Firefox 14 makes Google searches more secure
Publish date: 18 July 2012 by Hanleigh DanielsFollowing the release of Firefox for Android version 14, Mozilla has made the latest version of its desktop internet browser available for download. Firefox 14 adds some additional security features and also brings enhancements to the Mac version of the browser.
The latest update to Firefox now automatically makes users’ Google searches more secure by enabling HTTPS for Google search results and suggestions by default. This results in added protection for a user’s data from potentially prying eyes including network administrators, when users utilise public or shared Wi-Fi networks.
Mozilla stated that Google is currently the only search engine which enables its Firefox browser to make a user’s searches private, but the firm also aims to support additional search engines with this feature in the future.
The video viewing and web-based game playing experience of Mac users will also be enhanced since it now supports native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion 10.7.
For developers, Firefox 14 adds supports for Pointer Lock API (application programming interface), enabling them to bring improved mouse control to applications the likes of browser-based FPS (first-person shooter) titles.
Windows, Mac OS and Linux users new to Firefox can download (around 16 MB - Windows PC version) this browser, whilst Firefox users can go to the About Firefox section in their browser to update (7.4 MB for Windows PC) to version 14.
In related news, Mozilla aims to stake a bigger claim in the mobile market via its own mobile platform, dubbed Firefox OS. This mobile operating system will be powering smartphones that utilise software built on open web standards, with all of the mobile device’s capabilities being developed as HTML5 applications.
