ZTE-ovi mobiteli na Firefox OS-u

Malo poduži tekst sa pitanjima i odgovorima, ali ako te zanima (a i ostale) neka pročitaju, pa će na taj način imati odgovore na većinu pitanja.

Ja sam probao Firefox OS na LG Optimus L5 i nije loše za alfa fazu.

Slično tim specifikacijama bi trebao biti i konačan uređaj (možda i grešim, videćemo).

Tekst:

Starting point - Why Firefox OS?
·       We  believe that a growing and important part of the market is unaddressed  by current smartphone offerings. In developing markets such as Latin  America, smartphone penetration stands at approx 16% and the performance  of current devices at the important $100 USD price band is simply not  good enough for consumers to enjoy a full smartphone experience
·       The  rate of innovation in the mobile industry is being hampered by closed  systems and with a built- in preference for native apps rather than the  Web, creating closed communities and fragmentation, and a high barrier  to entry for content creators
·       HTML5  has the potential for bringing the power and openness of the web to  mobile but to date it has been hampered by a lack of access to native  coding skills and proprietary APIs

Firefox OS
·       Firefox  OS is a new mobile ecosystem built entirely to open Web standards  (HTML5). It will enable the development of smartphones where every  feature can be developed as an HTML5 application
·       For  the first time Firefox OS allows HTML5 apps to access the underlying  capabilities of a device, previously only available to native apps
·       This  will improve mobile Web performance via a lighter OS and fast browser  to provide the best mobile Web content and app experience

Benefits
·       Firefox  OS will deliver a better smartphone experience for the same price as a  device using an alternative OS. This allows us to bring an affordable  smartphone for the masses with a great UX and best mobile Web support
·       It will lead to a more balanced and open mobile ecosystem
·       In the same way that Firefox was a catalyst for innovation in Web browsing, we believe it can do the same for mobile
·       It  will provide true cross platform opportunities for content and  application developers and help avoid developer fragmentation, also  lowering the barrier to entry for smaller, local content developers,  businesses, educators and government organizations

Growing Ecosystem
·       OEMs – TCL (Alcatel) and ZTE
·       Chipset manufacturers – Qualcomm,
·       Internet companies – Facebook, Twitter
·       Telcos – DT, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telenor

Launch
·       The first devices powered by Firefox OS are expected to launch in Brazil and other territories in the region in early 2013.

Q&A

Q. What is Firefox OS?
A.  It is a new mobile operating system built entirely using open web  standards. It allows for every device function (calling, messaging,  browsing etc) to be developed as an HTML5 application which can access  the underlying capabilities of a phone (only available to native apps on  other ecosystems)

Q. Is this Boot to Gecko / Open Web Device?
A.  Yes, Mozilla have confirmed that the operating system will use the  Firefox OS brand. The initiative’s origins are in the Boot to Gecko  project which for the first time allowed HTML5 applications to access  the underlying capabilities of a mobile phone. Earlier this year  Telefónica joined forces with Mozilla to take this work and create the  Open Web Devices initiative to drive the creation of smartphones built  to this standard. Boot to Gecko and Open Web Devices now becomes Firefox  OS.

Q. Why use the Firefox brand?
A.  It has strong consumer appeal and conveys the openness and innovation  that Mozilla drove in the web browser market through Firefox. It is also  consistent with the value position of the new platform which is  entirely web-based.

Q. How can you hope to take on the positions of Android and iOS in the market?
A.  We are realistic enough to know that we cannot take on Android and iOS  and neither do we want to. We believe that there is a significant  opportunity in the market that isn’t currently catered for by the  incumbents – ie. developing markets. 70% of devices sold in Latin  America for example are below $100. Apple is clearly not going after  this market and the performance of Android devices at this level is not  great (i.e. they often feature earlier versions of the software that  cannot be upgraded).

Q. Isn’t Google’s Android OS open?
A. Google  makes some source code of Android available, but Android is essentially  not open: All the APIs are designed by Google, and Google controls the  direction of the technology. The source is available, but often only  after they shipped. Firefox OS will be more open because the governing  rules for the ecosystem will be looser and because it is HTML5-based it  extends the openness of the Web to mobile.

Q.  Facebook just announced that they would be moving away from HTML5 in  their mobile app for iOS. Can HTML5 offer a good enough experience to  run a mobile phone with?
A.  The issue with Facebook’s iOS app is nothing to do with HTML5 itself  but instead it is down to how iOS implements HTML5 and this issue lies  at the heart of why we have created Firefox OS. Both iOS and Android  have a built in preference for native apps which run much faster than  HTML5 apps.
Take  the example of the Facebook app for iOS. This was created as an HTML5  app but with a native shell so you would download it through the App  Store and it looks and feels like a native app. However when launched,  it essentially launches the Safari web browser and renders the content  through that. The Safari browser is much slower at rendering content  than ObjectiveC (the native programming language), hence the poor  performance experienced using the Facebook app.
Firefox  OS overcomes this by feeing HTML5 and allowing it to perform at its  maximum speed and efficiency. We hope that by showing how powerful HTML5  can be that we will encourage over OS owners to improve their support  for it v native applications.

