When a new smartphone hits the scene, you're usually stuck with just one choice when it comes to the platform. But Alcatel, looking to find a bit of a niche, has announced a new handset capable of running Android, Windows Phone or Mozilla's Firefox OS.
It wouldn't be too harsh to say that Mozilla's entry into the world of the smartphone hasn't been the kind of huge success that its fans may have hoped. Firefox OS is, at this point, barely relevant to a market that is dominated by Android and iOS. If Microsoft can only hope to make up the numbers, how can anyone expect Firefox OS to compete?
The first beta of Firefox for Windows 8 Touch has just been made public, and if you happen to be an owner of the Microsoft Surface, Lenovo IdeaPad Touch, or any other such device, you will definitely want to be testing this one out. As ever, much attention to detail has been paid by Mozilla, creator of the famed Firefox browser, and even though it's just a beta and thus, will be expected to harbor some imperfections, it certainly does take full advantage of Windows 8's unique functionality. Full details, as well as information on how to download the beta for your device, can be seen after the fold.
Firefox is widely recognized as one of the best browsers in the game. Despite the incredible rise of Google's Chrome over the past few years, the Mozilla team has continued to push the updates to ensure that Firefox enjoys a decent market share. More recently, we've seen the Firefox creator attempt to branch out with the development of its very own mobile operating system, and while that particular project remains in the works, Mozilla has now gone ahead and built a home launcher for Android.
As planned, Mozilla has just dropped Firefox 21 for Windows, OS X, Linux and Android. Full details, as well as where to download Firefox from, can be found right after the break.
Mozilla's Firefox OS looks, on the face of it, to be a clean, smooth, simple experience, and although no vendors have actually signed up as of yet to ship the touch-based operating system on their mobile devices, two developer handsets were available to purchase from Geeksphone, and were sold out within hours of availability. Starting at just $119, the devices that were on offer present an enticing prospect to anybody interested in the company's open-source mobile ecosystem, and although the Firefox OS is looking to do battle in an ever-crowded market, the legions of Firefox fanatics behind the project give it a very strong chance of forging a substantial user base.
Firefox OS, Mozilla’s attempt to make a dent into the crowded smartphone market, has reached another milestone today with the release of Firefox OS Simulator 3.0, the new developer tool that allows developers and smartphone enthusiasts alike to give the smartphone operating system a try, straight from their computers.
Mozilla's attempt at a mobile OS has been a long time in the works. The open source smartphone and tablet operating system first began back in 2011, since which the Mozilla team has regularly kept us posted with various updates and info. An appearance at CES on an unspecified smartphones, followed by the release of a couple of developer handsets late last month has certainly heightened general interest, and those keen to get started with Firefox OS may only have a short wait left. According to a press release, the European market will see the first smartphone running Mozilla's new OS via the Alcatel One Touch, which will first arrive in Poland venturing west across mainland Europe.
Mozilla's biggest export is Firefox, and with Windows 8 having been in circulation for a few months now, the next stage of preparations for a version of the popular browser tailored to Microsoft's latest OS release have begun. Last week, the Metro/Modern-ized browser reached Mozilla's nightly build channel, and today, it has reached Mozilla-central. Although Firefox desktop product manager Asa Dotzler confessed there is still "plenty of work" to be done, it has now reached a point where it is stable enough for regular testing.
Mozilla has been grabbing any opportunity possible to show off their Firefox OS software, but there has been a notable lack of any kind of hardware associated with the new HTML5 powered firmware. Would-be developers for the new operating system have been able to get access to the software for quite some time but have had to rely on their own abilities to load Firefox OS onto their own devices in order to test their apps and services effectively.