Similar to what the Microsoft operating system Windows 8 will be doing, this version of Firefox will include two interfaces: one similar to the Windows 7 interface titled “Classic” and another closer to Windows 8 new vision called “Metro.” The update to the Classic interface will be a “simple evolution” while the Metro update will have “a new Firefox front end and system integration points.” According to Mozilla,

“Firefox on Metro, like all other Metro apps will be full screen, focused on touch interactions, and connected to the rest of the Metro environment through Windows 8 contracts. Our UI will need to adjust to show the most relevant content for each size. In order to provide users with access to other content, other apps, and to Firefox from other content and apps, we’ll need integration with the share contract, the search contract, the settings contract, the app to app picking contract, the print contract, the play to contract, and possibly a couple more. We’ll be a source for some, a target for some, and both for some.” – Mozilla

Live tiles may be a possibility in this built, as will the front end being built in XUL, C or C++, or HTML/CSS/JS. In other words, Mozilla hasn’t finalized one whole heck of a lot in this future build, noting that they’ll be focusing also on Boot to Gecko, this being a complete, standalone operating system for the open web. Gecko will likely be completely separate from Windows 8, with our Consumer Preview at Mobile World Congress 2012 set for February 29th, 2012. Seeya there!

[via Mozilla Wiki]

"HTML5 is a compelling technology for developing apps, and is quickly improving. Combined with the freedom to build what you want and distribute it directly to users on your own terms, it has great potential. But just as there are gaps to be filled from a technology point of view, there are gaps to be filled from an ecosystem point of view. The Web lacks standard, consistent ways to find, rate, review, purchase and prove ownership of apps. Mozilla’s goal is to foster an ecosystem that combines the best elements of the Web with the best elements of the app model" Mozilla Foundation

Although it might be the easy - and, given the challenges faced from Google's Chrome, Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Internet Explorer, some might argue sensible - route to make the apps Firefox-only, Mozilla is targeting cross-browser compatibility. The common standards the group intends would "support multiple app stores, direct distribution of apps by app developers, app portability and true end-user ownership of their apps."

As for distributing that software, Mozilla plans to extend its existing web-app Marketplace to cover phones and tablets in addition to desktop users. Apps will be supported in any browser, no matter the device or OS, and developers will be able to release paid as well as free titles.

Part of Mozilla's challenge is opening up broad hardware access to apps created in HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, which currently lack the flexibility of native code. To do that, it's pushing ahead with "Boot to Gecko" (B2G), the web-powered mobile platform for phones and tablets that, while using a trimmed-down Android base layer, will boot straight into a browser-style interface for native support of HTML5 and other web-app coding. Mozilla is aiming for a public product demo of B2G sometime this quarter.

[via CNET]

Firefox 10 will offer smoother delivery of updates by making add-ons compatible by default. New built-in developer tools allow real-time editing of websites within the browser through features such as Page Inspector, which lets developers view a page’s structure and layout without leaving Firefox, and Style Inspector, which gives access to a page’s CSS properties.

The update also introduces the Mozilla Full-Screen API that allow developers to create full-screen websites and Web apps. Richer web-based games, video, and multimedia experiences can be created when combined with Mozilla’s WebGL standard and new Anti-Aliasing support that brings smooth hardware-accelerated 3D graphics.

[via Mozilla]

The temporary hold up on SOPA is partially due to the upcoming Republican and Democratic retreats, which will take place over the next two weeks. Markup on the bill will resume in February to move it out of committee and into the House and Senate. The most controversial part of the bill, DNS blocking of rogue sites, will be removed.

The announcement comes just hours ahead of a major blackout digital protest that will include Wikipedia, Reddit, Mozilla, BoingBoing, and Google, among others. Wikipedia announced yesterday that its English site will shut down for 24 hours, displaying only a message urging against SOPA, while Reddit will shut down for 12 hours and Google will add a link to its homepage that expresses its opposition to SOPA.

For more background on SOPA and its sister bill PIPA, make sure to check out our SlashGear 101 post on the matter.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

Microsoft’s Bing search engine was Google’s primary rival in this deal, and the the company’s long-living Internet Explorer is still the top Internet browser on the web, by user count, although Google Chrome is ever so climbing nearer and nearer to take the spot away, potentially in the near future. Yahoo was apparently in the bidding competition as well, but prices were too high for the company, who has its own internal troubles to deal with at the very moment.

