Mozilla and Spreadtrum have announced that the turnkey solution for Firefox OS smartphones in the ultra-low-cost category is now available.
Mozilla has partnered with Intex and Spice, two of India’s leading mobile device brands, to bring the first Firefox OS devices to India in the next few months.
Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, Business Head, Mobile, Intex Technologies, said: “The platform will give us an edge in upgrading buyers from feature phones to smartphones while making it affordable for the mass market. This will propel our devices to be much more than a way to use the Web, but take the engagement further and develop the Web as a mobile platform.”
Mr. Dilip Modi, Co-Founder & CEO of Spice, said, “We have high expectations from this partnership as we continue to constantly push the boundaries, and bring unique and exciting products to our customers. These phones will be affordably priced to ensure everyone can enjoy and experience the power of the Firefox OS phone.”
“Spreadtrum and Mozilla’s turnkey solution defines a new level in smartphone affordability. Together with handset makers, we can now make the smartphone experience accessible to more consumers globally,” said Xiaomao Xiao, vice president of software development at Spreadtrum.
Two Firefox OS devices being showcased at Mozilla’s Mobile Asia Expo booth will be going on sale for the first time this summer: the ZTE Open II and Alcatel OneTouch Fire E.
ZTE has deployed Firefox OS on a broad range of smartphones that are tailored for different types of consumers. The ZTE Open II adopts dual-core processors for better performance, and will be available for purchase in the coming months in Latin America.
“We are excited to offer ZTE Open II and Open C with Firefox OS to cater to different consumers’ requests. With enhanced experience and an affordable price, the open Web devices will cover more markets and be delivered to more users’ hands,” said Mr. Kan Yulun, CEO of EMEA & LATAM, ZTE Mobile Devices.
The Alcatel OneTouch Fire E adopts dual-core Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm Technologies Inc. with a 5MP camera and 4.5-inch qHD screen for higher resolution.
“Alcatel OneTouch is launching a wide range of Firefox OS smartphones this year. We see a great opportunity to bring the benefits of Firefox OS to more consumers and we are excited to work closely with Mozilla,” said Dan Dery, Chief Marketing Officer of Alcatel OneTouch.
Firefox OS is the first device platform built entirely to open Web standards, with every feature developed as an HTML5 application. Its flexibility, scalability and powerful customisation empowers users, developers and industry partners to create customised mobile experiences. Operators can easily and deeply customise the interface and develop localised services to fulfil customer needs.
“Mozilla is dedicated to putting the power of the Web in people’s hands, and Firefox OS frees consumers, developers, mobile providers and manufacturers from the limitations and restrictions of proprietary platforms,” said Dr. Li Gong, Chief Operating Officer of Mozilla. “With more accessible Firefox OS phones coming to India soon, and the addition of Chunghwa Telecom, Intex and Spice to our team of global partners, it is clear that momentum for Firefox OS is continuing to accelerate.”
