Firefox for tablets makes 1st appearance

Mozilla gave developers and early adopters a first view of its Firefox browser for tablet computers, but stressed it is still a work in progress. Developer Lucas Rocha said the Firefox Mobile browser for tablets has now reached a "functional state" such that it can be available as a nightly build. "Keep in mind that this is very early stage work. There are lots of rough edges and design is continuously evolving," he said in a blog post. He said users can install the browser on a tablet running Google Inc.’s Android operating system, and encouraged them to report bugs and other problems. Users can also contribute code for the browser, which is an open-source project. A separate article on tech site CNET said the design keeps elements of the smaller-screen smartphone version, including tab switching that can pull out from the left side and other options that can pull out from the right side. "But with the bigger screen, it also adds forward and backward navigation buttons, an address bar, and buttons for reloading and bookmarking," it said. CNET noted Mozilla is banking on Android as a way to keep its browser and open-Web mission relevant in the fast-growing mobile world. Mozilla, however, has a long way to go as a Net Applications study of mobile browser usage shows Apple’s mobile Safari dominates, with Opera Mini and Android’s browser in second and third place respectively. The CNET article noted the top browsers are preinstalled on mobile phones. — RSJ, GMA News