All you need to know about the Firefox OS

An updated version of the Firefox OS – v1.1 – is available for download for Geeksphone Keon and Peak smartphone owners now. Posts on the Geeksphone forum claim that those using these smartphones can manually upgrade them for faster boot-up times and some minor navigational and display improvements, in addition to fixes to some previously known bugs.

Geeksphone’s Firefox OS offerings: Peak on the left and Keon on the right

This is the latest we have on this operating system from Mozilla Corporation that has been creating a lot of buzz for sometime now.
 
After it was showcased at last year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) conference, the Firefox OS was seen strutting around at this year’s CES event too, in January. Since then, reports have been consistently pouring in, giving insights into several new aspects of the new OS. Here’s a closer look:
 
User interface
Firefox OS’ UI features a homescreen and an app drawer like Android, but the major difference lies in the fact that unlike Android, this OS runs on HTML5. That aside, the OS seems to have a “cartoon-y visual style”, with big round and colourful icons. Still, we don’t think that users should take a lot of time to figure this one out.

Edit photos and enhance them

The OS’ features include the ability to get to places with directions, traffic and local transit information. Users can capture photos on the go and enhance them with built-in style filters on smartphones running the OS. Other features of the OS include the ability to import one’s contacts from one’s favourite social networks. FM Radio on the OS gives users access to all the audio they want on the go, on one device.
 
Apps
Those using devices running the Firefox OS can head over to the Firefox Marketplace for apps. The Marketplace features HTML5-based apps under several categories including Shopping, Photo & Video, Social, Books, Education, to name a few. Popular apps on the Firefox Marketplace include Twitter, Wikipedia, SoundCloud, Jauntly, et al.

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The Firefox Marketplace

In addition to those mentioned above, some apps come pre-installed in every Firefox OS device and these include Home Screen, Dialer, SMS, Contacts, Gallery, Video Player, Music Player, Firefox Browser, to name a few.
 
Firefox OS devices
During CES this year, Mozilla had announced that with the Firefox OS, it was aiming at low-end, low-cost devices. We got a glimpse of that early this month, when China-based ZTE announced its plans of selling Open, the first Firefox OS phone in Spain. The price of the ZTE Open handset is 69 euros (approx Rs 5,600), inclusive of 30 euros worth of pre-paid talk time.

Not just ZTE, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd or Foxconn recently said that it will launch a host of products running Firefox OS, including smartphones, tablets, TVs, electronic whiteboards and outdoor displays. The company reportedly even revealed that more than five devices were already in development.
 
The announcement was made at a press conference during Computex 2013, where the two companies also announced their partnership formally.

More and more devices coming..

Young Liu, general manager of the Foxconn Innovation Digital System Business Group, said that Foxconn was investing in a new unit in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan with a planned workforce of 50  1,000 employees to work with Mozilla on developing hardware, software, content and services. He even stressed on the fact that Hon Hai will not start its own brand, and instead offer solutions to its popular clients.
 
In the past, Mozilla had said that it was working with five manufacturers – Alcatel, TCL Communication Technology, LG Electronics, ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies to build the first devices running the Firefox OS.
 
Recently at a news conference, Mozilla’s Chief Technology Officer Brendan Eich had announced that the first tablets to run Firefox OS were coming soon, without specifying details.
 
While there, Eich also went on to make some really interesting revelations including that the company originally wanted to develop Firefox OS for a tablet, but settled for smartphones owing to community interest and feedback. He said the majority of developers expressed interest in a smartphone, and Android as a “relatively open system for developers to develop on” helped the push for a smartphone operating system.
 
India is a decent market for low-end, low-cost devices, and the low hardware requirements of the OS give smartphone manufacturers, especially those in India, a way to offer cheaper devices. In fact one Indian smartphone manufacturer is already on its way to building a smartphone running the Firefox OS. Hari Om Rai, Co-founder and Director, Lava International Ltd recently told the media that the company is indeed working on a smartphone running the Firefox OS and aims to price it below Rs 3,000.
 
Rai, however, did not divulge any more information on this smartphone, including when it plans to release it in the market.