Mozilla has unveiled its first smart phones running the Firefox Operating System.
Entering the smart phone fray against the likes of Apple and Google, the open source organization said it was making its two phones, the Keon and the Peak, available as developer preview phones in February.
The phones were being developed by Geeksphone, based in Spain, in partnership with Telefonica, and would, of course, run Firefox OS, Mozilla’s mobile operating system built using open web standards. The OS will run HTML5 apps, which could do “phone things”, Mozilla said, including phone vibrating, sending texts and making calls (indeed, one would hope so).
The developer preview phones would make the mobile web accessible to more people, the organization said.
“Now we are working on bringing the power of the web to mobile, through Firefox OS, along with all the power of open standards and an open community, and once again, we’d like to invite web developers to join us.”
The specs
The unlocked Keon would run a Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 1GHz CPU, with 512 MB RAM and MicroSD, a 3MP camera, with a 3.5″ multitouch screen and supporting 3G HSPA.
The Peak would run a dual core Snapdragon S4 1.3 GHz CPU, with 512 RAM and MicroSD, an 8MP camera with a 4.3″ inch HD multitouch screen and supporting 3G HSPA.
The phones are not high spec but this should mean they’re relatively cheap and using HTLM5 lowered the price point for entry-level smart phones in emerging markets, Forbes said.
Mozilla also announced a series of App Days, where developers can learn about, and build for, the Firefox OS. Developers can also play around with the OS now, with links on Mozilla’s blog.
