Up until now, if you wanted Mozilla's dearly anticipated mobile port, you had a couple options: you could buy a Nokia N800 / N810, or you could score a Touch Pro and deal with a build ominously described as pre-alpha. Now the software's finally matured enough to hit Alpha 1 status -- although the Touch Pro requirement's still in place, so you fake Touch Viva owners are sadly still have to hold off a while longer. The major release improves memory behavior, moves the UI to a CSS-based solution that'll make resolution independence easier, and -- here's the biggie -- adds support for add-ons, so it seems like it's a worthwhile download if you're doing even a modicum of browsing from your phone. Next up, Mozilla plans to tackle overall Fennec performance on the WinMo platform head-on; maybe they'd care to have a go at Firefox 3 while they're at it?

Naming confusion aside, we're just stoked out of our gords right now to see that all of this is progressing along so quickly. Out of nowhere, we're being hit with news that Fennec Beta 1 (that's the mobile flavor of Firefox, by the way) is now live on the Maemo platform. The only tough news is that said platform is just used on Nokia's Internet Tablets, so you'll likely have a tough (read: impossible) time loading this up on S60, Windows Mobile or any other mobile OS. That said, we are told that the first beta includes "greatly increased zooming speed and panning smoothness," and on the feature front, devs have enabled plugins so users can easily watch videos from their favorite sites. Hit the read link for all the nitty-gritty, and for you lucky N810 users, give it a download and report back.

[Via phoneArena]

Fennec, as it has become so well known, is the codename for Mozilla's attempt to bring Firefox to the mobile realm. As it closes in on a final release, everyone (and seriously, we mean everyone) is wondering what the darn piece of software will actually go by. WMExperts has learned that the browser will simply be titled Firefox -- not Mobile Firefox, not Firefox for Mobiles, just Firefox. We needn't tell you just how confusing this is going to get, but whatever, so long as this gets pushed out on the double, we'll call it anything it wants.

[Via phoneArena]

Have a Touch Pro? Like surfing through cyberspace? Well golly, partner, have we got some news for you: Fennec is finally waiting for you on a silver platter. The mobile version of Firefox is still very early on in its development process, but an official pre-beta release is now ready for download -- so if you can put down IE Mobile for just a couple second, have a go at it. Odds are you won't be using it for your day-in and day-out browsing just yet, but it's nice to see what's coming down the pike.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We can't be certain, but we're fairly sure we just heard the remnants of a million celebratory shouts from Symbian users the world over. Mobile Firefox, the promising web browser that just went alpha a few months back, is reportedly well on its way to S60 land. According to Mozilla's Christian Sejersen, the team feels that "in order for Mozilla to be relevant in the smartphone space, it needs to have a presence on the Symbian platform." Better still, the crew has already sparked up conversation with Symbian engineers, and early word has it that an initial release could be but months away. It's cool, you have every right to be thoroughly stoked.

[Via UnwiredView]

We knew the Fennec alpha was but moments away from release, but at long last, the wait is over. Mozilla has crafted a dedicated page for the early, early version of Mobile Firefox along with release notes, known issues, tips / tricks and installation instructions. Speaking of which, this release was made to be used solely on the N800 or N810 Internet Tablet from Nokia, though there are versions available for Windows, OS X and Linux computers in case you want to dabble from the comfort of your desktop / laptop. We won't bother keeping you any longer -- feast your eyes on the links below for all sorts of long-awaited mobile browsing goodness.

[Via NetworkWorld]

Read - Mozilla Fennec page
Read - Fennec video walkthrough
Read - Fennec on Windows Mobile screenshot

What else can we say? Sure, 2010 is a long ways out, but you knew good and well alpha / beta versions of Firefox Mobile would emerge long before then, right? Here we have the first living proof that Firefox Mobile (or Fennec, as it were) is alive and well for Windows Mobile, albeit in decidedly alpha form. Currently, the browser is managing an 88 out of 100 on the strenuous Acid3 test, which surely ain't bad for a handset-stricken browser. Hit the read link for a few more looks, and cross your fingers for a beta release sooner rather than later.

