Mobile Firefox for Android
Fennec, the mobile version of the Firefox web browser is now in testing for Android devices. The Mozilla Foundation, which controls the Firefox browser, has released a “pre-alpha” version of Fennec for Google’s operating system.
To date Fennec has only been available for Nokia’s Maemo platform, which runs on devices such as the N900.
Until just a short time ago Mozilla said that it wasn’t interested in building a Fennec version for Android because Google’s operating system didn’t allow for building native applications. Applications on Android had to be run on a version of Java – known as Dalvik – which was largely seen as unsuitable.
Google has now made available a software development kit for building native applications on Android, encouraging the likes of Mozilla to renew their Android efforts.
According to LinuxForDevices the pre-alpha has been tested on the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One phones so far.
Although still in early development the pre-alpha release includes an experimental version of the Weave synchronisation technology. Weave synchronises Firefox tabs, passwords, history and bookmarks between desktop and mobile versions of Firefox.
Mozilla released the first official version of Fennec earlier this year. That version was for the Maemo platform only.
Mozilla has also produced a version for Windows Mobile, but with that OS on its way out – to be replaced by Windows Mobile 7 – Mozilla has stopped development. Microsoft isn’t providing a software development kit for Windows Mobile 7 so Mozilla is unlikely to develop a version for Microsoft’s new mobile OS either. And for the same reason, there will not be a version for the iPhone.
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