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The fire is rising: the LG Fireweb is the latest Firefox phone, but this particular fire is unlikely to spread to our shores.
The evocatively-named LG Fireweb boasts a 4-inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera. It runs the Firefox OS mobile phone software made by Mozilla, the people behind the popular Web browser.
That comes with access to the Firefox Marketplace to download apps, many of which are based on HTML5. Apps built into the phone include popular game Cut The Rope and Nokia’s Here maps app.
The Fireweb is released in Brazil by Telefónica, the company that owns O2. But it’s unlikely to ever turn up in this country: Firefox OS is a low-cost operating system designed for cheap phones aimed at developing markets. Here in Britain we’re used to paying more for phones so there’s not much incentive for manufacturers or networks to bring Firefox to these shores.
One advantage of Firefox OS is it gives manufacturers an opportunity to break their dependence on Android, which funnels your app and download money to Google. That’s why alternative operating systems such as Firefox have sprung up, as well as Ubuntu Touch and Samsung’s Tizen.
Other Firefox phones include the Alcatel One Touch Fire and Firefox ZTE Open, which recently went on sale in the UK on eBay.
What do you think of Firefox OS? Would you buy a Firefox phone? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or light a fire under our Facebook wall.
