Rumor: Foxconn Unveiling Firefox OS Tablet Next Week

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

Is Mozilla's Firefox OS tablet-bound?

We've heard quite a bit about Mozilla's Firefox OS in the context of smartphones, but rumors about the possibility of a Firefox tablet are also starting to heat up. The latest scuttlebutt says that the Mozilla Foundation has teamed up with multinational electronics manufacturer Foxconn for the production of a tablet device running Firefox OS.

Focus Taiwan cites Mozilla as saying it will announce a product running Firefox OS on June 3. This information was apparently relayed via a press invitation summoning members of the media to the unveiling of the aforementioned product. While Mozilla's invite reportedly said that the two companies would formally announce their partnership and reveal some new hardware, it didn't specify what the hardware was. 

Talk of this device being a tablet is based on information from a Focus Taiwan source. The website writes that an industry insider says it is 'likely to be a new tablet.' While this isn't exactly a rock-solid prediction, it is unlikely that the Firefox OS will remain smartphone-only. June 3 is next Monday, so we don't have long to wait to find out.

Jane McEntegart
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • g-unit1111
    I'd love to see a true legitimate contender to iPhone and Andriod. WP8 looks great and has lots of promise but I don't know how it will hold up in the long run. I'm really interested to see what Firefox OS can do.
    Reply
  • hotroderx
    I just don't see something like this surviving unless its truly innovative or different. Firefox is really going to have to bring something new to the table and of impressive quality. I am just not sure they can play catch up fast enough to get the app programers and manufactures behind them.
    Reply
  • mforce2
    I'm just strongly opposed to not having native apps. Native will always be way faster and lighter on the power usage.
    Google likes web stuff too but Android supports native apps and look how good it's doing. Compare that to Chrome OS which granted doesn't run on touch stuff but still.
    Mozilla should stop with the nonsense, I don't think the time for webapps only is now.
    Reply
  • neblogai
    2 Otacon72: Mozzilla is a non-profit, so 'selling' is not the point. Important is giving people a product that doesn't spy on them by default, with apps that are open source.
    Reply
  • neblogai
    2 Otacon72: Mozzilla is a non-profit, so 'selling' is not the point. Important is giving people a product that doesn't spy on them by default, with apps that are open source.
    Reply
  • Blazer1985
    Well, actually they have to sell them in order to get more developers to build applications or else if you wanted something useless that protects your privacy you could buy a brick :-)
    Reply
  • Chris Droste
    seriously, for it to be on a tablet and be successful, FF Os needs maybe 5 things to be successful:
    *easy to connect to wireless
    *fast surfing of websites
    *long battery life
    *easy to use communication options(email, messaging, G+/Facebook/Twitter)
    *app selection
    all things considered, the only serious hurdle that needs to be cleared is the last one. the other 4 will help it sell but app selection will KEEP it selling.
    Reply