X

Mozilla revamping Firefox OS's app launcher

Firefox will still use EverythingMe's app discovery, but will marry it more closely to the browser at the heart of Mozilla's mobile OS.

Headshot of Stephen Shankland
Headshot of Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise Processors | Semiconductors | Web browsers | Quantum computing | Supercomputers | AI | 3D printing | Drones | Computer science | Physics | Programming | Materials science | USB | UWB | Android | Digital photography | Science Credentials
  • Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Stephen Shankland
Firefox OS is getting a new approach to launching apps.
Firefox OS is getting a new approach to launching apps. (Click to enlarge.) Mozilla

Firefox OS, Mozilla's smartphone operating system, is getting a new app for launching apps.

"The app integrates the contextual adaptive app search from EverythingMe with the Firefox for Android Web browser to offer users a personalized and customizable Web experience that is fun and intuitive," Mozilla said Wednesday in a blog post. The non-profit organization showed a preview of new app launcher Tuesday.

Firefox OS already used EverythingMe's software for presenting a dynamically generated array of links to Web apps.

"We are happy to expand our work together with this new product to give people more smart, easy, and innovative ways to personalize their Web experience and meet their needs in any context," Mozilla said.

Further details were scarce. For example, it's not clear whether the new approach will unify EverythingMe's interface with Firefox's other way of getting apps, the Firefox Marketplace. Currently, Firefox OS users have separate search interfaces for each.

Mozilla promised further details when beta testing begins.