Despite launching its own OS, Mozilla wants more of the Android market

Despite launching its own OS, Mozilla wants more of the Android market — the company justannounced that it'll release its own Android launcher in the coming weeks, with the Firefoxbrowser built right in. But instead of building a launcher from the ground-up, it's releasing a rebranded version of the just-released EverythingMe launcher instead.

Just like EverythingMe, the Firefox launcher will focus on contextual data to serve up relevant apps and links to the user based on usage patterns and location. Firefox launcher will include the same universal search, smart folders that populate with related apps and content pulled from the internet, and ever-changing "prediction bar" that tries to show you the relevant apps at the right time. The only notable difference is that the Firefox launcher will also include theFirefox browser, presumably set to the default as soon as you install the launcher.

While it's entirely logical for Mozilla to want a bigger presence on Android, the world's most popular mobile OS, it's hard to imagine that the Firefox launcher will have a shot getting much traction in the launcher space. EverythingMe is already out in the wild, and a variation on it will probably have a hard time finding an audience. Still, Mozilla and Firefox are big enough brands that its launcher might actually get more attention than the original EverythingMe launcher that it's based on. The Firefox launcher isn't available yet, but the company says that a beta version will be ready to release in the coming weeks.