Mozilla has put an end to plans to produce smartphones running their Firefox OS, but some newly leaked documents reveal this is not the end of the line for the operating system. Depending on how aggressive Mozilla gets moving forward, it looks like the company envisions production of several Firefox OS powered devices including a tablet, a keyboard computer device, a streaming stick dongle, and a “hub” device.
The tablet, tentatively dubbed the Firefox Pad, appears to be a stripped down 10-inch tablet aimed at late adopters or others who may be hesitant to use new technology. The device is simple in that it will not come loaded with apps and no app store will be available. Mozilla will only supply their web browser, so users will just have access to web sites and and web-enabled apps they happen to run across while browsing.
The Firefox Pi is built on Raspberry Pi hardware as a “keyboard computer” that users can plug into a TV or a monitor if need be. The leaked documents note that India has “millions of obsolete analog TVs” so the device may make sense there. Another area where it might be welcome is in an education setting for technology students.
The Firefox Hub device is described as being patterned after Google's OnHub device and provides a means to improve network security via the Firefox firewall. The device would also let users run their own web server hosting their own internal content.
Finally, the Firefox Stick is an HDMI connected dongle for televisions that runs the Firefox OS TV platform. This gives users the ability to stream content from the web to their television. According to the leaked documents, Firefox is also working with content producers to establish partnerships and ensure compliance with DRM requirements.
Mozilla states the leaked information is a “concept work by one of its developers” so it is unclear how close to reality any of these devices may be.
source: Gadgets 360
