FirefoxSync
Latest
Firefox's revamped interface is now available in Aurora releases
You no longer have to grab one of Firefox's ever-changing nightly builds to try the browser's new Australis interface ahead of its official launch. Mozilla has just released a new Aurora version that includes Australis' simpler, more customizable layout; it also brings the easier, account-based sync system. The new Firefox edition is still quite rough, but curious web surfers who were only waiting for more reliable code can start downloading today.
Mozilla pulls Firefox Home from the iOS App Store, posts source code to GitHub
iOS users keen on Mozilla's Firefox Home will have to find another browser syncing solution: the application has been retired. The app worked in conjunction with Firefox Sync, and was designed to give users access to their desktop history, open tabs and bookmarks on the go. Mozilla says the project "provided valuable insight and experience with the platform," but ultimately decided its resources were better focused elsewhere. All isn't lost, however -- the company is making the source available on GitHub, encouraging users to tinker with the iOS Sync client Firefox Home was built on. Feel free to swim in the code yourself at the source link below.
Firefox 4 for Android launched, ready to Sync and speed up your browsing
It was a release candidate just about a week ago and today it's all ready to go. Firefox 4 for Android has just been released from the Mozilla labs and is now prowling the mobile internet. You can get yours at the Android Market, in no less than 10 languages, though there'll be no Flash playback. Still, tabbed browsing, extreme customizability, and bookmark / tab / history coordination between desktop and mobile (via Firefox Sync) are all nice to have, as is the promised threefold improvement in speed over the stock Android browser. Pretty nice list of improvements for some freebie software, wouldn't you say?
Mozilla Firefox 4 RC for Android and Maemo now up for grabs
If you're liking what Firefox 4 for mobile already offers in its previous beta builds, then you'll certainly want to check out its release candidate that went live on Monday -- just less than six months after the browser when beta. According to Mozilla, this new build provides a better overall user experience with faster scrolling and improved Firefox Sync, along with other goodies like Awesome Screen smart shortcuts, tabbed browsing, Firefox Add-ons, and Persona themes. Sounds a lot like its desktop sibling (which has a healthy 4.9 million downloads already), doesn't it? Head over to the source page for the Android and Maemo download links, or you can have a look at Mozilla's latest video after the break if you need some convincing.
Firefox 4 for Mac: faster, more customizable and still free
Firefox 4 (free) is now available for your favorite computing platform -- Mac OS X. If you've used the Mozilla browser in the past, you're probably already aware of the update. If not, this is a chance to download and try a laudable Mac browser. The biggest improvement in Firefox 4 is speed. Although we were unable to perform our own benchmarks, the Firefox website shows that page rendering speeds have improved anywhere from three to six times those of the previous release. The Mozilla engineers also worked in a new layers-based graphics system that takes advantage of OpenGL in Mac OS X for faster performance on graphics-intensive websites. In reality, Firefox still felt slightly slower than Safari in terms of opening and rendering websites, although it feels much faster than previous versions of the browser. As with previous versions of Firefox, there are numerous plug-ins and add-ons available, as well as "personas" to customize the browser's look and feel. Some plug-ins will need to be updated from earlier versions, requiring a restart of the browser before they'll work properly. Firefox Sync is a feature that's available to sync your open browser tabs, bookmarks and even passwords between devices. If you install Firefox 4 onto several Macs, like an iMac and a MacBook Air, after closing Firefox on the desktop machine and launching the browser on the laptop you can pick up right where you left off. Regretfully, since there's no Firefox for iPhone or iPad, you can't sync your settings to those devices. For those who hate downward facing tabs in the tabbed browser interface, you can rejoice in the fact that the new Firefox default puts the tabs on top. If you prefer downward facing tabs, no problem -- you can change the setting. I was glad to see that toolbars are now much more customizable. A control-click lets you add or remove many buttons, including various Google applications or even a print button. I won't belabor the description of the rest of Firefox 4's new features here. Firefox fans should go out and download the update immediately; the rest of you might want to try out the free browser just to see if the new features are enough to make you switch.
Mozilla submits Firefox Home to Apple App Store, considers approval a formality (video)
Emboldened by the (great) success enjoyed by Opera's Mini in making it onto Apple's hallowed iPhone platform, Mozilla has today submitted its own browser implement to the App Store censors. We already knew Firefox Home -- a weird sort of incomplete browser that syncs your desktop bookmarks, history, and tabs with the iPhone -- was in the works, but now we're finding the team behind it is so confident of its approval that it's already promising a guide on how to set it up once it's approved. We suspect the fact it'll allow you to shift browsing sessions over to Safari will be looked upon favorably, but there's no escaping the fact that Firefox Home will still browse the web for you should you wish it. This is going to be a highly entertaining approval process indeed. Your move, Cupertino.
Mozilla shares tentative vision for Firefox 4
Our first glimpse of Firefox 4 was limited to a few tasteful mockups; this time, Mozilla's main man Mike Beltzner has revealed the company's plans for its next generation web browser in its entirety. While exact features and dates are sketchy, his presentation reveals Mozilla would like to hold the Firefox 4 beta in June, before unleashing a CSS3, partially HTML5 compliant web browser with multitouch support, background updates, geolocation, Firefox Sync (aka Mozilla Weave) and a greatly streamlined UI this holiday season. The presentation has "PLANS MIGHT CHANGE" written all over it in large red letters, so trust us when we say none of this is for sure, but we like the direction Firefox is going and we'll be happy to see more. Video presentation at our source link, full slideshow after the break.