Last year, Google paid over $100 million to Mozilla for a deal in providing the default search engine for Firefox, which expired at the end of November. Though even with the new deal with Google, Mozilla still retains current partnerships with other search providers, including Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Amazon and eBay. We can say one thing for certain; Google’s hoping for their own sake that Mozilla’s extravagant sum is worth it.

[via AllThingsD]

The last agreement made that was announced to be expiring this November was made all the way back in 2008. Mozilla then penned an agreement to have Google be the default web-search sitting in the corner of their browser for three years, until now when, once again, they’ve signed for a further three years. Meanwhile Google maintains that their own web browser Google Chrome’s objective is not to seek and destroy the rest of the web browsers out there, but to improve the web itself, this evidenced by their high popularity and peaceful coexistence with the Fox.

Other options in Firefox for search engines include Microsoft’s Bing, and indeed they did release a version of Firefox 4 with Bing as the default earlier this year, but it appears now that Google is here to stay for quite a while. Now one must ask themselves: what if I want to search with Altavista? Those of you wanting to see the future of Firefox also have the option of switching that up and finding beta versions of the software via their developer-aimed Future of Firefox page, complete with Firefox 9 beta right this second.

[via Mozilla]

What you’ll see here is a mix of old and new, but mostly it’ll be new. I just want everyone to get a grip on what it means to use Firefox in its entirety.

Tabs

One of the coolest features you might never notice if noone had told you about it is the apps tab. What you can do here is the Apps Tab. You have a new option for webpages that you keep open all the time – such as Gmail, for example. What you can do now is pin this page as an App Tab, its representation as a tab then minimized to only the icon that goes with it, it staying in place for when you’ll inevitably need it next.

There’s also a new feature which only has one tab loaded after you’ve restarted with all of your open tabs re-opening. Where before after you quit the browser and re-opened it, each page would have to load on its own, here only one page loads, the rest loading when you first access them from your tab area.

Instant Website ID

The icon sitting to the left of the URL in your Navigation Toolbar now serves a new purpose: it’s a button that leads you to security information on the website. Check out this example from Gmail and know the true truth!

Add-Ons Manager

Two major things have happened with Add-Ons, one of them being the fact that each Add-On is de-activated by default instead of instantly ON when you install it into Firefox. This will help newbie users with the process of avoiding malicious Add-Ons they did not intend to work with. Mozilla programmer Justin “Fligtar” Scott notes the following:

“These add-ons installed by third parties present a number of problems: they can slow down Firefox start-up and page loading time, they clutter the interface with toolbars that often go unused, they lag behind on compatibility and security updates, and most importantly, they take the user out of control of their add-ons” – Fligtar

For those of you not familiar, Add-Ons Manager now sits inside a browser-like tabbed window and looks very much like what we currently recognize as an App Store. This helps and will very likely continue to help promote Add-Ons as such a layout is great for discovery purposes.

Twitter Integration

If you’re an avid Twitter user, you’ll be glad to see that you can switch your search bar to seek Twitter terms. Hashtags optional. You can also search for Twitter usernames if that’s what you’re in to. This feature is available in English, Japanese, Portuguese, and Slovenian at the moment.

HTML context menus

Those of you that love to develop for the web specific to a single browser will be excited to hear that Mozilla have added some fancy HTML options for users who right-click. Context menus now exist for web apps and websites, and with them you can make your online creation much more like a desktop-based design.

Bugs and the rest

Of course there’s a bunch of bug fixes in this release which you can read about in the bug fixes list at Mozilla, then there’s more changes as well like cross-domain textures for WebGL, a master password for the Android version of Firefox, and more fantastic changes are on the way. Firefox is constantly being updated and improved, and Firefox 9 is already in Beta for those of you tired of using the already very, very outdated Firefox 8. Imagine that! Go download the new Firefox now!

This newest version of Firefox will be more attuned to how and when an add-on is safe to use in more ways than one. First, add-ons will be set to disabled by default until the user who added them flips the ON switch, this appearing in a one-time dialog box that’ll also allow the user to work in a basic way with previously added add-ons. Twitter is integrated into the mainframe, appearing in the search bar for quick access, plus there’s a few simple updates including a preference to auto-load tabs after one relaunches the browser. There’s also improved WebSocket support, improved tab animations, and added support for HTML5 context menus.

