New smartphone OS in the works, courtesy Firefox developers

The developers of the open-source Firefox web browser have set their eyes on developing a new mobile OS. It could give the existing smartphone operating systems a run for their money.
According the announcement on their website, the team of developers has named the project Boot to Gecko (B2G). In addition, they will find the gaps that keep web developers from being able to build apps that are – in every way – the equals of native apps built for the iPhone, Android, and WP7.
Under the umbrella of this project, the team is aiming at making the OS workable with Android compatible devices that will facilitate web-apps to directly access the telephone facilities, such as making calls, sending text messages among other things.
In addition, it was understood that the new OS will not depend too much on the Android OS except for the kernel and drivers. This information must have been released in a bid to encourage potential patent lawsuits preemptively.