Mozilla today relaunched its Boot to Gecko platform as Firefox OS, and also said it has the support of Sprint in the U.S. and Deutsche Telekom in other markets.
Firefox is an open mobile platform based on Linux and HTML5. It will use the web standards to run “apps” in lieu of a traditional operating system. Mozilla said that the goal of Firefox OS is not to take on the high-end of the smartphone market, but instead to target entry-level devices. For example, Firefox OS devices might cost $50, compared to today’s $200 smartphones.
It will be given to manufacturers/carriers for free, whereas Microsoft charges licensing fees for its mobile platform. Mozilla has signed on manufacturing partners ZTE and TCL Communication Technology (a.k.a, Alcatel), both of which have committed to launching Firefox OS devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors by early 2013. Sprint, Mozilla, and others see Firefox OS as a competitor to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
