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]

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]