Firefox OS Smartphone in August Intex to Launch Sub-Rs. 2,000 'Cloud FX'
6/13/2014
Mozilla has unveiled two Developer Preview smartphones that will act as a vanguard ahead of Firefox OS‘s consumer release later this year. The phones are being developed by Geeksphone — a Spanish smartphone start-up — and Telefonica, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world (and also Spanish).
The first phone, dubbed the Keon (above right), is very much a budget smartphone. There’s a Snapdragon S1 SoC clocked at 1GHz (probably the newer, 45nm, Cortex-A5 variety), full support for the usual 3G and 2G bands, 4GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM. The display is a pokey 3.5-inch 480×320 unit, and there’s only a 3-megapixel rear shooter, but there is a micro SD slot, GPS, and 802.11n.
Soon after Mozilla's announcement that domestic handset manufacturers Intex and Spice were going to be launching Firefox OS-based smartphones in the 'next few months,' Intex and Spice have made statements to the same effect.
While Spice has only provided a July timeframe for the launch of its first Firefox OS smartphone, and said (via BGR) it would be a dual-SIM supporting device, Intex has listed some specifications of its first Firefox OS smartphone as well.
Intex in a statement on Thursday said its first Firefox OS smartphone, the Intex Cloud FX, would be priced under Rs. 2,000 when it launches in the first week of August. The company said the Cloud FX would sport a 3.5-inch display (resolution unspecified), and be powered by a 1GHz processor (number of cores unspecified).
Other features detailed by Intex for its Cloud FX smartphone running Firefox OS include a 2-megapixel rear camera, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The specifications detailed by Intex are conspicuously similar to the reference $25 Firefox OS smartphone platform unveiled by Mozilla and Spreadtrum at MWC 2014.
The reference $25 (roughly Rs. 1,500) Firefox OS smartphone is based on the Spreadtrum SC6821 chipset, which supports 3.5-inch HVGA (320x480 pixels) touchscreens, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, FM radio and camera functions, and access to HTML 5 apps. We can expect the Intex Cloud FX to sport the same display resolution and connectivity features mentioned by Spreadtrum.
Commenting on the launch, Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, Business Head of the Mobile vertical at Intex, said, "Intex association with Mozilla Firefox is a step towards our brand's promise to offer quality products to our consumers to improve their lives and set industry benchmarks. Intex Cloud FX is aimed at fulfilling the idea of - 'Smartphone for all' which will be priced below Rs. 2,000. This smartphones will be equipped with enhanced phone and browser features of Firefox OS with an access to a rich ecosystem of latest web applications improving users overall smartphone experience at affordable prices"
Intex in its statement also added it is targeting sales of 3 million smartphones this year, after selling 1.5 million last year. So far, Spice has not provided more details about its unnamed Firefox OS smartphone that's due in July. We'll keep you updated as soon as we know more. What do you think of the sub-Rs. 2,000 Firefox OS smartphones due to hit the Indian market as soon as next month? Do they stand a chance against Android in the intensely competitive budget smartphone space? Let us know in the comments section below.
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