both firefox os and android used the linux kernel. firefox os used the gecko engine on top of the linux kernel to render the screen output. apps were written using html5, css and javascript—all three being cooperative languages used in making internet webpages. in essence apps on firefox os were web apps and the os could be thought of as a web browser that stored content off-line. on the other hand, android's apps are coded in java using android studio. android also enjoys greater maturity and support. despite these differences, firefox os did feature all the essentials required to use a smartphone. firefox launched its first official device in germany in 2014, which was an alcatel one touch fire. the device had a 3.5” hvga screen, cortex a5 processor, 256mb ram and 512mb storage. as of december 2015, mozilla had launched 12 smartphones across 24 countries.