Ubuntu Tips n Tricks

Monday, February 1, 2010

Firefox for Mobile Has Been Officially Released

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 07:25 AM PST

The mobile version of Firefox web browser has been finally released. But don't get too excited because as of the moment, it is only available for Nokia's Maemo5 platform. This means that the owners of Nokia N900 smartphone are the lucky few who can download, install, and experience Firefox for Mobile in action.

Firefox for mobile is loaded with great features like:

* Awesome Bar – access your favorite sites in just a couple of keystrokes with intelligent and personalized searching
* Weave Sync – sync your Firefox tabs, history, bookmarks and passwords between your desktop and mobile device for a seamless browsing experience
* Add-ons – customize your Firefox by adding small pieces of functionality, like games and news readers, that help make the mobile Web browser your own
* Location-Aware Browsing – get maps and information relevant to your location
* Tabbed browsing – view open tabs as thumbnails to easily identify and select the Web page you'd like to go to next
* Safe Browsing – get an Instant Web Site ID and easily access and edit security settings
* Available in more than 30 languages and counting

In addition to those features, Firefox also supports add-ons, making it the first mobile web browser to do so. Add-ons like AdBlock Plus, URL Fixer, TwitterBar, language translators, and more can be installed directly from the mobile device or in this case the Nokia N900. As of this time, there are more 40 than Firefox for mobile add-ons. See them all HERE.

Web developers can take advantage of Firefox for mobile in creating rich applications as they can use the latest Web technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript to improve, modify and customize the browser.

Here is a video of Nokia N900 running Firefox for Mobile:

Expect to see a lot more mobile devices that will run Firefox this year. So I guess we are getting really close to seeing iPhone and Android phones running Firefox for Mobile.