Full version of Firefox Mobile finally released for Maemo 5

By on Jan 31, 2010 at 8:19 AM
Software January 31, 2010

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Nokia N900 owners are now the envy of the mobile world having been given the privilege of being the first group of people to use the official finalized version of Firefox Mobile. Firefox Mobile will run on the Maemo 5 platform and incorporates many features seen in the desktop version of Firefox including the Awesome Bar, add-ons, tabbed browsing, location-aware browsing,  and safe browsing which provides you with an instant web ID and allows you to  your easily customize your security settings. Mozilla also introduced Weave Sync, a feature which allows you to sync your tabs, history, bookmarks, and passwords between your desktop and mobile device. Anyone rocking a N900 want to share your first impressions with us?

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  • jonathan

    Nice, I like the N900 but can’t really find much support for it here. I can’t use ATT’s 3g and really don’t want to go to Tmobile and lastly, lack of Maemo apps. I have an Iphone 3gs instead. Oh, I’m first to post. Yes!

    • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

      Where is here? BGR?

      I left at&t years ago, and couldn’t be happier. If you live in an area with TMo 3G, you won’t be sorry after switching. It’s WAY faster than at&t, and will be even faster when 21 mbps rolls out this year. at&t won’t ever exceed 7-10 mbps. They want to force the cost of LTE, which may not be much faster, on us instead of upping their 3G network to its potential.

      As for apps, the N900 is so open, most services have been embedded into the OS. There are less holes, so less apps needed. With a full desktop class browser (or now two!) that allows scripting of the page layout using Greasemonkey, content is easily accessible. There are tons of apps for the N900, and they’re useful apps.

      • jonathan

        Yeah, I’m aware of that and we communicated before on this. Well, I have another year on my contract with AT&T and then I’ll make a choice then. I was hoping more Maemo Apps on the Ovi Store. I love the Firefox browser on my PC and Mac and I imagine its also good as a mobile browser. I know Tmo is getting faster, but I have read and heard issues about their service. I would rather get the N900 unlocked since I do occasionally travel abroad.

      • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

        Jonathan, most of the good apps are available from the Application Manager, not the Ovi Store. Maemo is Linux, and most of the good stuff is free, not on the Ovi Store. The Ovi Store is mainly for the corporations and enterprising devs to sell apps, but if you know Linux, you know free usually wins.

  • Ben

    I’m jealous of Firefox mobile. I love Firefox on my desktop and the weave sync seems like an awesome. Can’t wait until it comes out to Android.

  • I screwed LaToya’s Mom

    Yes please Nokia N900 users. I’m patiently waiting for some positive comments.

    I’m really want this to be release for Blackberry’s.

    • T

      They aren’t making it for iPhone or Blackberry….

    • StevenGlansburg

      if you want to surf the web you don’t want a blackberry

    • Azeron

      Still celibate?

    • Latoya’s GIANT Wooly Bush

      The Digital Ghetto Whore

      • Tired of your crap

        Why isn’t she banned from this site yet Boy Genius?

    • I screwed LaToya’s Mom

      a LaToya. I guess you didn’t see that one coming.

      But your mom felt it.

      She said Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve

  • grrr

    Android?

    • Nokia N900

      Windows Mobile 7 and Android are next, they wanted to go in order of awesomeness.

  • Joe

    I own an N900 and have it installed. The browser is high on polish and features, and renders full sites beautifully and accurately, But it is no where near as fast and stable as the built in browser. It usually works well (again – kind of slow), but sometimes it brings the phone to a standstill that can last up to a minute – I mean nothing else works while the page is loading. This has been the common experience of many in the Maemo forums for a while now.

    • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

      I can’t believe BGR is so lame as to not have a single N900 for its staffers to use. I guess we know now that this is not the site for big time mobilists and tech geeks like it once was. Get a couple of these groundbreaking devices if only for the staff to use, BGR. I want news from you, not to give news to you…

      Then new Firefox Mobile is pretty nice. Zooming is fast, but without a transition, so sometimes an accidental double tap leads to confusion. I could only see Flash content with the YouTube Enabler Add-on. Vimeo and others weren’t working in my case.

      I agree the default browser, which is pretty much Firefox as well, supporting Add-ons as well, is better. The default browser’s control layout is better. Firefox Mobile’s address bar scrolls with the page, which isn’t ideal. And Flash is supported on all pages on the Maemo Browser, not just YouTube.

      But the Firefox Add-on acquisition is simpler, and more like on the desktop, whereas on the default browser, there is no way to seek new Add-ons. Pages still look perfect, but Firefox still has work to do. I’m more interested in figuring how to use the Add-ons from FFM with the default browser.

    • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

      Joe, you using the newest version? The RAM issues and freezes are gone in the public release. Check the Application Manager for updates to be sure…

  • Swagger Jackson’s Revenge

    I hope they ending up releasing a version for blackberry. I don’t understand why RIM is taking so long to release a better browser.

    • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

      It will be awhile before you see anythg close to FFM on a Blackberry. RIM uses a Java app framework for its OS, which isn’t up to par for high end programming. Too much latency. That’s why Android had to implement a native app framework, probably based on C++ before Mozilla would work with Android, since its Dalvik VM is also Java based.

