Ubuntu, the open source Linux-based operating system, has been adapted to run on smartphones as a replacement for Android, its makers say.

The software will allow smartphone owners run desktop apps on their handsets, making them a substitute for a PC when docked to a monitor.

The first release of the code will be offered as a file that can be installed on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus phone, replacing its factory Android operating system, the BBC reported Thursday.

Canonical Ltd., the developer of Ubuntu based in Britain, said it is in talks with manufacturers for devices to be sold with the system pre-installed within the year.

"It's quite incredible that we're at this point when the power of the phone is crossing over that with baseline processing power of basic laptops," Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth told the BBC.

"We're taking advantage of that so for the first time in history you have the full consumer PC platform available on a phone."

Phones running Ubuntu will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, Canonical said.