Mozilla updates Firefox 4 beta for Android and Maemo

Open-source software development initiative Mozilla unveiled the latest release of its Firebox 4 beta mobile browser for smartphones running Android and Maemo--now available for download in 10 languages, the updated browser touts reduced memory usage, improved text rendering and 60 percent install size reduction on Android, shrinking from 43 MB to 17 MB. Also featured: A new theme to update Firefox's look, sharing links with friends from the Site Menu and the flexibility to undo tab closures.

"In this release we also worked to make Firefox 4 Beta faster," mobile team technical lead Stuart Parmenter writes on the Mozilla Blog. "Actions like panning and zooming are faster and smoother, and page load times are reduced from our previous beta. On Android 2.2, we're now around 25 percent faster on the SunSpider Javascript benchmark than the stock browser. We are working to minimize changes that affect add-on functionality. We would love to see our awesome community of add-on developers building exciting new add-ons, especially ones that consider mobile specific use cases." Parmenter adds that the next release of Firefox for Android and Maemo will improve usability and performance, adding hardware acceleration to boost scrolling and zooming--in addition, Mozilla will enable HTML5 video.

Mozilla first introduced Firefox 4 beta for Android and Maemo last month, emphasizing improved performance and responsiveness over previous releases. Firebox 4 beta for mobile also incorporates desktop features like Firefox Sync (touting a seamless browsing experience between the desktop and smartphone), Add-ons and the Awesome Bar (offering access to recent browsing history, bookmarks and tabs).

For more:
- read this Firefox Blog entry

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