Mozilla is gearing up to show off something new in the world of Firefox.
Get ready for navigator.mozPay(), an API that makes possible secure payment capabilities inside Web-based applications designed for the HTML5-based Firefox OS mobile OS.
navigator.mozPay() is a JavaScript API inspired by google.payments.inapp.buy but modified for things like multiple payment providers and carrier billing.
In a nutshell, Kumar McMillan of Mozilla Hacks explains, when a web app invokes navigator.mozPay() in Firefox OS, the device shows a secure window with a concise UI.
After authenticating, the user can easily charge the payment to her mobile carrier bill or credit card. When completed, the app delivers the product. Repeat purchases are quick and easy.
The payment, we’re told, starts and finishes in the client but “further processing and notifications happen server side.”
“As you can probably tell by the prefix,” McMillan concludes, “navigator.mozPay() is an experimental API and might change drastically or become unprefixed without notice. It will process live payments on the first Firefox OS phones and evolve quickly from real world usage.”
To read the full report from Mozilla Hacks, click here.
