The entry-level Geeksphone Keon could be yours if Mozilla thinks your app is interesting enough. In order to get an early start, you’ll have head over to this form and hope for the best. The device inventory is limited and the program will close at the end of May or when supply of Geeksphones runs out.

Mozilla would love to launch first Firefox OS-based devices with quite a few apps in the Marketplace, so if you think you could help (and get some head-start), try it out. A free phone is there if you need some enticing…

Again, Firefox OS smartphones will initially start selling in Latin America and Eastern Europe, with more locations to be included soon.

The announcement came as part of Telefonica’s Q1 2013 financial results, which were published earlier today. The Firefox OS platform was announced at Mobile World Congress this year, and is based on HTML-5. The platform is designed to be released in emerging markets, and to grace handsets that are on the lower end of the scale. Firefox unveiled its new Firefox OS simulator recently, which gives developers a new tool to help grow the fledgling app ecosystem. Mozilla plans on releasing the OS in emerging markets before tackling the U.S. and other markets.

Time will tell how Firefox OS fares in the smartphone market, as it will be competing against heavy hitters such as Android and iOS.

[Via: Pocket-Lint]

The new simulator includes support for rotating displays and mock geolocation data for testing location-based apps. It also allows for the use of some keyboard shortcuts, and now supports newer versions of Firefox OS and the Gaia user interface.

Companies such as Sony, ZTE, LG and Huawei have already announced that they will manufacture devices running the Firefox OS. ZTE showed off a few of its Firefox OS handsets at Mobile World Congress last February, and a small startup called Geeksphone sold its Firefox OS reference phones the Keon and Peak to developers and were forced to limit sales due to the high demand.

The Firefox OS is slated to launch in emerging smartphone markets such as Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela. Mozilla’s thinking is that a strong app ecosystem must exist before entering the U.S. market, and that the FFOS powered phones will be embraced by first time smartphone buyers.

Mozilla expects a rollout of the Firefox OS in June of this year in certain markets.

[Via: Tech Crunch]

If you recall, this is an entry-level device, one that comes with a 3.5-inch HVGA screen and 1GHz single-core processor. Moreover, there’s 3G (HSPA) radio on board as well as 1,580mAh Li-ion battery.

We doubt the Keon will be available in the U.S. through any carrier, but if you’re eager to join Firefox’s mobile revolution, you’ll be able to buy one of these from importers for some $120 and then use it on AT&T’s network — cause you won’t get 3G with no other major carrier.

We’re still kinda skeptical about Firefox OS’ prospects but that doesn’t mean a thing. First of all, it’s first target are emerging markets of the world and only after it proves there, it will find its way to the West. In the meantime, we have Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry to play around…

[Via: Engadget]

The Firefox OS is a web-based platform, which allows greater ease of development for those interested in making the Firefox OS app ecosystem a reality. The OS is specifically designed to be used on lower end handsets in emerging markets where Android and iPhones are not as plentiful. Two Firefox OS developer devices have been released, both with low-end specs. The Keon sports a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor, 3-megapixel camera, 512 MB RAM, 4GB ROM, a microSD card and a 1,580mAh battery. The second Firefox developer phone, the Peak, has a 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB ROM, a microSD card and a 1,800 mAh battery. We are not sure if these are the devices that will be released in June, but we can expect to see devices of a similar build.

Firefox could see success in emerging markets with its OS, but will most definitely be facing challenges when it comes to sales in the U.S. market. What do you think of the Firefox OS? Let us know below.

[Via: Business Insider]

Needless to say, this capability will work on a computer as well with Facebook Marketplace being among the first online stores to support it.

The problem, however, is in the fact that not many of today’s users are using Firefox browser on their mobile phones. That, of course, could change in the near future when first Firefox OS-based devices start hitting the market. As you can imagine, Mozilla’s browser will be a default option on these phones, and most likely the only option for some time.

It’s definitely cool to see Mozilla activating in the mobile payments market as it could bring the mobile commerce to millions of users around the globe who are expected to get a Firefox OS-based device later this year. We’ll keep following this story and let you know as soon as we have something new to add. Stay tuned in the meantime…

[Via: TheVerge]

The cheap hardware doesn’t exactly do the operating system much justice. The graphics are sluggish even just switching between pages of icons, the camera is mediocre at best, and the display is actually a little too high-resolution. The content on the screen is so tiny that it’s almost illegible. That’ll have to be fixed before this thing hits the market.

The OS itself looks pretty interesting though. It’s going to run HTML5 and Javascript based applications. Aside from the too-high-resolution problem, the user interface is decent and it seems at least easy to navigate.

For the full Firefox OS demonstration, check out the embedded video below from The Inquirer.

[via Ubergizmo]

The Firefox OS is slated to launch in nine countries, including Brazil, Columbia, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela, followed by a U.S. release in 2014. The workshops are designed to encourage small teams of developers to port their software from platforms like Chrome, webOS, BlackBerry WebWorks and more to Firefox OS. The hope is to build the amount of Firefox apps before its official launch later this year.

Mozilla states that space is limited to these workshops, although an official number of how many developers will be let in has been provided. This move could bode well for Firefox, and possibly give the Firefox OS a chance against Android and iOS when it hits the U.S. in 2014.

[Via: Tech Crunch]

As for the handset maker support, we’ve already seen Alcatel and ZTE unveiling their phones, and it’s also said that LG and Huawei will launch their products later this year.

Initially, the focus of the platform is on low-cost devices for emerging markets, though one of the launch vendors will also be offering a phone that is targeting the mid-tier…

“At Sony Mobile, we continue to evaluate innovative technologies that can help deliver the premium user experiences that Sony’s consumers expect. Our engineers are now working with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML5, evolving technologies which show great potential.”- Bob Ishida, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Products Business Group at Sony Mobile Communications

So if you’re an adventurous tinkerer who is curious about the new Firefox OS, check out the developers portal which will point you in the direction of modding your phone. The ROM, although having the blessing of Sony, still carries with it the downsides of flashing any custom ROM. Users will still get the warning messages about voiding their warranties when unlocking the bootloader.

Have you tried installing the Firefox OS ROM? How is it? We’d love to know.

[Via:Engadget]

Bob Ishida, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Products Business Group, Sony Mobile Communications went one step further saying that Sony’s engineers are “now working with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML5, evolving technologies which show great potential.”

The result of these efforts should apparently be visible at some point next year, and in the meantime, we hope to catch a glimpse (i.e. in-the-wild photo) of the upcoming device when we’ll get back to you with new information…

Rest of the press release talks about how great partnership Telefónica and Sony have, and how they’re looking forward to launch the new Xperia Z. In other words, nothing too exciting.