Canonical reveals the first two companies to make and sell the first Ubuntu-powered smartphones sometime during 2014-- Spanish mobile device maker bq and Chinese vendor Meizu.

“The mobile industry has long been looking for a viable alternative to those that reign today," Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says. "Ubuntu puts the control back into the hands of our partners and presents an exciting platform for consumers, delivering an experience which departs from the tired app icon grid of Android and iOS and provides a fluid, content-rich experience for all.”

bq is actually the second biggest unlocked smartphone seller in Spain, with 2013 sales of around 1.5 million devices. Meanwhile Meizu is a fairly big presence in a number of territories, with 600 retail outlets and a presence in China, Hong Kong, Israel, Russia and Ukraine.

The Tizen Association gets 15 more Partner Program members, adding the support of mobile game publishers, operators, developers, mobile software vendors and telcos to the nascent operating system.

Launched back in November 2013, the Partner Program counts 36 members. Recent additions include AccuWeather, Baisu, CloudStreet, Gamevil, Sprint and ZTE, among others.

Tizen Association members can join relevant working groups and take part in association meetings to gain more access, insight and input into Tizen OS development.

If one is to believe The Wall Street Journal Nokia might have an unusual surprise come Mobile World Congress 2014-- a low-cost Android smartphone featuring integrated Microsoft services.

Reportedly a development codenamed "Normandy" dating from before the Nokia handset business acquisition, the device features a "forked" version of the Google OS, Amazon Kindle-style. This means it lacks a number of Google-developed features and the Google Play app store, instead using Nokia and Microsoft services such as Here mapping, MixRadio music streaming and a Nokia app store.

Back on November 2013, Meg Whitman told the Gartner Symposium ITxpo HP will take on smartphones from 2014-- and that is what happens with the Slate6 and Slate7 VoiceTab phablets.

Currently aimed at the Indian market, the Slate6 and Slate7 are a duo of 6- and 7-inch voice-calling capable devices. They feature quad-core processors, front-facing stereo speakers, 1280x720 and 1280x800 respective display resolutions and run on Android, not webOS (that, if you recall,belongs to LG now).

Calls comes via 3G network and dual-SIM support.