On July 1st, I broke the news that the Firefox OS is coming, but the question still remained: How is Mozilla going to leave it’s footprint in the mobile space? Let’s face it, the Firefox OS, as an open platform, may be a great idea but let’s face it: there are already millions of happy Droid and iOS users who have a strong allegiance to their phones therefore little desire to switch.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE has a genius plan: make an exclusive offer on eBay for just $79.99 and sell it unlocked with no commitments.
This Friday, the Orange Firefox phone known as the Open will hit the shores of the US and UK.
Dai Wenhong, VP at ZTE said:
It is great honor to launch the ZTE Open Firefox OS phone worldwide through eBay. ZTE is devoted to providing more options for customers globally and enabling them to live better lives via advanced technology. The ZTE Open offers customers a smartphone experience at an incredible price point, making it ideal for cost conscious consumers or those looking to upgrade to a smartphone for the first time.
The open standard is great because it creates a platform for innovation that closed ecosystems could only dream about. Mozilla already touts a solid user base and thousands of developers around the globe can create apps with the new API which will most certainly set the phone apart.
The Open boasts a 480 x 320 3.5-inch display, has a 1.0 GHz Cortex A5 Processor and a 3.15MP camera.
Admittedly these hardware specifications are light-years behind newer more advanced phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 but the designers never intended to steal the spec crown from the largest contenders in the market. The phone is designed to be an open, affordable, unlocked, contract-free alternative to the hundreds of closed phones saturating stores right now.
That being said, I think the Open phone will make it’s greatest impact in markets where people can’t afford a smartphone or in markets that are emerging. We’ll have to wait until this Friday to see how the US and UK markets accept the new fox on the block this Friday.
Connect with Vonnie on Twitter
