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"Mozilla has made a new prototype of its mobile operating system, Firefox OS, available to the public. An early (and still a little buggy) build, the release lets you run the operating system as a Firefox add-on on your computer, allowing you to get a taste of the OS without actually installing it onto a mobile phone.\nAn exceptionally open operating system, Mozilla\u2019s main target for Firefox OS is emerging markets. The company is currently conducting research in Brazil to learn how the middle class in the country uses their mobile phones, in order to customize the Firefox OS experience to meet those needs.\n\u201CMuch like various versions of Firefox, the overall concept here is premium and of quality, but not because it's expensive. Good quality design should be accessible to masses much like our products,\u201D Mozilla\u2019s Patryk Adamczyk said in a blog post about the OS earlier this year. \u201COur strong focus is on high quality and distinctive design in the marketplace.\u201D\nThe phone\u2019s basic functions \u2014 calling, messaging, calendar \u2014 are all based on HTML5.\nWhile the OS already has a few apps available in its marketplace -\u2013 which can also be accessed via the simulation \u2014 Mozilla hopes that by making the simulator available it will be able to attract new developers to the platform.\nThe first Firefox OS devices are expected in 2013, and Mozilla has already lined up some serious support for the project. China\u2019s ZTE and TCL, two large mobile phone manufacturers, have said they will build Firefox OS handsets. The smartphones will use Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, the same kind of chip found in a number of popular smartphones currently on the market.\nIn May, I was able to spend a bit of time with Firefox OS running on a Samsung Galaxy S II handset. \nClean and easy to use, the OS has a familiar look while standing out in many ways against other mobile operating systems out there.\nCheck out a few photos of Firefox OS in action below. \n\n\nFirefox OS [HANDS-ON]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFireFox OS\nWith Firefox OS, the phone\u2019s basic functions \u2014 calling, messaging, calendar, etc. \u2014 are all based on HTML5.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFireFox OS Marketplace\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFireFox OS Dialer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFireFox OS Camera\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFirefox OS\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, John Antoni\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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