5 ms·

Is the LG Fireweb available anywhere outside of Brazil? I was thinking of getting a ZTE Open to play with Firefox OS, but am a bit deterred by reports of how po

Is the LG Fireweb available anywhere outside of Brazil? I was thinking of getting a ZTE Open to play with Firefox OS, but am a bit deterred by reports of how poor its build quality is.

reidrac 13y ago
ZTE Open is still 1.0.1, LG Fireweb runs Firefox OS 1.1. If you can get a Fireweb, don't waste your time with the ZTE.
- reirob 13y ago
  Fully agree with you. When will it be possible to install a newer FFOS version on the ZTE Open?
  - reidrac 13y ago
    This is the best I got: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/975002 https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/975002 I know ZTE Open offered in Spain (via Movistar) got an OTA v1.1 upgrade some days ago (some users are reporting problems). So... hopefully we'll get an upgrade soon. Who knows, it might even work! :) EDIT: my frustration is not with Mozilla but with ZTE support that so far has been terrible :(
  - AaronMT 13y ago
    Anytime you want. It just requires you to build B2G (Firefox OS). https://blog.non.co.il/index.php/zte-open-phone-upgrading-to-firefoxos-1-1-how-to https://blog.non.co.il/index.php/zte-open-phone-upgrading-to... The author has even provided an image that you can flash in that article.
    - reidrac 13y ago
      You need to root the device exploiting a vulnerability (CVE-2013-2094 if I'm not mistaken). ZTE "Open" is not that open I'm afraid. EDIT: no longer true, ZTE enabled "fastboot".
      - mstevens 13y ago
        As far as I know this is no longer true - there's an official firmware image that enables fastboot: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox_OS/Developer_phone_guide/ZTE_OPEN#Device_revisions https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox_OS/... However I've not yet actually tried this on my ZTE Open.
chimeracoder 13y ago
> I was thinking of getting a ZTE Open to play with Firefox OS, but am a bit deterred by reports of how poor its build quality is. It's not that bad overall, especially when you consider that it's a $79 phone. I'm glad it's cheap. It's meant for development and testing, not daily use. I have one, and while I think it shows huge potential, I would not rely on a Firefox OS phone as a daily driver yet.
mauricioc 13y ago
Just in case you want to buy it anyway: Due to taxes and whatnot, the LG Fireweb is selling for R$ 449 (US$ 200) in Brazil without a contract. As a comparison, a contract-free Samsung Galaxy S4 sells for R$ 2000 (US$ 920) and a 16GB iPhone 5 sells for R$ 2300 (US$ 1050). Source: Click on "Pré" (prepaid, the only contract-free version) at http://www.vivo.com.br/portalweb/appmanager/env/web?_nfls=false&_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vecoVcDetalhesDeAparelhosPage&codSap=TGLG24962000&_nfls=false http://www.vivo.com.br/portalweb/appmanager/env/web?_nfls=fa...
- gcb1 13y ago
  find it ridiculous how the article mention 1/4 of the price and don't mention the contract. not as ridiculous as how everyone is allowed to actually advertise that way, but still bad.
kumarm 13y ago
I got a ZTE Firefox OS phone (Ordered on eBay). Hopefully its just the hardware that is the reason for sluggish behavior. I had Google G1 when it initially came out. I felt G1 performed lot better in late 2008(?) compared to how ZTE Firefox Phone worked. Way too sluggish.
- Groxx 13y ago
  The price difference between those two is massive though, if this is accurate: http://news.cnet.com/t-mobile-g1-details-price-and-launch-date-revealed/ http://news.cnet.com/t-mobile-g1-details-price-and-launch-da... $80 no contract vs $179 with two year contract.
  - kumarm 13y ago
    Prices of components has gone down significantly. Price comparison would not hold out. BTW the point I am trying to make is currently only available phone to developers (At least in US) gives a impression that Firfox OS is not worth the trouble. If Mozilla want to build dev support they need to sell a decently performing phone from their website and create positive impression with performance and usability.
    - Groxx 13y ago
      Sure, the price of components has come down. That doesn't mean $179+contract wasn't a relatively expensive phone, though. First, I agree with you, it doesn't send the right message to US devs. Openness aside, it doesn't do much to incentivize developing for it. I'd very likely buy a Nexus 4-level device and love it and develop for it. I don't know what Sony has scheduled, but maybe that would fit? If not, if you know of any on the horizon, I'd love to hear about it. Second, the target market really isn't the US. Making a premium phone the flagship device wouldn't be representative of the low-end of the market, which is what they're really targeting, and is much bigger than the US anyway. The ZTE Open is pretty representative of their target audience, possibly more powerful than most. General OS performance is improving last I heard, but devs should target that level of device anyway.

