Mozilla releases Firefox 4 for Android, Maemo

[Emil]

Mozilla has released Firefox 4 for Android and Maemo. You can get the new version from the Android Market to test on your Android device or go to Firefox.com/Mobile to get it in on your Nokia Maemo device. The final build is available in more than 10 languages on a list of supported devices.

Mozilla boasts that Firefox is up to three times faster than the stock browser on Android. For a more detailed overview of these claims, check out Firefox for Mobile Performance Overview by Mozilla developer Brad Lassey.

The video below gives you a closer look of what's new:

For more information on this new build, check out the release notes for a full list of features, updates, and improvements included in this release. If you just want the main points, here's a list of 10 new features in version 4:

• Focus on Web content: Features like tabs, one-touch bookmarking and browser controls that stow away when not in use help users focus on the websites they visit
• Awesome Screen: Type less with easy access to history, bookmarks and open tabs
• Save to PDF: Capture important websites, like directions or a boarding pass, to view offline
• Share Page: Share websites via apps like email, Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader and more
• Add Search Engine: Customize your search engine list
• Firefox Sync: Access Awesome Bar history, bookmarks, open tabs, passwords and form data across multiple computers and mobile devices with secure end-to-end encryption
• Firefox offers thousands of ways for users to customize the features, functionality and look of their mobile Web browser with Firefox Add-ons
• Firefox improves existing tools like CSS, Canvas and SVG to enable developers to make exciting Web pages
• HTML5 support in Firefox for Android and Maemo includes Location-Aware Browsing, device orientation, accelerometer, desktop notifications and more
• The JavaScript engine incorporates the new JägerMonkey JIT compiler, along with enhancements to the existing TraceMonkey JIT and SpiderMonkey’s interpreter for faster page-load speed and better performance of Web apps and games

Mozilla released a Firefox 4 beta for Android and Maemo last month followed by Firefox 4 Release Candidate for Android and Maemo earlier this month. Once the desktop version was out, it looks like Mozilla was able to push out the mobile version very quickly. Hopefully this will be a trend with future versions of Firefox.

"Firefox for mobile allows users to take the Firefox experience they love everywhere and minimizes typing with features like tabbed browsing, bookmarks, add-ons and Firefox Sync," a Mozilla spokesperson said in a statement. "With a sleek new look that hides browser controls when not in use, Firefox allows users to focus on the websites they visit. Firefox Sync gives users seamless access to their browsing history, bookmarks, open tabs, form data and passwords across computers and mobile devices. Firefox also offers thousands of ways to customize the features, functionality and look of mobile Web browsing with Firefox Add-ons."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/43047-mozilla-releases-firefox-4-for-android-maemo.html

 

[Nima304]

And Firefox 4's market share is on the rise again.

 

[TrekExpert]

Three times faster than the stock browser! That must also blow Safari on the iPhone out of the water too as it is supposedly the same speed. If this is true I am extremely impressed.

Is there a reason why fire fox 4 is not for iOS? Does apple not want it or just hasn't been developed yet?

 

[mosu]

In my opinion Firefox users do not own Apple products like iPads or iPhones, nor Mozilla does not care much about Apple's OS

 

[Nima304]

mosu said:
In my opinion Firefox users do not own Apple products like iPads or iPhones, nor Mozilla does not care much about Apple's OS

Both of these are probably collectively true.

 

[matrix86]

Firefox is actually slower than the native browser on my Archos 101 Android 2.2 tablet. The native browser and Opera Mobile fly right through while Firefox kind of hangs back for two or three seconds.

 

[Royalgok]

Nima304 said:

mosu said:
In my opinion Firefox users do not own Apple products like iPads or iPhones, nor Mozilla does not care much about Apple's OS

Both of these are probably collectively true.

Collectively, maybe. I myself am a Firefox user for many years and I own both an an iPhone and an Android smartphone. The reason why Firefox hasn't appeared may be due to Apple's restrictive entry policies (remember VLC media player?)

 

[Guest]

same thing happen to me.im using android 2.2 on htc hd2..firefox always hang and i have to remove battery to reboot..