Android Apps
Fennec: Firefox for Android Alpha Review
August 30, 2010 | by Andrew Kameka
Reviews
Mozilla recognizes mobile as the next frontier in the competitive browser market, so it’s jumping into the fray with an Android app. Fennec is the mobile version of Firefox, and it’s now available as an alpha. Keep in mind that alpha means that there is still very much left to do in the development process.
This is not a final product, so don’t be surprised when you discover that there are problems and major issues with the app. This is designed only for impatient people who can’t sit on the sidelines wondering what’s going on with Firefox for Android. (Like me!)
Fennec is just a preview, but I like what I’m seeing so far. The app provides a minimalist interface, the ability to sync tabs and history between the mobile and desktop, and the ability to use add-ons. There are still problems with stability and speed, as to be expected with an alpha release, but it’s a promising start. Also, the app is very large – 28.58 MB.
Here’s a video walkthrough of what Fennec for Android looks like at the moment.
Download it for yourself here.
This is a complete waste of resources for Mozilla. The app is so bloated for how few features it has. It's unbearably slow. They need to take a look at Dolphin and see how this OS is supposed to function. These phones aren't laptops or even netbooks. The real issue for anyone trying to become another browser on Android is that WebKit (the built in browser) is already really good. It only needs tweaks to become better. Firefox isn't filling an IE sized hole here. Mozilla/Firefox need to spend more time on the desktop front as Chrome is charging up from behind and has the lead in terms of performance and form at this point.
You must be quite stupid Ben…It is a beta..when they release the full version im sure the speed issues will be resolved. Personally I think Dolphin sucks..but hey..that's my opinion.
Actually Ben is right. The best browser on Android is the one built in.
Like Jay said, the slowness and any bugs you may be experiencing is due to this being Alpha. It's not meant for people like you who will criticize that aspect of it. I think this is a big improvement over Android's default browser. Biggest problem I have with Webkit (Chrome) is how hard it is to switch between tabs. I also want a lot of customization which is why I use Firefox on my laptop. Fennec does all of these things perfectly considering most if not all Android phones out there are touchscreens. Also, Mozilla is hard at work on a 4th version of their desktop browser so to say that they're not working hard in that area is a false statement. Oh, and you gotta love that sync feature with the open tabs thing. That's sync done right.
Speed is not the only thing that matters. Chrome is faster on the desktop as you point out, yet Firefox is still more popular than Chrome. The benefit to Fennec will be its connection to the FFox desktop app and add-ons. If they make it faster, it will definitely be competitive.
But at the cost of 30MB of space on an _Android_ phone? They should better port it to iOS, there's enough space to waste.
Dude, how many times does he have to say that this is an Alpha? Size will be much reduced once it's released as the code will be compressed or whatever it is they do. Oh and they actually considered making Firefox for iPhone, but Apple is too restrictive so I think that's why they decided to go with Android instead. Plus most of us have plenty of space to spare on our Android phones, especially with Froyo.
Andrew, Come on .. that “Firefox is more popular than Chrome” statement is not what I would expect from you.. Chrome doesn’t have the mindshare that Firefox does.. mainly because firefox has been here for a while .. and it’s not like Chrome is being advertised everywhere… but I know the majority of people I know who have tried out Chrome .. have switched to it… Firefox stil has its advantages though.. And Speed is not necessarily the most important thing on desktops ..but on a mobile phone .. Speed is more important since phones don’t have the horsepower that desktops do ..
I have used Chrome and still stay with Firefox. I can open up Firefox and Chrome at the same time. Chrome starts up very speedily beating Firefox, but then it crashes… every time. While I'm closing Chrome and restarting it, I am already navigating with Firefox. So I have tried Chrome, but stick to Firefox because it just works better. The current android browser does not support html5 video. I am really hoping that Fennec will out of the box. If it does, it will become my new browser on Android and what I will recommend on our site for Android users that cannot access our videos otherwise.
Nope; Android is the coming OS for mobile phones. WM is treading water. There is no "HUGE market" for Windows Mobile, as it is becoming an also-ran in the smartphone OS arena. I sell mobile devices and Android outsells WM by at least 10 to 1, and is gaining on #1 Blackberry and #2 iPhone fast. At its current rate of growth, Android will pass the iPhone before the holidays; and Christmas sales may well push it past Blackberry. Firefox needs to be on Android if they wish to be relevant in the mobile computing world, and they know it. The days of Blackberries owning the business world are limited, and the iPhone is no longer the device de rigueur. Within a year, Android will be the clear king of the hill, Blackberry will continue as a niche in the business world, Apple will be selling the iPhone with every carrier who will be willing to pick it (unless they wait too long,) and Windows Mobile??? Well, they have said they're gonna fix every version since 4.0 and failed miserably every time. I don't see why WM 7 will be any different. The only folks who will be using WM will be the few odd geeks who need it to run Windows specific programs, and the flat-worlder Luddites who simply refuse to change… Android is THE mobile OS. Period.