Mozilla offers free Firefox OS phones to developers

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In hopes of driving interest in its impending Firefox OS launch, Mozilla is presenting developers with an interesting deal: If you have a great app idea for Firefox OS and you have the skills to build it, Mozilla will send you a phone. A free Geeksphone Keon handset, to be exact.
The Geeksphone Keon is available for purchase now, having launched back in April, but it’ll set you back approximately $120, or ˆ91. Not exactly a steep price point, but Mozilla knows it needs to lure in developers, especially those who’ve already dabbled with the Firefox OS simulator but have yet to make the jump into serious development mode.
If your interest is piqued, you can apply for the program, dubbed “Phones for Apps for Firefox OS.” Not every developer will be selected — your idea has to be impressive.

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The New Firefox OS Specifications And Features

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The first two official Firefox phones are here, but odds are you’ll never get your hands on one. They’re for developers only.

On Tuesday, Mozilla and Spanish phonemaker Geeksphone announced the first two Firefox OS developer preview handsets — the Keon and the Peak. Both models, which will be sold only to developers, fall in line with what Mozilla says the Firefox OS is being built for — low-power, low-cost hardware for first-time smartphone buyers in emerging markets. These aren’t built to be iPhone, or even Nokia Windows Phone, rivals.
The Keon, which was shown off with a bright orange chassis, is powered by Qualcomm’s 1Ghz Snapdragon S1 processor — a chipset that made its debut in 2008. It also features 512MB of RAM and 4GB of included storage, though there is a microSD card slot for expanded storage. The handset, which has a 3.5-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 480?320 pixels, will run on 2G and 3G networks. There’s also a 3-megapixel rear camera but no front-facing camera.
The Peak is a bit more up market, with a 4.3-inch 960x540 pixel display, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon S4 processor, 3G and 2G connectivity, an 8-megapixel camera out back and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It’s got the same paltry 4GB of storage, with a microSD card slot, and RAM is stuck at 512MB.
Mozilla hasn’t said when the phones will be shipped to developers or just what they’ll cost. Geeksphone said in a tweet that more info will be available soon.

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