ZTE all set to launch Firefox OS-powered smartphone in Q1 2013
Anthony Garreffa / 12 years ago
With a world dominated by iPhones and Android-based phones, there isn’t much room for anything else right now. Microsoft is going to have a hard time pushing their phones next month and now we have Mozilla and their Firefox OS to think about. Chinese telecom equipment maker, ZTE, have confirmed plans that they are releasing a Firefox OS-based smartphone early next year.
ZTE executive vice president, Hy Shiyou, confirmed the news with The Wall Street Journal. ZTE have also confirmed they are releasing a Windows Phone 8-based phone later this year, bringing their total platform support to three: Android, Firefox OS and Windows Phone.
Mozilla are wanting to change the way developers currently re-write their applications in order to get them working on multiple mobile operating systems, so Mozilla have made Firefox OS apps based in HTML5. The apps will reportedly still look and feel like a native application, with access to the normal phone capabilities like calling, messaging and games.
Mozilla won’t be wanting to play fisticuffs with the iPhone or Galaxy S III just yet, as they’re aiming for the cheap, functional phones to the web in emerging markets. But, where they go from there, is anyones guess.