This version adds performance tweaks as well as stability updates, and the first download link is available now. You can head to Mozilla’s FTP area for 8.0 now if you do so dare, but know that you do so at your own risk. You’ve also got the option to wait until Tuesday and have the full download with full safety and many multiple mirrors for quicker download as well. Enjoy!

[via TechnoBolt]

Long-time Firefox users may feel a little strange using the different version. The browser’s “Awesome Bar” and search bar has defaulted to Google for years. Mozilla’s contract with Google, which pays the open-source developer a minute amount for every search that originates from the search bar, is up for renewal next month – maybe they’re looking for a little leverage. For Microsoft’s part, they seem thrilled to offer their services: “We are excited to make it even easier for members of the Mozilla Firefox community to use Bing,” said employee Tor Steiner.

If you’re at the intersection of the Bing/Firefox Venn diagram, you’ll be happy to know that Firefox with Bing works with all current themes and add-ons. You can even – gasp! – add Google or other search engines to Firefox with Bing, if you’d like to try your best to destroy the Internet from the comfort of your laptop. Or you could, you know, just use Internet Explorer. Version 9 is actually pretty okay.

[via PC Mag]

Dutch company DigiNotar is at the center of this controversy, having had what appears to be over 500 digital certificates stolen from them since July, these including certificates for official sites for the CIA, Israel’s Mossad, and the UK’s MI6. The number set at 531 was written by Mozilla developer Gervase Markham, one of a team who has been working to modify Firefox in order to block all sites signed with the certificates now likely in evil hands. The full list of sites possibly affected is not known, but a short list reads like a who’s who of top sites globally: Facebook, Yahoo, Skype, Microsoft, Twitter, and Microsoft’s Windows Update service.

Reports coming from DigiNotar have noted that they’ve already attempted to revoke all fraudulent certificates but had just in the past few days found out that they’d overlooked certain ones that would allow the hackers access to Google cervices across the board. To combat this situation, Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft have stated that in addition to the more than 200 certificates they’d already blocked since DigiNotar originally started releasing information about a month ago, they’d be blocking the whole lot, including those used by the Dutch government, as soon as possible. Google Online Security Blog and Mozilla Security Blog AND Microsoft Security Response Center posted this inside the past few days.

Based on the findings and decision of the Dutch government, as well as conversations with other browser makers, we have decided to reject all of the Certificate Authorities operated by DigiNotar” – Google Information Security Manager Heather Adkins

This will in the end put quite a stopper on DigiNotar’s business as a whole, this echoed through the tweets of infamy this week until the end:

“Effectively a death sentence for DigiNotar” – WhiteHat Security CTO Jeremiah Grossman

Gervase Markham, again one of a team who has been working to modify Firefox in order to block all sites signed with the fraudulent certificates, commented on the idea that there may well have been a bigger break-in than has been widely understood at this point, this building on what Helsinki-based antivirus company F-Secure said, that it had found signs that DigiNotar had been compromised as early as 2009.

“It is at least possible (but entirely speculative) that an initial competent attacker has had access to [DigiNotar's] systems for an unknown amount of time, and a second attacker gained access more recently and their less-subtle, bull-in-a-china shop approach in issuing the [hundreds of] certificates triggered the alarms.” – Markham

Those of you having panic attacks at this point can rest easy, as the set of three (Microsoft, Google, Mozilla) will more than likely ax out the entirety of the fraudulent certificates from ever affecting you. Lucky you, these groups who lead you into the internet on a daily basis really do appear to know what they’re doing and will continue to keep you safe like superheroes.

[via ComputerWorld]

Firefox on Honeycomb will take on the tablet platform’s minimalist design theme but will keep familiar visual elements of Firefox in place. The Awesomebar will use the same tabbed menu for quick access to bookmarks and history but will have the tabs moved to the left to give more space to results.

Tabs have also been tweaked so that screen space is optimized in both landscape and portrait orientations. In landscape mode, tabs will appear in a persistent left sidebar for easy quick browsing. But in portrait mode, tabs will appear in a drop-down menu to save space.

Overall, Firefox for Honeycomb is looking quite nice and efficient, but Mozilla is only showcasing the browser today and has not confirmed when it would actually be released. We’ll be sure to keep you posted and once we get it downloaded we’ll do a hands-on to see how it performs.

