10:00 AM
Paul B
The first non-Android and non-iOS powered smartphone based on Linux is expected to be available soon for the low price of $80 on Ebay. I am talking about the widely anticipated ZTE Open:
This is huge news for those of us who want to ditch Android and iPhones after news that Google and Apple are a part of the NSA's PRISM program broke. Right now our only viable alternative is a Windows smartphone, but Microsoft was named in the PRISM documents as well.
From Digital Spy:
The budget handset will arrive on the auction website unlocked, allowing the customer to sign up with the carrier of their choice.
Geared towards "first-time smartphone buyers", the Firefox OS relies on the internet to power the smartphone's user interface and is backed up by the Firefox Marketplace app store.
Powered by a 1GHz single-core processor, the ZTE Open features a 3.5-inch screen, 256MB of RAM and a price tag of just €39.
Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera, WiFi support and native apps for Twitter, Facebook and Nokia's Here Maps.
Telefonica has already begun selling the handset in South America following its debut in Spain this summer.
The ZTE Open will be available for $79.99 in the US and £59.99 in the UK. A specific release date is yet to be confirmed.
Here is a video introducing the phone:
What do you think of this? Are you going to make the switch? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
