ReadWriteWeb

Even though mobile devices are getting increasingly powerful, most mobile browsers are still limited versions of their more fully featured desktop counterparts. With today's release of the latest alpha version of Fennec for Android (2.0 or higher) and Nokia N900, Mozilla is aiming to change this. Specifically, Mozilla hails Fennec as the "world's first mobile Web browser to support add-ons."

Only last week, the Mozilla Project proudly announced a "milestone release" of Fennec, the web browser also known as "Firefox Mobile." The much anticipated software was made available for download in a pre-alpha version for the HTC Touch Pro, a Windows Mobile smartphone. Shortly after its debut, mobile web enthusiasts everywhere began testing the new browser. But then something strange occurred. Instead of surfing the web, testers were stuck staring at a black-and-white checkerboard screen. It appeared that Fennec, right out of the gate, was completely broken.

Fennec, the codename for the mobile version of the Firefox web browser, now has its first extension. The browser, which launched into alpha last month, has always allowed for extendibility through add-ons, but none had been ported over until recently. The first extension to arrive in Fennec is one that makes perfect sense for mobile browsers, too: URL Fixer, a handy add-on that corrects typos in URLs typed in the address bar.