LG will soon be launching its first-ever smartphone designed to run Firefox OS soon, doing so in Brazil in partnership with the local carrier Telefonica. The LG Fireweb, not surprisingly, is a lower-end handset meant for those in need of an entry-level device, putting it on par with many ZTE and Huawei handsets, for example. […]
Mozilla is pushing out an update for its Firefox OS users, with version 1.1 bringing a host of new features, some improvements and enhancements, and additional language support. The company says both developer phones and users will be seeing the update become available soon, so those who aren’t seeing it yet will have to wait […]
APC has a pair of cheap developer boards that have similar hardware and different form factors. One of the products is called the APC Paper and the other is called the APC Rock. APC has announced that a new operating system is available for both of those hardware products. The newly available operating system is […]
Mozilla’s ‘Phone for Apps’ initiative hits phase two, lures devs into porting HTML5 apps to Firefox OS
Posted in: Today's Chili
Firefox has certainly taken some pretty huge steps since Mozilla initially announced its “Phone for Apps” program back in May. Still, the browser maker knows there’s a lot to be done before the mobile OS becomes more of a household entity. To help it achieve that, Mozilla’s launching phase two of the “Phone for Apps” initiative, offering developers a Firefox OS device — in this case the Geeksphone Keon — in exchange for porting their HTML5 apps to the young platform. More specifically, this qualifies devs who have “already built and shipped an HTML5 web app and have the time now to port that app to the new Firefox OS.” Is this you? Then here’s what’s left to do: click the source below to peruse the rest of the guidelines, fill out the application and, if you’re amongst the chosen group, expect a confirmation to reach your inbox sometime thereafter.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Mozilla
Mozilla has just announced the next stage of its program to bring developers and apps into their fledgling Firefox OS platform. However, this time around, they are not asking for new apps but are instead looking for ports of existing HTML 5 apps in exchange for a Firefox OS phone. Mozilla launched the first phase […]
LG Exec Talks Tablet, Smartwatch, Phablet, Firefox OS And Windows Phone Plans For This Year And Next
Posted in: Today's ChiliLG looks like it might be about to spread its bets around the table, according to a new interview with Bulgarian LG communications executive Dimitar Vulev. The interview from Dnevnik.bg (via Engadget) offers up an unusually transparent look at LG’s upcoming product plans, as Vulev details what the company is working on both for the end of the year and beyond.
The comms director says that LG is keenly aware of the phablet phenomenon, as evidenced by the Optimus View and Optimus G Pro, and adds that next year there will be “an even bigger phone.” This is also seen as a transition to the company focusing on larger-screen tablet devices, including a device to be launched “probably” by the end of the year. LG had previously shuttered its tablet efforts, but Vulev says it’s time to re-enter since it’s a “growing market” that has become much larger in recent years.
Android remains the primary focus of LG’s efforts in mobile, he said, but Windows Phone devices are also in the pipeline, though likely not on tap for this year. When and if we see a Windows Phone LG smartphone make it to market depends on how Microsoft develops the OS, Vulev explained. This mirrors what LG India Managing Director Kown Soon said back in July about Windows Phone 8. LG previously made Windows Phone 7 devices, but like its tablet efforts, production was put on hold after shipment shortfalls.
LG is also working on a Firefox OS phone, diversifying its software picture even further, Vulev said. So far, the open, web standards-based Firefox OS mobile platform hasn’t really had a champion among the core, big-name smartphone OEMs, so LG releasing one in early 2014 (if Vulev’s information is correct) could really help boost its presence and visibility.
Vulev also said that LG will be releasing a smartwatch, perhaps sometime next year, to debut first in the U.S. market. It could come with a flexible display, and while he admitted that LG’s previous GD910 watch phone was not successful, he suggested that the market is much more primed now for such a product than in the past.
While most companies aren’t so candid about future unreleased products, LG’s regional execs have a history of being rather more forthright than most, so it’s likely this is a genuine peek behind the curtain. Whether it’s a smart, systematic bet on a number of different horses, or a scattershot attempt at relevance, will only be proven out by the quality of these products when they do actually arrive.
Though it just went up for sale on Friday, the ZTE Open is already sold out on eBay after just a weekend’s availability. Both US and UK eBay stores no longer have any stock of the Firefox OS-running phone, the Telegraph reports, which means consumers will need to wait until another production run is made […]
It was just a few days ago when the Firefox OS handset from ZTE was released in the US for $80 a pop, and here we are with word that the device has sold out in its entirety – at least for the initial stock, over the weekend. Of course, this does not mean that there are millions of the devices already out there in the market since under 2,000 units were sold worldwide, but it is a start nonetheless. In fact, the rather unusual step of seeing this ZTE Firefox OS phone being made available as an exclusive device over eBay in the US did not deter prospective buyers, where all 985 handsets were sold out in the US, and 990 units moved in the UK.
Just to refresh our memories, the Firefox OS phone from ZTE is an unlocked device that comes with a 114mm x 62mm x 12.5mm chassis, where it will boast of a 3.5-inch HVGA (480 x 320 pixel) display, 256MB RAM, 512MB of internal memory, a 1,200mAh battery and a 3.2-megapixel camera at the back, accompanied by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity with A-GPS support. The operating system of choice? Firefox OS, of course. Were you one of those who picked it up?
ZTE Firefox OS Phone Sold Out Over The Weekend original content from Ubergizmo.
The mobile space has just gotten a whole lot more interesting in recent years, where previous 800 lbs gorillas that seemed “untouchable” are now struggling, with BlackBerry coming to mind as the main example, while Nokia, to a lesser extent, has seen their dominance in the phone market obliterated by the likes of Apple and Samsung. Not only that, the mobile operating system front has also changed a fair bit, where iOS and Android now dominate the market, with a small percentage of the share held by Windows Phone 8 and to an even smaller extent, BlackBerry 10. Firefox, a name that is more often than not associated with browsers, have decided to take the plunge into the smartphone market by introducing the Firefox OS mobile operating system, and the ZTE Open is the handset to go along with it.
We have just received word that the ZTE Open will be available for sale soon on eBay US and UK, which is pretty fast considering how it is just one month after the smartphone’s commercial launch. Before the US and the UK, however, the ZTE Open has already been made available over at Telefónica in Spain, Venezuela and Colombia, and for the first time in the UK, the ZTE Open will be made available on Orange with a price tag of $79.99 (£59.99), where this handset will hit the market as an unlocked device, which means it can be used on all mobile networks.
The global availability of the ZTE Open via eBay might be a great move for those who have always been on the lookout for an affordable smartphone that is based wholly on open web standards, but never really had the chance to do so. Some of the functions found on the ZTE Open include the basics – calls, messaging, email, and camera, in addition to built-in social integration with Facebook and Twitter, location-based services such as Nokia HERE maps, as well as the well loved Firefox Web browser and the Firefox Marketplace. Any takers?
Press Release
[ ZTE Open Firefox OS phone to be sold on eBay US and UK copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
In a strange move by ZTE, the company is planning to sell its latest handset in the US and UK by listing it on eBay. Of course, this wouldn’t the first time that companies have resorted to eBay for selling their products, but it’s interesting to see a mobile phone maker sell their devices directly […]