[via Android Community]

“Consider an online photo storage site run by a cash-strapped startup: the developers don’t have the resources to add image editing abilities to their app, but they feel the site won’t be a hit without it. The Web Intent system will make it easy for them to offer this with little effort” Google

Intents are used in Android, described as a “late run-time binding between components in the same or different applications.” Basically, it uses generic actions – like sharing – which are recognized by apps, and allows the browser to pass on data without necessarily knowing anything about the app it’s working with.

It’s that level of intercommunication which Google (and Mozilla) wants to bring over to the desktop, with a set of generic “edit, view, share” commands that Chrome can call upon to integrate with any compatible web app. Best of all for developers, only a couple of lines of code would be required to enable the functionality, and Google is promising a Web Intent portfolio site so as to showcase exactly what can be achieved and prompt new developments.

Examples of the system can be explored here, including simple URL sharing and shortening, opening files and starting an action in a web-app, and picking images from a cloud-based service. Google’s team says it’s expecting to roll out a public test soon. When stable, it’s likely we’ll see Web Intents make a strong showing in the Chromebook project, which relies solely on web-apps rather than local software.

Those web-apps will be, Mozilla reckons, “in every way … the equals of native apps built for the iPhone, Android, and WP7.” Founded on a slim core of Android, B2G will have its own suite of web APIs – for phone, SMS, camera, USB, Bluetooth, NFC and other components – used for ”exposing device and OS capabilities to content” and a companion privilege model to make sure said-apps don’t gobble up your data.

Though B2G is only in its very early stages, Mozilla intends on releasing the source code on a real-time basis and promoting group development. Gecko is, of course, Mozilla’s underlying HTML engine, used in Firefox, and the concept is that apps should be compliant not just with B2G but with any browser.

Pushing web-based software rather than local apps isn’t new, and Mozilla will face competition from some well-known names. Google’s Chrome OS is one of the better-known examples, showing up on the market in recent months in the form of Chromebooks from Acer and Samsung. Facebook, meanwhile, is tipped to be working on its own HTML5 app system, codenamed Project Spartan, in what’s being seen as an attempt to bypass Apple and Google’s grip on mobile software.

[Thanks Andrew!]

There’s also better spell-checking performance and Linux users should find Firefox 5 integrates better than previous versions. Meanwhile, the much-vaunted Do-Not-Track header system has been moved to a more prominent position, in the hope that more users will take advantage of it.

Interestingly, there’s also now easy switching between Mozilla’s three channels – Firefox Aurora, Beta and Release – so that users can test out the early versions while not giving up on the most stable release. There’s a full list of the changes in Firefox 5 here, and you can download it here.

You’ll notice Firebug, an add-on that helps people make their webpages function faster – oh the irony. Then there’s a slew of oddities that more than likely have been abandoned by their masters to rot in a slowly degrading prison of dead pixels and hashtags. Furthermore, Mozilla wants you to know that it’s these evil brands that are slowing down your Firefox experience, not the browser itself.

They chop the heads off the offenders with a simple “If you think add-ons might be the reason Firefox is lethargic, check the list below for some of the biggest bottlenecks. And remember, for best performance you should disable add-ons that you no longer use regularly.” Firebug and FoxLingo translator and dictionary slow down your Firefox day-to-day by a monstrous 74% – watch out!

NOTE: The most ironic addition to this list is of course FastestFox – Browse Faster. Oh how marketing can take us for a ride…

[via Firefox]

Video demo after the cut

Thanks to Firefox Sync, all your desktop bookmarks, browsing history, open tabs, form data and passwords are pulled across into the mobile app, and vice-versa. There’s also the Awesome Bar, Mozilla’s combination search and address bar.

HTML5 support is baked in, but no Flash support at present. Mozilla is also offering Firefox 4 for Maemo. More information at the Mozilla blog.

