Bing Launches On Firefox OS, Does It Matter?

Bing has launched an app for the Firefox Marketplace. As pointed out by The Next Web, Google doesn’t yet have an official app there.

Firefox OS is a mobile operating system “built entirely using open web standards” (HTML5). It’s both an effort to reinvigorate the mobile web and keep Firefox from falling into total mobile irrelevance.

The first Firefox OS phone is the Chinese-made ZTE Open. It’s selling for between $70 and $99 (unlocked) on eBay. This low-end strategy could work well in developing countries and provide an even lower-cost alternative to Android devices in those markets.

While I’m skeptical of the near-term potential for Firefox OS in North America and Western Europe it’s possible that the rock-bottom pricing could drive adoption.

In terms of the Bing app launch, it’s “progressive” but will have limited impact on market share. According to StatCounter, Google controls nearly 94 percent of mobile web-based search traffic globally.