Technically Personal: Monopoly or oligopoly in technology is bad, it divides the success only to a few players and only they get to benefit from the breakthroughs. The world can’t be full of BMW’s, Mercedes or Ferrari cars just like it can’t be full only with Apple, Google or Microsoft products. But in some cases, certain markets are divided only between a few notable players. Such is the case of mobile operating systems, where everybody knows who’s in charge: Android and iOS.
Back in December, Mozilla called it a day with its failed Firefox OS for mobile business, and said it would pivot the technology into a new Internet of Things strategy. Amid a good dose of skepticism that a platform (and organization) that failed in one area can succeed in another that is arguably even more complex, Mozilla has laid out the first projects in its IoT shortlist. Get ready for a intelligent “personal user agent”, a smart home initiative, a crowdsourced network based on sensors and a voice interface for IoT devices.
TechFrag - Mozilla announced plans to bring smart TVs with their Firefox OS in partnership with Panasonic, over an year ago. Finally, the Firefox OS powered smart TVs are now available in Europe. The company plans to release these TVs in other regions in the near future.
Smartphones running the open-source Firefox OS have begun shipping in Africa. The Orange Klif, a 3G phone that runs on Orange’s mobile network, is now available in Senegal and Madagascar. Mozilla announced that it would be making Africa a major focus back at Mobile World Congress; the company started shipping phones in South Africa earlier this spring and plans to continue its international push in the months ahead.
