Mozilla Announces Firefox OS Developer Preview Phones

Mozilla, the company behind the popular Firefox browser, has announced the availability of two developer preview phones for its upcoming Firefox OS(formerly Boot to Gecko)platform.

In Firefox OS, HTML5 applications can do "phone things" - can make your phone vibrate, make a call or send a text message.

"This week we are announcing our new Firefox OS developer preview phones because we believe that developers will help bring the power of the Web to mobile," said Stormy Peters, head of websites and developer engagement at Mozilla, in a blog post, AFP reported.

The two smartphones specially designed for the Firefox OS are called Keon and Peak,are being developed via Spanish phone maker GeeksPhone in partnership with Telefonica.

The Keon features a 1GHz Snapdragon S1 processor, 4GB ROM and 512MB RAM, a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 3-megapixel camera, MicroSD support, a 1580 mAh battery and support for 2G and 3G networks. Remember, this isn’t a consumer device, so the specifications will be somewhat limited.

The Peak is more powerful and feature rich, offering a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (2-megapixel front), 4GB ROM and 512MB RAM and a 1800 mAh battery.

Both the Keon and the Peak will be available for purchase in early February. Mozilla did not announce pricing. Developers may also test and deploy Firefox apps, widgets and services by installing the Firefox OS on their Android smartphone or on the desktop via the Firefox OS Simulator.

The announcement of developer preview phones will help app makers assist Mozilla in making the mobile web more accessible to everyone. With this is mind, the company says it is “working on bringing the power of the web to mobile, through FirefoxOS, along with all the power of open standards and an open community, and once again, we’d like to invite web developers to join us.”