Tag: firefox os

Mozilla and Intex Launch India’s First Firefox OS Smartphone

Back in June, Mozilla announced that it was bringing the Cloud FX to Indian and Indonesian markets at this year’s Mobile Asia Expo. Now, the Firefox maker, has launched India’s first Firefox OS smartphone dubbed as ‘Cloud FX’.

The device is a fruitful result of the partnership between Mozilla and Intex. Touted as the cheapest smartphone in the country, the handset was first introduced to India at the Mobile World Congress in February.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Keshav Bansal” author_title=” Intex Technologies Director (Marketing)”]

This dual SIM-handset is for those looking to upgrade from feature phones without worrying about the price or complexity of a smartphone. We are confident that it will find great traction, especially in tier II and III towns

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Bansal also added that the company is targeting rural areas and small cities. The company is aiming to sell more than 5 lakh units in the next three months.

In terms of specs, the smartphone is nothing special. A 2 megapixel camera, 128 MB RAM, a 3.5-inch screen. It’s got a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen with 480×320 pixels resolution. Intex has packed in a 1GHz Spreadtrum processor along with 256 MB total memory. It is also got dual SIM support.

However, this is a 2G-only phone with support for Wi-Fi. The Cloud FX takes in microSD cards, but support is limited up to 4GB only. It comes with a 1250mAh battery. The company is clearly not offering a dream phone; Firefox and Intex are targeting an audience that is buying their first smartphone.

“The positive consumer feedback from other markets tells us that people like the unique user experience and openness we’re building with Firefox OS,” Mozilla President Li Gong said in a statement. “Firefox OS smartphones in the ultra-low-cost category will redefine the entry-level smartphone and create strong momentum in Asia.”

The Intex Cloud FX is priced at Rs 1,990 and will be exclusively available on Snapdeal. Intex has also teamed up with Aircel to provide Aircel users who buy the phone 1GB Data free for two months.

August 26, 2014
Intex and Spice to bring Firefox OS in India

Indian phone makers Intex and Spice have decided to bring Mozilla’s Firefox OS to India. Intex calls its device the Cloud FX. The company said that the phone will be priced around Rs.2000 thereby bringing the smartphone experience to the last group of people untouched by it. Spice on the other hand has just given a July release timeframe and said its phone will be a dual Sim device.

The Cloud FX is powered by 1 Ghz processor and will have a 3.5 inch display. Mozilla had unveiled a similar $25 smartphone platform at the MWC this year which is said to be similar to the intex device.

Intex said the Cloud FX will have Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity. It has a 2 megapixel camera rear camera.

Firefox OS is a truly open source operating system. It is based on open source standards of HTML 5, JavaScript, etc. It will be competing against other open source platforms such as Ubuntu touch. It looks a lot like a scaled down version of the Android.

What sets the OS apart from Android as it is made for lower end devices. So it has minimum hardware requirement.

Some of the best features of the Firefox OS is that it is gestures controlled and has a fast developing market place. The market has already started to fill up with regularly used apps from around the world. Though many of the apps are internet only and most have not been conformed to screen sizes.

With major companies like Google and Facebook investing in initiatives to connect the massive unconnected population with internet, operating systems like these which facilitate cheaper devices will lead to more global interconnection.

If Intex plays it right and markets it well, it could bring a new form of smartphone revolution in the lower end phone segment thereby mobilizing bigger players to enter that arena.

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June 14, 2014
LG Launches Fireweb a Firefox OS Smartphone in Brazil

LG is not only limited with Android devices, be it Nexus or any other device as LG has launched a Firefox operating system based smartphone. The Mozilla based smartphone is named Fireweb.

Fireweb sports a 4 inch HVGA display –large screen as said in the video below– with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels. The device is powered by a 1 GHz 3G Qualcomm processor and 2 GB of memory, not clear as per the press release. The device is equipped with a 5 MP camera, the camera also features auto-focus and keeps the tittle of being the first Firefox OS phone to have auto-focus and LED flash. Vivo Brazil is selling the Fireweb at a price of 449 BRL ($207 US).

Jay Sullivan, COO of Mozilla, states, “We built Firefox OS as part of Mozilla’s mission to put the power of the Web in people’s hands and offer the best Web experience possible. We’re happy to see Firefox OS gain momentum with partners launching new devices in new markets and developers around the world being inspired to innovate. Our partnership with Telefónica Vivo demonstrates the rich, new experiences offered on Firefox OS by combining the best global and local content with LG’s elegant new device experience.”

[youtube id=”t_7sTP7IRn4″ width=”100%” height=”300px”]

October 23, 2013