Firefox OS Smartphone Making Impact

Viva la Firefox! Mozilla will announce today in the Spain and Poland markets the release of the first Firefox OS smartphones, states Computerworld.

ZTE will will be the first manufacturer to release the highly anticipated phone in Spain for about $90 American dollars.

Alcatel One Touch Fire is coming as well, announced Laptop. These two devices will be the first to make a splash in the mobile industry for Mozilla. The dynamics of the features make it a challenge for other mid-range smartphones, especially from Samsung.

Mozilla discussed some of the features from their blog this morning:

• Built in social media features
• HERE Maps for not only driving directions, but walking directions
• The Firefox Web browser
• Firefox Marketplace for apps

These features are a nice addition to the specs of the phones:

• ZTE – 3.5 inch HVGA screen, Snapdragon processor and 3.2 megapixel camera
• Alcatel – 3.5 inch HGVA screen, rear camera with 3.2 megapixels and 256MB of RAM memory

As you can see from the specs, the Firefox OS is not intended to play in the big league with iPhone 5, Galaxy S4 or HTC One. The phone, states the LA Times is intended for entry level to mid-level users.

So, what makes the distinction and appeal of the Firefox OS smartphones? Mozilla prides itself on an open systems approach and they carry that into the mobile market. LA Times quotes Telefonica’s CEO Jose Maria Alvarez Palette as stating,

Consumers should not be locked to any one system but have the choice to consume the content they want and the flexibility to be able to take it with them when they change devices

This is a rare approach, that many other manufacturers and OS companies have blocked from users, making the these new additions raise in the ranks of choice.

While there is not word yet if the Firefox OS capable phones will be merging overseas into America, there is hope they will.

This can create backlash for favorite companies like Microsoft and Apple who are not as open system compatible as some consumers wished they were.