Mozilla delivers paid HTML5 apps, after $96 Firefox OS smartphones begin shipping

Web browser and smartphone platform developer Mozilla has announced the introduction of paid HTML5 app downloads through its Firefox Marketplace apps store, after the first smartphones using its Firefox OS smartphone platform begin shipping in Spain.

Mozilla announced on its developer blog that developers will now be able to offer paid HTML5-based apps through the Firefox Marketplace, including support for both app purchases and in-app payments.

The company has created a payments page as part of its Developer Hub outlining how web developers can create apps for the platform.

“Firefox OS runs the web and has a web browser, but if you want to offer an app-like experience, get access to more hardware and APIs and more, building an Open Web App could be a perfect option for you,” Mozilla spokesperson Robert Nyman said.

Mozilla has also released a new version of its Firefox OS simulator plug-in for the desktop version of its web browser.

New features include the ability to connect a developer toolbox to a specific app, enabling remote style editing, a hidden feature refreshing the current app, an updated dashboard design and the simulation of touch events with the mouse.

The low-end smartphone is significantly less powerful than an iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4, featuring a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 3.2-megapixel camera and supports Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi.

“We believe that smartphones need to be more open and that the web is the platform for making this possible. Consumers should not be locked to any one system but have the choice to consume the content they want and the flexibility to be able to take it with them when they change devices,” Telefónica España chief executive Luis Miguel Gilpérez said.