Scooopy – Scoops about Gadget, Mobile & Technology
Software
Mozilla Labs Weave 1.0 RC2 is now available
Jan 17th
Mozilla Labs Weave 1.0 RC2 is now released.
What’s changed since Beta 3?
- Faster startup times for Firefox and Fennec
- Make tabs available immediately when setting up another computer
- Automatically use the synced lightweight theme (Firefox 3.6+)
- A few more bug fixes related to changing passwords, mobile bookmarks, etc.
Release Notes
- Upgrade all your clients to the latest version
If you are using Weave Sync on multiple computers, you will need to update all of them to the latest version. Weave Sync requires that you use the same version of the addon on all your computers that you want to synchronize data to/from. - Hosting Your Own
If you are hosting your own Weave server, you’ll need to add an apache alias line for the 1.0 URL – your old server will still handle the same API.
More Information
For information about previous versions as well as the latest development snapshots, check out the changelog
Mozilla Releases Firefox Mobile RC2
Jan 12th
Firefox Mobile Release Candidate 2 (RC 2) is now available.
Bringing Firefox to mobile phones is the next step towards fulfilling Mozilla’s mission of providing access to one Web that everyone can access, regardless of device or location. The most advanced browser available, Firefox is fast, secure, customizable and syncs perfectly with the Firefox on your desktop.
Here’s how Firefox Mobile brings your Web to your phone.
The Real Deal
Forget about the clunky, stripped-down mobile Web you’re used to. Firefox delivers the performance and security you expect, plus all the bells and whistles you know and love.
Site for Sore Eyes
Tabs and browser controls are stowed away to the sides of the screen. Now you can see what’s been hiding all this time – the entire Web page. Enjoy the view.
Touch of Genius
Bookmark your favorite sites with one touch. Swipe your finger across the screen to access tabs or install useful add-ons. Double tap to zoom. So smart it’s simple.
Awesome Bar
Forget about typing long URLs, let the Awesome Bar do the searching and get you the sites you love in an instant.
Get Personal
Add-ons have gone mobile. Personalize your browser and make it your own. Search and install add-ons on the go.
Password Manager
Typing passwords on your phone is just plain hard. Why do it more than once? Choose to “remember” site passwords and forget ever having to endure long and difficult typing.
Fab Tabs
Your tabs are close at hand. Just swipe your finger to the right to see thumbnails of all your open tabs to find what you want quickly.
Be a Local… Wherever You Are
Looking for the city’s best live music joint? An alternative route to the highway? Get insider info and access maps with Location-Aware Browsing.
Get Up and Go
Get Weave and surf the Web on your PC, get up and go, and have everything waiting for you on your phone: your history, open tabs, bookmarks, the Awesome Bar – just as you had left it.
Firefox Mobile’s Features
What’s so special about the Awesome Bar?
The Awesome Bar gets you where you want to go quickly. Touch the Awesome Bar and begin typing. As you type it will display websites that you visit frequent or have recently visited or bookmarked. The Awesome Bar learns as you use it, adapting to your preferences and making your browsing more personal. You can also tap the Awesome Bar to enter a URL or search term and start exploring the Web.
What are Firefox add-ons and how can I get them on my mobile device?
Add-ons let you customize your Firefox by adding features. Select the settings “gear” button on the bottom right-hand side of your screen, then choose the add-ons “puzzle piece” button and search for and install the add-ons that are most useful to you directly from your phone.
How can I share my Firefox bookmarks, history, tabs and more between my PC and my mobile?
The Weave add-on brings your Firefox experience to your mobile phone. First, create a Weave account on your PC. Then go to Firefox on your mobile and select the pre-installed Weave add-on. When you enter your Weave account info and sync, your Firefox preferences, history and more will be shared between your PC and your mobile.
Do I need to get the Weave add-on to use Firefox on my phone?
No. Although we think syncing Firefox between your PC and your mobile with Weave is super useful, it is an optional service that you can choose to use or not. You can still enjoy the Firefox you trust and expect without it. Weave allows you to share your history, bookmarks, preferences and more, enhancing your overall browsing experience wherever you are.
