Newsdesk

Wizard of OS? HTML5 for new Mozilla mobile ecosystem

10/07/2012

According to the Mozilla blog, industry support is growing behind the company’s plans to launch a new fully open mobile ecosystem based on HTML5. The operating system (OS), which Mozilla has confirmed will use its Firefox brand, will power the launch of smartphones built entirely to open Web standards, where all of the device’s capabilities can be developed as HTML5 applications.

First devices featuring Firefox OS will be manufactured by TCL Communication Technology (Alcatel) and ZTE, whilst leading global network operators backing the initiative include Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and Telenor.

Mapping to key Firefox footprints around the globe, the operators backing the open Firefox OS apparently see it as an exciting new entrant to the smartphone marketplace and they have also identified the potential of the technology to deliver compelling smartphone experiences at attainable prices.

Device manufacturers TCL Communication Technology (under the Alcatel One Touch brand) and ZTE have announced their intentions to manufacture the first devices to feature the new Firefox OS, using Snapdragon™ processors from Qualcomm and it is anticipated the first Firefox OS powered devices will launch commercially in Brazil in early 2013 through Telefónica’s commercial brand, Vivo.

Speaking at a London event last week, Matthew Key, chairman and ceo of Telefónica Digital commented: “Firefox OS will bring a better smartphone experience to a higher proportion of the population at a lower cost. This is crucial for us to accelerate the adoption of smartphones in developing markets. The breadth of support for this initiative across the industry makes it clear that there is an opportunity in the market for a new, open mobile ecosystem.”

The Firefox OS for mobile devices is built on Mozilla’s ‘Boot to Gecko project’ which is designed to unlock many of the current limitations of Web development on mobile, allowing HTML5 applications to access the underlying capabilities of a phone, previously only available to native applications. Telefónica’s Digital unit joined forces with Mozilla earlier this year to take this work and showcase a new phone architecture where every phone feature (calling, messaging, games, and so on) is an HTML5 application.

Due to the optimisation of the platform for entry-level smartphones and the removal of unnecessary middleware layers, mobile operators will have the ability to offer richer experiences at a range of price points that extends to the low end of the smartphone price range. Mozilla and all other participants are committed to ensuring the project is fully open and the reference implementation of the required Web APIs is being submitted to W3C for standardisation.

“The introduction of the open mobile OS continues the Mozilla mission to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the Web for users and developers. As billions of users are expected to come online for the first time in the coming years, it is important to deliver a compelling smartphone experience that anyone can use,” ventures Mozilla ceo Gary Kovacs. “The large number of operators and manufacturers now supporting this effort will bring additional resources and diversity to our global offerings.”
Kendrick Struthers Watson