Mozilla Unveils First Firefox OS Phones

Mozilla has announced the first two phones that will use its new Firefox OS. Developed in conjunction with GeeksPhone and Telefonica, the Keon and the Peak will go on sale later this month.

PCMag’s Chloe Albanesius reported, “Mozilla today unveiled two new developer preview phones that feature the browser maker’s Firefox OS. The phones – dubbed Keon and Peak – are being developed via Spanish phone maker GeeksPhone in partnership with Telefonica. ‘This week we are announcing our new Firefox OS developer preview phones because we believe that developers will help bring the power of the web to mobile,’ Mozilla said in a blog post.

All Things D’s Ina Fried added, “The preview devices are unlocked. The low-end model, dubbed Keon, features a Qualcomm S1 processor and 3.5-inch touchscreen, among other features. A higher-end model, Peak, features a dual-core Qualcomm chip and a 4.3-inch screen.”

CNET’s Stephen Shankland explained, “Firefox OS is Mozilla’s ambitious attempt to build an operating system that brings more openness to the walled gardens of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Although the latter is an open-source project, it’s run in secrecy by Google and its corporate allies and is closely linked to Google’s ecosystem of app distribution and online services. Apple’s iOS is even more closely locked down, with proprietary source code and only Apple-approved apps on the app store.”

TechSpot’s Jose Vilches noted, “The Keon and Peak will be shown off to developers later this month at Telefonica’s Campus Party Brazil and should go on sale in February, according to Mozilla. There are no details on cost just yet or where exactly you would be able to get one, but Geeksphone says it’ll arrive with a price tag ‘you could never have imagined.’ The Spanish startup has been around since 2009 as a minor maker of Android phones.”