What is Location-Aware Browsing? Is Firefox tracking where I am?
Location-Aware Browsing saves you time by allowing websites to ask you where you are. If you choose to share your location with a website, it can use that information to find nearby points of interest and return additional, useful data like maps of your area. It’s all optional – Firefox doesn’t share your location without your permission.
How accurate are the locations?
Accuracy varies greatly from location to location. In some places, our service providers may be able to provide a location within a few meters. However, in other areas it might be much more than that. All locations returned by our service providers are estimates only and we do not guarantee the accuracy of the locations provided.
Downloading & Devices
How do I download Firefox to my phone?
Visit the Mozilla.com Mobile homepage to send a text message containing a link to download Firefoxto your phone. Or, simply go to mozilla.com/m with your current mobile browser and download Firefox directly to your phone.
Will Firefox work with my mobile phone?
Firefox is currently compatible with Nokia N810 and N900 mobile devices, as well as specific Windows Mobile 6.0 and above phones. See our full list of supported devices.
Can I still download Firefox to my phone even if it’s not a supported device?
Yes, but we encourage you to try Firefox on a supported device so you can experience its full capabilities.
Supported Devices
Maemo
- Nokia N900
- Nokia N810
Extra Details
As with the past few releases, this one’s only available for Maemo device. Don’t got Nokia’s latest greatest tablet? You can still play with Firefox Mobile Release Candidate 2 by way of Emulation.
Firefox Mobile Developers have bumped the rendering engine up to Gecko 1.9.2, which just so happens to be the same engine that will power the upcoming release of full-blown Firefox 3.6. Perhaps most important for those waiting to dabble, they’ve also fixed a pretty nasty bug that kept things from running smoothly on the Nokia N900.
If you’ve got a Maemo-powered Tablet, you can download the release at https://www.mozilla.com/en-US/m/.
Stuck without a tablet to tap at? You can also find it for Windows here, Mac OS X here, and Linux here.
Firefox 3.5.7 is now available
Jan 6th
Firefox 3.5.7 is now available, released on January 5th, 2010.
What’s New in Firefox 3.5.7
Firefox 3.5.7 fixes the following issues:
- Fixed a common stability issue.
- Fixed a problem with how updates were being presented to users.
Please see the complete list of changes in this version. You may also be interested in the Firefox 3.5.6 release notes for a list of changes in the previous version.
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Get Firefox 3.5.7
3.5.7, English (US), Windows (7.7MB) -
Get Firefox 3.5.7
3.5.7, English (US), Linux (9.4MB) -
Get Firefox 3.5.7
3.5.7, English (US), Mac OS X (17.6MB)
WordPress 2.9.1 is now available
Jan 6th
WordPress 2.9.1 is now available because the recent 2.9 release triggered a bug in certain versions of PHP’s curl extension. With these versions of curl, scheduled posts and pingbacks are not processed correctly. To fix this problem as well as a handful of other, lesser issues, WordPress Dev Team Members released 2.9.1, the first maintenance release of the 2.9 line.
If you are already running WordPress 2.9 or Beta 1 or RC1, visit Tools->Upgrade in your blog’s admin to get WordPress 2.9.1. You can also download the package and install manually.
Upgrade to WordPress 2.9.1 now.
WordPress 2.9
Looking ahead to the future version of Firefox 3.7
Jan 4th
Firefox 3.7 is said to start up 25% faster on Windows and will incorporate Jetpack which is an improved interface for plug-ins that makes them easier to write, install, and upgrade.
Firefox 3.7 is also expected to incorporate the first phase of work on Electrolysis. Electrolysis is designed to improve the stability of the browser by isolating processes into separate components. Plug-ins will also be moved to a process separate from the main browser. By separating components in this way, a problem with a process or plug-in won’t crash the entire browser.
Another key improvement with Firefox 3.7 is called Weave. This plug-in will synchronize bookmarks, passwords, plug-ins, and open tabs across different Firefox windows.?
