Firefox OS: a new web-based mobile platform emerges – The Verge

Panasonic and Mozilla join forces to develop Firefox OS-powered Smart TVs

2014-01-06T14:00:03-05:00

panasonic tv stock

Firefox OS, Mozilla's HTML5-based platform designed to go toe-to-toe with iOS and Android, may soon find its way into the living room. Panasonic announced today that it's partnering with the software company to help "develop and promote" Firefox OS on next-gen Smart TVs, with the goal of turning the operating system into a hub for future Smart Homes. The move marks Mozilla's first major foray into the war for TV.

Mozilla is joining the war for the living room

According to the official release, the partnership will allow developers to build apps and cloud services into future televisions based on the same APIs that underpin Mozilla's web and …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Mozilla backtracks, says no current plans to launch Firefox phones in US

2013-11-14T10:52:24-05:00

Firefox OS

Mozilla currently has no plans to bring Firefox OS smartphones to the United States, reports CNET. Though Mozilla previously said that it expected to see phones running the new operating system launch next year in the US, it now says there are no such plans for that to happen. That doesn't mean Firefox OS won't be coming to the United States at all though: it is already available through a developer device, and Mozilla is reportedly speaking with partners about the possibility of bringing it over. The main reason it's focusing outside the US, Mozilla tells CNET, is because of price. Mozilla wants to maintain its aim toward emerging internati …

Read the full story at The Verge.

ZTE turns to eBay to sell Open Firefox OS smartphone in the US and UK

2013-08-12T09:08:30-04:00

Gallery Photo: ZTE Open hands-on pictures

Smartphones running the new Firefox OS have been launched by a couple of carriers around the world (most notably by Telefónica in Spain and South America), but a widespread launch in the US and UK is still a ways off. Despite that, ZTE still wants to sell its Open Firefox smartphone to consumers willing to pay for it in those countries, so it has turned to eBay to peddle its wares. The Open is ZTE's first Firefox phone, and while it won't get any hardware geeks excited with its 3.5-inch HVGA display and low-end processor, it does give the US and UK their first look at the new web-based mobile platform. Those interested in giving the Open a r …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Android too chunky for cheap phones, says Firefox OS creator

2013-07-01T18:52:53-04:00

Gallery Photo: ZTE Open with Firefox OS hands-on pictures

In February, we got our first look at Mozilla's Firefox OS, a smartphone operating system built on the open web. On the first two phones, the ZTE Open and Alcatel One Touch, it was a laggy, terrible experience. We'd hoped that Mozilla would improve that by launch, but apparently not: though the ZTE Open will go on sale in Spain tomorrow, we found the phone as unimpressive as ever at today's Mozilla event.

"We are not aiming high and trying to crash into Fortress Apple, into Fortress Google."

Brendan Eich, co-founder and CTO of Mozilla Corporation, made it clear that Firefox OS isn't going to compete with today's top-tier smartphones. "We are …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Mozilla targets Android and Asha as first Firefox OS smartphone goes on sale

2013-07-01T06:57:28-04:00

Gallery Photo: ZTE Open hands-on pictures

After months in development, Mozilla's Firefox OS is ready for the public. Today, the company announced that the first two handsets running the open-source HTML5 operating system - the ZTE Open and the Alcatel One Touch Fire - will soon go on sale in limited markets. Consumers in Spain won't have long to wait after Telefónica-owned Movistar announced the 3.5-inch ZTE Open smartphone will go on sale from tomorrow, costing €69 / $90 (including €30 / $39 balance) for prepay customers.

Mozilla hopes that its open frameworks, HTML5 apps, and consumer-friendly approach will lure people away from low-cost Android, Asha, and Windows Phone smartphone …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Foxconn joining Firefox OS alliance as it tries to compensate for Apple slowdown

2013-05-27T20:04:02-04:00

Firefox logo

The first smartphones running Firefox OS went on sale last month, and it looks like Mozilla is now adding the builder of some of the world's most popular devices to its coalition. Engadget reports that Mozilla and Foxconn Technology Group have confirmed a joint press event in Taipei on June 3rd, during which they will formally announce that Foxconn has signed on to Mozilla's initiative. At least one new Firefox OS device is expected at the event, although it's not clear if the product will be a branded Foxconn product or simply something that the company is manufacturing for another partner.

The news surfaces just as The Wall Street Journal …

Read the full story at The Verge.

First Mozilla Firefox OS phones going on sale Tuesday

2013-04-22T13:19:04-04:00

Keak and Peon renders from Geeksphone

We've heard a lot about the open, HTML5-focused strategy behind Mozilla's Firefox OS for mobile devices, but that will all be put to the test starting this week. The first two smartphones running Firefox OS - Keon and Peak, low-end developer models from Spanish startup company Geeksphone - are set to open for worldwide pre-order as early as tomorrow, possibly Wednesday, according to The Next Web. Pricing is still in flux, according to the report, but Keon should start at around 115 euros ($150 US) with tax included, and the Peak will debut at 180 Euros (about $234 US). Geeksphone is said to begin shipping globally by the end of the week. We' …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Mozilla announces new web payment mechanism to debut on Firefox OS

2013-04-07T00:30:03-04:00

Firefox OS

Mozilla is working on a new JavaScript API, first appearing in the Firefox OS, that will make it easy for people to pay for digital goods and services on the web, either using a credit card, or by adding the purchase to their monthly carrier bills. According to a blog post from Firefox OS engineer Kumar McMillan, navigator.mozPay() is based on Google Wallet's API, but modified for multiple payment providers and, importantly, carrier billing. When a web app invokes the API, a "secure window with a concise UI" pops up on your phone, you authenticate with a password, and your payment gets processed.

Part of Mozilla's pitch to operators has bee …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Certified ‘Powered by Firefox OS’ devices require Firefox Marketplace, minimum hardware specs

2013-02-28T10:00:02-05:00

Mozilla says that in order for Firefox OS phones to bear the Firefox logo, they'll need to meet a variety of software and hardware requirements, including mandatory installations of the Firefox mobile browser and the official Firefox Marketplace app store.

Though the existence of a "blessed hardware" program is similar to Google's model for Android - which only permits compliant devices to ship with the Google Play store, the Gmail app, and other elements - there's a key difference: Mozilla is actively encouraging carriers and developers to embrace alternative app stores and payment methods. A carrier launching a "Powered by Firefox OS" dev …

Read the full story at The Verge.

With Firefox OS, Mozilla gets a little dirty to clean the mobile web

2013-02-27T13:40:04-05:00

firefox logo stock

At MWC this week, showgoers are finally getting a look at the first Firefox OS devices that will come to market in the next few months.

To be blunt, they're not very good: the ZTE Open and Alcatel One Touch Fire look and feel like low-end handsets from two or three years ago. The operating system - which is "made of the web," as Mozilla proudly proclaims - seems to struggle at times to overcome the cheap silicon it's been saddled with.

But "good" is a relative term. Firefox OS could actually be wildly successful, no matter how underwhelming the actual phones may be. And that's because - at least for now - you're not the customer; your carr …

Read the full story at The Verge.