ZTE Open Firefox OS Smartphone Sells Out

Though it just went up for sale on Friday, the ZTE Open is already sold out on eBay after just a weekend's availability. Both US and UK eBay stores no longer have any stock of the Firefox OS-running phone, the Telegraph reports, which means consumers will need to wait until another production run is made before they can get their hands on one. Let it be known, however, there has been no announcement as to what the original stock numbers were.

Designed to be a budget smartphone, the Open from ZTE is completely unlocked and is web-based so downloading apps isn't necessary. It features a 1GHz processor, a 3.5-inch screen, 512MB of storage, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Nothing fancy, but it may fill in a gap for those who want a smartphone but can't afford the standard price tag that comes along with them.

Earlier this year, Mozilla, the creators of the Firefox web browser, announced they would be creating an a mobile operating system. The open platform made it the OS of choice for ZTE, a Chinese phone manufacturer. A vice president at Mozilla recently indicated that the Open was designed for those who have never had a smartphone before but were looking to upgrade.

Meanwhile, sales of the Open began back in July in Spain, through carrier Telefonica, though the carrier is yet to detail exactly how many have been bought. Mozilla's initial batch of 1,000 developer units sold out in less than a day last April.

The ZTE Open retails for $79.99 in the US, which might have been an appealing point but with no more phones in stock and no indicator as to when more will be available, it's unclear as to what real impact this phone will have.