Cherry Mobile Ace Firefox OS Phone Price is Php 1,499 : Arriving in November 2014

Local electronics giant Cherry Mobile has just uploaded its updated 2014 product catalogue and price list on its official website. Skimming through the online poster, I saw this curious entry-level handset that has one feature that should make it wildly interesting for many geeks and gadget fans.

Cherry Mobile Ace, Firefox Phone, Firefox OS

Specs-wise, there's nothing "of note" or particularly special about Cherry Mobile Ace. In fact, it's so basic a smartphone that I bet many of you would have no qualms whatsoever brushing it off based on its mediocre technical specifications alone.

The handset runs on a 1 GHz Single Core processor, has 128 MB of RAM, 256 MB of ROM, and microSD card memory expansion slot. On the outside, the device - powered by a 1,250 mAh battery pack - features a 3.5 inch HVGA 320 x 480 pixels TFT display and a 2 MegaPixel fixed focus main camera with no flash.

But for all of its simplicity, Cherry Mobile Ace - which will sell for only Php 1,499 when it hits store shelves this coming November - is actually the first smartphone by a local handset company to run the unique Firefox Operating System!

Cherry Mobile Ace, Firefox Phone, Firefox OS
Music Player and FM Radio interface of Firefox OS

Cherry Mobile Ace, Firefox Phone, Firefox OS
Messaging Panel

Cherry Mobile Ace, Firefox Phone, Firefox OS
Image Gallery with Built-in Photo Editing App

Cherry Mobile Ace, Firefox Phone, Firefox OS
Firefox OS ships with pre-installed Here Maps by Nokia, integrates your social networking accounts into your contacts list, and has a handful of applications ready for download from its Marketplace.

What makes Firefox OS special, you ask? Qouting Mozilla - Maker of this mobile operating system, "We’re out to make a difference, not a profit. When you choose Firefox OS, you’re helping build a brighter future for the Web and users everywhere. Most smartphones are made by a small number of people, all in one place, probably pretty far from where you live. Firefox OS phones are different. They’re made by a huge global community and are the only smartphones that understand and deliver what you want and need. Firefox changed browsing forever by putting users first and offering a new level of choice and innovation online. Now we’re doing it all over again with Firefox OS, while bringing the same superior browsing experience to your smartphone. So you can take control of your life online and get the best the Web has to offer no matter where you go."

To be honest, I haven't played with a smartphone running on Firefox OS; I've been wanting to for the longest time but they're quite hard to come by here in the Philippines. Firefox is my favorite browser for the Android platform (apart from Chrome and Opera Mini) so I'm quite interested to see how Mozilla's very own operating system looks and works. If only because of that, I'm totally inclined to check Cherry Mobile Ace out.