Here’s the newly-launched Firefox for Windows 8 beta in action

Feb 7, 2014 09:30 GMT  ·  By
Firefox for Windows 8 has most of the features of the desktop client
15 photos
   Firefox for Windows 8 has most of the features of the desktop client

Firefox for Windows 8 was officially launched this morning in beta version, so users who are looking into ways to give it a try before the public release can download it right now.

The application comes with a completely optimized for the touch interface, so you should encounter no difficulties at all when trying to use it on a tablet running Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.

While most of the features that are available in the desktop build of Firefox are also offered to those who like the Modern UI, including top sites, history, and bookmarks, it still lacks some important tools, such as private browsing.

Firefox for Windows 8 currently provides support for x86 and x64 versions of the OS
Firefox for Windows 8 currently provides support for x86 and x64 versions of the OS
We’ve heard that this particular option will, however, be implemented in the future builds, so Mozilla still plans to improve the application until it leaves the beta stage.

Firefox for Windows 8 Touch Beta appears to be working really well, even though we’ve noticed a significant slowdown when launching more than 10 tabs.

Of course, that shouldn’t happen on a regular basis in the touch-optimized environment of Windows 8, but Internet Explorer Metro is pretty good at handling a big number of tabs, so all the other browsers should be optimized in this regard.

The application also supports snap view mode, which means that you can run it side by side with another Metro application.

Windows 8 integration is also being offered to quickly share content via the share charm, including links, photos, and documents you find online.

The application requires users to install the desktop client and launch it in Metro mode
The application requires users to install the desktop client and launch it in Metro mode
Firefox for Windows 8 Touch Beta requires users to install the desktop client, set it as the default browser, and then launch it in the Modern UI, which means that no Windows RT version is available for the time being.

The beta is expected to be launched in stable form in the coming weeks, so let’s just hope that more features are being added.

Photo Gallery (15 Images)

Firefox for Windows 8 has most of the features of the desktop client
Firefox for Windows 8 currently provides support for x86 and x64 versions of the OSThe application requires users to install the desktop client and launch it in Metro mode
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