Web browser Mozilla Firefox launched a beta version of its mobile browser Fennec, reports TechCrunch.

The mobile browser works only on the Nokia N810, but developers can also download it onto their PCs. Designed to maximize use of the limited screen space available on mobile phones, the Fennec browser aims to minimize typing.

Fennec features the Firefox "Awesome," or smart bar, which acts as both navigation and search bar. When users start typing in a URL or search term, it auto-suggests web pages based on past searches.

Most popular search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia) are listed at the bottom of the screen, and — just like Firefox — the browser remembers passwords. Unlike Safari on the iPhone, Firefox's mobile browser supports Flash, and has the capacity for multiple add-ons.

Some of the zooming and panning concepts previously previewed by Mozilla Labs are incorporated in the new user interface. (Opera's mobile browser also supports zooming, panning and Flash.) Web pages fill the entire screen, and moving the page to the side shows different controls, including bookmarks, back and forward buttons on the right, and tabs on the left.

See the walk-through demo by Madhava Enros, designer of the Fennec interface.

Mozilla's mobile plans date back to 2007, when the company was part of Linux-operated Ubuntu Mobile. At that time, a Mozilla-based browser was available for the Nokia N800.