Q. What support are the hardware manufacturers committing to?
A.  TCL Communication Technology (who own the Alcatel brand) and ZTE are  committing to building the first handsets to run Firefox OS. We expect  to announce additional OEM support soon.

Q. What kind of device volumes are expected?
A.  It is too early to give specifics but we expect this to be a mass  market platform from an early stage of its evolution and Telefonica is  looking at multiple countries in our planning for 2013.

Q. What specs will the first devices have?
A. We will unveil more details of the hardware closer to the commercial launch.

Q. Are you confident that this new OS will be free from the type of patent litigation we have seen in recent months?
A.  Our goal with Firefox OS is to bring the best of the Web to the mobile  platform space utilizing known and accepted web standards and  technologies. Consequently, we don't foresee the same kind of patent  litigation frenzy with the Firefox OS given that the core components  -Firefox and Linux- have been claim free for over a decade. We also  don't anticipate that the Firefox OS will present the same strategic  threat that motivates the battles between premium-priced smartphone  competitors. However, as new information unfolds we will always analyze  the facts and make design adjustments as necessary to avoid any known  issues.

Q. How much is it expected to cost?
A.  Again, it’s too early to say and we will unveil more details nearer  commercial launch but it’s safe to say that the market opportunity we  see is in the US$100 and below bracket.

Q. Are you saying these will be the cheapest smartphones on the market?
A.  No. It’s important to emphasise that this initiative is not about  bringing even cheaper smartphones to market, it’s about delivering a  better performance on devices, especially those are the low price point  end of the devices market. Firefox OS will allow an even higher  proportion of the population to enjoy a better smartphone experience.

Q. Will the Firefox OS be only about low-end smartphones or will you move higher in the smartphone range?
A.  Our first devices, as announced, will initially be targeting better  performing smartphones at accessible price points in Latin America with  Telefonica. In the future we will make additional announcements about  our plans with other partners and supporters of the Firefox OS

Q. When will the first Firefox OS devices be available?
A. The first commercially available devices are expected in Latam in early 2013.

Q. Which manufacturer is building these devices?
A. This will be announced closer to the commercial launch

Q. What market share do you think Firefox OS can achieve?
A. The initiative is still in its infancy but we certainly believe it will have mass market appeal.

Q. Will app developers be able to offer their apps through this new platform?
A. Yes, developers will be able to publish their apps through the Mozilla marketplace.

Q. What revenue share does Mozilla take?
A.  Revenue share allocations are still under development, but our goal is  to incent and reward developers as much as possible and keep them  central in the value chain.

Q. How easy will it be for consumers to purchase apps via the Mozilla Marketplace?
A.  There will be a range of payment options to make it as easy as possible  plus we are looking to build in Direct to Bill payment capabilities  wherever possible to again make buying apps easy (and helping developers  to monetise their content).

Q. How exactly are the telecoms operators beyond Telefónica supporting the project?
A.  The other Telcos have confirmed their support for the objectives of the  initiative – i.e. building a new mobile ecosystem using open web  standards. The operators confirm their high level of interest and belief  in the new platform and commit to working with Mozilla to define the  opportunities for Firefox OS devices in their footprints, particularly  in developing markets where there is a significant opportunity for a  better smartphone experience at low price points.

Q. Are no other operators are committing to selling Firefox OS devices apart from Telefónica?
A.  All announced operator partners intend to support the platform by  distributing devices. However, launch timing may differ based on  footprint, OEM selection and desired price points. This global support  for the project is an important proof point of the momentum behind  Firefox OS. Boot to Gecko was unveiled last year and Telefónica’s work  with Mozilla earlier this year. Work continues to refine and develop the  OS and it is on track to be ready for a 2013 launch. This support shows  the huge potential for the initiative.

Q. Does participation in “supporting” this initiative imply any commitment for the commercialization of these devices?
A.  Although the supporting MNOs expect to have these handsets on the  market soon, there isn't any commitment for commercialization.

Q. Isn’t this just another WAC-style attempt to break the dominance of Apple and Google in the handset market?
A.  Unlike WAC, Limo and other similar initiatives, Firefox OS is not  developed using a consortium approach. The big difference here is  Mozilla. Firefox OS will be totally open (as is the Firefox Web browser)  and available to any network operators or OEM. However, it will be  managed and maintained by Mozilla (as they do for the Firefox Web  browser) so it will not need every operator to agree every aspect or  decision which has slowed down some other initiatives.

Q.  What are the opportunities created by an HTML5 standards-based  development environment – e.g. the Web – allow that are not possible  with native mobile development platforms?
A.  The open Web allows true cross platform opportunities for content and  application developers and help avoid developer fragmentation. And this  environment also lowers the barrier to entry for smaller, local content  developers, businesses, educators, government and community  organizations – and even individuals!