Sony has announced that they are considering launching a Firefox OS phone next year and have released an experimental ROM for the Sony Xperia E, so that app developers and enthusiasts can test the platform and give Sony some valuable feedback. The reason behind choosing the Xperia E as the test subject is simple.Firefox OS has been built with low end smartphones in mind and the Xperia E has the same specs offered by the ZTE Open and the Alcatel One Touch Fire, the first two Firefox OS devices which were announced at the MWC.
Keep in mind that the ROM isn't recommended for daily user. There is no wireless connectivity of any kind and the touchscreen and microSD card don’t operate as expected. So it’s a good idea to avoid installing it on your device if you are using it as your primary phone. The device should also meet the following requirements in order to install the ROM.
- Must have an unlocked bootloader.
- Device must be unlocked. It is not recommended that you install this ROM on devices that are locked by carriers.
- You must have experience with flashing your device and installing custom ROMs.
If you have an Xperia E which you can spare and would like to test out the Firefox OS ROM on your device. The step-by-step instructions on how to flash Firefox OS on your Xperia E are as follows
- Unlock your Xperia E boot loader using the Sony unlock boot loader service.
[NOTE] Once you have unlocked your device, you wont be eligible to receive official software updates from Sony.
- - Download and install the flash tool for Xperia.
- - Start the flash tool and connect your device as described in the flash tool instructions.
- Once you have connected your device, Firefox OS software will be available to flash.
- You will also find the standard Android software, which you can flash back to when you want.
Have you tried out Firefox OS on your Sony Xperia E ? Leave us a comment with your thoughts below.
source – Sony