The first Alcatel and ZTE under Firefox OS smartphones will be sold tomorrow. The first to launch will be Telefónica, Spanish operator and partner of Mozilla on Firefox OS. It will market in Spain, under its brand Movistar, ZTE Open.
This entry-level unit will not satisfy the most demanding of users, accustomed to high range on Android, iOS and Windows Phone terminals. This segment is clearly not in the heart of the strategy of Mozilla, and it will take these advanced users turn to phones for developers - if stocks return one day - for a little more power.
69 naked euros, 2.18 euros per month in subsidized
Sold to 69 euros, with 30 EUR included credit, ZTE Open marketed by Telefonica will also be subsidized at the rate of 2,38 euros per month for a commitment of 24 months. The target is clear and is confirmed: Mozilla and Telefónica aim people having not yet smartphone or refusing more expensive handsets by lack of need or budget.
Ultimately bother to wait for a machine of war, but with a 3.5 inch screen (480 x 320), 256 MB RAM, 512 MB of storage and a microSD included 4 GB, the device should do the trick for target users by the offer.
Other manufacturers on rows, it may appoint Alcatel, which will soon launch its One Touch Fire. Manufacturers will be distributed directly by operators partners, Telefonica and Deutsche Telekom, with launches planned before the end of the year in Spain, Eastern Europe, Central Europe and Latin America.
A smartphone sold by Telenor is example expected in Eastern Europe as early as 2013, while Deutsche Telekom should aim at an early date, a unit in Poland. Most popular Alcatel or ZTE manufacturers could also begin, since Mozilla counts among its partners Sony or LG.
Firefox also functional Marketplace
Firefox OS is an alternative to the dominant systems, especially for the 21% of mobile subscribers worldwide who don't have a smartphone, according to Kleiner Perkins figures cited by Mozilla. The Editor still promises the extension of its area of sale to "other markets by the end of the year".
We know that Western Europe is not in his line of sight, but perhaps there come from here, with more top-end smartphones? It will probably depend on the commitment of developers. If they are, according to Mozilla, more interested in Firefox OS by Tizen, Blackerry, or Kindle Fire, the arrival of top-of-the-range terminals is also linked to intensive applications (and vice versa).
For now, Firefox Marketplace, the app store of Mozilla, is equipped with a few essential applications: Nokia Here for navigation, Facebook and Twitter for social networks, Soundcloud for the sound, Terra, AccuWeather, the weather and a few EA games browser.
Other applications are integrated (the classic calculator, unit photo, etc), or to discover (Wikipedia, Airbnb, etc) on the web interface of the app store. Note that some are in good recovery of the mobile version of the site... So more or less optimized.
On the side of manufacturers, the Firefox OS experience must prove its relevance. Interviewed by ZDnet.fr, William Chhao, Director of sales of terminals for ZTE France explained: "we are pragmatic, it is a test we do request the operator Telefonica. But there's a real shot to play in the emerging countries with less than $ 50 terminals. Firefox OS can fill this niche. Will develop more products if the success for the operator is satisfactory. Remains that alternatives to iOS and Android have never really worked".
See also our pageKey figures: the OS for smartphones
