Firefox OS’ Developer Handsets – First Look

Firefox OS is a new mobile OS from Mozilla and it has been built completely on open source web standards. The HTML5 apps in Firefox OS can make calls, send texts and even make the phone vibrate.

Mozilla recently announced that it was releasing two prototypes of the Firefox OS phones to developers for app testing; in fact they are calling them the developer preview phones. These are expected to be made available next month, but there is no word on when the same would be made available to the public. The specifications are pretty basic but as the apps for these phones will be written in HTML 5 they are basically like web apps that will run just like native apps; so the specifications don’t really matter too much here. The company is keen to ‘bring the power of the web’ to mobile devices.


Firefox OS Phone

The recently announced phones are being developed by Geeksphone who have partnered with Spanish carrier Telephonica.So let us see what the two Smartphones running Firefox OS will be like:

The Keon

  • This will feature a 1Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 chip
  • It is a GSM 850/900/1800/1900 phone with 2G EDGE.
  • It will have a 3.5 inch Screen 3.5 with HVGA Multi touch capability.
  • It will have just one front facing camera of 3 MP.
  • In built storage: 4GB and RAM of 512 MB RAM.
  • It will also have the usual Smartphone features of GPS, , Wifi N connectivity, G-Sensor, Light and proximity Sensor, MicroUSB port, and MicroSD card for memory expansion.
  • The battery will be 1580 mAh.
  • Updates will be provided over the air.
  • The phone will be unlocked which means you can insert your own SIM card in it.

The Peak

  • The Peak will have a more powerful processor than the Keon; a 1.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4.
  • This is also GSM 850/900/1800/1900 with 2G EDGE.
  • The Peak’s screen is slightly bigger at 4.3 inches and it has qHD Multi touch with IPS.
  • It will feature two cameras: an 8 MP shooter with flash in the rear and a 2 MP camera in the front so that you can video chat.
  • The storage and RAM are same as for the Keon at 4 GB and 512 MB.
  • It also has all the other features as the Keon like Wi-Fi, GSM, memory expansion with MicroSD, MicroUSB ports and the Light and Proximity and G sensors.
  • At 1800 mAh its battery is slightly more powerful than Keon’s.

The company is of the opinion that the ‘developer preview’ phones will give more people access to the mobile web. The company hopes that just like millions of people use Firefox to browse, search and connect on the internet every day, they will one day use Firefox OS to experience the same on the mobile web.

Mozilla is conducting an event termed the Firefox App Days where they are inviting developers to experiment with the new mobile OS.

There is no news on the pricing front, though going by the specifications we are pretty sure these will be very fairly priced. How well the public receives these phones remains to be seen.

Follow Me