Mozilla Fennec Gets Pre-Alpha Release

An early release of Mozilla's Firefox-like mobile browser is now available for HTC Touch Pro users to try.

Opera isn’t the only open-source browser elbowing out room for itself in the mobile realm. On Tuesday, Mozilla released the first pre-alpha of its Fennec mobile browser for Windows Mobile 6.1.

According to developers, this early release is only intended for the HTC Touch Pro, which made an ideal development platform due to its high-resolution VGA screen and dedicated QWERTY keyboard for input. Mozilla cut both its automatic update feature and support for plug-ins in this early release to get the browser more stable for its public outing.

Major features include a smart URL bar, tabbed browsing , and controls that slide off to the side of the side to maximize room for content.

HTC Touch Pro owners can try the browser for free by navigating to Mozilla’s .CAB file on their phones and allowing to install.