Mozilla has revealed that it is aiming to release its mobile software platform project, Boot2Gecko (B2G), in early 2012.
Announced back in July, the operating system should be demoed at some point in the first three months of 2012, with "productisation" to follow in the second quarter of the year – that's when B2G should make its way to the man on the street.
Mozilla has also released 'screenshots' of the OS, which reveal what the user interface might look like when it is released to consumers.
Feature rich
The screenshots promise lots of features you'll be familiar with from Android, on top of which B2G will run, iOS and even Windows Phone.
These include a notifications bar, gestural unlocking, homescreen pin-protection and soft on-screen buttons when no hardware equivalent is available.
The roadmap also outlines a few functions that should make their way to the operating system, including Bluetooth, NFC, an e-reader application, media player, "distinct look and feel" and, as you'd expect from the creators of Firefox, a "full-featured web browser".
Mozilla's dream for B2G is to create a standardised mobile OS that isn't tied to any specific hardware, so it can run on any phone chassis you like. It's also intended to bridge the gap between what web-based apps and native phone apps can do.
