On 24 February 2014, Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain – ZTE, one of the top five global handset manufacturers, unveils a new innovative Firefox OS phone in the ZTE Open series, the Open C, and expects to ship over one million Firefox OS phones before the end of 2014. It is also worth mentioning that, with the great relationship with Mozilla, the manufacturer had started with the first ZTE Open, which was launched at Mobile World Congress in 2013.
According to the manufacturer, “The Open C is one of the first devices to operate on the latest version of Firefox 1.3 OS and is designed to deliver a better user experience and a higher cost-performance ratio. As part of Telefónica’s long-term cooperation with ZTE, the Open C will be initially launched with Telefónica in Venezuela and Uruguay during the second quarter of 2014.”
Mr. Kan Yulun, CEO of EMEA & LATAM, ZTE Mobile Devices, and Vice President of ZTE Corporation, commented, “ZTE’s strong relationship with Mozilla is in line with our focus on developing a range of devices that fit the consumer’s needs. Consumers want innovative devices that are also cost-effective, and by delivering not just one but two of the first devices with the latest version of Firefox OS, ZTE are continuing to push the boundaries and bring its customers the very latest that mobile technology can offer.”
“ZTE was one of Mozilla’s first partners to launch a Firefox OS phone, the ZTE Open, and we have worked closely together to continue advancing the new platform. The ZTE Open C and Open II are the latest examples of how Firefox OS has evolved to bring powerful open Web technologies to the smartphone,” said Dr. Li Gong, Mozilla’s Senior Vice President of Mobile Devices and President of Asia Operations.
Firefox OS is an open-source, Web-based operating system. It offers a fresh and simple UI with a full range of features and apps, including a camera, dialer, SMS, and games created using HTML5 technologies. Web apps are not resource-intensive so that users can enjoy a higher performance at a more affordable price. The Open C supports bi-directional contact sync and linking and Firefox OS’s unique adaptive apps, search function that allows users to search for content faster by using the search box at the top of the main home screen.
Jumping to its features and specifications: The manufacturer says that Open C delivers superior performance with integrated connectivity. It is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8210 Snapdragon 200 chipset, Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 processor, with Adreno 302 GPU, clocked at speeds of up to 1.2 GHz. The 1400 mAh battery on the Open C lasts for at least six to eight hours, even when watching videos or listening to music for a long time. Open C allows people to express their personalities in six colors: dark blue, light blue, turquoise, red, white, and orange.
The 3G single SIM cellphone boasts 126 x 64.7 x 10.8 mm (4.96 x 2.55 x 0.43 in) dimensions, alongside weighs 125 g (4.41 oz). Its higher download speed of HSDPA is 21 Mbps, or the maximum upload speed on HSUPA is 5.76 Mbps.
The phone sports a 4GB ROM and 512 MB RAM; internal memory can be upgraded up to 32 GB using an external MicroSD card.
The handset sports a 4″ TFT capacitive touchscreen and 256K colors, along with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and Bluetooth connectivity options; Open C offer accelerometer sensors also.
According to the news, eBay has started selling the Open C worldwide with a tag price of US $69.99. The handset offers a 3MP camera with 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution and a 4-inch WVGA screen and is the first commercially available phone running the latest version of Firefox OS. According to its specs and uniqueness, in my reviews, it is a nice phone.
