Firefox for Windows phone 8

[Fade_z]

For me safari was the best browser UI wise (on iOS ofc)

 

[Sumesh Sukumaran]

Try UC browser.

 

[Pricey_2k]

This is why Firefox haven't got an Firefox app for Windows:

https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/Platforms#Other_Platforms

Windows Mobile
Firefox has stopped development for Windows Mobile indefinitely. Thank you to our contributors for their continued support and feedback. The last release for Windows Mobile was 1.1 alpha 1 (download). We have stopped developing for Microsoft's mobile platform because Windows Phone 7 no longer allows developers to build C++ applications like Firefox, and Microsoft's new policies ban open-source software like Firefox from the Windows Phone Marketplace.


Check out more:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/microsofts-windows-phone-7-code-limitation-puts-an-end-to-mobile-firefox/7785

I would like to point out that even though the statement in the above arrticale is true, "platform that's years behind the competition" it is quickly cathcing up! xD

I have heard that Maxthon is creating a app for WP (it's a pretty good browser).

Bellow is a link to a discusion on the Maxthon Fourms.
Any news on a Windows Phone version? - page 2 - User Voices - Maxthon Community - Powered by Discuz!

 

[WorzelGummage]

In my opinion Firefox isn't really "all that" as a browser anymore. I stopped using the desktop version a very long time ago because it became a bloated and cluttered mess. So for that reason I have no interest in a mobile version for smartphones. I've never even bothered to look for it for my Android phone.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

 

[emagius]

As noted elsewhere, Microsoft does not allow alternative browsers on Windows Phone 8.

UC Browser and the others are merely skins on top of IE10/Trident. So you can get different menus and buttons, but the actual rendering engine is the same.

Until Microsoft changes its policies (not likely), you won't see Firefox or Opera or Chrome or any other actual browser on WP. (For what it's worth, Apple has similar restrictions in place on iOS -- Safari/Webkit only.)

The best that can be done is something like UC Browser's "speed mode" (which is terrible -- try it) or Opera Mini (which is a lot better, but not available on WP), both of which render pages remotely at the respective operator's servers and send a compressed binary for display client-side. There are a lot of very noticeable trade-offs to this approach, and it's not suitable for a primary browser.

 

[xandros9]

As noted elsewhere, Microsoft does not allow alternative browsers on Windows Phone 8.

UC Browser and the others are merely skins on top of IE10/Trident. So you can get different menus and buttons, but the actual rendering engine is the same.

Until Microsoft changes its policies (not likely), you won't see Firefox or Opera or Chrome or any other actual browser on WP. (For what it's worth, Apple has similar restrictions in place on iOS -- Safari/Webkit only.)

The best that can be done is something like UC Browser's "speed mode" (which is terrible -- try it) or Opera Mini (which is a lot better, but not available on WP), both of which render pages remotely at the respective operator's servers and send a compressed binary for display client-side. There are a lot of very noticeable trade-offs to this approach, and it's not suitable for a primary browser.

well Apple does the same thing and Chrome is on iOS (providing a different UI and sync capabilities.

 

[jojulu]

well Apple does the same thing and Chrome is on iOS (providing a different UI and sync capabilities.

Chrome on iOS uses the iOS webkit engine so it is basically Safari with different skin.

 

[xandros9]

Chrome on iOS uses the iOS webkit engine so it is basically Safari with different skin.

exactly.

except only Safari gets access to the faster Nitro JS engine IIRC

 

[awilliams1701]

Firefox has a windows 8 hybrid metro app, but it requires a desktop installation to work. Since you can't do that on windows RT, there will be no FireFox for Rt. Basically it has to be a desktop app because of the API's required to make javascript performance acceptable. Unfortunately for this reason I don't think that a WP8 version is possible either.