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Posts Tagged ‘firefox’

I’d like to see a Wakoopa for my mobile handset

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

I didn’t bother signing up for Wakoopa when I heard about it a while ago. I thought it was a cool concept — track the desktop applications you’re using (along with ‘web applications’) and then publish the data to let you track what your friends are using.

Now and again I’ve found myself on some obscure blog post from 2005 only to discover a genius application for uploading screenshots or something like that.

Indeed I think that’s how I came across ImageWell (uploads screenshots via FTP) and Mailplane (run Gmail / Apps as a proper application) and more.

I didn’t sign-up initially because, well… so much of my desktop usage is browser based. Looking at the applications I have open at the moment, it doesn’t really make for shocking or surprising reading:

* Safari
* Firefox
* Microsoft Word
* Skype
* Mailplane
* Spotify
* ImageWell
* MarsEdit
* Terminal
* Adium
* TweetDeck

Hardly earth shattering, eh? But then… you never know. So I signed up this afternoon and I’ve added two chaps already, Geetarchurchy and Ricky Chotai. Aside from the basic ‘what’s he using that for’ thoughts, it’s really quite interesting. I can see how this will/would really help with discovery of new applications.

Which brings me to the subject of this post. I’d really like to see something like this for mobile handsets. I’m sure the Wakoopa creators are considering something like this. Of course it wouldn’t work very well on an iPhone in real time (no background apps on an iPhone… yet) but it would work reasonably well on Android and Symbian.

Nokia’s already doing this with the upcoming Ovi Store (just WHEN is it actually, actually launching?). Peer-to-peer recommendations. I should, theoretically, be able to see what my Ovi friends are buying/using/consuming via the Ovi Store. I’m looking forward to seeing how people react to that feature, I think it’ll be a winner.

I certainly find the iPhone application discovery process a little bit haphazard at the moment — indeed, it’s positively lonely when you’re sat looking at the App Store on your iPhone. I tend to hear more about applications when I’m not actively browsing, when I’m out-and-about or when I’m working. That’s fine, but it’s not necessarily when I’m most receptive to looking at new things.

I can imagine opening up the App Store on my Nokia with the intent of finding out what my friends have checked out recently.

I’m hoping that once all the kinks are worked out, the Ovi Store will reinvigorate the desire to install new apps… We shall see.

Originally published on Ewan.net and automatically republished here on Mobile Industry Review. View the original post.

Tags: android, Applications, firefox, friends, Microsoft, Mobile, post, store
Posted in Applications, Feature, Hot, Mobile, People, ewan, iPhone, nokia | Comments

Firefox mobile comes to Symbian

Friday, December 12th, 2008

News website Techtree has it from Mozilla they’re working on a mobile version for the Symbian platform. With a loud cry from the cheap seats, about darn time!

They have it from Christian Sejersen that heads up the mobiles engineer department they are definitely, 100%, to be sure to be sure, developing their Fennec browser for the newly acquired Nokia OS.

Only a short while ago they publicly aired they won’t be officially releasing after all a version for the iPhone or Android. The reasons behind this being two fold, technology based and also licensing.

The latter of which are most companies reasons and beefs around developing anything for the iPhone. When we spoke to Vuzix of late over their screen-eyewear they outlaid just how much they have to fork over to Apple, in order to licence the port connector for the iPods and iPhones for their glasses – the cost, shocking.

Fennec, besides being a small nocturnal fox found in the Sahara desert is only really around for Linux at the moment – on a port for the Nokia N series tablet. Although there’s a Windows Mobile platform also in the works, with no time frame for full delivery as yet.

Reading through the developer’s blog postings seen here, it comes across it’s a smart move to get into bed with Nokia. As of Q3 2008, Symbian had 49.8% of the total smartphone sales with 57% in Q2, according to Gartner those figures are compared to just 11.1% for Windows Mobile and 7.2% for Linux.

They’re expecting to have full browsing abilities for Fennic by April 2009, with testing soon to follow.

Seeing how popular Firefox is for the PC, we’re just wondering how much of a market share they’re likely to take away from the likes of Opera on the mobile.

See more on the original post here.

Tags: android, fennec, firefox, iPhone, nokia, symbian
Posted in Mobile | Comments

No Firefox for the Apple iPhone

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

If you’re hanging out for Mozilla’s Firefox browser on your brand spanking new iPhone, then you’ll be in for a long wait.

Mozilla CEO John Lilly told Wired recently that there won’t be a Fennec for the Apple device, saying:

“Apple makes it too hard. They say it’s because of technical issues � they don’t want outsiders to disrupt the user experience. That’s a business argument masquerading as a technological argument.”

Sounds like Apple is trying to preserve the Safari stranglehold on the iPhone, which is a real shame – what’s the point of opening an App Store and then making it too difficult for software companies to get the apps out there, especially when they’re as good as Firefox?

Tags: Apple, firefox, iPhone
Posted in iPhone | Comments

Sneak peak at mobile Firefox concept

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Whenever I get a new PC, the first thing I do with it is install Firefox because in my opinion it’s simply the best browser there is. While the people behind it, the Mozilla Foundation, have promised a mobile version codenamed Fennec is on the way by next year, it looks like Mozilla’s development people haven’t been resting on their laurels.

Mozilla Labs’ head of user experience, Aza Raskin, has posted this video on an experimental touch UI concept he’s been working on. Alas, like most concepts, there’s no word on when, if ever, we might be able to see this on our mobiles.

Firefox Mobile Concept Video from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.