Mozilla Hacks

Firefox OS devices officially released!

By Robert Nyman [Editor emeritus]

Posted on July 9, 2013 in Featured Article and Firefox OS

Almost two years ago, we announced Boot to Gecko (B2G) here on Mozilla Hacks. We discussed the aims of the project and the work we were planning to do. Today, all that work has paid off and we now have official Firefox OS devices in store!

Last week the first Firefox OS phones went out in stores in Madrid, Spain, for sale by Telefónica. These phones are a great example of a low-cost telephone built on Open Web Technologies.

Firefox OS launch pics, Madrid, Spain

It means that if you haven’t gotten started at looking how to build your apps or your content with HTML5 and Responsive Design, now is the time, to have the chance to be among the early options in a brand new market.

Coming to more countries

Telefonica’s launch in Spain was the first for Firefox OS, but Poland, Colombia and Venezuela also have upcoming launches soon. It doesn’t stop there, though, look out for more countries coming soon.

Open Web Apps

Firefox OS runs the web and has a web browser, but if you want to offer an app-like experience, get access to more hardware and APIs and more, building an Open Web App could be a perfect option for you.

Firefox OS launch pics, Madrid, Spain

Reuse your existing HTML5 skills and content and just package it up. We’ve outlined Open Web Apps and new possibilities in detail in previous articles:

The Firefox OS Simulator

Tool-wise, we believe the Firefox OS Simulator is a great option to quickly test your apps.

Version 4 is just about to be released – more details in the announcement this Thursday, July 11th – but the list of highlights include:

  • New Connect Button, to have a developer toolbox connected to your specific app(s)
  • Remote Style Editor, enable remote style editing
  • Hidden Feature: Shift + Ctrl/Cmd-R, refreshing the app and clearing persistent data (AppCache, localStorage, sessionStorage, and IndexedDB)
  • Updated Dashboard Design, reduced clutter and improved usability
  • Touch Events, integrating Gaia’s touch events simulation, so interacting with the Simulator using a mouse now generates real touch events

Introducing payments

As part of the Firefox OS offering, we have the Firefox Marketplace, where you can upload and share your apps. We are also happy to say that if you are interested in accepting payments for your app, this is the place!

They are described in the Payments page as part of the Developer Hub aimed at app developers, and we’ve also written about them here before in Building A Paid App For Firefox OS.

We have two kinds of payment options in the Firefox Marketplace:

  • Purchase an app
  • In-app payments

Firefox OS is here

All in all, Firefox OS is here available on released devices, and we hope the capabilities for you as an Open Web Developer to offer good content and experiences sound good. We are continuously working on making the options and possibilities as good as we can for you!

About Robert Nyman [Editor emeritus]

Technical Evangelist & Editor of Mozilla Hacks. Gives talks & blogs about HTML5, JavaScript & the Open Web. Robert is a strong believer in HTML5 and the Open Web and has been working since 1999 with Front End development for the web - in Sweden and in New York City. He regularly also blogs at http://robertnyman.com and loves to travel and meet people.

More articles by Robert Nyman [Editor emeritus]…

63 comments

  1. Timo

    Nice. Is there a possibilty for developers who did not receive a developer phone to order a Firefox OS Phone somewhere online?

    July 9th, 2013 at 01:32

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Right now phones are only offered in the markets where they are for sale, but I personally hope we will be able to offer more developer phones, no matter where you are, in the future.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:10

  2. gorghoa

    It woud be nice a “pay as you want” payment option… That would be an easy way to support projects we like.

    July 9th, 2013 at 03:00

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      It would be an interesting approach, but with operators and hardware partners and a lot of investments, some costs need to be covered in such a venture.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:10

      1. Julien

        I think Gorhoa meant “pay what you want for apps”, like the humble bundle or other softwares.

        This is common in certain software circle, and it could be a good thing to further give a specificity to the Firefox app store.

        free / fixed price are of course the base, but variable pricing would be a very open way to price apps.

        July 10th, 2013 at 15:27

        1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

          If that’s the case, sure. These are the first steps with payments in the Firefox Marketplace, and we’ll definitely consider more options in the future.

          July 10th, 2013 at 15:33

  3. Drake Jenson

    I can’t wait to give it a try!

    July 9th, 2013 at 05:12

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Sounds good, hope you get the chance!

