MobileFirefox
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Firefox 5 for Android adds CSS animation, support for Do Not Track browsing
The Firefox team is moving as quick as a...well, you get the idea. Nearly two months after releasing its latest browser to the masses, the folks at Mozilla have unleashed Firefox 5 for Android as a beta for willing souls who happen upon it in the Market. The latest rendition will hook you up with support for CSS animations, improved canvas and JavaScript performance, and lower memory usage. You're also going to find Do Not Track included for the first time, which is a privacy setting that prevents other sites from following you around. Otherwise, for a major release, there isn't a ton of meat -- then again, Mozilla's switched things up a bit by popping out updates on a more frequent basis, making few changes to each one, so anyone feeling a bit underwhelmed should know that the team's already hard at work on Firefox 6. Head down to the source links to download the beta and learn what's new.
Firefox ported to Pre, N900 says 'psh, whatever, I'm still awesome'
WebKit's all well and good, but every once in a while there's a reason why you've got to pull out the Old Standby, right? Once reserved for the Maemo Elite, Firefox is slowly spreading from pocket to pocket, and webOS is mercifully the latest to get hooked up. We don't know the full backstory here yet -- it looks like you can't download a user-friendly package right now -- but this'll undoubtedly be a good option when the Pre's in-built browser simply won't do. It's not an official port we're looking at, but let's be honest: the community does a better job half the time, right?
Fennec Beta 1 goes live on Maemo platform
Naming confusion aside, we're just stoked out of our gords right now to see that all of this is progressing along so quickly. Out of nowhere, we're being hit with news that Fennec Beta 1 (that's the mobile flavor of Firefox, by the way) is now live on the Maemo platform. The only tough news is that said platform is just used on Nokia's Internet Tablets, so you'll likely have a tough (read: impossible) time loading this up on S60, Windows Mobile or any other mobile OS. That said, we are told that the first beta includes "greatly increased zooming speed and panning smoothness," and on the feature front, devs have enabled plugins so users can easily watch videos from their favorite sites. Hit the read link for all the nitty-gritty, and for you lucky N810 users, give it a download and report back.[Via phoneArena]
Fennec to be known as Firefox... just Firefox
Fennec, as it has become so well known, is the codename for Mozilla's attempt to bring Firefox to the mobile realm. As it closes in on a final release, everyone (and seriously, we mean everyone) is wondering what the darn piece of software will actually go by. WMExperts has learned that the browser will simply be titled Firefox -- not Mobile Firefox, not Firefox for Mobiles, just Firefox. We needn't tell you just how confusing this is going to get, but whatever, so long as this gets pushed out on the double, we'll call it anything it wants.[Via phoneArena]
Mobile Firefox (Fennec) being developed for Symbian
We can't be certain, but we're fairly sure we just heard the remnants of a million celebratory shouts from Symbian users the world over. Mobile Firefox, the promising web browser that just went alpha a few months back, is reportedly well on its way to S60 land. According to Mozilla's Christian Sejersen, the team feels that "in order for Mozilla to be relevant in the smartphone space, it needs to have a presence on the Symbian platform." Better still, the crew has already sparked up conversation with Symbian engineers, and early word has it that an initial release could be but months away. It's cool, you have every right to be thoroughly stoked.[Via UnwiredView]
Mobile Firefox (Fennec) alpha officially goes live
We knew the Fennec alpha was but moments away from release, but at long last, the wait is over. Mozilla has crafted a dedicated page for the early, early version of Mobile Firefox along with release notes, known issues, tips / tricks and installation instructions. Speaking of which, this release was made to be used solely on the N800 or N810 Internet Tablet from Nokia, though there are versions available for Windows, OS X and Linux computers in case you want to dabble from the comfort of your desktop / laptop. We won't bother keeping you any longer -- feast your eyes on the links below for all sorts of long-awaited mobile browsing goodness.[Via NetworkWorld]Read - Mozilla Fennec pageRead - Fennec video walkthroughRead - Fennec on Windows Mobile screenshot
Firefox Mobile for Windows Mobile screenshots emerge, excitement builds
What else can we say? Sure, 2010 is a long ways out, but you knew good and well alpha / beta versions of Firefox Mobile would emerge long before then, right? Here we have the first living proof that Firefox Mobile (or Fennec, as it were) is alive and well for Windows Mobile, albeit in decidedly alpha form. Currently, the browser is managing an 88 out of 100 on the strenuous Acid3 test, which surely ain't bad for a handset-stricken browser. Hit the read link for a few more looks, and cross your fingers for a beta release sooner rather than later.
