LOS ANGELES, Jan 21 — On his blog, Mozilla’s Firefox project head Asa Dotzler has published photos and technical specs of the first tablet running the Firefox OS. The mobile OS, which already powers multiple smartphone models sold in emerging markets, is now being presented as a viable low-cost alternative to Android or iOS for future tablets.
At Computex in June 2013, Mozilla and Taiwanese company Foxconn announced joint plans to produce a tablet with the Firefox OS.
This initial attempt, dubbed the InFocus New tab F1, remains relatively basic, with a 10.1-inch screen (1200x800 pixels), 1GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A7 processor, 2GB RAM and a 16GB hard drive. The tablet has dual cameras of 5MP and 2MP, and it is Bluetooth and wifi-compatible.
For the time being, the InFocus New tab F1 will be marketed to developers, before serving as a blueprint for the development of future models, which will be marketed primarily in emerging markets.
An open-source OS
A free and open-source mobile operating system, the Firefox OS was officially launched at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress in February 2013. The OS is already present on a number of low-cost smartphones made by ZTE, Alcatel or Huawei. With a price point of around $100, these devices are sold in emergent markets or in other places where the smartphone market has not yet reached saturation.
In addition to basic calling, messaging, e-mail and photo/video functions, the Firefox OS provides direct access to Facebook and Twitter, a maps app, a web browser and access to a Marketplace for downloading additional apps. The Firefox OS even allows users to try apps before installing them on a smartphone.
After coming to phones and tablets, the Firefox OS is expected to next make its way to smart TVs. Earlier this month, at CES in Las Vegas, Mozilla and Panasonic announced their partnership in this area. Mozilla will provide the OS for several future smart TVs from Panasonic, although release dates or further details have yet to be unveiled. — AFP Relaxnews
