Spanish open hardware phone platform manufacturer Geeksphone, which created the first developer preview devices for Mozillas Firefox OS (aka Peak and Keon), has announced its now taking pre-orders for a new version of its Peak smartphone that its called Peak+ and is geared toward consumers.
Geeksphones original two developer-focused devices sold out a few hours after going on sale doubtless helped by their low prices of $194 and $119 respectively.
The Peak+ is a slightly beefier version of the original Peak, with double (1GB) the RAM and the latest version of the Firefox OS (v1.1). Other specs are the same as the original Peak, including its dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm 8225 chipset, 4.3 qHD IPS multitouch screen, 8-megapixel rear camera (with flash), 2 megapixel front camera, and tri-band UMTS / HSPA, plus a 1800 mAh battery. But Geeksphone says it has improved battery management and graphical performance. The new Peak+ has 4GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 32 GB via MicroSD. It will also come with 25GB of cloud storage (from Fiabee).
Mozillas Firefox OS is aiming to provide an open alternative to Googles Android OS, especially at the budget to mid-tier smartphone handset price range, and has signed up considerable carrier support for the initiative. This contrasts to Canonicals high end approach, with its circa $600 Ubuntu Edge smartphone currently seeking $32 million in crowdfunding backing to build an open source-based smartphone that can double as a PC.
With PC sales declining and Smart-phones and Tablets dominating the market, it is clear that the next "software wars" will take place on a more slick and thin battle ground than ever...
