Mozilla knows that for any platform to succeed it needs to have popular applications that are already found on other mobile platforms like iOS and Android. If there's not enough of an application ecosystem it doesn't matter how great your OS is — just look at WebOS to see how a lack of applications can kill a platform.

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Mozilla has already signed major deals with some of the most popular mobile software companies and has secured many popular cross-platform apps that will be available at the launch of Firefox OS smartphones. These include Facebook, Twitter, Pulse News, Nokia HERE, Accuweather, Cut the Rope, Disney Mobile Games, EA Games, SoundCloud and more. Mozilla is promising that developers will be able to easily create apps for Firefox OS using Mozilla's "Web" initiative.

"Firefox OS will break down the walls between apps and the Web because Firefox OS apps are built using Web technologies, like HTML5," said Jay Sullivan, Mozilla senior vice-president of products. "We expect to see lots of amazing apps people love built for Firefox OS because more developers are already creating for the Web than for any other platform."

Mozilla also detailed how the Firefox Marketplace will work. It will be divided into categories including news, games, productivity, business and multimedia to make it simple for users to find the apps they are looking for. Mozilla has also built a feature into the Firefox Marketplace that will allow customers to try out applications before purchasing by downloading the apps for a one-time use. Mozilla has also built carrier billing into the Firefox Marketplace. The first Firefox OS smartphone is expected to debut in July in Poland; a U.S. launch is expected in 2014.

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