The new interface was developed in an experimental Firefox mobile branch called Birch. The changes aren’t just skin deep—the transition to native widgets involved some significant architectural changes in addition to bringing a new look and feel. Mozilla is seeking volunteers to help test the overhauled version of the browser before the changes are rolled out in a stable release.
I conducted some hands-on tests with the latest Birch nightly build, which is available from Mozilla’s FTP server. I downloaded the APK and side-loaded the application on my Nexus One smartphone. It installs as “Nightly” and can be used alongside the stable Android Market version of Firefox mobile. It needs more work before it will be ready for day-to-day use, but it seems like a compelling step forward for Firefox on Android.
