Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Firefox Heads for Cell Phones

Fennec launch imminent, but, iPhone users, don't hold your breath

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 23, 2009 9:39 AM CST

(Newser) – The release of Firefox's Fennec browser for mobiles is imminent after more than a year of development. Mozilla exec Jay Sullivan says the browser is being put through final testing and will likely be available for download before the end of the year. Fennec —which synchronizes mobiles with the desktop version of Firefox—will be available for the Nokia N900 first and spread to other handsets next year,

With Fennec, "at the end of the working day you can walk away from your computer and keep on going on your phone," Sullivan tells the BBC. "It encrypts all of the information and sends it back through the cloud between your desktop and mobile." Sullivan adds that it may be some time before Fennec reaches the iPhone because of Apple's "restrictive" way of doing business.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Fennec will be the first mobile browser to feature "add-ons," Jay Sullivan says. (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="source">&copy;</a><a href="http://flickr.com/search/people/?m=name&q=joone4u" target="source">joone4u</a>)

Fennec will be competing with mobile web browsers like Opera and Safari. (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="source">&copy;</a><a href="http://flickr.com/search/people/?m=name&q=joone4u" target="source">joone4u</a>)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Because it is a browser for a mobile device, the add-ons will be different. You'll see ones that use geo-location and exploit how the device is tilted.
- Fennec project head Jay Sullivan

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

93%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Firefox 3.5 Could Upgrade the Whole Web

New browser is faster and ready for HTML upgrade

(NEWSER) - Firefox, once lauded for “speed, stability, and customizability,” seemed lately to have fallen behind the competition—but with version 3.5, out today, it’s back and better than ever, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate. The new version “adds a much-needed speed boost” alongside bug fixes. And best of all, its use of updated HTML code could “prompt a re-engineering of the Web itself.” More»

Speedier Firefox Aims to Lead the Way

Mozilla says new version of browser will boost Web 2.0 development

(NEWSER) - Early tests have found Mozilla's latest version of Firefox is much speedier than earlier versions and it runs rings around its rivals, PC World reports. One blogger found Firefox 3 Beta 4 was nearly twice as fast as Safari and Opera, and the Beta 4 version, and three times faster than Explorer. Mozilla's head of development said the company is tweaking Firefox to make "really heavy-duty applications" run faster. More»

Firefox Falters as Chrome Muscles In

Open source browser may never hit 25% market share

(NEWSER) - The Firefox phenomenon could be running out of steam. February saw the browser’s market share inch down for the third month in a row, according to recently released figures. That still gives the upstart open source browser 24.2% of the market, making it easily the second most popular choice behind Internet Explorer. But Google Chrome is sapping its popularity, the Christian Science Monitor reports. More»

New Sony Vaio PCs Will Include Google Web Browser

Facing Microsoft, search giant aims to expand market for Chrome

(NEWSER) - Google Chrome, languishing in the browser wars, will get a substantial boost thanks to a deal with Sony—which is shipping new Vaio PCs with Chrome pre-installed. Google is also talking to other computer manufacturers, the FT reports, as it attempts to weaken the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which commands 68% of the field. Google Chrome, despite good reviews from techies, has only a 2% share after a year. More»

Firefox Upgrade Scares Off Porn Fans

(NEWSER) - The No. 1 reason many Firefox users refused to upgrade to the browser’s latest version was fear that it would expose their deep, dark—think "naked"—online secrets, PC Pro reports. Firefox 3’s new address bar suggests your bookmarked sites as you enter URLs, which 25% of people who declined to upgrade cited as their motivation. “A lot of people contacted us to say that they had certain bookmarks they didn’t really want to have displayed,” a Firefox designer says. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Firefox Heads for Cell Phones