Firefox Mobile RC 1 now available for Nokia N900
Here is what's new in Firefox RC 1:
Easy Navigation to Web Content
* Awesome Bar: The Smart Location Bar, or "Awesome Bar" is even more awesome on a mobile device. The Awesome Bar gets you to your Web destination with minimal typing, by intelligently searching the names, URLs and tags of the sites you visit, and takes into account how often and recently you visit them. With Weave Sync, the Awesome Bar will also search the Web history from Firefox on your PC * Easy access to many search engines: Type your search term right in the Awesome Bar to search Google. Or send your search to another search engine (Wikipedia, Amazon.com, Twitter) with one touch. Customize with the search engines of your choice.
Touch Interface Optimization
* Touch-oriented UI: Firefox's touch-enabled interface allows you to swipe left to view your controls (bookmark, go backward and forward, access your browser tools, like Add-ons, preferences and downloads) and swipe right to view your open tabs * View without obstructions: The browser controls and Awesome Bar get stowed away when you reach your website so you can use the whole screen to view the site. Start to pan up or to the sides and your controls and Awesome Bar reappear * Quick zoom: Double tap on the screen to zoom in, double tap to zoom back out * One-touch bookmarking: Bookmark a Web site in one touch, along with the ability to tag it with a memorable term * Tabbed browsing: Thumbnails of your open tabs easily identify your open pages.
Seamless Synchronization
* Weave Sync: Create a Weave Sync account on your PC and install the Weave Sync add-on on your mobile to synchronize your Firefox tabs, passwords, history and bookmarks between your PC and mobile * Less typing: Access Firefox for mobile’s Awesome Bar and visit any site you’ve ever been to, regardless of which computer you visited it on, with just a couple keystrokes * Don't start from scratch: Weave Sync brings along your saved passwords from your desktop, removing barriers to your favorite sites * Get up and go: Take your Firefox with you wherever you go. Surf the Web on your PC, get up and go, and have everything waiting for you on your phone -- even your open tabs.
A Personalized Experience
* Add-ons: Firefox is the first mobile Web browser to support add-ons. You can discover and install useful extensions for your browser directly from your mobile device * Location-Aware Browsing: Be a local wherever you are. Get maps and info relevant to your location. Its all optional– Firefox doesn’t share your location without your permission– and is done with the utmost respect for your privacy.
Private and Secure
* Instant Web site ID ("Larry"): Tap on a site favicon for an instant identity overview * Password manager: Typing passwords on your phone is hard, so why do it more than you have to? Choose to remember site passwords and forget ever having to endure long and difficult typing * Popup blocker: Banish pop-ups from your surfing experience once and for all * Clear private data: As an extra security measure, you can clear all your private data via your Preferences * Customized security settings: Customize settings for passwords, cookies, loading images and installing add-ons for a fully empowered mobile browsing experience * Automated Update: Install upgrades directly to your device when you receive an automatic notification, or wait until you’re ready.
Productivity
* Preferences pane: Go to your Preferences in one touch. From here, manage your plugins and security settings, as well as access your Downloads Manager and Add-ons Manager * Download manager: Download files seamlessly and securely. The manager shows your download progress and lets you search your files by name or the Web address where the download came from * Spell checker: Catch typos and misspellings in form fields.
I look forward to trying out Weavesync and keeping my desktop and mobile browser experiences in sync. Add-ons are supported with something like 40 available.