If you have been following Mozilla or Firefox closely, you might have already been familiar to the “Boot to Gecko” project by Mozilla. Mozilla has been working on a mobile operating system that is intended to be synonymous to complete freedom. As a result, Mozilla is now in the final stages to release a completely open operating system for mobile devices.

The OS has now been christened “Firefox OS”, with Mozilla announcing in its official blog that the mobile OS would come under the branding of the famous open source browser. The move marks the launch of smartphones based completely on open web standards; all apps and components of the OS would be entirely based on HTML5 and, essentially, run through the browser. (Think Chrome OS but for smartphones, and potentially tablets.) That means Firefox OS won’t have anything such as ‘native apps’, which are designed to work only on specific operating system(s); it will be able to run any and all HTML5 apps without the need for developers to port a specific Firefox OS version. T

Mozilla has also announced that it’s getting quite huge support from global partners, with a number of carriers signing contracts with Mozilla:

Mapping to key Firefox footprints around the globe, leading operators Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and Telenor  are backing the open Firefox OS as an exciting new entrant to the smartphone marketplace.

Device manufacturers TCL Communication Technology (under the Alcatel One Touch brand) and ZTE today announced their intentions to manufacture the first devices to feature the new Firefox OS, using Snapdragon™ processors from Qualcomm Incorporated, the leader in smartphone platforms. The first Firefox OS powered devices are expected to launch commercially in Brazil in early 2013 through Telefónica’s commercial brand, Vivo.

On paper Firefox OS sounds interesting but we will have to wait to see what Mozilla is able to offer us; if a web-based mobile OS can truly work; and if Firefox OS can challenge the dominance of Android and iOS. Are you excited about the release of Firefox OS just like I am? Or is this not even worth spend a thought upon? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

[via Mozilla]