Is the LG Fireweb available anywhere outside of Brazil? I was thinking of getting a ZTE Open to play with Firefox OS, but am a bit deterred by reports of how poor its build quality is.

reidrac 13y ago

ZTE Open is still 1.0.1, LG Fireweb runs Firefox OS 1.1. If you can get a Fireweb, don't waste your time with the ZTE.

reirob 13y ago
Fully agree with you. When will it be possible to install a newer FFOS version on the ZTE Open?
- reidrac 13y ago
  This is the best I got: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/975002 https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/975002 I know ZTE Open offered in Spain (via Movistar) got an OTA v1.1 upgrade some days ago (some users are reporting problems). So... hopefully we'll get an upgrade soon. Who knows, it might even work! :) EDIT: my frustration is not with Mozilla but with ZTE support that so far has been terrible :(
- AaronMT 13y ago
  Anytime you want. It just requires you to build B2G (Firefox OS). https://blog.non.co.il/index.php/zte-open-phone-upgrading-to-firefoxos-1-1-how-to https://blog.non.co.il/index.php/zte-open-phone-upgrading-to... The author has even provided an image that you can flash in that article.
  - reidrac 13y ago
    You need to root the device exploiting a vulnerability (CVE-2013-2094 if I'm not mistaken). ZTE "Open" is not that open I'm afraid. EDIT: no longer true, ZTE enabled "fastboot".
    - mstevens 13y ago
      As far as I know this is no longer true - there's an official firmware image that enables fastboot: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox_OS/Developer_phone_guide/ZTE_OPEN#Device_revisions https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox_OS/... However I've not yet actually tried this on my ZTE Open.

chimeracoder 13y ago

> I was thinking of getting a ZTE Open to play with Firefox OS, but am a bit deterred by reports of how poor its build quality is. It's not that bad overall, especially when you consider that it's a $79 phone. I'm glad it's cheap. It's meant for development and testing, not daily use. I have one, and while I think it shows huge potential, I would not rely on a Firefox OS phone as a daily driver yet.

mauricioc 13y ago

Just in case you want to buy it anyway: Due to taxes and whatnot, the LG Fireweb is selling for R$ 449 (US$ 200) in Brazil without a contract. As a comparison, a contract-free Samsung Galaxy S4 sells for R$ 2000 (US$ 920) and a 16GB iPhone 5 sells for R$ 2300 (US$ 1050). Source: Click on "Pré" (prepaid, the only contract-free version) at http://www.vivo.com.br/portalweb/appmanager/env/web?_nfls=false&_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vecoVcDetalhesDeAparelhosPage&codSap=TGLG24962000&_nfls=false http://www.vivo.com.br/portalweb/appmanager/env/web?_nfls=fa...

gcb1 13y ago
find it ridiculous how the article mention 1/4 of the price and don't mention the contract. not as ridiculous as how everyone is allowed to actually advertise that way, but still bad.

kumarm 13y ago

I got a ZTE Firefox OS phone (Ordered on eBay). Hopefully its just the hardware that is the reason for sluggish behavior. I had Google G1 when it initially came out. I felt G1 performed lot better in late 2008(?) compared to how ZTE Firefox Phone worked. Way too sluggish.

Groxx 13y ago
The price difference between those two is massive though, if this is accurate: http://news.cnet.com/t-mobile-g1-details-price-and-launch-date-revealed/ http://news.cnet.com/t-mobile-g1-details-price-and-launch-da... $80 no contract vs $179 with two year contract.
- kumarm 13y ago
  Prices of components has gone down significantly. Price comparison would not hold out. BTW the point I am trying to make is currently only available phone to developers (At least in US) gives a impression that Firfox OS is not worth the trouble. If Mozilla want to build dev support they need to sell a decently performing phone from their website and create positive impression with performance and usability.
  - Groxx 13y ago
    Sure, the price of components has come down. That doesn't mean $179+contract wasn't a relatively expensive phone, though. First, I agree with you, it doesn't send the right message to US devs. Openness aside, it doesn't do much to incentivize developing for it. I'd very likely buy a Nexus 4-level device and love it and develop for it. I don't know what Sony has scheduled, but maybe that would fit? If not, if you know of any on the horizon, I'd love to hear about it. Second, the target market really isn't the US. Making a premium phone the flagship device wouldn't be representative of the low-end of the market, which is what they're really targeting, and is much bigger than the US anyway. The ZTE Open is pretty representative of their target audience, possibly more powerful than most. General OS performance is improving last I heard, but devs should target that level of device anyway.