Hasta La Gadget!

It was not too long ago this year that the Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 was available for preview to the masses, and here we are with word from Mozilla themselves that the Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 is raring to go. New features that are made available on this version would include Push to Device, rotation simulation, basic geolocation API simulation, manifest validation, and stability fixes for installation and updates to apps. Of course, newer versions of the Firefox rendering engine and Gaia (the UI for Firefox OS) are also thrown into the mix for good measure.

There are also other notable improvements that are part of the deal, where the keyboard shortcut would drastically improve workflow speed, especially when it comes to packaged apps, while there is a significant reduction of the download/installation size of the Firefox OS Simulator. Not only that, boot up time is faster which could be partly attributed to the smaller size, alongside the mandatory slew of general bug fixes that make it a whole lot more functional and reliable. In a nutshell, this simulator would install as an extension in Firefox, hence you will need to have Mozilla’s browser to make use of it. After installation, it can be accessed in Firefox under the Tools => Web Developer menu.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Acer Aspire P3 Hands On Review, Acer Aspire R7 Hands On Review,

Mozilla has sent out a cease-and-desist letter to Gamma International, who has been disguising commercial malware as Mozilla’s Firefox web browser. Gamma’s software uses Mozilla’s trademarks and brand to mislead consumers into thinking its product is affiliated with the company. In the properties of the fake Firefox browser, all of the information, including version number, copyright, trademark claims, and more are exactly the same as the genuine Firefox browser.

Mozilla was alerted to Gamma’s illegal activities by a group known as the Citizen Lab. The group discovered that the spyware posing as Mozilla Firefox is called either FinSpy or FinFisher, and it was sold to various governments for usage in criminal investigations. FinSpy has command-and-control servers in 36 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and the UK.

Gamma’s fake Firefox was used in a variety of harmful and deceitful ways. The Citizen Lab provided 3 examples of how it was used, including a spyware attack in Bahrain against pro-democracy activists, tricking the people of Malaysia by posing as a document that discusses Malaysia’s upcoming General Elections, and being demonstrated in promotional videos and brochures by Gamma itself.

Luckily for Firefox users, Mozilla assures everyone that the spyware does not infect the real Firefox. Unluckily for Mozilla, this isn’t the first time its product has been misued for the purpose of evil. Back in 2010, there were nearly 200 sites deceitfully using Mozilla’s brands for illegal activities, including distributing malware or requiring users to pay for the sites’ service. Mozilla developer Asa Dotzler’s statement back then still echoes on today, “If you’re being asked to pay for Firefox, it’s a scam.” Also, always make sure that you download Firefox straight from Mozilla, and not some sketchy site.

[via Mozilla]

Fake Firefox spreads spyware as makers Mozilla retort is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Yesterday, Mozilla announced that a retailer by the name of Geeksphone would begin selling the first Firefox OS developer phones today, and true to its word, not only did Geeksphone put the phones up on sale, it managed to sell out its entire available supply within a matter of hours. Previously, Mozilla stated that it was going to sell and ship the phones in February, but it wasn’t able to keep its promise.

Geeksphone sold two different types of Firefox OS phones. The first phone was the Keon. The Keon is the orange-colored Firefox OS phone, and also the weaker one. It has a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, 1GHz Snapdragon S1 processor, 4GB internal storage with a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, 512MB of RAM, and a 3MP rear-facing camera. The Keon has a price-point of $119 unlocked.

The Peak on the other hand is the white-colored Firefox OS phone, and also features some decent specs. The Peak has a 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage with a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, an 8MP rear-facing camera, and a 2MP front-facing camera. The Peak has a price-point of $195 unlocked.

According to Mozilla, the Keon’s specs will be similar to most of the Firefox OS handsets that are set to launch in 5 countries come June. The Peak on the other hand will be better for developers to test their apps on. Geeksphone says that while its supplies may be out of stock now, it should become available again by this Friday. Geeksphone hopes to be able to one day receive orders of up to 5,000 phones a day.

The Firefox OS handsets will eventually launch with 18 operators, with most of those operators being located in emerging markets. Eventually, in 2014, the phones will be heading to the United States, with AT&T speculated to be the first carrier to sell its phones. According to the CEO of Movile, the largest mobile services company in Brazil, phones like the FireFox OS smartphones will be the key in penetrating the smartphone market in Latin America.

[via TechCrunch]

Firefox OS developer phones sell out in matter of hours is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

After four months in the alpha incubator, BitTorrent has released its Surf file-sharing plugin in beta not just for Chrome, its initial browser, but for Firefox as well. In an effort to make downloading and discovery easier, the new plugin has a status window for monitoring file progress plus a recommendation engine that’ll offer suggestions based on search terms. BitTorrent claims the results “prioritize legitimate content” and will “help creators and fans connect.” With ventures like SoShare, Sync and live-streaming in the works, this is yet another sign that a brand (arguably) once synonymous with illicit activities is at least trying to go legit.

Filed under: Internet

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Source: BitTorrent (1), (2)

Gary Kovacs, (current) CEO of Mozilla, just took the stage here at D:Dive Into Mobile 2013 in New York City. It’s apt to be his last major stage appearance before stepping aside in order to “go back to his roots,” as described here, and hosts Ina Fried and Walt Mossberg were on hand to grill him on ongoing developments before he heads for other pastures. To start, Walt asked why the browser needed to be the operating system on a phone. Kovacs’ reply?

“The browser doesn’t need to be the operating system; it needs to incorporate the web. Such that discovery is easy, such that multiple stores can be accessed from the device — so we aren’t locked in, or generally encouraged to be locked within a single ecosystem.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

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