14 DAY TRIAL // Firefox Home, the application Mozilla pushed to Apple iOS handsets, should find its way to at least two more mobile operating systems out there, including the Symbian OS and Research In Motion's BlackBerry platform.
We already caught word on the possibility that Mozilla would plan the release of this solution for the Symbian platform, but now things are as official as they can be, since the company announced the move officially on its website.
“In addition to adding new features, another big focus is to bring Firefox Home to other phones where users don’t have the Firefox browser. We are working to bring Firefox Home to both Blackberry and Symbian platforms in the coming months,” Mozilla states.
“We want to offer people access to their Firefox data no matter where they are, and these two platforms make up around 60% of the worldwide smartphone market combined. We’ve also heard interest for an iPad version of Firefox Home and will investigate this option further.”
In case there are some of you unfamiliar with what Firefox Home is all about, we should note that it is a mobile application that enables users to access their Firefox desktop history, bookmarks and tabs right from their iPhone devices.
The cloud-based application is available for free for iOS devices, and was developed due to the fact that Apple did not allow for third-party browser engines to be added to the App Store.
Being offered as a mobile version of Firefox Sync, the Firefox Home iOS application was meant to provide users with the possibility to carry their Firefox browser with them while on the go.
Some of the main features of the application include:
* Synchronize passwords to your phone so you don’t have to type them in anymore. * Better integrate with new iOS4 features and other native applications (such as Youtube, Maps, Mobile Safari etc.) * Bring other Firefox customizations such as search engine preferences. * Bring your Firefox Panorama settings and tab groups to your phone. * Some of our more experimental features will allow you to easily share links, reviews and comments with your friends on * Twitter, Facebook or other social networks directly from Firefox Home. * Build the ability to provide feedback and get help with any issues directly from within Firefox Home.
One thing that won't change, even if more features will be included into the mix, is that no full Firefox browser for the iPhone will be developed, mainly due to the fact that “there are technical and logistical restrictions that make it difficult, if not impossible.”
However, Firefox Home is set to arrive on more mobile platforms out there, offering more users the benefits of having their Firefox history, bookmarks and the like synced into the cloud.