Mobile World Congress 2014 Brings New Appearances of Firefox OS

Mobile operating systems these days are mostly a two horse race, with Android and Apple holding the front two slots. Sure, there have been gains from Microsoft's Windows Phone system, and counting BlackBerry completely out is probably a bad move, but for the most part, the frontrunners in this race are quite a bit ahead of the competition. But more competition has emerged, meanwhile, and has taken its act on the road to Barcelona, where Mozilla is showing off a new set of Firefox OS phones, as well as a new Firefox tablet besides.

There are several new flavors of Firefox phone to consider, and that's got some people talking. Start with the One Touch Fire C, a simple, entry-level device offering a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor supporting a 3.5 inch HVGA (480 x 320) screen. It comes in at just $81 dollars, and supports that low price point with a VGA camera. Joining the fray is the One Touch Fire E, which steps things up slightly with a dual-core processor, four gigabytes of onboard storage and 512 megabytes of RAM, leaving it a bit lacking when compared to the specs of more modern Android phones. The One Touch Fire S, meanwhile, goes a bit further with a quad-core processor at 1.2 GHz, an eight megapixel camera, near field communications (NFC) systems and even LTE connectivity.

Mozilla Firefox Booth at Mobile World Congress

Additionally, Huawei got involved with the phone scene as well, bringing out the Y300, which offers a dual-core Snapdragon 8225 processor at 1 GHz, 512 megabytes of RAM, four gigabytes of onboard storage, both front and rear cameras at VGA and five megapixel respectively, as well as both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. ZTE even stepped in with the bright orange or bright blue models of the ZTE Open C, a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200-driven model backed up by a four inch WVGA (800 x 480) display and a three megapixel camera. The ZTE Open II, meanwhile, goes a bit farther with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, a 3.5 inch HVGA display and a two megapixel camera.

Joining the phones, however, is a new Firefox OS tablet, reportedly the first of its breed known as the One Touch Fire 7. It's  a seven-inch tablet with a qHD (960 x 540) display, backed up by a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, four gigabytes of onboard storage with support for microSD cards, and two gigabytes of RAM.

From the look of things, most of the Firefox phones aren't looking to compete with top of the line gear from Apple and Samsung. Rather, these phones seem geared more toward the lighter, entry-level user who may have some budget issues as well. That's a commonly underserved market, especially when it comes to the three-way grudge match that is Apple, Android and Windows Phone. Android has a great presence in the budget phone market, and is commonly used in emerging markets, but going after a slice of that pie, which is undoubtedly substantial, may prove to be the best strategy for a comparative newcomer like the Firefox OS line.

Still, these represent some interesting, if a bit lower-end, new smartphone possibilities in the near-term future to be considered. It's entirely possible that Firefox could build on this development accordingly and really become a player in the market. Only time will tell, of course, if it can really capitalize on these early-stage developments, but it's certainly looking good for Firefox.