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Daily Roundup: ZTE Open review, Twitter's $1 billion IPO, Samsung spies on Apple / Nokia documents and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
ZTE Open review: Firefox OS gets off to a modest but promising start
As the first Firefox OS smartphone, the ZTE Open is an ambassador for its platform: it's built to prove that web apps can do the hard work of their native equivalents. It's also geared toward first-time smartphone owners with its simple interface and an $80 unlocked price. This combination of open, standards-based software and affordable hardware sounds like a dream for both developers and newcomers alike. But is that how it works in practice? Read our review and you'll find out.
ZTE planning bigger, better Firefox OS phone for US release next year
ZTE is one of the few companies making a sly side-bet on Firefox OS, and next year it's planning to double-down on that initial wager with the launch of a second handset running Mozilla's smartphone platform. Speaking with IDG's Michael Kan at Expo Comm China 2013, ZTE's Executive VP He Shiyou expects the device to land first half 2014, with a larger display than its predecessor, a dual-core processor, a "revamped user experience" and, of course, a low price. The exec also said that, with approximately 100,000 units sold, demand for the ZTE Open "has exceeded supply," and he anticipates double that figure in total sales. ZTE deliberately manufactured the Open on a small scale, but is optimistic about future adoption of Firefox OS. Shiyou believes HTML5-based apps will become more relevant as speedy network technology like LTE reduces reliance on native software, stating: "In the future, the app store business model will be no more."
PSA: ZTE Open Firefox phone now available on eBay in the US and UK
The Spanish had first dibs on ZTE's Open smartphone, but earlier this month we were told Americans and Brits would eventually be able to buy the Firefox OS device through ZTE's local eBay storefronts. Well, the pages are now live, so in exchange for $80 or £60 (delivery is free), you can get yourself an unlocked Open in the eBay-exclusive orange hue; and, if the stock figures represent all ZTE has to hawk, it appears this initial batch will sell out before too long. We wouldn't say the handset's performance is good enough to disguise its miserly specs, but having a new mobile OS to poke around in for well under a Benjamin? Let's just say that we're having a hard time suppressing the impulse-buy urge. [Thanks, Steve]
ZTE Open smartphone with Firefox OS to be sold on eBay for $80
Yes, the ZTE Open is hauling its laggy self to America by way of the manufacturer's eBay store. Early adopters who want to get a head start with Firefox OS, or regular buyers looking for a cheap device that can handle things like Nokia HERE maps and social networking integration, will be able to Buy It Now for $79.99 (or £59.99 in the eBay UK store). They'll receive the unlocked, global variant of the Open, which is "not optimized for specific networks," and they'll get it in the orange color scheme that will be exclusive to eBay. There's no sign of the fixed-price listing on the auction site as yet, and we're not sure exactly when it'll go live, but people are already bidding on an official-looking import from Hong Kong, for which the price currently stands at $51 including P&P. Update: We originally reported that this phone would "exclusively" be available on eBay, but that's only half true -- it looks like the exclusivity solely applies to the orange-colored variant in the US, so we've fixed the article to reflect that.
Firefox OS hands-on: Alcatel OneTouch Fire and ZTE Open (video)
We've crossed paths with Firefox OS before, but today marks the first time we've played with handsets running the final build of Mozilla's mobile software. The Alcatel OneTouch Fire and ZTE Open you see above are the same hardware we saw at MWC earlier this year -- in fact, the latter just launched in Spain on Telefónica for €69 ($90) contract-free including €30 ($39) of airtime for prepaid customers. We took both phones for a brief spin and immediately noticed a slight improvement in performance. Unfortunately, there's still a significant amount of lag in the UI, especially when scrolling through web pages and navigating the app tray. Websites also take a while to load, even when connecting over Wi-Fi. Then again, what do you expect for €69? Check out the gallery below and hit the break to watch our hands-on video. Note: the ZTE Open we handled was destined for Movistar (a Telefónica brand) and is launching today for €69 (not €63 as mentioned in our video). %Gallery-192865%
ZTE Open, the first Firefox OS phone for consumers, launches tomorrow for $90
When Mozilla said devices running Firefox OS would be cheap, we didn't know they'd be this cheap. Telefónica has just tweeted that the ZTE Open will be launching in Spain tomorrow for €69, which translates to around $90 and is a good $30 less than the cheapest developer unit we'd seen until now. And here's where it gets pretty wild: that price includes €30 ($39) of airtime for prepaid customers. When we played with the Open back in February at Mobile World Congress, we weren't exactly blown away by it, but we're arguably not the target demographic. The real question is whether Spaniards will be willing to sacrifice access to Google's services and ecosystem with devices like the Vodafone Smart Mini now selling for as little as €49 ($65). Update: PR after the break.
