Hey! You there! You've got it pretty good, you know that? While you're sitting there using your Internet-enabled device to read about some other Internet-enabled device, it's easy to forget that the majority of people doesn't have any access to the Internet at all. The "World Wide" Web is actually not that worldwide—only about one-third of the population is online. That's 4.8 billion people out there with no way to get to the Internet.
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.