      They could be saved, however, by Nokia. If Nokia and RIM worked on getting Qt ported to BB OS, they could get better browsers and apps. But is Nokia willing to help a rival with such a stronghold on the business market?

  • Garrett Babb

    does anyone have a post that actually qualifies to be here? Oh, and by the way here’s the best web browsers that I’ve had the privledge to use:

    Symbian OS 3.2 Browser
    Skyfire
    IE 7.0 for mobile
    Bolt
    Opera Mobile
    Opera Mini
    iPhone Safari
    the Droid browser (whatever that’s called)

    only the top 3 do flash so all else are like pissing in a fan. Sorry boys, get your shit straight. (I’m sure this FF for mobile would move to the top of the list if I could get an N900 that does ATT 3g

    • Gmac

      Tried Xscope? It’s pretty amazing for android.

    • Mrwirez

      Flash and Firefox Mobile

      Android=Soon
      iphone=Never

      html5 for anything=years

    • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

      Nice list you have there, though since when does Pocket IE do Flash? Don’t you mean Opera Mobile, which is the default browser on some WinMo devices?

      IMO, the top dog is the Maemo browser from the N900, followed in a close tie with the Euro HTC Hero browser and FFM, with FFM having the slight advantage because of configurability. Then there is Nokia’s latest Webkit browser and Skyfire, only limited in its need for the cloud to render pages.

      I never understood how the iPhone browser was so lauded before, yet is now lampooned for lacking Flash. IT IS WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS! It is a rudimentary browser with fast rendering of basic content, but just the web on training wheels…

  • Nokia N900

    Amen to that LaToya!

  • http://www.stateyourbeef.com Dating forum opinions

    Great article I stopped using mozzila yesterday Goin to google crome

  • summerkand

    That’s why Android had to implement a native app framework, probably based on C++ before Mozilla would work with Android, since its Dalvik VM is also Java based.
    WWW

  • Diablo

    One of the features clamored by the netizens is having the new firefox cope up with the speed offered by the google chrome. Hopefully, the firefox geeks have a remedy for that. What to expect the Firefox? http://bit.ly/firefox-4-point-0-best-worst

  • Matt

    Sorry if I missed this but will this do full flash? I must be able to do my facebook flash games without having to use Skyfire.

    • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

      There are at least 4 browsers for the N900, and they all support Flash.

  • Robinho

    When a try install any program in my n900 ocurre

    hildon-application-manager 2.2.51-1
    —–

    Installing fmradio 2010.01.15
    apt-
    worker: free space (/) = 51535872
    apt-worker: free space
    (/home/user/MyDocs/.apt-archive-cache/) = 21532229632
    required disk space: 264664
    apt-worker:
    free space (/) = 51535872
    (Reading database … 21038 files and directories currently installed.)

    Unpacking fmradio (from …/fmradio_2010.01.15_armel.deb) …

    dpkg: error processing /home/user/MyDocs/.apt-archive-cache/fmradio_2010.01.15_armel.deb
    (–unpack):
    trying to overwrite `/opt’, which is also in package base-files
    dpkg-deb:
    subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)

    Errors were encountered while processing:
    /home/user/MyDocs/.apt-archive-cache/fmradio_2010.01.15_armel.deb
    E:
    Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

  • http://crowdedtiger.webs.com Jhun Naces

    I Totally Jealous of it And I Like It VeryVery Much

  • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

    If you think the Opera Mini experience compares to FFM or the class leading Maemo browser, think again. This is a different animal altogether. And as Steve said, if web browsing is what you want, run away from all Blackberries until further notice. With iPhone’s lack of Flash, its also getting to be outdated, and offers little over Opera Mini, IMO.

  • Nokia N900

    @ miguel alvarez, YOU LIE!!!

  • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

    HTML5 is little more than an idea at the moment. 85% of web content and apps are Flash based today. What should we do, ditch it all, cross our legs, and wait another 3 yrs for HTML5 to be finished? And HTML5 addresses the embedded video issues, but not the wide array of apps coded with it. HTML5 won’t replace that, so Adobe and Flash are here to stay for awhile, and their demise is far from concrete.

    Apple has used this excuse for 3 years now, even though Adobe has Flash for the iPhone ready to deploy. The truth is Steve Jobs needs control over the browser to make sure he keeps selling apps/patches, whereas Flash would circumvent the App Store altogether.

    In three years, you will have spent megacash on apps. I have every functionality of an iPhone plus some with my N900 and full Flash. Thanks, Nokia, for not gouging me like Steve Jobs. When HTML5 relevant, Mozilla will support it, but today, it is nascent.

  • http://www.maemo-freak.com christexaport

    They BOUGHT a webkit browser, not developed one. They are miles behind the curve. And this isn’t about future, but NOW! As of today, Blackberries have the worst browsing experience of all smartphones. Meanwhile, I stream Pandora, Last.fm, LaLa, and MySpace Music and video right in the browser, no apps required! So good uck waiting for HTML5…

    Mozilla’s Gecko engine trounces Webkit in real life use, plus allows use of Greasemonkey scripts and plugins. The N900 browser and FFM are software ecosystems in their own right, no just webpage renderers.

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