Firefox Beta 4 sync'ing between devices

As I wrote earlier Sending links from computer to android device using Chrome to Phone is a great feature for staying productive on the go. Mozilla Labs is beta testing there Firefox 4 beta web browser and I must say it is running smooth so far.  You can download directly with this link Firefox 4 beta.  What impressed me immediately was the high score of 97 out of 100 on the acid3 test.  The past builds I was lucky to break 93.  Here is proof of the score:

Once you have Firefox 4 installed head over to Firefox Sync.  It is a free browser add-on that lets you stay in sync with your Firefox. Access your history, passwords, bookmarks and even open tabs across all your devices.  Firefox Sync 1.4.4 Add-on download it free.  Then go into the options and click on the sync tab and sign-up.  Remember the information you entered it will be needed in your Android phone like the  Motorola DROID X.

Now go and download the Fennec Firefox mobile browser install it and launch it.  Take time to look around and get to know the browser and stop by and read about some of the features click here. Hit the menu key to see what it does slide your finger right and left to see the sub menus.  Then slide your finger right to left and bring up the options button scroll down and fill-in your sync account information.  This will trigger and automatic sync to your phone.  When ready to see what tabs you have open on your desktop slide your finger left to right and click the monitor button at the bottom (see image below).

Word of caution Fennec Firefox mobile is in alpha testing and will probably contain a few bugs.  This just means you may experience some force closures.  Just keep an eye on this blog and we will keep you updated when new releases come out.

These are great times to have an Android device.  The development of apps and devices are great fun.  If I could I would probably own a new device every 6 months.

Please do not hesitate to interact with this blog by leaving comments and even questions.  We have all levels of expertise participating in this blog or at least reading it.

Good luck and good surfing.

Great Firefox books

Firefox For Dummies

Firefox Secrets: A Need-To-Know Guide

Foxfire 4

Greasemonkey Hacks

Fennec Mobile Working on Android 2.0 plus

Mozilla has released the latest version of Fennec v2.0a1 a.k.a Firefox mobile.  As you can see from image above it is in Alpha testing.  This means it is early testing and potentially has bugs.  To download the fennec.apk file you can click on the image above or click here from your Android phone like the Motorola DROID X.  It will prompt you to download the file and then you can install.  Remember you must go into the Menu on phone | Settings | Applications | Check mark Unknown Sources in order to install apps outside of the Android Marketplace.

Fennec version 2.0a1

Firefox Mobile a.k.a Fennec

Once installed and launched you are greeted with a very clean interface as seen to the left.  It was slow to launch the first time and had me concerned but once it loaded seems to be pretty responsive.  There is tab browsing available by swiping left to right as seen in image to the right.

They do offer pinch to zoom however, I found it a little jittery.  If you click the menu button you are greeted with a menu (below) that allows you to fin In Page, Save As PDF and Share Page.  Interesting that you can save the page as a PDF to your phone.  This will be handy to email to someone instead of just a link.  The Share on Page allows you to share the page with Email, Twitter, Google Reader and Facebook.

As an Alpha version I am pleased to see Firefox still working on the mobile addition.  Firefox is one of the leading desktop browsers if not the leading.  

Things I would like to see added or fixed:

• Speed up browsing
• Make pinch to zoom smooth
• Exit button
• Make install package much smaller (below 5 MB would be nice)
• Ability to sync bookmarks between desktop and mobile
• Link to phone feature like Chrome to Phone UPDATE there is a feature called sync for use with Firefox desktop browser 3.6 and above.

As stated in What android browser to use I will test and post about the other options soon.

What android browser to use?

Droid X

In the midst of testing the following browsers for the android platform.

Default browser
Dolphin Browser HD
Skyfire Browser (beta)
Opera Mini Browser
Watching Fennec aka FireFox Mobile
UPDATE: see Fennec Firefox Mobile Working On Android 2.0 and above.

They each have there advantages and will be sure to report my findings in a later post.


Do you have a favorite?
If you have a favorite have you tried the others?


Posted via Blogaway with the amazing Droid X