ZTE has started selling its latest Firefox OS smartphone on eBay, and it’s available to buy in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Russia, and a total of 20 other European countries. The phone is the Open C, which was revealed during Mobile World Congress, and is an updated version of the ZTE Open, one of the first Firefox OS phones released.
The Open C is purchased unlocked and contract free for a mere $100, or £70 in the UK, which is $20 more than the original Open. The price increase comes with a spec bump over the older, and very basic phone. The screen now measures 4-inches and has a 480 x 800 pixel resolution, and the processor is a meatier 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 chip. There’s only 512MB of RAM, but Firefox OS is designed to run on simple hardware, plus there’s 4GB of internal memory and a MicroSD card slot too. A 3-megapixel camera takes care of the pictures, a 1400mAh battery will keep the phone up and running, plus there’s 3G HSDPA connectivity.
It’s not the most exciting spec list, but it’s better than the ZTE Open. However, the real draw here is Firefox OS, and it’s version 1.3 which is installed on the phone. It’s a considerable improvement over Firefox 1.0, and adds much needed features such as POP3 email support, Bluetooth sharing, and best of all, several performance upgrades. Using Firefox on the Open was an unpleasant experience, but after giving version 1.3 a spin at Mobile World Congress, we are optimistic for its future.
If you want to give the Open C and Firefox OS a try, or just want a really cheap smartphone, then it’s yours to buy exclusively through ZTE’s eBay store right now. Sadly, this time it only comes in boring black rather than shocking orange.
