Mozilla pushes for open mobile standards

Mozilla Corporation has now ventured into the open mobile operating system and has joined hands with global partners, in an attempt to push for open mobile standards. The move is also aimed at gaining  momentum in its effort to create smartphones taking on the likes of Google and Apple operating systems.

The California based non profit entity has collaborated with Deutsche Telekom, Spain’s Telefonica, Korean giants LG, Soc manufacturer Qualcomm, Chinese manufacturer ZTE and TCL/Alcatel to create an Open Web Device Compliance Review Board.

The new open mobile operating system could turn out to be a worthy alternative to the closed systems architecture now used in smartphones based on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Mozilla smartphones were launched earlier this year, made by China’s ZTE and the small Spanish-based manufacturer GeeksPhone.

Mozilla widely popular for its open-source Firefox browser, will have tough time to compete against the already dominating existing platforms. However, Mozilla’s Andreas Gal has other ideas and said, “users want a wide selection of devices and great apps.”

Having consistent technical standards would help get new products in the market, says Gal. “This is the next step in building the ecosystem and will make it easier for partners to get a wide selection of high-quality solutions into consumers’ hands quickly and efficiently,” adds Gal.

Qualcomm Technologies vice president Jason Bremner said, “will set a clear path for any organisation to commercialise open Web devices”.

The ZTE Firefox phone was put up for sale in the US and UK this year, meanwhile Mozilla Corporation claims to have at least 17 operators on-board and is planning to launch the phones in Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland and Serbia. There were also reports earlier of a Firefox OS tablet after its tie up with Foxconn.

Source: TheHindu

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Abhinav Mishra