Mozilla, a company known for their web browser has decided to become major players in the smart phone business. They unveiled a new prototype for a $25 smartphone that they intend to make available to the developing world. The phone will run on the Firefox operating system, and will not be sold in the United States. They also announced a deal with Chinese chip maker Spreadtrum Communications who will help them manufacture low cost chips, and have also indicated that a lot of global carriers have expressed interest in their new phones.

Mozilla’s plan is to carve a niche for themselves by making smartphones available to people who generally can’t afford high-end smartphones like the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, in countries like India, Indonesia, and Venezuela. The phones will be sold by the carriers in the countries they are being sold.

Although these phones do not compare with their high-end counterparts like the iPhone, they are a huge upgrade on the generic feature phones that were used before smartphones became available, which is what most of the people in the countries the Mozilla phones are being sold can afford. The phones will be able to run apps and connect to the internet, and some of the specs for the phone are:
8GB Memory, a 5 megapixel camera and a 2 megapixel front facing camera. It also has a 4.5 inch screen, built in Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth capabilities. These specs show that users are still going to be able to get a lot done with the phones.

Mozilla expects to face some tough competition because other mobile phone companies have started to realize the potential of those parts of the world, but Mozilla seems to have the advantage because they have already started establishing their presence in those countries, and they also have an advantage because of their low prices which will be hard for other companies to match.