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:11

  4. not happy

    With the Zte Open, the wifi connects only once to a network. If you switch to your carrier’s data and switch back to your wifi, it does not connect anymore. The reset of the phone does not resolve the issue, adb ‘rm /data/…wifi file’ either (permission denied, adb root provokes ‘can not run as root in production mode’). It’s a shame. It makes it the worst smartphone ever for now.

    July 9th, 2013 at 05:52

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      I personally own one and have tried what you described, and both options still work for me. I believe the best thing is to get in touch with Firefox OS support and hopefully then can help you.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:12

  5. zille

    Please, look at http://www.fairphone.com/ for collaboration or ideas if you haven’t already.

    July 9th, 2013 at 06:07

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks for the tip! We always explore a number of ideas and options.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:13

  6. Gage Peterson

    No comments? odd. Awesome work guys! I think you guys do such a great work.

    July 9th, 2013 at 06:12

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thank you!

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:13

  7. Carl Davidá

    Will it be as sluggish and resource-hungry as the Firefox browser? Hint: rhetorical question. No one cares.

    July 9th, 2013 at 06:43

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks for your opinion. Given the massive interest in Firefox OS in general, I’m not sure I’d agree that no one cares, though.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:14

    2. Joshua Smith [Developer]

      The Gaia and B2G teams have gone to incredible lengths to make sure that Firefox OS is as speedy as possible.

      July 22nd, 2013 at 09:08

  8. Mohsin Rasool

    Wonderful Mozilla Team!!!

    It is great to have more OPEN SOURCE alternatives in mobile world!

    Excited to test first FF OS on a smartphone!

    -Mohsin

    July 9th, 2013 at 08:43

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks! And yes, we believe the mobile world really needs this option.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:14

  9. mwic

    Today I am a proud Telefonica stockholder!

    July 9th, 2013 at 09:23

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Sounds good!

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:15

  10. fluxy

    Great to see it materialize :) Congratulations, keep it up.
    However I am also disappointed for the (current) lack of online store. I live in Mauritius, and I seriously doubt that we’ll be on your roadmap any time soon :(
    Looking forward to an online store

    July 9th, 2013 at 09:44

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks! And I hear you. Our initial goals are a number of emerging markets, but for people living elsewhere, I hope we will be able to offer more developer phones over time.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:15

  11. John

    Who cares. Firefox is dead and this is another silly attempt that’s just a big waste of time.

    July 9th, 2013 at 09:59

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks for your feedback. Like AndroidUser says, we believe competition and options are vital for a thriving mobile world, and that it helps the speed of evolution and improvements. Just like it has in the web browser field.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:17

    2. fluxy

      I know you are probably just trolling, but I think firefox is now coming back to life. It lost direction for a while but with the last releases, speed improvements, great features (3d and webrtc) and now the Phone OS, I must say they are looking great.

      However this overshadows the one great difference between Mozilla (Firefox / Firefox OS) and Google (Android / Chrome) – Open Standards and respect for privacy.

      Firefox is not just about technology, it is also about an ideology and ideologies do not die. Rock On firefox :D

      July 10th, 2013 at 02:39

  12. Fry

    Shut up and take my money!

    July 9th, 2013 at 10:19

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks. :-)

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:17

  13. Martin Zatroch

    Congratulations again, cannot wait to obtain a device through Polish mates and finally replace legacy Symbian with the most open system on the market yet. Good work! (=

    July 9th, 2013 at 10:21

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thank you! And yes, it will very soon be available in Poland.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:17

  14. Alex

    So, any idea what is the version running and if Peaks / Keon will get it soon? :P

    July 9th, 2013 at 10:44

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Off the top of my head, I believe the version on the released phones is the same as the latest on the Peaks and Keons from Geeksphone. If you have a developer phone, I also recommend taking a look at the Updating and Tweaking your Firefox OS Developer Preview phone/Geeksphone article.

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:19

  15. Goutham

    Great work guys! Looking fwd to use one.

    July 9th, 2013 at 10:55

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thank you, and I hope you get the chance!

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:19

  16. AndroidUser

    @John: By that logic, since we’ve already been to space, we shouldn’t bother with space research or exploration anymore.

    Don’t be critical of the people involved in this project. If everyone took your view there wouldn’t be any competition. People said the same thing about the feature gap between Android and iOS when Android 1.5 came out, but look at the mobile industry now.

    July 9th, 2013 at 12:07

  17. topvectors

    Great job, Mozilla Team! Can’t wait to get my hands on one of these.

    July 9th, 2013 at 12:56

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thank you, hope you get the chance!

