Mozilla releases touch-enabled beta of Firefox on Windows 8

After a long development process, a beta version of the Firefox web browser that offers support for Windows 8’s touch-centric UI mode is now available. “This touch-friendly, tile-based Firefox is optimized for Microsoft’s Windows 8 Modern UI and designed to ensure users get the best Firefox browsing experience possible on their Windows 8 tablets, touch-screen laptops and other compatible devices,” the Mozilla Foundation said in a blog post announcing the release.

Mozilla has released a beta version of its Firefox browser, for use with touch-enabled Windows 8 systems. Teased by the company in early 2012, Firefox for Windows 8 Touch Beta is said in a company blog post to be optimized for the operating system’s Metro user interface style, with the main focus of the release being its usefulness for owners of touchscreen computers, notebooks, and tablets. Offering a tile-based start screen with quick access to bookmarks and the user’s history, the beta software supports typical one-touch swipe transitions and gestures such as “pinch to zoom.” The browser can be snapped to the side of the screen, just like other Metro apps, and also takes advantage of communication elements in Windows 8, allowing pages to be shared to various social networks.