14 DAY TRIAL // Owners of Android-based devices who are running the Firefox for Android Aurora mobile browser can now enjoy the benefits of the first Aurora release of Firefox Marketplace.
Not only can early adopters and testers have a look at what the storefront has to offer to them, but developers can also receive feedback on the applications they have published to the portal, and can keep an eye on the manner in which they progress.
“At Mozilla, we develop in the open and this initial release will help lead the way for future Marketplace Aurora, Beta and Firefox OS releases in 2013,” Mozilla notes in a blog post.
The Aurora of the Firefox Marketplace comes with a set of applications in areas such as games, productivity and news & media, all available for users to browse, install and take for a spin.
Distant Orbit, Jauntly, Soundcloud and Twitter are among the first apps in the Marketplace, yet more are expected to arrive, along with features such as payments, ratings, reviews and more.
“Just last year, we started working to turn the Web into a viable apps development platform. We created the Firefox Marketplace to allow developers to build, distribute and monetize rich, immersive apps that use Web technologies like HTML, JavaScript and CSS,” Mozilla notes.
“We’ve made amazing progress developing Web APIs across platforms as we work to unlock the power of the Web on mobile, just as we did on desktop.”
The main purpose of the Aurora release of Firefox Marketplace is to receive feedback on design, usability, performance, reliability, and content, so as to provide users with enhancements and fixes before the portal is released to more of them.
APIs for app submission, payments, and app discovery are also being provided through the Marketplace, all with a focus on keeping the ecosystem open, while providing developers with control over their content and distribution.
Those who would like to have a look at the Marketplace should grab the latest Firefox for Android Aurora build (available on Softpedia via this link), go to the Options Menu in the browser, select “Apps” (or “Tools” then “Apps”), and they will be brought to the portal.
“The Firefox Marketplace will initially be available with Firefox for Android Aurora. Support for Firefox OS and Firefox on other platforms will come in the future,” Mozilla also announced.
