Mozilla has recently released their beta version of Firefox 4. The new browser comes with several new features that have the potential to put them ahead of their toughest competitors, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer.
Some of the new features that Firefox has launched include their new approach to tab management, which makes it easy to organize and multitask while using the web. This new approach allows you to arrange all tabs into groups based on what you’re working on, and prioritize the tabs anyway you want. Referred to as Firefox “Panorama,” this new tab management system is something you might have read about in a blog earlier this year, where it was described as “Tab Candy.” Panorama allows the user to have a quick overview of all their tabs, helping to locate and switch among tabs or groups of tabs quickly.
If you are a user who employs multiple tabs, this feature will make your life a lot easier. Being able to sort through all of your open tabs quickly and efficiently will save time, instead of clicking on every single tab in an attempt to find the right one. As more and more activities move to the cloud, these increased tasks are conducted via the browser, giving Panorama greater value. That and the fact that no one likes tab clutter, or taking the time to switch back and forth trying to find which tab you were looking for.
This element of Firefox 4 is significant for the release of the new browser, as none of Firefox’s competitors have a feature like this (nope, not even Google Chrome). For business users who count on the browser to help get work done efficiently, the new Firefox is definitely the browser to help users increase productivity.
Sync Across Multiple Devices
Another feature included in Firefox 4 is a sync feature that makes a user’s bookmarks, history, awesome bar, passwords, form-fill data, and open tabs accessible across multiple computers and mobile devices, including the iPhone. But don’t panic – for your privacy, all the data is encrypted before it’s sent to the server, and the software does not track the user’s web history.
Since Firefox was not the first to include the sync feature, it was necessary to incorporate into the new version. Chrome and Opera have boasted this aspect for some time now, and thus its inclusion was imperative for Firefox; as more mobile business users are utilizing the web and accessing files from multiple devices, this step will be seen as an absolute must once everything goes to the cloud.
More to Love
Firefox 4 beta version has a Google Chrome-like user interface, protection for when there is a crash in Adobe Flash, Apple Quicktime or Microsoft Silverlight plug-ins, and native support for the HD HTML 5 WebM video format, among many other upgrades.
This new browser is available in 39 languages and includes an experimental API, used to make javascript animations more efficient, and supports the HTML5 video “buffered” property. This software is now available for free download for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.
The release of Firefox 4 is considered to be stable and safe for the daily user, so this browser will be ready for all the tasks that you need to take care of. However, Mozilla says that the “beta” status means that this browser is not complete yet, and some of the content and features may change when the final product is released.
It’s Not Over Yet
Mozilla has a lot of work ahead of them, considering that they are in the #2 spot for web browsers. They need to watch out for the release of Microsoft’s upcoming Internet Explorer 9, which has been judged as looking very promising.
But despite Internet Explorer 9’s looming release, Firefox 4’s new cloud-friendly features are tending to be the way of the current browsing world. With these features, Firefox has a great chance to come out on top in the browser war.