Firefox's smartwatch idea could spell trouble for Apple and Google

Firefox OS
Firefox OS: Heading to a wrist near you

It looks like Firefox OS, the mobile operating system that rivals Android and iOS, could be coming to wearble devices in the near future.

According to Joe Cheng, manager of product and project management of the mobile devices group at Mozilla, in an interview with Computer World, the creators of Firefox OS want to bring it to a wider range of devices.

Firefox OS is already making inroads on low cost smartphones, and at CES 2015 it was announced that Panasonic will use Firefox OS for its upcoming Smart Tvs.

Now Firefox OS looks poised to take on Android Wear and the Apple Watch when it comes to wearble technology such as smartwatches. To compete, it looks like Mozilla has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Bringing gadgets together

Most wearable tech needs to be paired with a smartphone for full functionality. At the moment Android Wear devices can only communicate with Android phones, and the Apple Watch will only be compatible with iPhones.

This isn't a great situation if you own an iPhone and fancy an Android Wear device or vice versa. Mozilla wants to eliminate this problem by making Firefox OS devices compatible with any brand of smartphone, regardless of the operating system.

According to Joe Cheng, "we want to break that single-brand barrier". Mozilla hasn't announced when we'd be likely to see Firefox OS-powered wearables, or what form these devices will take.

Considering Firefox OS's success with low-cost smartphones, could we see more affordable wearble devices appearing running Firefox OS?

Via Computer World

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.