The web and mobile
The web has been evolving, improving and getting stronger than before each day and believe it or not… The web is truly the biggest platform ever existed and currently has biggest number of developers working on it.
The web is fragmented but that’s fine because the web is made to be fluid. It’s not limited to a single screen size, OEM or government. It’s open for everyone to do their “stuff” online. Even though at the peak of smartphones and tablet era, the web still makes it way through and it’s getting stronger.
The current state of mobile
And at the rise of “App Stores” and “Walled garden” ecosystems, developers who are already working on the web and are interested to move to mobile are tied to a certain platform restrictions and a very limited access to device capabilities and resources.
Mozilla believed that the web should be unlocked on mobile and now they are working on with their new mobile operating system called Firefox OS. Now on it’s stage to accept third party apps to be distributed either on the Firefox Marketplace or using their own website.
Introducing Firefox OS and Geeksphone Keon… The Hero.
I was lucky to have a Geeksphone Keon device with me. It’s a Firefox OS developer preview device made specially for developers to build, test and submit apps to Firefox OS.
It’s more than a developer device, nothing less than a consumer phone.
When the first time you hold the Geeksphone Keon, it really feels premium knowing that the device only costs 91 euros or less than 5,100 pesos. Also take note that this phone is a “Developer Preview” phone, it means it’s not intended for general consumers. But don’t worry! Consumer phones will be out soon and you can choose from different phone manufacturers. Firefox OS is backed by Alcatel One Touch, LG, ZTE, Huawei, Foxconn and the rumored high end Firefox OS phone from Sony. And also different telcos from around the world.
Performance, Battery life and features
Geeksphone keon has an awesome hardware performance. Everything flows smoothly from within the screen! And majority of apps available in the Firefox Marketplace can be installed in seconds! Although there are still known glitches (Hey it’s a developer device anyway!) these bugs will be fixed in future updates. But if you found a bug, you can simply report it on Mozilla’s Bugzilla and join (If you haven’t!) the B2G Mailing list and tell everyone about the issue you encountered. But the most important thing i love about this phone is the battery life, you can use it for hours of exploring, hacking and other stuff and can stay charged up to more than 3 days! I know, it’s crazy but it’s real. Now that’s true mobility.
Although Geeksphone Keon doesn’t have a front facing camera, a larger screen and ability to use it as a flashlight, you can always move beyond by using Geeksphone Peak, another Firefox OS device that is one step further than the keon. A must have phone if you’re a lover of high end devices.
Both devices are best sellers and are always sold out. So if you’re interested on getting one (or two!) you must subscribe to their mailing list and or follow Geeksphone on their official social media accounts.
It’s really worth the buck if you need a decent phone running Firefox OS.
Build a simple app in minutes, push the app to device in seconds
The beauty of Firefox OS is that it’s made from ground up using web technologies. It means if you’re a web developer, you can make a simple app using HTML5/CSS3 and JavaScript in minutes and you can push that app to your Geeksphone Keon in seconds.
Ship your app in no time, for free.
You worked hard on that app and now is the right time to ship it! You can choose whether you’ll be hosting that app on your website or packaged it but booth methods are accepted on Firefox Marketplace. The Firefox Marketplace is free to use and you can get your account by simply signing in using Persona.
But please take note that it takes more than 20 days for apps to review, make sure your app(s) follows the Firefox Marketplace Review Criteria and CSP.
Get started! Follow these links
Learn and build apps or websites using Web Technologies (HTML5,CSS3 and JavaScript) for beginners. Start here
Interested on building your first app on Firefox OS? Start here
Buy a Geeksphone Keon or Peak. Head over here
Want to join a Firefox OS Development related events? Join MozPH Dev Group on Facebook.