The Alcatel One Touch Fire is the first phone to run Firefox OS, new software that aims to light a fire under Android.
The 3.5-inch Fire is a dinky little number wrapped in a cheerful, brightly colored plastic casing. The rounded corners and vibrant look -- including signature Firefox orange -- give it a chunky, playful appearance.
It's basically the Alcatel T'Pop, a low-end feature phone, but the big difference is the software. Firefox OS is an open-source operating system created by Mozilla, the folks behind the Firefox Web browser. Apps are built using HTML5, which means that in theory they run on the Web and on your phone or tablet.
The downside of any new platform is that there won't be many apps yet -- certainly not many of the big-name apps you find on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. Ultimately, the number and quality of apps will depend on how many people buy Firefox phones.
At the time of writing, Firefox OS is still some months away from release, but there are some decent apps available already. For example, popular game Cut the Rope and Nokia's Here maps app are available now.
And of course, Firefox is on every phone to browse the Web. You can connect to the Web and to other devices by the usual array of smartphone options: 3G, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
The Firefox OS interface is very simple, and certainly easy to get to grips with. On the home screen there's a tray at the bottom containing useful shortcuts, including icons for your text messages, phone dialer, and Firefox browser. There's also a big thumbs-up icon that allows you to send feedback about the phone.
Swipe right and you see all your apps arranged in a grid, which will be familiar to anyone who's used Android. But unlike Android, on the model I tried there's no option to rearrange apps or move them to the home screen. Alcatel says this will be included at some stage.
To visit the Firefox OS app store, swipe to the left and you're greeted with a grid of icons representing the different categories of apps, such as camera apps or sport-related apps. It's a neat introduction to the app store, much cleaner and simpler than the barrage of featured apps on the front page of many other app stores.
Simplicity is the theme of Firefox OS. It's designed to be easy to use, even if it's your first smartphone. It's also designed to be simple for phone networks to customize the phone.
The 3.5-inch Fire is a dinky little number wrapped in a cheerful, brightly colored plastic casing. The rounded corners and vibrant look -- including signature Firefox orange -- give it a chunky, playful appearance.
It's basically the Alcatel T'Pop, a low-end feature phone, but the big difference is the software. Firefox OS is an open-source operating system created by Mozilla, the folks behind the Firefox Web browser. Apps are built using HTML5, which means that in theory they run on the Web and on your phone or tablet.
The downside of any new platform is that there won't be many apps yet -- certainly not many of the big-name apps you find on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. Ultimately, the number and quality of apps will depend on how many people buy Firefox phones.
At the time of writing, Firefox OS is still some months away from release, but there are some decent apps available already. For example, popular game Cut the Rope and Nokia's Here maps app are available now.
And of course, Firefox is on every phone to browse the Web. You can connect to the Web and to other devices by the usual array of smartphone options: 3G, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
The Firefox OS interface is very simple, and certainly easy to get to grips with. On the home screen there's a tray at the bottom containing useful shortcuts, including icons for your text messages, phone dialer, and Firefox browser. There's also a big thumbs-up icon that allows you to send feedback about the phone.
Swipe right and you see all your apps arranged in a grid, which will be familiar to anyone who's used Android. But unlike Android, on the model I tried there's no option to rearrange apps or move them to the home screen. Alcatel says this will be included at some stage.
To visit the Firefox OS app store, swipe to the left and you're greeted with a grid of icons representing the different categories of apps, such as camera apps or sport-related apps. It's a neat introduction to the app store, much cleaner and simpler than the barrage of featured apps on the front page of many other app stores.
Simplicity is the theme of Firefox OS. It's designed to be easy to use, even if it's your first smartphone. It's also designed to be simple for phone networks to customize the phone.
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