San Francisco — Amidst the Apple iPad buzz, a major event in the mobile world that took place last week and as the mobile browsing technology is concerned – Mozilla has been steadily expanding its wings toward its goal of officially releasing the first Firefox Mobile, a condensed version 1.0 of the popular open-source browser that runs on Nokia’s Maemo platform–previously code-named Fennec—arrived.
However, before you rush to hit the download button on your phone, it is at present only available on the Maemo operating system found on the Nokia N900.
“Starting today, Nokia N900 owners can enjoy many of the same Firefox features they know and love on the desktop on their mobile device,” said the foundation in a blog post.
The browser codenamed “Fennec,” Firefox 1.0 for Maemo was available only as a beta, is engineered with key design principles in mind such as “minimal typing, seamless synchronization with desktop Firefox and the ability to take your Firefox with you”, said Mozilla’s Erica Jostedt in a blog posting.
“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,” she wrote. “Secure, powerful, and customizable, Firefox is the most modern mobile Web browser available and is optimized for a mobile experience.”
The introductory mobile Firefox also offers Mozilla’s Awesome Bar, a way of quickly returning to sites you have visited in the past; the new Weave Sync tool, for synchronizing bookmarks and other Firefox settings across multiple machines; and, yes, those familiar Firefox tabs.
Firefox for the Maemo 5 platform has a few interesting prides that sets it apart from other mobile browsers, like Opera Mobile and Opera Mini. Mozilla termed this first mobile web browser to accommodate add-ons – long a staple of the Firefox desktop browser. More than 40 add-ons are already available for the new mobile platform, including AdBlock Plus, the most famous of Firefox extensions.
Mozilla is depending on the individuality of its claim to fame–third-party, and probably the main element which Firefox will be hoping gives it the upper hand in the mobile browsing sphere is its support for add-ons, which are designed to help users customize the browser by adding small incremental pieces of new functionality. Firefox Mobile will also be available for Android and Windows Mobile in the future, and would obviously have been a welcome addition to the Apple iPad if Steve Jobs had allowed it to happen.
“Firefox is the first mobile Web browser to support add-ons,” wrote Jostedt.
“With add-ons, you can customize your Firefox by adding features that help make your browser your own. Add-ons like AdBlock Plus, URL Fixer, TwitterBar, language translators, and geo guides become especially handy when you are out and about on your mobile device,” she added.
The new browser operates on Maemo 5, which means your only smartphone option is the Nokia N900. It will also run on the N810 internet tablet.
You can download Firefox 1.0 for Maemo here.