What’s New in Firefox for Android and Maemo:

• Streamlined Interface
• Focus on Web content: Features like tabs, one-touch bookmarking and browser controls that stow away when not in use help users focus on the websites they visit
• Browse More, Type Less
• Awesome Screen: Type less with easy access to history, bookmarks and open tabs
• Save to PDF: Capture important websites, like directions or a boarding pass, to view offline
• Share Page: Share websites via apps like email, Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader and more
• Add Search Engine: Customize your search engine list
• Private and Secure Synchronization
• Firefox Sync: Access Awesome Bar history, bookmarks, open tabs, passwords and form data across multiple computers and mobile devices with secure end-to-end encryption
• Most Customizable:
• Firefox offers thousands of ways for users to customize the features, functionality and look of their mobile Web browser with Firefox Add-ons
• Cutting Edge Tools for Web Developers:
• Firefox improves existing tools like CSS, Canvas and SVG to enable developers to make exciting Web pages
• HTML5 support in Firefox for Android and Maemo includes Location-Aware Browsing, device orientation, accelerometer, desktop notifications and more
• The JavaScript engine incorporates the new JägerMonkey JIT compiler, along with enhancements to the existing TraceMonkey JIT and SpiderMonkey’s interpreter for faster page-load speed and better performance of Web apps and games

First, Firefox has been redesigned with a new look that places web content on the center stage. App tabs are still at the heart of the interface, but Mozilla has also introduced a cool new Panorama feature which makes it easier to navigate multiple pages. It has enhanced the JavaScript engine to speed up both start up and page load times, up to six times faster than the previous version. Security wise, Firefox provides fortified security features like Do Not Track and Content Security which gives users greater control over their personal data and protect it from being used online.

Firefox also introduces the “Awesome Bar,” which is designed to make it easier to move to another webpage tab without opening duplicate tabs. Panorama takes tabs and drags and drops them into a group interface to manage them with greater ease. The new JavaScript Engine employs the JägerMonkey JIT compiler, enhancements to the existing TraceMonkey JIT and SpiderMonkey’s interpreter in concert to make page for greater speed and performance of Web apps and games. HTML 5 support is native to Firefox as well, with hardware acceleration for enjoying high definition videos on the web, 3D graphics, offline data storage and incorporates touchscreen interface support.

And now, when a plugin like Adobe Flash crashes, users won’t have to restart Firefox. Users can simply reload the page to restart the plugin. There’s also improved support for CSS, Canvas and SVG for web developers who want to keep their web sites on the cutting edge. There are also over 200,000 add-ons available continuing Firefox’s tradition of making the browser fully customizable and a personal experience. Users can download Firefox 4 at GetFirefox.com.

[via Mozilla Blog]

Firefox 4 has had one of the longest development cycles out of all the Firefox versions, having gone through 12 betas before reaching the release candidate version last week and now readying for the stable release next week.

“Firefox 4 RC1 has received a very warm welcome; it’s time to make a decision to ship,” said Mozilla’s Damon Sicore. “As of now, there are no known issues that would stop us from shipping RC1 as final. At the conclusion of our regular 11:30AM triage session on Wednesday, 16 March, release drivers will decide whether to ship RC1 as Firefox 4.”

[via Pocket-lint]

Mozilla believes this is a more inclusive and comprehensive route than maintaining blacklists or cookies, though it does recognize that it relies on sites to fall into line and respect the “Don Not Track” user preference. The approach differs from Microsoft’s strategy for IE9, which will rely on “anti-tracking lists” onto which users can put approved and unapproved sites.

The complete and ad-free thing is super neat because if you want to view an entire Instructables instruction page you’ve normally got to sign up and there’s an abundance of ads surrounding you, pummeling you in the face! This completely free publication is ready to go with only the essentials. This EPUB file (which you can download [here]), can be opened with a Mozilla Add on for your browser if you like, or you can download something like a NOOK app for any number of devices, or you can load it straight to the E-Reader of your choice. Now get to creating!

[Via Hackaday]

On a balloon floating in this 3D scene, floating over the city are photos taken from a live photostream on Flickr – photos taken at LeWeb the day everyone is watching this video. Next they show video (not Flash,) being pulled in in real time – they hope to be able to show LIVE video on these 3D buildings by next year (exciting!) Again all of this is on a webpage, ready to go, live, built with Javascript living in the HTML 5 world. Baker makes the point that the internet matters and is capable of lots and lots of cool stuff. Neato? Neato. Take a look at the video here:

For instance, no “beta,” “demo,” “trial,” or “test” versions are permitted, nor apps that change “the native user interface elements or behaviors of Mac OS X.”  Beltzner’s comments prompted an unsurprising retaliation from the Apple faithful, accusing the developer of being paranoid over whether future versions of Firefox would be available on OS X 10.7 (something he denies).

