Mozilla announces a mobile version of its popular open-source Web browser, Firefox, which is available for the Nokia N900 and N810 smartphones.
Mozilla Foundation, the non-profit creator of the free and
open-source Web browser Firefox, announced the application is now available for
Nokia's Maemo platform, a core platform for Nokia N series devices and based on
open-source Linux components. Maemo 5 introduced support for Qt, a framework
that offers the same application performance as native Linux applications.
Beginning this week, Firefox is compatible with Nokia N810 and N900 mobile
devices, as well as specific Windows Mobile 6.0 and above phones,
Firefox comes complete with features such as the "Awesome Bar,"
password manager, one-touch bookmarking, location-aware browsing and also
claims to be the first mobile Web browser to offer add-ons, enabling users to
customize their browser on the go. More than 40 add-ons, including AdBlock
Plus, URL Fixer, TwitterBar, language translators and geo guides, let the user
customize their Firefox by adding features and customizations that help make
your browser your own. Users select the settings "gear" button on the bottom
right-hand side of the screen, then choose the add-ons "puzzle piece" button
and search for and install the add-ons that are most useful directly from the
phone.
The Awesome Bar will display Websites that a user frequently
or recently has visited or bookmarked. The Awesome Bar learns as it's used,
adapting to a user's preferences and making the browsing more personally
tailored. Users can also tap the Awesome Bar to enter a URL or search term and
start exploring the Web. Other features include Weave Sync, which allows users
to sync their Firefox tabs, history, bookmarks and passwords between the
desktop and mobile device for a seamless browsing experience, tabbed browsing
and safe browsing, which gives users an Instant Website ID and allows them to
easily access and edit security settings. "Bringing Firefox to mobile devices is the next step toward
fulfilling Mozilla's mission of providing one Web that everyone can access,
regardless of device or location. Secure, powerful and customizable, Firefox
is the most modern mobile Web browser available and is optimized for a mobile
experience," Mozilla spokeswoman Erica Jostedt wrote on the company's blog.
"Key design principles are at the heart of the mobile browsing experience
including minimal typing, seamless synchronization with desktop Firefox and the
ability to take your Firefox with you, to name a few." Jostedt also said Firefox for mobile provides a platform for
developers to create rich applications, where developers can use Web
technologies such as HTML5, CSS and JavaScript to improve, modify and customize
the browser. She also recommended users download the YouTube Enabler add-on to
watch YouTube videos. "This is an exciting entrance into the mobile ecosystem
and Firefox for Maemo5 is just the beginning," she wrote. The Nokia N900 offers a 600 MHz processor and up to 1GB of
application memory, a built-in 32 GB storage capacity and an external microSD
card from which users can expand the storage to up to 48 GB. Other features
include a built-in Assisted-GPS receiver and a 5-megapixel camera.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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