Mozilla publishes Firefox for Android pre-alpha

Fennec pre-alpha on Android.
Source: blog.vlad1.com Mozilla has published a very early build of its Firefox for Mobile browser, also known as "Fennec", for Android devices. According to the developers, the latest build, which the developers consider to be at a "pre-alpha" stage of development, is aimed at getting feedback from the community.

Fennec on Android features Mozilla's standard mobile interface, including the "Awesome Bar" smart URL bar and support for tab browsing using thumbnail images. An experimental version of the Weave extension and service is also available for the latest build.

However, the Fennec pre-alpha doesn't include an automated update feature so users will need to uninstall it to install future versions and it has only been tested on the Motorola Droid (also known in Europe as the Motorola Milestone) and on Google's Nexus One – both of which run Android 2.0 or later. The developers note that some bugs may cause users' phones to stop responding and require a reboot. As with all development releases, caution is advised. Users testing the release are encouraged to provide feedback and report any bugs that they encounter.

More details about the release, including a list of known issues, can be found in a blog post by Mozilla developer Vladimir Vukićević. The Fennec for Android pre-alpha weighs in at 10.24 MB and is available to download (direct download) for Android 2.0 or later. Alternatively, a QR code is provided in Vukićević's blog post.

See also:

• Mozilla abandons Windows Mobile, a report from The H.
• Mozilla releases Firefox for Maemo 1.0, a report from The H.

(crve)