Hasta La Gadget!

In the world of smart mobile device hacking, there is one that stands out as a cult classic of sorts: the HTC HD2. This device originally ran a version of Windows Mobile that has at this point been long outdated – and since then it’s been pushed in so many directions that it’s astounding. This week’s addition to the collection of mobile operating systems this smartphone is able to run is Mozilla’s own Firefox OS.

The HTC HD2 smartphone is one that remains newsworthy due to its favoritism in the developer community due to its surprisingly open ability to be hacked. For over three and a half years, this device has been a go-to smartphone for the most intrepid developers looking to prove their might in hacking, pushing everything from Windows Phone 7 to Android to this machine where it’d otherwise only be running a relatively ancient operating system.

Here in the spring of 2013, the HTC HD2 has received a port of the internet-based Firefox OS. This operating system is otherwise known as Boot2Gecko and has been on its way to the public for over a year. Earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, a global convention for mobile devices and services, we saw the first wave of Firefox OS smartphones – now it’s time for the operating system to spread.

Of course here on the HTC HD2 with a first port of the system, not every feature of the system works right out of the box. In its first reveal, the HTC HD2 Firefox OS port had camera issues, SIM card detection breaks, and issues with the resolution of the device’s display being detected. That said, the deed remains done: the HTC HD2 now has another notch in its sword hilt, growing in versatility as it remains the developer community’s most hackable device.

SlashGear readers hoping to run this port on their own treasured HTC HD2 should follow the XDA Forum Post which details the information shared above. There a download awaits for the brave. It’s important to remember that this, like all hacks of this nature, is not a situation you’ll be wanting to present to your local mobile carrier if you’re in need of repairs in the future. In other words: hack at your own risk.

The HTC HD2 has also run Windows RT, a full version of Windows 8, and Windows Phone 7 in the past several years. It’s also run MeeGo, Android 2.2 Froyo and a few more – the list continues to grow!

HTC HD2 hacked to run Firefox OS: the collection expands is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Mozilla was keen to talk up the 3.0 version of its Firefox OS simulator back in March, but didn’t have much to share about when eager developers could start fiddling with it. Thankfully for HTML5 buffs, that six-week quiet period is over — the team just announced on the official Mozilla Hacks blog that the newly updated simulator is now available to download.

All of the features that appeared in the preview release are accounted for — think support for rotating displays and a mock geolocation API for testing location-aware apps — but the simulator suite has been polished a bit since we last saw it. Most of those tweaks are housekeeping changes: the size of the download has been reduced, which has led to snappier boot times, and the simulator now supports common OS shortcuts like Cmd + Q to shut down, but the simulator has also been updated to run newer versions of Firefox OS and the Gaia user interface layer.

With that said, prospective Firefox OS developers will probably use one simulator feature more than any other: the ability to push work-in-progress applications to connected test devices. Mozilla and its hardware partners Huawei, LG, and ZTE (who showed off its first FFOS device at Mobile World Congress) have been pointing to device launches in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela later this year, but the quality of the experiences found on those phones will ultimately determine whether or not Firefox OS flops.

Even so, strong early sales of Firefox OS developer devices may point to a promising official launch for the first set of consumer-facing phones later this year. Just look at Spanish hardware OEM startup Geeksphone — it began selling its Keon and Peak reference devices for $119 and $194, respectively, late last month, and the company was forced to limit the number of handsets sold that on launch day so the 20-person team could keep up with shipping.

That’s a promising start especially for a company as young as Geeksphones, but there’s no question that Firefox OS is going to face some serious competition in its launch markets. Android powers a staggering number of cheap smartphones, and Nokia has refocused its efforts to build low-cost devices based both on Windows Phone and the aging Series 40 OS. Meanwhile, persistent rumors of a low-cost iPhone continue to make the rounds — Firefox OS seemed like a novel option for new and adventurous smartphone owners when I first played with it, but we’ll have to see how the rest of the industry responds.

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.

On January 22, we reported that Mozilla had revealed the first two developer handsets running Firefox OS, the Geeksphone Keon and Peak. Images and specs of the handsets were revealed, though shipping was said to start in February and prices weren’t revealed. February has come and gone, and we finally have an update: says Mozilla, the smartphones will go on sale tomorrow.

Notes Mozilla, these two handsets are completely unlocked and run a development version of Firefox OS (which will be regularly updated), allowing developers to test things out alongside hardware in a way that is difficult to replicate with the simulator. The smartphones will be available for purchase from Geeksphone starting tomorrow, April 23.

The Keon is the orange variety of the handset featured above, offering lower-end specs and a price tag to match at €91/$118 USD (not including taxes). The handset features a 3.5-inch display with HVGA resolution. Under the hood, users will find a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor and 512MB of RAM. According to Mozilla, these specs are similar to what consumers can expect in handsets that hit shelves in the coming months.

The Peak, meanwhile, is a tad more expensive with a boost in the price tag to €149/$195 USD, featuring a 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage space, and an 1800mAh battery. Says Mozilla, this handset is better suited for testing apps that are being developed for public consumption down the road.

[via Mozilla]

Mozilla reveals Firefox OS Developer Preview handsets’ availability is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Two days ago, Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs reinforced what we already knew: Firefox OS will launch in four to five countries in Europe and South America by summer. Today, a newsletter from Spanish e-retailer Geeksphone fills in a few more details. According to the email, the Keon and Peak smartphones we saw at MWC will hit its site next week — albeit as developer preview units. Still, Geeksphone says the two handsets “will be available for dispatch anywhere on earth.” The lower-end Keon will cost €91 plus taxes, while the mid-range Peak will set you back €149. Early adopters can subscribe to the mailing list to stay updated; click through to the source link.

[Thanks, William]

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

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Source: Geeksphone