The Turing Phone, unveiled in mid-2015, is a 5.5-inch Android-powered smartphone that is made out of liquidmorphium, a unique liquid metal alloy which is stronger than both steel and aluminum. The smartphone is also said to be unhackable, featuring highly-secure end-to-end encryption in most of the device's core applications. In addition, it is said to be unbreakable and waterproof.
Preorders for the smartphone were launched in August 2015, but the planned shipping date of Dec. 18 last year was delayed as Turing Robotics Industries said that it needed a bit more time in working on the last remaining developmental steps for the device, including its security platform and operating system.
However, an email sent out by TRI to customers that have already preordered the Turing Phone reveals that the device will not be shipping out until April, which is much later than originally promised.
In addition, and perhaps more perplexing, is that the Turing Phone will not be powered by Android and will instead have Sailfish OS as its operating system.
In the email, TRI claimed that the Sailfish OS, which was developed by former Nokia engineers under the company name Jolla, is running perfectly on the smartphone and that TRI has initiated the final testing phase for the operating system.
TRI added that the Sailfish OS, which is the evolution of the Linux MeeGo OS that was previously created by a partnership between Nokia and Intel, has been optimized to run fast on the Turing Phone. The company also said that Android apps can still be operated on the Sailfish OS-powered Turing Phone with no issues.
TRI constructed an email to assure customers that the Sailfish OS will work well with the Turing Phone. However, the problem is that customers have already preordered the smartphone thinking that it will be powered by Android, and that the device will receive all the benefits associated with the operating system. While it would be possible to install Android apps, it would not be the same as using an actual Android smartphone.
The partnership between Jolla and TRI can also be seen as a shaky one. Jolla had to cancel the launch of its Sailfish OS-powered tablet, with the company not able to guarantee that it will be returning the money that backers gave it through the device's crowdfunding campaign. TRI, on the other hand, has not yet released the hardware into the market, and the delays of the Turing Phone are lowering the confidence of customers on the company.
"If I had preordered this device, or even shown interest in purchasing it, I'd probably be trying to figure out how to cancel right about now," wrote The Verge's Chris Welch regarding the operating system swap.
