The Mozilla team says the updated Fennec contains huge performance updates, with faster startup times, better panning and zooming, and better responsiveness while pages are loading.

“We’ve re-factored a significant amount of the front end code resulting in substantial speed improvements as well providing a much better base for extension authors to build upon,” says Stuart Parmenter, Fennec engineering manager.

The Fennec Alpha 2 release is accompanied by an updated desktop version with support for Windows, OS X, and Linux. The desktop version is designed primarily with third-party extension developers in mind, to make testing easier.

Mozilla says its Windows Mobile build is seeing “great progress,” and work is now also beginning on a Symbian version of the program.

More information as well as download links can be found here.

Mozilla Releases New Version of Fennec Mobile Browser is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mozilla chief executive John Lilly now indicates things are progressing quickly. In a new interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Lilly says:

“We want to make sure that the Web on mobile is more like the Web than what the mobile industry offers today, which is closed, separate networks and not a very good information-getting experience for the user. The first thing is to bring Firefox to mobile devices. We’re working on that, and we’ll see some alphas in a few weeks.”

Fennec’s early versions have been tested with Nokia models, but Mozilla intends to have the browser support multiple platforms by the time it’s ready to roll.

Update: Mozilla Mobile To Hit Alpha Within Weeks is a post from: The Inquisitr

“Fennec is being tested pretty hard now, and by people who love to find bugs,” Mozilla’s Mark Finkle says.

The updated M8 version boasts an updated look that’s still being tweaked:

Other improvements include a new support panel with an add-on manager and download manager; sidebars that slide in and out of view; support for kinetic scrolling; and overall performance enhancements. Features set to debut in future builds include expanded tab capabilities and potential camera input support.

As of now, Fennec is being developed specifically for the Noxia N8x0. Engineers say they’ll start working on other platforms soon.

Mozilla Mobile Reaches New Milestone is a post from: The Inquisitr

One might surmise that product will be Mozilla’s long-under-development mobile browser, codenamed “Fennec.” Pre-alpha builds of the program have been floating around since about April, but Mozilla has yet to commit to any firm release date for the software. Developers have previously indicated they want to focus on better integrating the PC and mobile environments, possibly using synchronization tools such as Weave to link browsing between the two.

Now the question becomes who’ll get there first — Mozilla Mobile or “Chrome Lite“? Gentlemen, start your engines.

Mozilla’s (Almost) Ready to Go Mobile is a post from: The Inquisitr