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I understand that the goal of Firefox OS is to reach the worldwide billions without smartphones, but is it feasible for them to achieve lower handset prices fas
by litwack 13y ago
I understand that the goal of Firefox OS is to reach the worldwide billions without smartphones, but is it feasible for them to achieve lower handset prices faster than Android given that MediaTek and SpreadTrum SoC-based devices are selling for >$65 in China?
- AndrewDucker 13y agoI think their belief is that they can offer a better experience on very low-end phones than Android can.
- untog 13y agoThe experience is key. There are lot of really, really awful cheap Android phones out there. Not to overlabour the point, but I find the idea of HTML/JS apps interesting in this context as well- many people looking to make an app might not have powerful machines that can run Eclipse (and certainly not OS X) and compile apps with any kind of speed. HTML/JS could be a great 'light' development environment.
- gw 13y agoYou can write and compile Android apps directly on an Android device. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aide.ui https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aide.ui
- untog 13y agoCompile? OK. Write? Can't imagine a worse experience.
- gw 13y agoYour imagination may have omitted the possibility of using a Bluetooth keyboard.
- untog 13y agoBluetooth keyboards do not exactly proliferate the developing world. Presumably you'd want to throw an external monitor into that mix, too.
- gw 13y agoWhat exactly do you propose Firefox OS apps to be written on in developing countries? Computers that aren't powerful enough to run Eclipse would likely be no better (in price or productivity) than an Android tablet with a cheap Bluetooth keyboard.
- untog 13y agoComputers that aren't powerful enough to run Eclipse are already in use by people in the developing world. Very few of them have an Android tablet with a cheap Bluetooth keyboard.