Firefox for iOS Is Out Now

Category: Technology

Mozilla on Thursday announced that it is making its Firefox Web browser available worldwide for iOS devices. The iPhone and iPad app was first released as a public preview in September for users in New Zealand. Firefox for iOS packs in a number of features including something called 'Intelligent Search,' which gives users suggested search results and gives them the ability to choose the search engine. There's also the 'Visual Tabs' feature, which will allows users to manage multiple browser tabs on the same screen. Users with a Firefox account will be able to import their browser history, bookmarks, and more from their PC or Android device. There's also an option for private browsing that gives users the ability to browse the Web without getting tracked by websites that they have visited - Mozilla's newly unveiled Private Browsing mode with Tracking Protection. It also doesn't share cookies with such websites when surfed in private mode. While Mozilla has been one of the early birds to bring its browser across platforms, it didn't release Firefox on iOS citing Apple's strict policy on app developments - disallowing companies to use their favoured rendering engine - that many believed made the overall app limited. Unlike Firefox for Android, which uses the Gecko rendering engine, Firefox's iOS client runs on the Webkit rendering engine, the same engine which powers Safari and Chrome. It is also the only accepted standard on iOS. Separately, Yahoo announced that it has added a visual flair to its search results, but it can only be viewed on Firefox's desktop client. When a user searches for a movie title or a public personality, a banner made of images and videos show up across the top of the page. Mozilla Firefox for iOS Now Available for Public Preview Back in December Lukas Blakk, Mozilla Firefox's Release Manager, confirmed that Firefox will reach the iOS platform. Following the confirmation, the company in May this year conducted a limited beta test for Firefox on iOS, and finally released its first public preview this week. Mozilla has released the public preview to iOS users in New Zealand in order to get some user feedback. "Our goal is to create a great browsing experience for iOS with Firefox. With this first public preview we will be collecting feedback in one country, before we extend availability to get feedback in a few more countries prior to a full public launch," the firm said in its blog post. It added that it is collecting user feedback on select features - Firefox Account, Search and Visual Tabs. Using Firefox Accounts users can get access to their Firefox browser history, passwords and tabs from desktop to iOS. The Visual Tabs are to let users easily keep track of their opened tabs. Users would be able to directly send the feedback to Mozilla via the app. They would have to tap the numeric tab icon on the top right of the app, go to "Settings" followed by "Support" and send the feedback. Interested users can sign up to get notified when Firefox reaches their country. Mozilla last month announced that it will be possible to run Chrome and Opera extensions in Firefox. Chief among a fleet of changes in Firefox is the replacement of its extension API with a new one called WebExtension. The firm also added new security features in to the private browsing mode of its Firefox Web browser. Mozilla Testing Improved Private Browsing in Firefox Pre-Beta Versions If you crave more privacy while using the Private Browsing mode - also known as Incognito Browsing mode - on your Web browsers, you will be pleased to check out Mozilla's latest efforts. The company is adding new features to bolster the privacy and security features to the private browsing mode of its Firefox Web browser. The features are live in the pre-beta versions of Firefox for Mac, Windows, Android, and Linux. The company says that it is changing its stance on Private Browsing to give users more control over things they don't want to be shared. Among other things, the new version of Firefox is now able to keep you anonymous from Web-based trackers. In the new pre-beta version of the Web browser, called Firefox Developer Edition, a user's history, searches, cookies, and temporary files aren't allowed to be tracked. Your bookmarks and downloaded items will not be deleted once you close the Private Browsing session, however. The company says that the addition of these features could result in improper rendering of certain Web pages, but you could always view them in the regular mode. To quickly switch to the regular mode, you can tap on the shield icon at the left of the address bar, and click the Disable Protection option. - See more at: http://www.khanstory.com/2015/11/firefox-for-ios-is-out-now.html#sthash.W5kTIfQP.dpuf