Mozilla launched an app offering Android users a chance to experience its new Firefox OS mobile operating system.
An app is being offered by Mozilla called Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview which replaces the core Android homescreen with an alternate Firefox OS experience.
This gives users a chance to experience the OS without any real commitment, as it essentially runs within Android.
According to Mozilla, “Firefox OS is the first truly open mobile platform built entirely on Web technologies. If you can build for the Web using HTML and CSS, you can build Firefox OS.”
However, the experience for Android users wanting to test the Firefox OS is not going to be bug free.
Mozilla said in a blog post: “As a full operating system, Firefox OS has its own task manager, utility tray, navigation buttons, settings, and more. Running on top of Android means that these elements of the operating system may come into conflict with those same system functions on Android.”
The Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview includes the following features:
Add-ons: Firefox OS add-ons can extend just one app, several, or all of them, including the system app itself.
Private Browsing with Tracking Protection: a new Firefox privacy feature allowing users to control how their browsing activity is tracked across many sites.
Pin the Web – a feature removing the artificial distinction between web apps and web sites and allowing users to pin any web site or web page to their home screen for later usage.