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:19

  18. firefos.ru

    great work! dont stop!! =) russian community Firefox OS

    July 9th, 2013 at 13:13

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks!

      July 9th, 2013 at 16:45

  19. ebpowell

    So….just to be a 12 year old boy for a second – does anyone other than me look at the new animated logo and immediately see a farting fox?

    When the logo popped up in my browser the the other day, that was my first impression.

    Love Mozilla and Firefox, but that logo….

    July 9th, 2013 at 13:28

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Well, it’s all in the eye of the beholder… :-) Thanks for the feedback!

      July 9th, 2013 at 13:38

  20. Nithyanantham

    Hi,

    I want to contribute my skills to Mozilla OS can you please guide me.

    July 9th, 2013 at 17:37

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Good to hear. It depends what you want to do, of course, but I recommend initially to get in contact with Mozilla Reps.

      July 10th, 2013 at 01:46

      1. Janet Swisher

        Also see the Get Involved page for lots of ways to contribute.

        July 11th, 2013 at 11:28

  21. Sachin

    Oh great!…Did Cook sleep last night :-) ?

    July 9th, 2013 at 20:35

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Well, you need to ask Tim about that. :-)

      July 10th, 2013 at 02:07

  22. Safeer

    Proud of u…………. :)

    July 10th, 2013 at 02:40

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thank you!

      July 10th, 2013 at 04:07

  23. Nagendra Srivastava

    I am quite excited to develop a app on firefox os . Looking for a phone I hope it will be available in other countries soon

    July 10th, 2013 at 03:00

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Sounds good, and I hope you get the chance to get a phone eventually.

      July 10th, 2013 at 04:07

      1. Nagendra Srivastava

        Can you please tell when it will be available in India Or how I can get the phone ? I want to get my hand dirty on firefox os as soon as possible.
        Thanks a lot for quick relply .You guys are amazing . Keep it up .

        July 10th, 2013 at 22:50

        1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

          Not sure when it could potentially be available in India. Getting one through Geeksphone is an option, but I believe they are currently sold out.

          July 11th, 2013 at 02:35

          1. Tinku

            I got one Keon after many early attempts. Now with latest OS updates, its becoming my personal phone replacing the current Android one. I used to make financial web apps for other smartphones. Porting them to firefox OS was only matter adding a manifest file and minor CSS tweeks. I really appreciate the simplicity of the phone. Good job Mozillians. Keep it going.

            July 12th, 2013 at 01:26

          2. Robert Nyman [Editor]

            That sounds great! Thanks for sharing, and I hope you continue to feel good about it!

            July 12th, 2013 at 05:40

  24. Michael O.

    When shall Firefox phones be available in TX, US?

    July 10th, 2013 at 07:05

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      There are no plans for the US just yet, but looking into next year, it’s a possibility.

      July 10th, 2013 at 11:05

  25. Juan Carlos García

    I see that you guys have builds for the nexus S, gonna try to port it for the i9000, love to try new stuff

    July 10th, 2013 at 07:56

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      There are some builds for other hardware than the Firefox OS devices, but just a fair warning, most of them don’t work completely due to drivers etc.

      July 10th, 2013 at 11:06

  26. daniel Valfre

    Nice work! glad to see Firefox (and Mozilla) continue to innovate!
    Some questions (apologies if this is not the right forum): how is the update process for FirefoxOS in this device? patches will be provided? is it locked, or I can I ‘flash it’ with a custom version of FirefoxOS?

    July 10th, 2013 at 11:27

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks!
      I believe the update process in general will be pushed over the air to device owners, meaning fixes, new versions and more. With the locking part, I think that will come down to which device and operator it is.

      July 10th, 2013 at 13:36

  27. App Developers Directory

    wow, that will rock the world. The potential for HTML5 Apps is just enormous.
    Thanks also for the great links – very helpful; I will spread them amongst our developers.
    Is it true, that the ZTE only costs EUR 69 with no monthly payment obligations?

    July 12th, 2013 at 02:12

    1. Robert Nyman [Editor]

      Thanks! And yes, in Spain the price has been €69, but this will be dependent on market.

      July 12th, 2013 at 05:42

  28. vince

    you could have used a mtk* series processor and ram, and this would be price competitive at mainstream level. you could also use MIPS based proc and higher ram and the response would still be great given the price points. just my 2 cents.

    August 2nd, 2013 at 00:53

Comments are closed for this article.