ZTE Open Firefox OS phone announced at MWC 2013, we go hands-on
Alcatel wasn't the only one to flash some Firefox OS hardware at Mozilla's big MWC event. ZTE was also showing off two shades of its new smartphone, the Open. The device will launch in orange and blue in global territories starting in Q2. It has a very handy 3.5-inch screen, meaning there's no issues holding it in one hand but there's not a lot of premium feel going on here. The plastic shell felt like any low-end Android device, though we won't fault the grippy finish here. Other specs (that we've already snuck a peek at) include a Cortex-A5-based Qualcomm processor that could be clocked at either 600MHz or 800MHz -- we're trying to get a confirmation on that. There's also 256MB of RAM, 512MB of expandable storage and a humble 3.2-megapixel camera on the back. The 480 x 320 screen itself is nothing to shout home about. Again, it feels like a flashback to those sub-$150 smartphones that did the rounds back in 2011 and while it's not the flashiest spec sheet, ZTE (and Firefox) are pitching this at those millions of future smartphone users that haven't already plumped for a mobile OS. However, the search function looks pretty pervasive, able to tap into apps, the web and more in search of the answer you're looking for. Specific carriers will be able to add in their own apps (pre-installed or not) for its customers. We got a glimpse at a data monitoring app that could pull together your data habits and respective carrier plans -- even if there's no word on a US release beyond some time in 2014. There's a quick hands-on after the break. Myriam Joire, Terrence O'Brien and Sharif Sakr contributed to this report.
Likely ZTE Open spotted at Mozilla press conference: it's blue and open, like the ocean
Remember that orphaned spec list we saw for the Mozilla-powered ZTE Open? Well, we think we've just spotted the device that it describes. It only came out for a second, clasped in the hand of someone from Mozilla, but we were just about able to grab a shot. As we saw in an earlier leak, it should be arriving with a 3.5-inch HVGA TFT screen, Cortex -A5-based processor, 512MB of RAM and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Check it out in the dark sea of shapes above and then remind yourself of the rest of the likely specs after the break.
ZTE Open, the company's first Firefox OS phone, gets a spec sheet at MWC
Remember that ZTE teased the MWC debut of its upcoming Firefox OS phone? Well, according to this spec sheet spotted by a tipster at ZTE's MWC booth, said device will be appropriately named ZTE Open, and it'll come with a moderate set of components: a Cortex-A5-based Qualcomm MSM7225A (which is known to clock at either 600MHz or 800MHz), a 3.5-inch HVGA TFT display with capacitive touchscreen, 256MB DDR SDRAM, 512MB NAND storage and the usual set of radios like WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (with EDR3), GPS and FM radio. Interestingly, there will be a 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera, but it appears that there'll be none on the back. The Open will be available in three SKUs with different UMTS bands: 850/1900, 850/2100 and 900/2100. As always, we'll be sharing the full announcement and hands-on once we see the phone at MWC, though we have a feeling that we've already played with it before. Update: As some of you have pointed out, yes, the "FF" may actually mean "fixed focus" instead of "front-facing," and the former seems more likely. [Thanks, anonymous]
