Mozilla takes on Google, Apple with smartphones based on Firefox OS

Mozilla, popular for its Firefox browser, has jumped into the smartphone bandwagon with the launch of two handsets that will run on its recently-developed open source-based Firefox OS, the company disclosed in a blog.

With the launch of new handsets, Keon and Peak, Mozilla looks to take on Google's Android OS, Apple's iOS and Microsoft's Windows OS and to capture a share in the fast-growing smartphone market globally.

The company has partnered with Spanish company Geeksphone to develop the handsets. The two devices are targeted at developers who can use them to develop apps for Firefox OS, according to the company blog.

The handsets will hit the market in February, though the commercial launch is expected later this year. The pricing details are not known. However, it is believed that the pricing will be cheaper as the Firefox OS is an open source-based OS.

The Keon brand boasts of a 3.5-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 480×320 pixels and will run on 2G and 3G networks. It is powered by Qualcomm's 1Ghz Snapdragon S1 processor and features 512MB of RAM and 4GB of included storage. It has a microSD card slot for expanded storage. There is a 3-megapixel rear camera, but no front-facing camera.

Peak has a 4.3-inch 960×540 pixel display and features Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon S4 processor, with 3G and 2G connectivity. The device has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has only 4GB of storage, with a microSD card slot, and RAM is just at 512MB.