More

        

          

    HomeNewsFirefox guns for games developers with latest OS update

    Firefox guns for games developers with latest OS update

    -

    Mozilla has targeted games developers with its latest version of Firefox OS and updated its messaging and camera functionalities.

    The latest version of the OS has been made available to handset manufacturers to update their devices, as well as to developers who are looking to build their own Firefox smartphones.

    The software company is targeting games manufacturers with this update, by adding support for WebGL, asm.js and WebAudio. The update also includes NFC enablers including the WebNFC API. 

    Firefox said this will allow developers to start experimenting with NFC pairing and tagging before it brings additional NFC functionality to the OS with future updates.

    The release also includes a number of new Web APIs with shared workers allowing more powerful data processing and resource sharing. 

    The SpeakerManager API gives developers to use the phone’s speakers for various functions, such as listening to the FM Radio app with headphones. The WebIccManager API was also updated with the app supporting the use of multiple SIM cards.

    Elsewhere in the update, the new dual-SIM feature allows users to manage between cards by using a SIM Manager UI. 

    The software company has also improved the camera app by introducing continuous autofocus and flash, as well as the ability to arrange content by date taken, file type and file size. Users can also arrange their apps into specific categories.

    Firefox has also improved its messaging apps, support email notifications and POP3 for the first time. Users can also send MMS messages via email. Finally, the update also supports multiple Bluetooth file transfers at the same time.

    The first handset featuring the latest version of the operating system is the ZTE Open C, which went on sale yesterday on eBay, priced $99.99 (€72.57). The smartphone is being targeted at first time smartphone users and early adopters of Firefox OS.

    Read more:

    Mozilla Europe founder dreams of challenging “sub-optimal” Android, iOS