Mozilla had released the beta version of their touch-enabled browser compatible with Windows 8 and 8.1. The "Firefox for Windows 8 Touch" was launched on Thursday as part of the Firefox 28 Beta.
During the first months of the year, Firefox announced the delay of the release of the browser's "Metro" user interface (UI). The Metro UI belongs to one of Microsoft's latest OS and this features mobile-style apps, colorful ties, and prefers touch as the input method. Windows 8 kept the traditional UI for desktop, wherein a mouse and a keyboard is required to input commands.
In March 2012, Mozilla started working on Firefox's Metro version. The company released a preview in October 2012, a few weeks before Windows 8 was launched. After releasing a preview, it committed to launch its new browser by 2013, a deadline which was pushed to a later date several times until it finally materialized in September 2013 with a full release early this year.
Mozilla is now set to launch the Metro version of Firefox on March 18 after two years of development.
In a blog post published on February 2014, Firefox has outlined some of Firefox for Windows 8 Touch's features. The new browser supports gestures such as zoom and pinch and it also allows the user to choose to view the app on full screen or on a "snapped" version. The new browser also boasts of a more effective visual navigation through tile-based interface. Furthermore, it is also compatible with the Windows Share integration platform, enabling the user to share any content to his desired social networks.
This week, Firefox also released Firefox 27 with patches for more than 15 vulnerabilities. Firefox 27 also included an integration support for other services such as Saavin and Delicious.
