A Mozilla representative has given us a glimpse of Firefox OS’s future, by posting screenshots said to show version 2.0 of Mozilla’s mobile operating system. Compared to the existing software, it’s very attractive, and considerably more modern. We’ve had a checkered history with Firefox OS at DigitalTrends. Initial excitement turned to phone-hating frustration after spending an extended period with the ZTE Open, but things improved when we got some hands-on time with version 1.3 at Mobile World Congress.
Firefox OS has always been more functional than pretty, but if these images do end up being representative of the OS’s future, then users could be in for a treat. The design is very flat, less cluttered, and more minimalistic. In the modern smartphone world, these are all good things. We think it looks excellent, but it does seem like someone at Mozilla has been looking at iOS 7 with envious eyes.
The influence of Apple’s redesigned operating system is obvious, particularly on the lock screen notifications, along with the use of solid colors and flat, square boxes. The blog post’s author says Mozilla is already working on version 2.0 of Firefox OS, and that what we’re seeing is a “design preview,” and adds it’s only an “outlook” of the final design. This may mean we’ll see some changes before release.
According to CNet, Firefox OS 2.0 will have several new features, including a find-my-phone system, another update to the Adaptive Search system with the ability to directly launch apps, plus the much-needed introduction of copy and paste. Official testing is expected to start in July. We’ll see version 1.4 of Firefox OS released before then, which will add 4G LTE connectivity, a new camera interface, and dual-SIM support.
Such a drastic overhaul of Firefox OS’s style could be exactly what it needs to combat Android and Windows Phone, and we’re excited to see if this look makes it through to the final version.
