Fennec Mobile FireFox, Closer to a Release

Mozilla’s mobile Firefox browser, dubbed Fennec, just got one step closer to launch. Last week, Mozilla formally released the alpha version of the mobile browser for developers. At release, the alpha version is only available to Nokia N800 and N810 Internet Tablets, but it’s also available for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs so developers and other users without these Tablets can still experiment and build add-ons. It’s important to note, however, that the desktop version of Fennec is not a supported product.

Early screen shots of Fennec on Windows Mobile show that Fennec isn’t immune to the space constraint problems many other mobile browsers face in trying to cram navigation controls and content onto a small display.

There’s also a touch version of Fennec that is said to use almost every pixel on the device for Web content. This version has controls, bars, and other navigational features that can be seen by dragging or flicking the page to one side of the display.

According to the full release notes, the alpha version includes a smart URL bar, tabbed browsing, integrated Web search, zoom capabilities, and much more. Can't wait? In the mean time, check out this video of Fennec...




Although the final release is still a ways off, it’s exciting to see this coming together. One can only hope that Fennec comes sooner rather than later.