[via The Register]

Video concept after the cut

For instance, if you drop the Seabird flat on a table, it creates “wings” consisting of two split-QWERTY panes and a trackpad area underneath.  When on its pedestal dock, meanwhile, the projected keyboard is all one block.  A sinuously curved chassis keeps the projector lenses partially elevated, together with making the smartphone nestle into the hand.

Unfortunately, Mozilla maintains it has no plans to produce a smartphone or even a smartphone OS – this is just a design exercise.

Firefox Home pulls over the past pages history from the desktop from the last 24hrs, up to 2,000 items, with data re-synced every time the app is restarted.  As for actually showing pages, it uses Apple’s own iPhone browser system (or you can open pages in Mobile Safari); Mozilla insist they have no plans to port Firefox to iOS because of the limits Apple place on the platform.

You can download Firefox Home for iOS here [iTunes link].  Full instructions on how to set up the app – including linking it with Firefox Sync and your desktop browser – are here.

Video demo after the cut

For instance, Mozilla have added sync support across the desktop and mobile versions, which means that you can re-open the desktop tabs on the mobile app.  You can also use the same “Awesome Bar” as on the desktop app to pull in auto-complete results on the mobile client; that should also save you from tapping in long URLs on an iPhone keyboard, since if you’ve visited the page on the desktop it will pull that in too.

Pages will load in the app itself, but it will be a read-only viewer rather than a complete browser; the mobile version of your desktop, rather than a standalone app in its own right.  Mozilla plan to submit Firefox Home for iPhone to Apple for App Store approval in June.

Video overview after the cut 

There are also new privacy controls, including a “private browsing” mode that keeps no history, together with a “Forget this Site” feature that clears all the temporary files, passwords, stored logins and similar from a particular domain.  Location Aware Browsing allows sites to store a user’s physical position, which they can then use to call up nearby POIs and mapping data. 

The browser market has hotted up in recent months, with Microsoft releasing Internet Explorer 8, Google’s Chrome seeing several updates and Apple debuting a new version of Safari at WWDC 2009 earlier this month; Opera also launched a new version of their own browser, complete with media sharing functionality.  Firefox 3.5 is a free download from www.getfirefox.com. 

Press Release:

Mozilla Advances the Web with Firefox 3.5

Major update to browser delivers significant performance improvements, privacy enhancements, support for new Web standards, and greater customization options

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. – June 30, 2009 – Mozilla, a public-benefit organization dedicated to promoting choice and innovation on the Internet, today released Firefox® 3.5, a major update to its popular, free and open source Web browser. Coming one year after the launch of the critically acclaimed Firefox 3, Firefox 3.5 introduces cutting-edge features, as well as new support for a wide variety of Web standards.

Firefox 3.5 is the best performing browser Mozilla has ever released and delivers radically improved JavaScript performance, a new Private Browsing mode, native support for open video and audio, and Location Aware Browsing. The newest version of Firefox is more than two times faster than Firefox 3 and ten times faster than Firefox 2 on complex websites. With extensive under the hood work to support new technologies, Firefox 3.5 is the most powerful and complete modern browser and helps upgrade the Web experience.

Firefox 3.5 was built through Mozilla’s global, open source development process. The Mozilla community comprises thousands of passionate contributors, including experienced developers, security experts, localization and support communities in more than 60 countries, and tens of thousands of active testers. With more than 300 million active users, Firefox is the only popular Web browser created by a non-profit organization.

“So much is happening on the Web right now, it’s a great time for browsers. Firefox 3.5 brings together the most innovative Web technologies and delivers them in the most complete and powerful modern browser,” said John Lilly, CEO, Mozilla.

What’s New in Firefox 3.5:

Firefox 3.5 makes surfing the Web easier and more enjoyable with exciting new features and platform updates that allow Web developers to create the next generation of Web content. Native support for open video and audio, private browsing, and support for the newest Web technologies will enable richer, more interactive online experiences.

Performance. Firefox 3.5 includes the powerful new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, which delivers unprecedented performance with today’s complex Web applications. Firefox 3.5 is more than two times faster than Firefox 3 and ten times faster than Firefox 2.

