Firefox 8 for Android Now Available for Download

Today, Mozilla made available for download a new flavor of the Firefox browser for devices running under Google's Android operating system, adding a series of new features into the mix, along with several fixes and other enhancements.

The new application release has been available in a beta flavor for the past few months, and arrives in the official channel with all of the features that it packed when in beta.

Firefox for mobile arrives with the same engine as the desktop flavor of the browser, but features optimizations for the ARM processors that can be found inside smartphones and tablets.

The main enhancements that the new browser release was pushed to Android devices with include:

- Master Password: Added support for one master password to help users encrypt saved usernames and passwords for increased security

- Add Bookmarks to Your Home Screen: Users can now bookmark any website and add it to their Android Home Screen. From the Home Screen, the user can launch the bookmarked website with one click

- Firefox for Android is built on the same rendering engine as Firefox for desktop computers

The mobile application was made available for all devices that run under Android 2.1 or newer, and requires at least 512 MB of RAM and around 17 MB of storage.

Moreover, Mozilla notes that the application requires a handset that packs an ARMv7 processor inside.

Firefox for Android also benefits from a wide range of add-ons, and the list is expanding, since Mozilla made available all the tools that devs need for building them.

Mozilla notes that the new Firefox for Android comes with features that should offer users increased control of their mobile Web experience.

"With Firefox Master Password, you can protect all your saved usernames and passwords. This will help your private info stay private if you ever share or lose your Android device," the company notes.

"We want to make HTML5-based Web apps as easy to use as native apps. Firefox lets Android users add icons for any bookmarked website or Web app to the home screen and launch with just one touch."

The new Firefox 8 for Android is available for download via Softpedia here.