(Click here for a larger view of Fennec running on the HTC Touch Pro)Fennec, aka Firefox Mobile, will run on phones and other mobile devices using either x86 or ARM processors. It aims to offer a "true web experience," and includes a "bridge" aimed at helping users migrate cookies, bookmarks, history, form-fill data, and other information from their desktop browsers to their mobiles, according to Mozilla.
According to release notes posted on the Mozilla Foundation website, the Alpha 2 version of Fennec for Windows Mobile devices includes a newly developed "shiny" theme, improved add-on support, and a built-in JavaScript error console. It also includes numerous bug fixes and "improved UI polish," the organization says.
In an entry on his blog, developer Brad Lassey says that Fennec Alpha 2 shares front- and back-end code with a Beta 2 version that has been simultaneously released for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh desktop computers. While not as mature as the Beta versions, the Alpha for Windows Mobile features "great strides ... in painting and panning performance," though these will not be evident on every device, Lassey adds.
Mozilla did not specifically state whether the Alpha 2 version of Fennec could be considered suitable for everyday browsing, but one of the "known issues" listed suggests most people will want to wait for a later version to be released. Specifically, it's said that websites that display large amounts of content in IFrames -- including Google Mail and Google Reader -- will be "very hard, if not impossible to use" thanks to difficulties with panning and scrolling.
The Beta 2 version of Mozilla's Fennec running on Windows 7
(Click to enlarge)WindowsForDevices.com attempted to run the new Fennec download using Microsoft's
Windows Mobile 6.5 emulator, firing the operating system up in VGA resolution. Unfortunately, the browser refused to launch. While "your mileage may vary," we'd guess most people will be better off experiencing this new Fennec version by trying the Beta 2 version (pictured above running on Windows 7) that Mozilla offers for Windows, Macintosh and Linux desktop computers.
BackgroundFennec is being developed as an open-source project, meaning, among other things, that its evolution has taken place publicly and in what seems -- at least to us outsiders eager for the final product -- like slow motion. The browser's developers unwittingly tantalized Windows Mobile users throughout 2008, sharing planned features and
proposed user interface designs.
HTC's Touch Pro
(Click image for further information) |
In February, the Mozilla Foundation
released a "Milestone" version of Fennec for Windows Mobile designed to work on HTC's
Touch Pro (right). Requiring a VGA-resolution screen and hardware keyboard, the Milestone version reportedly had memory management problems, was mostly unusable, and was later withdrawn.
The Milestone version of Fennec was followed up in May by an
Alpha 1 version, which sported a redesigned user interface and support for add-ons, Firefox's extensions/themes architecture. Still primarily aimed at the HTC Touch Pro, the Alpha version was "not yet recommended for daily browsing" because of delays in panning and other deficiencies. (Meanwhile, a beta release of Fennec
shipped in March for Nokia's Linux-based web tablets and for testing via desktop OSes.)
Unlike other Windows Mobile web browsers -- which include Microsoft's
Internet Explorer Mobile 6, the
Iris Browser,
Netfront,
Opera Mobile 9.5, and
Skyfire -- Fennec shares a core "Gecko" rendering engine with Firefox. While this fact may offer potential advantages for web developers, a more important aspect for end users may be Fennec's compatibility with the extensions architecture used by its desktop equivalent.
Now said to have more than 200 million users, Firefox has become a popular ecosystem for extensions, which can add features such as tabbed sidebars, content filtering, or automatic synchronization of bookmarks across multiple devices. Last December's "Alpha 2" release of Fennec, pictured below, offered an "extensions manager" for the first time.
Sliding a finger or stylus to the right in Fennec allows accessing the browser's controls (left) and extensions manager (right)
(Click either to enlarge)Further informationTo download the Alpha 2 version of Fennec for Windows Mobile, or the Beta 2 version of Fennec for Windows, Macintosh, or Linux desktop computers, go to the Mozilla website,
here.
To see the blog entry by Brad Lassey referenced above, go
here.
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