Open Video and Audio. Enjoy video and audio content from within your browser, without the need for plugins. Video is a vital part of the modern Web, whether it’s used to communicate, educate, or entertain. Firefox 3.5 delivers the first native integration of audio and video directly into the browser. Now everyone can easily watch open format Ogg Theora videos.

Web developers can use these technologies to design pages that interact with video content in new and exciting ways, offering richer interactive experiences beyond controlling playback and volume.

Privacy Controls. Firefox 3.5 includes features designed to protect your privacy online and provide greater control over your personal data.

While using the new Private Browsing mode in Firefox 3.5, nothing you encounter on the Web will be stored from that moment on during your browsing session. Unique to Firefox 3.5, the new Forget this Site feature can remove every trace of a site from your browser. If you want to remove all private data or activity from the past few hours, Clear Recent History, another Firefox-only feature, gives you full control over what stays and what goes.

Location Aware Browsing. Location Aware Browsing saves you time by allowing websites to ask you where you are located. If you choose to share your location with a website, it can use that information to find nearby points of interest and return additional, useful data like maps of your area. It’s all optional – Firefox doesn’t share your location without your permission.

How to get Mozilla Firefox 3.5:
Mozilla Firefox 3.5 is available now for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems as a free download from http://www.getfirefox.com. It is also available in more than 70 languages at: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all.html.

More images after the cut

Now before you get excited, despite the Vodafone branding this obviously isn’t a device headed for production anytime soon.  Instead May is hoping it’ll prompt some discussion about how best a mobile device can be used to convey information and receive input to and from a user. 

• What will make it a Mozilla Phone?
• How can every square millimeter of a phone both input and output information to the user?
• How can our buttons, screens, speakers and trackballs communicate to more of our senses?
• How about a volume wheel that gets harder to turn the louder it goes?

The OLED keys let May take up the soft-interface – ‘New Tab’ or ‘Menu’ buttons that would normally be taking up space along the bottom of the screen – and shift them to the hard-interface, the keys.  Only to do that consistently throughout the interface, those hard keys are in fact software controlled.  All I know is that I really want something like this to reach the market!

[via Core77]

Check out demo videos of the e-ink Fennec setup after the cut

Right now memory seems to be the constraining factor; in the second video below, you can see how fast the Midori-webkit-gtk browser runs on the relatively meagre Gumstix computer.  The Gumstix E Ink provide has a Marvell XScale PXA255 processor together with a Bluetooth transceiver, USB, a serial port and an MMC card reader. 

Next up is enabling some form of on-screen keyboard, which requires getting hildon built.  Then he’ll be able to use it without any form of external keyboard.

Mozilla Firefox Mobile “Fennec” e-ink demo:

Midori-webkit-gtk e-ink demo:

[via MobileRead]

The latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 will bring many new features that we have been asking for, including multifingered gesture support for Mac users. In October, Mozilla’s Eddie Lee created an experimental version that allowed Mac users to have limited gesture controls, now it has been made official.

Some features Mozilla added is the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine is now on by default for web content, improved rendering and support for new web technologies. After testing it out we have come to the conclusion that the gestures work every bit as good as in Apple’s Safari browser.  When zooming in the browser Firefox zooms according to your movement rather than one level for each “pinch.”

As in Safari, Firefox is now fully controllable with a single hand. As much as we would hate to say it, the one-handed browsing along with the new private browsing (porn mode) makes Firefox the number 1 browser for XXX surfing. MacRumors has provided a list of available gestures:

* Swipe Left: Go back in history (hold Command to open it in a tab)
* Swipe Right: Go forward in history
* Swipe Up: Go to the top of the page
* Swipe Down: Go to the end of the page
* Pinch Together: Zoom out
* Pinch Apart: Zoom in
* Twist Right: Next tab
* Twist Left: Previous tab

As we suspected, Mozilla announced the availability of the new Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 this afternoon. This version is available on Mozilla’s Beta download page in 55 different languages.  The 3.1 Beta 2 exceeds any previous expectations that we had as far as added features.

One of the new features included in this version is Private Browsing mode (aka Porn Mode), they state that it would be “perfect for online holiday shopping,” but we all know the extent of what it will be used for. Also, new functions will be added to easily remove your browsing history for your last few hours of browsing, or completely remove all traces of a single website making it easy to hide where you have been.

