Mozilla Brings Simplified Video Chat With Updated Firefox Browser

Mozilla has released Firefox version 35.0, the latest iteration of its web browser which introduces the ability to share mobile Wi-Fi and cellular information to improve location services.

The feature will also greatly improve the ability of context-aware apps that rely on geolocation services to provide the right information for the user.

Firefox Hello update

A major update, however, comes in the form of a simplified version of the WebRTC Firefox Hello video chat platform. This means users can start plug-in free video calls to contacts on their Firefox accounts.

“Firefox Hello is free to use, doesn’t require you to sign up for an account and allows Firefox users to connect to anyone, anywhere in the world so long as they have a WebRTC-enabled browser such as Firefox, Chrome or Opera,” a blog post announcing the new release said.

“Before Firefox Hello, making a video call meant giving up your email address and possibly more personal information as well as downloading software before you could start the conversation. Now we’re making it even easier to say ‘hello’ by eliminating some of the call steps and allowing you to save and name your favorite conversations, so you can drop into them as soon as you click a link.”

Other improvements include support for the CSS front-loading API, and tiled rendering on OS X. HTTP Public Key Pinning Extensions have also been introduced, improving the authentication of encrypted connections in the new browser version.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Mozilla’s switch to using Yahoo as the default search engine on Firefox, an update ushered in with Firefox 34.0, has caused Google’s search market share to drop 2 percent in the US.

Google’s share of US search traffic fell from 77.5 percent in November to 75.3 percent in December 2014.

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