The first Firefox OS (formerly Boot to Gecko) devices aren’t slated to ship until the beginning of next year, but if some new screenshots are any indication, the project is coming along rather nicely.

TechWeekEurope managed to get their hands on a whole host of new images of the fledgling open web operating system, though the version depicted may not be the version that every carrier gets.

For an operating system that’s meant to be loaded on low-end, Qualcomm-powered, introductory smartphones (at first, anyway), Firefox OS has turned out to be quite the looker. That said, it’s hard not to look for similarities between these new images and other mobile operating systems on the market, and there are a fair number to be found. The black status bar that runs along the top of the screen for instance seems rather iOS-esque, some of the typography is reminiscent of that seen in Windows Phone 7, and as Business Insider points out some apps have Android-y feeling about them.

In any case, things aren’t ready for primetime yet, but the featured build sports far more polish than the versions Mozilla has trotted out in the past few months. Just for a bit of perspective, compare these very early peeks at the project…

In case the temptation to play with Firefox OS is just too strong to bear, fear not — Mozilla has you covered. Earlier this month, Mozilla team members released desktop-friendly versions of the OS to install and play with. There are a few caveats though, prime among them being the fact that getting things set up in the first can be a mite tricky unless you’re handy with a command line and are familiar with GitHub. What’s more, those builds are meant for developers and can’t be loaded up onto compatible smartphones or tablets, though that’s probably less of a concern for most people.