Earlier this year, Mozilla announced plans to create its own open source mobile operating system. The name of the project was Boot to Gecko, (sometimes called Boot 2 Gecko) but details about the project have been kept under wraps. Today, Mozilla officially announced that the official name of the mobile OS will use the Firefox branding, the same as with its various web browsers.
In a press release today, Mozilla also announced that a number of wireless carriers have already announced their support for Firefox OS. They include Sprint here in the US, along with Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and Telenor.
Mozilla revealed that at least two smartphone hardware makers, TCL Communication Technology and ZTE, will build devices based on Firefox OS. Both will have versions of Qualcomm"s Snapdragon processor inside. The first smartphones with Firefox OS will be released in Brazil in early 2013. There is no word on when we can expect Firefox OS devices to be sold in the US or other parts of the world.
The big selling point for Firefox OS is that it is based on HTML5. All of its features, including messaging, calling, apps and more, will be based on HTML5. Mozilla states:
Due to the optimization 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 including at the low end of the smartphone price range, helping to drive adoption across developing markets.
Source: Mozilla | Image via Mozilla