Tab-optimized Mozilla Firefox for Android Ready for Testing; Opera Mobile Web Browser Officially Supports Honeycomb

Just about two weeks ago, the team developing the Android tablet-optimized version of one of the world’s most popular Web browsers, Mozilla Firefox, gave a sneak peek into some of the features of the upcoming tablet version of the Firefox for Android app. Two weeks after, the team releases the first nightly builds of the browser and can now be installed by users for testing purposes.

The app is only for the bold and not for the faint of heart, as it is still in the Nightly stage, which, accordingto development team member Ian Barlow, is a “very early testing stage for awesome new features.” The Nightly stage is somewhat similar to the pre-alpha release stage in software development.

Once features mature and leave the Nightly stage, the app goes into Aurora stage where the it undergoes further refinement in order to make the app more stable. Afterwards, it goes through the Beta stage for further bug-finding and bug extermination. A version for general release and consumption follows after.

Barlow explains that a stable version fit for general release may still be a few months away.

Those who wish to preview the features of Firefox for Android’s tab-optimized version can get the 16-megabyte APK (Android Package) file from the Firefox Nightly channel. Again, the nightly builds are for testing purposes only, so never expect the software to perform or operate perfectly.

Meanwhile, an update to another popular Web browser, Opera Mobile web browser, has been published recently on the Android Market. The updated Opera Mobile web browser app for Android now carries official support for Honeycomb and its large screen compatibility mode. The latest version is 11.10.1109081720.

Support for font styles on Samsung Galaxy devices has also been added in the newest version, as well as several fixes for bugs and issues in the previous version.