In a recent post I mentioned the Nokia N900 running a WebGL Demo rendering 3D models in real-time. Did you hear that the phone was running Firefox? Yes, after Opera moved to the mobile, Firefox also jumped into the mobile market.
Firefox is not just another new kid on the block. It has been around since November 2004. Before that, there was Netscape. The good old days. Last time, Mozilla released a Firefox Home for iPhone. This is their next move into the smartphone world.
Take a look at Firefox 4.0 Beta for mobile splash page.
Firefox Addons on the Mobile
Just about anyone I know use Firefox (and love Firefox) because of the add-ons that are available. Forecastfox, DownloadStatusBar, FireFTP, Firebug – just to name a few. Naturally, they already have over 100 mobile add-ons available! This is a must-look for anyone interested in running Firefox in their smartphones.
Smartphone Browsing
Following its preceding browsers, Firefox Mobile utilizes pinch-to-zoom and double-tapping to zoom in and out, just like any other browser on a smartphone. Anyone can quickly jump into it and learn it in seconds. It supports smart tabbing for window management, and a password manager. No more awkward typing on the small on-screen keyboard while trying to prevent others from reading your password! Of course, all of these can be synchronized, via Firefox Sync.
- Firefox on Nokia N900.
What phones are currently supported?
According to their platform support page, currently the stable platforms are:
Maemo:
- Nokia N900
Android:
- HTC Desire
- HTC EVO 4G
- HTC Google Nexus One
- Motorola Droid 2
We expect more android phones should catch up very soon. Why not download Firefox and have a go?
Take your Firefox anywhere. Firefox 4 Beta 1 for Android and Maemo is built on the same technology platform as Firefox 4 for desktop computers, just optimized for browsing on a mobile device. Check out the new and improved features, known issues and frequently asked questions. As always, you’re encouraged to provide suggestions to improve Firefox for mobile or file a bug in Bugzilla. If you need help, visit the Firefox Mobile Support Forum.
Source: Mozilla Blog.
