Mozilla promises 'something big' for Android announcement

Firefox maker Mozilla has something to say at next week's Google development conference, and if its teaser's anything to go by, it should be a major update to its Firefox Android browser.

"Fast. Smart. Safe." That's what it promises, alongside the Firefox logo on a phone screen, with the Android guy behind the handset. It also took to Twitter to let us know what's happening, Android Central reports.

"#Firefox for #Android. Something BIG is coming your way next week," reads the tweet, along with a link to the image on Flickr.

These keywords hint Mozilla will be touting new speed and security features in its latest version of Firefox for Android. Mozilla hasn't been the quickest on Android, with minor updates trickling out. The Firefox 10 update in January still wouldn't support Flash, which shows just how behind the times Mozilla can be.

But taking its time usually works in its favour. A few days ago Mozilla showed off Junior, its first browser optimised for the iPad. And far from a botch job of slapping a mobile browser onto a bigger screen, Mozilla has used the strengths of the iPad to its advantage. "We wanted to create something entirely new," said Mozilla's Alex Limi, and it looks like it's done so.

Junior is a full-screen browser, with no navigation bar cluttering up the screen. Two buttons flank the page: a back button, and one that brings up a screen with recent sites, favourites, and a URL/search bar. Everything you need to get around, in other words.

What would you like to see from a Firefox update? What's your mobile browser of choice? And what would Mozilla have to do with Junior to outdo Safari on the iPad? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.

Update 26 June: A previous version of this story stated that Mozilla also made the Dolphin HD browser, which it does not.