After lingering in Alpha for quite some time, Firefox mobile for Android has finally hit the beta phase. The mobile version of Firefox, some may know it as Fennec, has improved in responsiveness and features. Would I replace my web browser of choice with it? No, but perhaps when it comes out of beta, I will have some decisions to make. Unlike Android’s default “Browser,” Firefox 4 is incapable of showing flash content. This means you get a rectangular placeholder that asks you to install a non-existent flash plug-in on some of your favorite websites. Fear not, there are a lot of positives in this beta that give us the impression Firefox for Android is on the right track. Firefox is compatible with Android 2.0 and above devices. Installation requires approximately 32MB internal storage, plus 12MB SD storage. Watch our video walk-through below to see some features or try it for yourself by visiting firefox.com/m/beta from your phone.
Note: we’ll be doing Android accessories giveaways for the holidays, so be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter to be notified of when it goes down.
Highlights of Firefox 4 beta 1 include:
* Pinch-to-zoom (Android), double-tap, or use the volume rocker (Nokia N900) to zoom in and out
* Tabbed browsing in thumbnail view lets you easily see and open the site you want
* Location-Aware Browsing gives you content and info relevant to your location
* Find in Page in the Site Menu lets you quickly find text on the webpage
* Share Page in the Site Menu lets you send content to email, Facebook, Twitter and Google Reader
* Forget Password in the Site Menu tells a website you no longer trust to forget your private data
* Add Search Engine in the Site Menu lets you quickly add a new search engine to your Awesome Screen
* Context Menu lets you Open in New Tab and Share by long tapping and holding a link
* Smart Tapping lets you tap on links, widgets and other Web content with accuracy
* Password Manager lets you choose to remember site password to avoid typing
Supported Devices – Tested:
* HTC Desire
* HTC EVO 4G
* HTC Google Nexus One
* Motorola Droid 2
Supported Devices – Not Tested:
* HTC Desire Z (T-Mobile G2)
* HTC Droid Incredible
* Motorola Droid X
* Motorola Milestone (Verizon Droid)
* Samsung I9000 Galaxy S (AT&T Captivate, Verizon Fascinate, T-Mobile Vibrant, Sprint Epic 4G)
See a full list of supported and unsupported devices by visiting our System Requirements wiki
(source: Mozilla, Mozilla 2 via Engadget)
