It’s been a hot minute since we’ve had any news about the upcoming Firefox OS, and today we have new details about the release of the new mobile operating system. Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs revealed today at AllThingsD’s Dive Into Mobile conference that the first Firefox phones will be released around June of this year, rolling out in emerging markets such as Venezuela, Brazil, Spain and Portugal. Kovacs also stated that Firefox phones will be released in the U.S. eventually, but they are waiting for the Firefox OS ecosystem to come into fruition before they attempt to penetrate that market. Sprint has expressed interest in carrying Firefox OS devices in the U.S, and ZTE and Alcatel are planning on manufacturing Firefox OS devices.
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]