Mozilla Firefox 19 Stable Release Adds Built-In PDF Viewer

By Alexandra Burlacu | Feb 21, 2013 08:33 AM EST

Share This Story

  • Print
  • Email

Mozilla published the latest stable version of Firefox 19 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, and a built-in PDF viewer is among the top features.

The Portable Document Format, a.k.a. PDF, is one of the most common document types both on the Internet and on personal devices. It can distribute all sorts of formatted documents, from brochures to manuals and other things, and it definitely shines in terms of new features on Mozilla's otherwise short update list.

Follow us

Firefox is one of the most popular browsers currently available, partly due to its compatibility with OS X, Windows and Linux. As ubiquitous as the PDF format is, until this version of Firefox no browser offered a built-in PDF reader. This means the users had to either install a browser plug-in such as Adobe Reader or download the PDF and open it in a managing program. This can be a source of security vulnerabilities, as well as a slight inconvenience.  

Now, Mozilla includes a native PDF viewer in the latest version of Firefox, aiming to make it possible for users to view PDF files without needing any other programs and plug-ins. The PDF viewer is based on the Mozilla-supported HTML5 project PDF.js.

When a user opens a PDF from a Web link or from the hard drive, Firefox 19 will display it in the browser as a simple, yet efficient interface with options for zooming (either automatically or manually), viewing the PDF in full-screen presentation mode, going to specific pages by number, or scrolling through thumbnails of the loaded PDF document.

The Firefox 19 version may be short on other new features, but the built-in PDF viewer definitely brings it to the next level.

Firefox users will get the update to the latest version automatically, while users of other browsers who want to try Firefox 19 can head over to Mozilla's downloads page. This update also aims to make everything faster by not executing any code before the initial window is visible. This means that Firefox users will no longer double-click on Firefox only to see it not respond, double-click again, and again, until Firefox eventually reacts and opens 100 blank pages at once. Check out Mozilla's release notes for a full list of tweaks and bug fixes in Firefox 19. 

 

Get the Most Popular Mobile&Apps Stories in a Weekly Newsletter

© 2013 Mobile & Apps All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join Our Conversation

Smartphones
Google Nexus 4 White VersionWhite Nexus 4 To Launch On June 10 Rocking Latest Android 4.3
Galaxy S4 Best Selling Samsung Smartphone Of All Time?
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Coming Soon For HTC One; Google Edition of HTC One On The Way
Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Official Firmware Update For Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 Via XXEMD2 [How To Install]
Tablet / Laptop / PC
MacBook AirNew MacBook Air To Debut In June With Intel's New Haswell Processor?
Nexus 7 Refresh Teased In Google+ Hangouts Video, Sports Glowing Notification Light
AMD Unleashes Radeon 8900M Mobile GPU: Get It In MSI GX70 Gaming Laptop
Dell XPS 10 Drops Price To $300, Marking A New Low For Windows RT
Gadgets
Xbox Release Event InviteNext Microsoft Xbox To Sport Dashboard UI Update And Tile Changes
Google Media Streamer Hits FCC To Replace Nexus Q
Google Glass Raises Lawmakers' Concerns: Congress Demands Answers About Privacy
Seven New Apps Coming To Google Glass: Facebook, Twitter, And Evernote Included
OS / Software
HTC OneAndroid 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Coming Soon For HTC One; Google Edition of HTC One On The Way
Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Official Firmware Update For Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 Via XXEMD2 [How To Install]
Windows Phone Took Third Spot From BlackBerry In Latest Worldwide Market Share Report
Sprint Releases Software Update For HTC One: Key Sensitivity Issues To Be Fixed
Internet / Social Media
The Yahoo logYahoo Is Eyeing Tumblr
Google I/O 2013: Chrome Web Browser Now Has 750 Million Active Users
Google I/O 2013: Google Maps Gets New UI And Google+ Hangouts Shows Massive Improvements
Gtalk Chat Integration Coming To Outlook.com
What's App
Intellicam Windows Phone 8Intellicam App Brings First Hands-Free Camera Feature To Windows Phone 8
Seven New Apps Coming To Google Glass: Facebook, Twitter, And Evernote Included
Itsdagram Available Now For Windows Phone: Best Instagram Client Around
Google I/O 2013: Chrome Web Browser Now Has 750 Million Active Users

DON'T MISS

Galaxy S3 Sapphire Black
Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Official Firmware Update For Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 Via XXEMD2 [How To Install]
The update comes with some features like Group CastApp and Page Buddy.
MacBook Air
New MacBook Air To Debut In June With Intel's New Haswell Processor?
Apple is expected to update its hardware lineup as soon as June with a new MacBook Air likely
HTC One
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Coming Soon For HTC One; Google Edition of HTC One On The Way
According to Android Authority, "@LlabTooFeR says he knows about the HTC One without Sense 'for a
Galaxy S4 Launch in Korea
Galaxy S4 Best Selling Samsung Smartphone Of All Time?
Galaxy is the new iPhone, as the Samsung Galaxy S4 approaches 10 million devices shipped in less
Google Nexus 4 White Version
White Nexus 4 To Launch On June 10 Rocking Latest Android 4.3
The white Nexus 4 that created a lot of buzz among rumor mills recently, finally has a launch date:
Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset
Amazon Deals Of The Day: Sony Xperia Z, Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset And More
Here are some deals for those on a right budget, or for those who can't pass up on a good deal.

Nokia Lumia 925
Windows Phone Took Third Spot From BlackBerry In Latest Worldwide Market Share Report
The Windows Phone platform is definitely growing, but can it continue with this momentum?
HTC One
Sprint Releases Software Update For HTC One: Key Sensitivity Issues To Be Fixed
According to a post on Sprint's community page, the software build number 1.29. 651.10 has been
Pentagon
Apple iOS 6 Devices Cleared For Military Use In U.S.
The Pentagon has approved Apple devices running iOS 6 for use on its networks, which means Apple
RIM BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry Live: 120,000 Apps in BlackBerry World, Gaining on Windows Phone
The numbers are in, and it appears BlackBerry World might walk over Windows Phone sooner or later.
Copyright © 2013 Mobile & Apps All rights reserved. mobilenapps
Real Time Analytics