Mozilla is currently working on the tablet version of Firefox, and Ian Barlow, user interface designer at Mozilla, has just shown off the user interface for this tablet version. I can assure you – this might just be the first tablet browser interface actually designed for, you know, tablets.
A little while ago I reviewed the iPad 2, and one of my main concerns with the device was the fact that for all the talk of post-PC this and post-PC that, the iPad, and its user interface, is a strictly ‘WIMP’ affair – and not a particular good one at that.
My gripe is that not only is iOS incredibly inconsistent and not particularly attractive-looking, it’s also clearly not designed with tablets in mind. Sure, buttons are larger so they’re easier to hit, but everything else is lifted from how WIMP interfaces are designed – the most important controls are all at the top, causing lots of arm strain.
They might be baby steps, but the Firefox tablet interface Mozilla is currently working on at least acknowledges it is going to run on a tablet. When in landscape mode, the tabs are on the left-hand side, allowing you to switch between tabs with your left thumb, while your right thumb does the scrolling. The back and forward buttons are still not tablet-optimised, but this sure is a heck of a lot better than whatever Apple and Google have come up with so far. In portrait, everything moves back to a relatively standard affair.
Tablet Firefox isn’t done yet, and will be geared towards Android tablets. No release date is set.
This is actually pretty interesting. I just hope that eventually it is ported to standard Linux distributions so it could be used on generic tablets and other devices using a more standard distribution (ie., Debian).
As Mozilla pisses me of more and more with their flagship Firefox for traditional GUIs/desktops, I’m absolutely shocked that I’m actually interested for a change in this “new” Firefox edition…
Edited 2011-08-31 03:21 UTC
Maybe it’s because I use an ereader that is smaller than the typical tablet, but I’ve found that I hold the device in one hand an control everything with one thumb. Which leads to a few ideas about what a truly tablet optimized web browser should look like:
It would be nice to just swipe left or right with the thumb to go forwards or backwards a page (i.e. browsing history), and swipe up or down to go forwards or backwards a screen (i.e. on the same web page).
It would also be nice if links were extended to the right edge of the screen, with a thumb-sized region to click on to follow the link. Part of the reason is to make the link easy to reach, but it would also make it easier to unambiguously click on the link. (I find that text links are too hard to select because they are too short for fingers.)
And those thumbnailed tabs can be used in portrait mode too. Just put it on the bottom of the screen. After all, if you have to reach up to a drop-down menu on the top of the screen you may as well have the tabs immediately accessible on the bottom of the screen.
While I agree that it’s nice to have a UI designed for tablets, I still think that they have a long ways to go before they leave the desktop metaphor behind. After all, what I’m seeing is pretty much a simplify desktop interface.
I think people would gladly leave the desktop metaphor behind… if there was something better to go to. I think the reason it has persisted for so long is that it’s simple, it works, and nothing superior has come along to replace it.
Nice work! Hopefully Meego tablets will get it as well.
Nah I don’t need to explain myself.
you’re so cute I want to hug you.
Not really digging the white toolbars.