Mozilla Releases Firefox 4 Beta 1

Mozilla on Wednesday released the Firefox 4 public beta, the latest iteration of the free, open-source Web browser.

The new release comes several days after Mozilla released the first pre-release code for Firefox 4, and the updated version brings a number of changes designed to enhance the browser's usability and security.

The obvious change is the browser's look. Like Chrome and Opera, tabs are now located at the top of the browser (Windows only), and a new add-on manager is included to make it easier to find plugins.

Under the hood, Firefox 4 beta 1 heightens security, offers crash protection, supports technologies that are vying to become new Web standards (HTML5 and WebM), and contains other bells and whistles.

The download is available on the Mozilla Web site.

For more details, see PCMag's hands-on with Firefox 4 beta 1.

This post originally appeared on AppScout.

About Our Expert

Jeffrey L. Wilson

Managing Editor, Apps and Gaming

Since 2004, I've written about consumer tech for many publications, including 1UP, Laptop, Parenting, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. I now apply that knowledge and skill set as the managing editor of PCMag's apps and gaming team.

The Technology I Use

As a member of the App & Gaming team, I use a wide variety of apps and services. Google Drive is an essential file-syncing service for moving documents between team members in this work-from-home era. Scrivener has been an invaluable writing tool as I rework my fiction manuscript. YouTube Premium and YouTube TV deliver hours of entertainment (though I only use the latter service during the F1 and NBA playoff seasons).

In terms of hardware, I use a Lenovo Thinkpad Carbon X1 laptop for work and an Origin PC tower for playing PC games. I also have a Steam Deck, which lets me play my favorite titles under a shade tree. Of course, I have a smartphone, and the Google Pixel 9a is my handset of choice.

My main input devices are the Das Keyboard 4 Professional and Logitech MX Vertical Ergonomic Mouse, though I bust out the Hori Fighting Commander Octa or Hori Fight Stick Alpha when mixing it up in fighting games. I have a thing for arcade sticks. I collect Neo Geo AES games, too, but only if I can find the carts on the (relative) cheap.

For video and music consumption, I fire up my Lenovo Tab P11; it has a sharp screen and great Dolby Atmos-powered speakers. My Kindle Paperwhite has received much use, too. I have a standalone, Sony Blu-ray player connected to a TCL television when it's time to go full cinephile. I'm also a vinyl guy, so the Bluetooth-enabled Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT keeps the wax spinning.

My first computer was a Commodore 64. Long live BASIC and retro computers!

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