The mobile browser space is heating up again, with some significant new releases such as Opera Mini 5 beta and Internet Explorer Mobile 6. Mozilla jumps in, too, releasing Fennec 1.0 beta 4 for Maemo this week.
If you haven't heard of Maemo, it's Nokia's platform for Internet devices. This Fennec beta brings us ever closer to a stable version of the in-development Firefox mobile browser for Nokia Internet Tablets. Nokia's Internet devices are just the beginning, though. Support for the legions of Nokia's smartphones would presumably follow, as would work on the version of Fennec for Windows Mobile phones, currently in an inchoate alpha 3 stage.
The beta 4 release adds some specific adjustments and bug fixes, especially around the add-on, bookmark, and download managers. Here's the full list, courtesy of Mozilla:
- Improved touch-friendly theme
- Improved panning and zooming performance and behavior
- Add search providers from the site identity panel
- Manage search providers from the Add-ons Manager
- Simplified the Download Manager (removed searching and find file on disk)
- Streamlined the bookmarking process
- Simplified the bookmark management
- Pop-up notification when background tabs open
- Bookmark list now displays the URL and tags associated with a bookmark
- Added a product information page (about:fennec or use the button in Preferences)
- Support for add-ons options in the Add-on Manager
- Support for updating add-ons
- Support for the HandheldFriendly meta-tag (support for the viewport meta-tag is coming)
I co-hosted the Buzz Out Loud podcast with Molly Wood today. Topic (suprise): Gphone. What else? Also covered: Why the Asus eee PC rocks and why the Foleo was killed too early.
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