Firefox browser coming to Windows 8 tablets

Software developer Mozilla® has revealed plans to introduce a version of its Firefox® web browser specifically designed for Windows® 8 tablet computers, leveraging the unique Metro style used by the upcoming operating system.

Details about the web browser are still sparse. A post on Mozilla's development Wiki shows that progress on Firefox for Windows 8 is in the early stages, offering only a feature overview of the software.

The post states that Firefox on Metro will be a full-screen application and optimized for touch interaction. The web browser will also feature an "appbar" that includes basic navigation controls, tabs and Mozilla's Awesomebar, which allows users to type search terms into the URL bar.

Mozilla notes that it has not yet determined what the front end of Firefox on Metro will be built on, though it says that .NET and XAML are "off the table."

The tablet industry as a whole is gearing up for the 2012 release of Microsoft's new operating system. Windows 8 will run on both tablets and traditional PCs, and some view the software as crucial to Microsoft's chances of breaking into the growing tablet market.