It'll be a fabulous day when a cellphone-friendly version of Firefox finally lands, and judging by the video and details in the read link down there, that day is getting ever closer. Granted, this whole thing is being dubbed a "concept" for now, but we're definitely digging where it's headed. We're warning you, there's a boatload of information just one click away, but if you fear your eyes just can't handle it, peep the video after the break.

Mozilla's pretty convinced that its official mobile version of Firefox is going to fundamentally change the game, and carriers appear ready to buy into the hype. We use the term "buy" here loosely, since mobile Firefox will be free just like every other version of Firefox out there -- a key selling point (again, forgive our nomenclature) against rival Opera in the battle for the hearts and minds of the mobile internet warriors running WinMo -- and that's what's got carriers so intrigued. On the one hand, any full fledged browser puts a carriers own profitable content deck at risk, but on the flip side, a fabulous browsing experience potentially leads to higher data revenues. At any rate, VP of engineering Mike Schroepfer says Mozilla's peeps are actively engaging manufacturers and carriers around the world in an effort to get them engaged, interested, and at the very least, unopposed to the idea of allowing it to be used on their devices. As Mozilla well knows, they're late (way late) to the mobile browser game, but we're still all about choice; let's hope carriers are, too.

[Via the::unwired]

It's really early along, but the Firefox peeps are taking their first baby steps to try to flesh out exactly what Mobile Firefox is going to look like, and they'd like to know what you think. Mockups posted to Mozilla's wiki talk about the main display, history and bookmark displays, and tabbing functionality in great detail, noting differences in operation between standard and touchscreen devices (which are further subdivided between those that have QWERTY keyboards and those that do not). Though you can put aside any hope of getting an early build onto your own device, the team has posted XUL / Javascript code that'll run in Firefox on your PC and give you a partly functional idea of what's going on.

[Via Mobility Site and Mozilla Links]

Initial feedback seems to be overwhelmingly negative, but have hope -- Nokia's Beta Labs is all about getting dirty, cobbled-together implementations of cool ideas out into the public's hands before a final release, so we suppose we've got to keep that in perspective here. Anyway, PC Phone is a brand new joint from Nokia that plugs into Firefox on your desktop PC (we're hearing Internet Explorer will soon be supported, too) and allows you to access your compatible phone's phone, messaging, and address book functions remotely. It seems that it works about as well as an early-build Sidekick Slide at the moment, though, with rampant errors and incompatibilities holding it back from actually serving any useful function; let's hope the good folks over at Beta Labs get 'er patched up right quick, because frankly, we're really tired of taking our hands off the keyboard when we need to dial a number.

[Via All About Symbian]

First, the good news: Mozilla has officially announces plans to "rock" the mobile web. Now, the bad: the true, legitimate Mobile Firefox (as opposed to the hackery that is Minimo) won't come until after Firefox 3 is released. Mozilla's Mike Schroepfer has detailed where the organization's headed with its mobile initiatives in a blog post this week, noting that Mozilla 2 will see mobile devices be promoted to tier 1 -- a move that means architectural decisions about the platform will be made specifically with handsets in mind. Although he says Minimo provided tons of valuable info on how Mozilla can be adapted to the small screen, it's being basically abandoned in favor of the true Mobile Firefox, a browser that'll take advantage of the heavyweight processors and storage afforded by modern phones. Opera Mini, get ready (finally) for some serious competition.

[Via mocoNews]

With Opera having brought the closest thing to full web browsing to millions of Java-enabled handsets, are there other mobile browsers to be had? Sure there are -- Symbian, Palm and Windows Mobile users have many mobile browser options, including Opera Mobile, Pocket Internet Explorer and others. What about the slim and chic handset crowd that has Java only as their main wireless web conduit? Well, the popular and dare-we-say flexible Mozilla Firefox browser may be coming to mobile soon to sit alongside Opera's Opera Mobile offering (and Opera Mini, pretty-please), according to Mozilla Foundation CEO Mitchell Baker. The Minimo project, while useful, is not an official Mozilla project and should not be confused with Mozilla's long-term mobile product, according to Baker. Mozilla's official mobile Firefox browser client is still a ways off, and the existing Opera Mobile already has tabbed browsing. But, we'd love mobile browser extensions for a wireless-based Firefox browser. Wouldn't you?

[Via Boy Genius Report]