Mozilla also made it so the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine is now on by default for web content. New support was also given to web worker threads for running web app processing tasks in the background, and performance enhancements. While this Beta version is not something everyone will go out and download, this is a big version for developers with the addition of features that will arrive with the full release in early 2009.

There is also a camera on the front that you can use for video conferencing. There is a microphone jack, and antenna jack, dedicated camera button, headphone jack, USB host port, microSD card slot, and mini USB port.

It can play videos; do navigation, which means it will likely have GPS built in. For a size reference, the screen alone is slightly larger than the entire iPhone. It has WiFi and will have a 3G internet connection. It uses Mozilla for the web browser. That’s pretty much it for info on this device right now, the version shown was a pre-production version so they’ll probably add and/or subtract features from it as they go.

[via UMPCPortal]

Much like Firefox, this is open to additions, control, and features as you choose to add them. However, so that there isn’t anything getting out that you don’t want out, everything is very secure requiring not only a username and password, but a client-based encryption key as well as a passphrase.

Now, as I found out today when I tried to make use of it, you have to be running Mozilla Firefox 3.0 Beta 2 in order to run it, which is beta software itself, and then Weave is beta software as well, so, I wouldn’t recommend depending on the browser for your primary means of surfing if you install both, although I did, and so far things are running fine. However, I have yet to be able to sign in, or to sync anything because I keep getting “server unavailable” errors, but I have patience.

Mozilla introduces new Weave online service [via C|Net News]

It comes with GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a touchscreen, an onscreen keyboard, a slide out keyboard, 2GB of storage, a SD card slot to add up to 8GB of more storage, and maps, Mozilla with flash support, and several other apps all built in. The best part is the price point.

At $479 this thing is well poised to take over several portions of several markets, its small, durable, and it runs on Linux so it can be modded to hell and back. The first set of maps for the GPS come free, but you can pay $130 for 3 years worth of updates, which I assume come at regular intervals.

Nokia ships N810 tablet to US shores [via electronista]

The model number is the N810, so really it will just be an upgraded version of the N800. The internet tablet will have the Mozilla browser, Skype, a camera, music player, oh, and the best part, they are integrating the GPS hardware and a bunch of pre-loaded maps.

It will still keep the on-screen keyboard if you prefer, but there will also be a full, slide-out keyboard. You will also still be able to connect your mobile phone as a modem via Bluetooth. The cost will be $479, which isnt bad considering there are smaller, far less useful, GPS-only devices going for more than that. All you’d need is car charger. Just think, with all the web based apps that are coming out, usually for free, from various providers, you could almost use one of these as a computer all its own.

Nokia Releases New Version of Linux Wi-Fi Tablet [via PCWorld]

As well as Mozilla, ARM and Samsung, partners include Texas Instruments, MontaVista, Movial and Marvell Technologies – Microsoft, despite coining the UMPC moniker, is conspicuous by its absence – and the device they have in their sights is an open-source version of Nokia’s N800 Internet Tablet.  Namely, a compact unit that relies on internet applications rather than demanding standalone software.

“You can attach to the web and do email and browsing without all the baggage of a PC and Windows and Office.  There are web-based alternatives to all that” Jim Ready, CTO MontaVista

The eventual result would be a reference platform comprising of chip design, Debian-based Linux distro, MontaVista’s OS, Mozilla’s browser and then integrated hardware management and wireless networking along with a basic set of entertainment software.  They expect to finalise the platform’s development early 2008. 

ComputerWorld UK [via Tablet PC Talk]

Right now it’s a beta, along with the usual bugs and issues that such software normally comes with, but while it might be a little while before there’ll be an eventual release client as it stands the beta is capable of such things as AJAX support and plug-ins.

There’s a frenzied debate going on among early-adopters over at Internet Tablet Talk, so head there if you’re wondering whether or not to try this pre-release version.  Make sure to let us know in the comments how you get on!

Nokia Mozilla-based Browser beta [via Pocketables]

The sweet-toothed IE team over at Redmond were so pleased to see Mozilla launch Firefox 2.0 that they sent them a cake.  Cue the predictable jokes (was it poisoned? is it full of bugs?)  The news here, I suppose, is the launch and the fact that relations between the two companies are nowhere near as fraught as those between each browser’s fan-community, an ongoing feud that I suspect would require more than sugar to sweeten.

Fredericiana [via Valleywag]