Firefox for Android beta brings per-tab private mode
Firefox for Android beta has gotten an exciting new upgrade in the Google Play Store. One of the biggest features users can look forward to is per-tab private browsing, meaning you can have all your usual tabs open alongside just one or two private tabs if you so wish. That’s not the only thing that’s different, though, so let’s jump into the rest.
Firefox has lowed the system requirements to devices with just 384MB of RAM and QVGA displays, so a whole new crop of devices can get in on the fun. Sure, you’d be hard-pressed to find many Android devices within that spec range these days but it’s nice to know any stragglers still owning such hardware will be supported.
Top Sites in about:home can now be customized, too, so you can have your own favorite sites appear whenever you open a new tab. Firefox is also introducing H.264/AAC/MP3 hardware decoding for those on Gingerbread and Honeycomb, so the outrage over these particular versions of Android not being included in that particular list should soon die down. Finally, “various” audio and video enhancements have been made, and canvas now supports blend modes.
Those on the beta track can get their upgrade straight from the Google Play Store. There’s no telling how long it will take for these features to head to the stable version of the browser but if past updates are any indication then we shouldn’t be waiting long for Firefox to bring a substantial upgrade to that particular app. Give it a shot.