Mozilla's Firefox mobile kinda gets announced, release date sometime in 2010
Well the mobile browser world will likely be in for some serious churn now that Mozilla's Firefox, codenamed "Fennec", is throwing its hat into the ring. Mozilla's Tristan Nitot commented that not only is the mobile browser in the works, but that its expected to arrive for Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Linux. Though, the rub here is that we'll need to wait until sometime in 2010 to see this live, and honestly, we may have HTC handsets integrated into our minds well before then. Oh, while we used a pretty pic of Firefox hugging on the iPhone, don't hold out any hope that it'll actually arrive for that device -- that goes for Android too, sadly -- we just thought the colors look kinda nice together[Via UnwiredView]
Firefox Mobile concept gets detailed on video
It'll be a fabulous day when a cellphone-friendly version of Firefox finally lands, and judging by the video and details in the read link down there, that day is getting ever closer. Granted, this whole thing is being dubbed a "concept" for now, but we're definitely digging where it's headed. We're warning you, there's a boatload of information just one click away, but if you fear your eyes just can't handle it, peep the video after the break.
Mozilla chatting with operators over Mobile Firefox
Mozilla's pretty convinced that its official mobile version of Firefox is going to fundamentally change the game, and carriers appear ready to buy into the hype. We use the term "buy" here loosely, since mobile Firefox will be free just like every other version of Firefox out there -- a key selling point (again, forgive our nomenclature) against rival Opera in the battle for the hearts and minds of the mobile internet warriors running WinMo -- and that's what's got carriers so intrigued. On the one hand, any full fledged browser puts a carriers own profitable content deck at risk, but on the flip side, a fabulous browsing experience potentially leads to higher data revenues. At any rate, VP of engineering Mike Schroepfer says Mozilla's peeps are actively engaging manufacturers and carriers around the world in an effort to get them engaged, interested, and at the very least, unopposed to the idea of allowing it to be used on their devices. As Mozilla well knows, they're late (way late) to the mobile browser game, but we're still all about choice; let's hope carriers are, too.[Via the::unwired]
Mobile Firefox team shows off a few mockups
It's really early along, but the Firefox peeps are taking their first baby steps to try to flesh out exactly what Mobile Firefox is going to look like, and they'd like to know what you think. Mockups posted to Mozilla's wiki talk about the main display, history and bookmark displays, and tabbing functionality in great detail, noting differences in operation between standard and touchscreen devices (which are further subdivided between those that have QWERTY keyboards and those that do not). Though you can put aside any hope of getting an early build onto your own device, the team has posted XUL / Javascript code that'll run in Firefox on your PC and give you a partly functional idea of what's going on.[Via Mobility Site and Mozilla Links]
Mozilla Firefox being prepped for mobile market
With Opera having brought the closest thing to full web browsing to millions of Java-enabled handsets, are there other mobile browsers to be had? Sure there are -- Symbian, Palm and Windows Mobile users have many mobile browser options, including Opera Mobile, Pocket Internet Explorer and others. What about the slim and chic handset crowd that has Java only as their main wireless web conduit? Well, the popular and dare-we-say flexible Mozilla Firefox browser may be coming to mobile soon to sit alongside Opera's Opera Mobile offering (and Opera Mini, pretty-please), according to Mozilla Foundation CEO Mitchell Baker. The Minimo project, while useful, is not an official Mozilla project and should not be confused with Mozilla's long-term mobile product, according to Baker. Mozilla's official mobile Firefox browser client is still a ways off, and the existing Opera Mobile already has tabbed browsing. But, we'd love mobile browser extensions for a wireless-based Firefox browser. Wouldn't you?[Via Boy Genius Report]
