Firefox for mobile to launch this month

Mozilla has confirmed that it will launch its first version of Firefox for mobile this month.

A company spokesperson told V3.co.uk that a final version will be out before the end of the year, and a release candidate will be launched next week.

Firefox is the second most popular browser on the market after Internet Explorer, and Mobile Firefox will be based around the soon-to-be-launched Firefox 3.6.

The software will initially be available only on Nokia's N900 handset, which uses the Linux-based Maemo operating system, and will be able to run 30 or so Firefox extensions.

However, the N900 will not come preloaded with the browser, and users will have to download it as they would for the desktop version. Mozilla has said that it is confident this approach will work.

The N900 is a high-end phone in the smartphone market, but Mozilla said that any device in the mid- to high-end spectrum will be able to run the browser.

A Windows Mobile version of Firefox should arrive next year, and a Google Android version is also in development.

Mozilla will announce more details on the mobile platform next week.