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Thread: Firefox OS Phones

  1. #1

    Firefox OS Phones

    Quote Originally Posted by AP

    BARCELONA, Spain -- Mozilla, the non-profit foundation behind the popular Firefox Web browser, is getting into phones. But it's not stopping at Web browsers -- it's launching an entire phone operating system.

    The Mountain View, Calif.-based foundation said Sunday that phones running Firefox OS will appear this summer, starting in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela.

    The Firefox OS will land in a crowded environment, where many small operating systems are trying to become the "third eco-system," alongside Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Together, those two account for 91 per cent of smartphone sales, according to research firm IDC.

    Mozilla Foundation has an ally in phone companies, who are interested in seeing an alternative to Apple and Google, particularly one coming from a non-profit foundation. Thirteen phone companies around the world have committed to supporting Firefox phones, Mozilla said, including Sprint Nextel in the U.S., though it gave no time frame for a release. Other supporters include Telecom Italia, America Movil of Mexico and Deutsche Telekom of Germany. DT is the parent of T-Mobile USA, but plans to sell Firefox phones first in Poland.

    Phone makers that plan to make Firefox phones include Huawei and ZTE of China and LG of Korea. The first devices will be inexpensive touchscreen smartphones.

    All the phones will run on chips supplied by San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc., whose CEO Paul Jacobs appeared at Mozilla's press event Sunday in Barcelona, Spain, on the eve of the world's largest cellphone trade show.

    The industry has seen various attempts to launch "open" smartphone operating systems, with little success. Jay Sullivan, vice-president of products at Mozilla, said these failed because they were designed "by committee," with too many constituents to please. While developing and supporting the Firefox browser, Mozilla has learned to develop large-scale "open" projects effectively, he said.

    He also said that putting quality third-party applications on Firefox phones will be easy, because they're based on HTML 5, an emerging standard for Web applications.

    "Firefox OS has achieved something that no device software platform has previously managed - translating an industry talking shop into a huge commitment from both carriers and hardware vendors at its commercial launch," said Tony Cripps an analyst at research firm Ovum. "Neither Android nor Symbian -- the closest benchmarks in terms of broad industry sponsorship that we've previously seen -- have rallied the level of support that Firefox OS has achieved so early in its development."
    Link

    I have to admit I like the idea of a phone not controlled/monitored by Google, Apple, or especially Microsoft. I'll have to keep an eye how this goes and matures.

  2. The Firefox mobile browser is just fucking terrible.

    I use their PC based browser, but I just don't see a possible way they could pry me away from Android

  3. #3
    If Firefox is available for iOS, I haven't tried it. I also use it on PC though, along with Thunderbird. I don't think marginal upgrades in the form of an iPhone 5S is going to keep me loyal to Apple. I don't want to spend $400 on an contract phone again, and I can't reduce storage at this point, or it defeats the purpose of sticking with my existing investment in apps (read: games). So, I am looking at alternatives. I wish Valve would get Android Steam out, as that would make this very simple.

  4. I'm not sure how functional it will be, but competition is never a bad thing.

  5. Firefox OS is aiming to make low-end smartphones that offer a similar user experience to more powerful phones, minus the app stores and high-end graphics, which means that none of your carriers will want them in their fiefdoms.

  6. Quote Originally Posted by Yoshi View Post
    I wish Valve would get Android Steam out, as that would make this very simple.
    What exactly do you mean here? They've had the app out for almost a year, so I assume you're talking about something for app management?

  7. Quote Originally Posted by Yoshi View Post
    Link

    I have to admit I like the idea of a phone not controlled/monitored by Google, Apple, or especially Microsoft. I'll have to keep an eye how this goes and matures.
    I'd be more worried about Google than Apple and Microsoft combined.

  8. Google doesn't care what you send over its servers. Apple, however, seems to maliciously destroy emails with phrases it deems inappropriate in it.
    Quote Originally Posted by rezo
    Once, a gang of fat girls threatened to beat me up for not cottoning to their advances. As they explained it to me: "guys can usually beat up girls, but we are all fat, and there are a lot of us."

  9. #9
    That sets a shit precedent.

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