company is integrating the platform with manufacturers and mobile operators in order to offer the first devices running Ubuntu 13.1 in 2014. It says that 10 per cent of desktop and mobile devices should ship with Ubuntu next year.

“Thanks to our passionate community of early adopters and designers we’ve built a unique experience for end-users and for developers- one UI framework that scales across all the personal computing form factors” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu and Canonical.

For more details about Linux-based Ubuntu, check out our piece on them here.