Firefox OS is the fifth significant smartphone operating system on the current German market - alongside the top dog Android and iOS , as well as the more severed Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS . But the open source platform aims to be more than a me-too product , Firefox OS will be different. Mozilla puts a large part of its developer resources Corporation in the project and has nothing written on the flag , as a revamp of the mobile Internet market.
Freed from the control of large corporations?
Firefox OS will be an open , free system for the whole world , the little cost and no discrimination. The open HTML 5 standards on which to base its applications, it is firstly much easier - even for hobbyists , for example - but to create apps and content without restrictions and control by powerful corporations .
In Spain , Poland , Colombia and Venezuela , the system is already on the market since the summer, with appropriate equipment . Now follow Germany , Brazil and other European and Latin American countries. Everywhere the market entry takes place in an anti - Apple style with affordable entry - smartphones, such as in Spain with the ZTE Open starting tomorrow or in Germany with the Alcatel One Touch Fire . The latter , according to the announcement of the co -network provider, the telecom Congstar , cost less than 100 euros .
Ideal for the low-price segment
In the lower price segment of smartphones Firefox OS can play its trump cards : The apps are all applications based on the document description language HTML 5, the sites are also programmed. How they are run in a browser Firefox OS apps. The surface looks like from but like a native app , for example, for Android devices . What is installed on the smartphone itself , there is often not much more than one interface , a type of window to use - but essentially works on the web server of their network provider .
The technology is saving memory and computational resources of the device or does not require as powerful and therefore not as expensive phones . While most apps will work only with Internet connection in a usable way . But this is hardly different from the competing systems , since their apps usually need at least pull data from the Internet , even if the processor power on the device itself .
The same app for Firefox OS , Android and Windows PC?
In the lower price segment of smartphones Firefox OS can play its trump cards : The apps are all applications based on the document description language HTML 5, the sites are also programmed. How they are run in a browser Firefox OS apps. The surface looks like from but like a native app , for example, for Android devices . What is installed on the smartphone itself , there is often not much more than one interface , a type of window to use - but essentially works on the web server of their network provider .
The technology is saving memory and computational resources of the device or does not require as powerful and therefore not as expensive phones . While most apps will work only with Internet connection in a usable way . But this is hardly different from the competing systems , since their apps usually need at least pull data from the Internet , even if the processor power on the device itself .
The same app for Firefox OS , Android and Windows PC?
Anyone who hoped to be a Firefox OS reached in terms of safety advantage is more likely to be disappointed . The developers of malicious or spying software will find ways to smuggle despite controls as well as in Apple and Google , contaminated apps in the AppStore. And in terms of intelligence : Mozilla's servers are also in the USA. A small bright spot: Firefox OS offers the option to set in the settings that every site and app is told not to follow the user's behavior . But not all suppliers have already been to the " Do Not Track " header .
In the apps is a lot of potential in Firefox OS - it's relatively easy to write applications for it : If you can program websites in HTML 5, should hinbekommen also a Firefox OS app . In addition, the apps are available on other systems , making the development effort worthwhile . Whether Firefox OS really can play an important role in the market , still remains to be seen. Devices from LG and Sony are already in the pipeline. With them, Mozilla will slowly approach on mobile terrain at higher price points - but where Android and iOS devices occupying the market is almost complete.