Firefox OS Developer Preview Devices Announced
geeksphone.com
geeksphone.com
Looking forward to holding this in my hand. For a few cents per unit, they might have made it even more compelling by adding dual SIM slots, certainly Chinese vendors seem to be able to manage this on <$100 Android handsets.
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23geeksphone&src=hash
Since Geeksphone is in Madrid, twenty minutes from my home, I hope I can just walk in and buy one as soon as they're for sale.
While i am a Mozilla Fans, i hate to admit it is just not a well run company.
I am quite excited for this not because FxOS will take over android/iOS but because it will give people a trusted organization behind their private data. This has less impact on the North American market but more in other countries that tend to value privacy.
If they beat Androids performance, and development is easy, then it has a shot in my opinion. I mean, your basic apps are there already (such as http://x.Facebook.com), and if it's simple enough to port my mobile web apps over, I know I'll take the plunge.
[0] Source: I sell phones in Australia
Their low end device looks similarly specced, so I'm a bit worried about how it will come off. Haven't gone through loading up the latest builds so perhaps performance has improved a lot.
Before Android 4.* (especially 4.1 and Butter) I think there was room for another competitor in the market, but I'm having a hard time believing FirefoxOS is going to be able to make significant inroads.
Android has finally grown up and contract-free low end phones are now available for $60. I would expect the 2013 ultra low end handsets will be 4.* which is really going to be a game changer.
In short, today's build of Firefox OS will run very fast on these developer specifications.
No doubt they will be priced cheaper than the Nexus 4.
Software ultimately matters more than hardware and we're rapidly getting to that point in mobile.
Disagree that it is unfair to compare FirefoxOS and Android, consumers don't care who started when, they care about the product now. (and let's not forget FirefoxOS is bootstrapped off of Android so they are hardly starting from scratch)
They care about what is on their phone when it is released. I'm pretty sure that's not going to be a version "of a few months back" from now!
Conversely, all the really cheap Android phones on sale here run either 2.2, 2.3, or if you're very lucky, 4.0. And I don't expect those to magically get 4.1.2/4.2 anytime soon.
I get the impression the HN crowd doesn't really know what a low end phone is, let alone they have seen or used one.
I'll check out Firefox OS on the latest builds for sure, but I'd be surprised if we weren't seeing the new IDEOS coming out this year with the latest 4.x Android. We'll see.
I hope Firefox OS does well, I'm just saying that their window of opportunity for addressing the low end market with something unique is very quickly closing.
Err, well, no. You're both right. The lowest levels of B2G are the kernel from Android, RIL (telephony stack from Android), and other little bits like that (e.g. gralloc, which is what allows the fast texture sharing). There's a lot of Android in B2G, but it's well out of the view of users.
Considering specs of the lower gen phone it should cost about $100.
Right now, Firefox OS is extremely far back in line. It's behind Android, iOS, various mobile versions of Windows, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, MeeGo, and several others.
If it offered something special, then there's the remote possibility that it could succeed. But it really doesn't. It's quite unremarkable, and the emphasis on using HTML5 and JavaScript for app development will likely repulse many good developers who'd prefer to use a language like C, C++, Java or Objective-C.
It just keeps looking more and more like a dead end, even as they make progress.
But it will attract developers who use HTML5 and Javascript, of which there are a great number.
FirefoxOS is clearly aiming itself at low-end devices in emerging markets. None of the other players have done a great job here, so yes, there is a market. We're just not in it.
Like it or not, the core of the idea is using web technologies. And there are good developers who like this. After all, you can use the same mix of skills to make the website as the mobile app.
If you want to write apps in Java or Objective-C, there are already platforms for that. Firefox OS will not get extra traction by being an inferior version of those platforms.
Better to focus on what comes after phones & tablets, whatever that is.
Take away Gmail, Google maps, and Google search and all your iphone has left to brag about is smooth scrolling.
Why do you need a third app ecosystem when a significantly more open phone should be able to run most code written for Linux or the web? Again, nobody is claiming they'll be the next iphone.
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The Peak: CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.2Ghz x2. UMTS 2100/1900/900 (3G HSPA). GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (2G EDGE). Screen 4.3" qHD IPS Multitouch. Camera 8 MP (back) + 2 MP (front). 4 GB (ROM) and 512 (RAM). MicroSD, Wifi N, Light & Prox. Sensor, G-Sensor, GPS, MicroUSB, Flash (camera). Battery 1800 mAh.