Mozilla Firefox iOS 5.0 Is Quicker, Uses Less Battery And Has Custom Search Engines

Firefox for iOS version 5.0 has been released on the App Store, allowing users to surf the web more quickly while using less battery, and introducing a number of other enhancements.

Tyler Laxroix, a summer intern at Mozilla, made it his ‘pet project’ to make the browser for iPhone and iPad more efficient and managed to achieve a 40 percent reduction in CPU use and 30 percent reduction in power consumption.

A new menu is designed to bring the mobile experience on a par with the desktop edition of Firefox, with easier navigation and quick access to frequently used features, while long pressing back and forward buttons makes it simpler to go through browsing history.

Firefox iOS 5.0

Any website with a search bar can be added to a list, simply by tapping a magnifying glass. This means searches for items on eBay or information in Wikipedia can be done from the address bar. Closed tabs will also be easier to recover with the ability to ‘undo’ an accidental mass shutdown of websites.

And for those who use a wireless keyboard with their mobile device, shortcuts should make it easier to go ‘tap free’

The first version of Firefox iOS was released at the back end of last year, offering many of the same features as other mobile and desktop versions, including tabs, private browsing and the ability to sync history, bookmarks and passwords across multiple devices. It competes with Google Chrome, Opera and Apple’s Safari browser on the platform, the latter of which comes pre-installed.

Version 4.0 touched down in May, bringing with it security updates, widget support and new search features.

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