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Firefox OS Smartphones Arriving For Developers
Nerval's Lobster writes "For quite some time Mozilla has been working on Firefox OS, a lightweight mobile OS built in HTML5. Now it's whipped the curtain back from the first developer preview phones. The developer preview phones are unlocked, requiring the user insert their own SIM card. If those specs seem a little underpowered compared to other smartphones on the market, it's because Firefox OS is intended for lower-end smartphones; target markets include developing countries such as Brazil and China. (The first developer preview phones will be available in February.) The Firefox OS (once known as 'Boot to Gecko') is based on a handful of open APIs. The actual interface is highly reminiscent of Google Android and Apple iOS, with grids of icons linked to applications." The specs really aren't that bad; reader sfcrazy points out that they include the usual features baked into medium- and high-end phones these days: Wifi N, light and proximity sensors, and an accelerometer (though no mention of NFC).
This is to compete with the Winphone and Nokia markets. Microsoft has the idea to make WinMo flexible enough to work on high and low end phones and break into the Nokia dominated, but largely untapped, low-end market. Having several options is a good thing.
For some reason, I think that's not quite right. Perhaps the intent was to write "an OS with built in HTML5"?
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
> the usual features baked into medium- and high-end phones these days: Wifi N, light and proximity sensors, and an accelerometer
I am sorry, but my low end smart phone has all of these, and it even has NFC (although it is currently not supported in software). And my previous (2 year old) low end smartphone also had all of these, except for NFC. It also had a better display (800x480).
So the hardware seems to be somewhat comparable to a middle of the road low end smartphone. If that is where they want to play, that is fine. But it is no competition for even a Nexus 4.
There is no winphone market, and the nokia market is steadily going away - as it has ever since they successfully put the MS plant into Nokia's executive staff in the first place.
The only sentence here of relevance is the last sentence: having several options is a good thing. The rest doesn't even exist.
Perhaps they feel they can do it better
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
Yes, the entire point is to have a cheap mobile computing device for under developed countries.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellis/
I believe he's one of the arduino founders or principles.
don't know much about this - just saw it on the flickr stream - but it could be interesting. not android at all, but in a way, that could also be a good thing. sometimes you want a simple cell phone and just that.
(no connection; just saw the photo link from DAM)
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
You make the device cheaper by making the hardware cheaper. You make the hardware cheaper by giving it a slower CPU and less memory. However, taking the cheaper device and then running all the apps in HTML5+Javascript seems counter productive. The nice thing about the low end Nokia phones was that you could still get some pretty good performance out of the apps because the apps were all written in C. I guess that they could take HTML5+Javascript and compile that to something that could execute faster, but I doubt they are doing that.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
"Say what you want about Microsoft and Windows 8, but at least they actually tried building something on their own, instead of directly copying what was popular."
they copied from Gnome-Shell on Gnome 3. Ironicly, copying what was un-popular
That's OK, I haven't ever heard that acronym before! I guess, after googling, that it is a on-Bluetooth Bluetooth? Wat the fuck is the point of yet another short-range communications standard? Is that nickel royalty payment going to hurt the device manufacturer that much?
The down side of lacking NFC is that you can't say that you can bump your phone into random strangers' phones until they "squirt" files at each other.
Phone OS innovations: 1) it's truly open source 2) it's built by a not-for-profit organisation 3) it exists so that apps can be built in HTML5 and run off the internet, which is where the world was headed before Apple introduced the notion of apps and erected the walls of their garden
Yes, but at least its not from MS
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
Apple didn't introduce it. Their plan was web apps only. Developers begged them for a SDK to match the native apps capabilities.
Then it snowballed. For better or worse.
A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
Phone OS innovations: 1) it's truly open source 2) it's built by a not-for-profit organisation 3) it exists so that apps can be built in HTML5 and run off the internet,
None of those are anywhere near the meaning of the word "innovation". "Innovation" doesn't mean "things I like".
which is where the world was headed before Apple introduced the notion of apps and erected the walls of their garden
Apple started out with HTML apps. Everybody hated it.
Then why are they doing the same thing, instead of actually doing better?
So right now, I'm looking for a car stereo which is Android based. I find many on the internet but few where I can see them and most are still running Android 2.x with no plans for updated versions.
I don't own a car don't want this to go lost either...we might hook others into commenting here
I recall seeing car-android systems some time ago regarding older cars, but all I could google was this slashdot link from 4/2012. Search for "DIN" there.
No idea how you're googling, but rather than looking for numbers, you should put "ice cream sandwich" or "jelly bean"... Also Honeycomb (3.x) got skipped except for tablets, so I'm pretty sure the 2.x gap is going to be a stubborn one, hardware-wise.
Given that the official $200 Galaxy 7" 2.0 tablet *just* updated itself over the air to Jelly Bean, I doubt car makers are shipping the latter version yet, so that and the Honeycomb lowerbound make things easier on you --it's 4.0 only. Thus...
Copy-paste Search strings that may prove useful for starters:
"ice cream sandwich" car entertinment system
2 din "ice cream sandwich"
double din "ice cream sandwich"
they copied from Gnome-Shell on Gnome 3. Ironicly, copying what was un-popular
What did they copy from gnome shell? They look nothing like eachother - unless you're suggesting they've copied a 'grid of icons'.
requiring the user insert their own SIM card
This makes an advantage sound like a shortcoming. So now you have to apologize if you give people freedom and interoperability? Because that requires them to get their own SIM card? It's unbelievable how much locked-down gadgets and appified, remote controlled programs have become the default.
I think that the economy of scale will make higher performance phones a frugal possibility in near future. The trend has always been moving that way. So why bother developing an OS that will probably be obsolescent in a matter of couple years? Even if it is presented as a reasonable alternative, the fashion factor of other operating systems and the combined marketing efforts of parent companies will make Firefox OS a joke. I know that geeks might get excited at open-source anything, but most people really, truly, and honestly Do Not Care.
Yeah, one thing, the fact that you have a highly stay-at-home-doing-the-shopping-and-reading-online-reviews culture doesn't mean you're any more advanced than we are. While I'd like to have a local "amazon", the fact that there isn't one is simply a cultural thing. Even in 2013, people just don't like buying a fridge over the internet. they very much prefer going down to a big box store and get it there. It's their culture (I don't completely share it. I prefer online shopping, but then again, who am I to judge?).
It's also a culture of talking high, moving your hands a lot, and touching your conversational partner all the time - things that anglo-saxons think of as rude (simply because it's out of their comfort zone).
Again: it's a culture thing. Not a technological one.
I run a comic book shop, and I sell a lot more through facebook ads+physical store than I do over the web. In fact, the biggest problem for me isn't bandwidth or setting up a cart. It's the ridiculously lame commisions the cc processor has (over 15%) and shipping costs ($10 to ship a $3 magazine - and yes, I talked to a post sales rep. basically, they have no interest in my silly shop).
Even in 2013, people just don't like buying a fridge over the internet. they very much prefer going down to a big box store and get it there
Similarly, I buy cars and motorbikes fromreal shops rather than over the internet. Is there something odd about that?
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it