Matchstick Takes On Chromecast With Firefox OS

Do you like the idea behind Chromecast but aren't so keen on the Chrome part of it all? A competitor has arisen on Kickstarter based on Firefox OS, allowing users to cast content to their television via a dongle in the same way. Though the funding campaign has only just begun, it is already off to a solid start.

Called Matchstick, the WiFi-toting dongle works in a familiar fashion — plug it into the back of your television and then cast content from your mobile or laptop. The big difference between this product and Chromecast is that it is an open platform, and is, according to the makers, the first streaming dongle of its kind "built and certified for Firefox OS."

The makers point out that content won't be an issue thanks to the mass of apps already available in the Mozilla app store, and the makers plan to launch a separate Matchstick app store to further expand offerings. Certain content options are promised to be available when the product launches, including HBO Go, Netflix, Pandora, and more.

The makers are pretty up-front about what their goal is — they say they want Matchstick to offer specs trumping a certain product they say rhymes with "boneblast." To do this, they've used a dual-core Rockchip 3066 processor alongside 4GB of storage and 1GB of memory. If all goes well, backers should be seeing the product arrive in the early months of 2015.

SOURCE: Kickstarter