A new embedded communication client was added to Firefox

Oct 20, 2014 09:34 GMT  ·  By

Mozilla is out with a new Firefox version, but this time it's the first Beta for the new 34 branch. If you think that this is yet another boring release, you better think again because it comes with some cool features.

If you are like many Firefox users out there, you might have changed the way your browser looks, and that's fine. Unfortunately, it also means that you won't be able to enjoy the biggest feature in Firefox 34, which is the ability to make video and audio calls to other users who have WebRTC implemented in their browsers, including Opera and Google Chrome.

This is not the only improvement for sure, but it's the one that stands out the most. This is just the first Beta in the series and it will take about a month to get it out the door. The browser is expected to arrive by the end of November, so it's not a long wait.

What is Firefox Hello?

Mozilla developers have added something called Firefox Hello. This is basically a client embedded in the browser, WebRTC, an open source project that allows for communications by using JavaScript APIs. It sounds interesting and it would be, if you got it to work. The icon for this feature should be in the Properties Menu, near Customize. The problem is that it doesn't show up if you have any kind of modifications made to the browser, no matter how small. Basically, you need a vanilla Firefox.

"Firefox Hello provides more value to Firefox users by making it easier to communicate with your friends and family who might not have the same video chat service, software or hardware as you. It's free to make voice and video calls and there's no need to download software, plugins or even create an account. It's ready to go as soon as you open Firefox Beta by clicking on the 'chat bubble' icon under the customize menu," reads the Mozilla blog.

Given that this is a Beta release, we can only hope that this problem will be fixed in time for the final version. A bug report has been opened already, but it seems that the Mozilla developers are not really considering fixing anything.

Other changes in Firefox 34 include the ability to change the personas and themes (ironic, given the previously-mentioned problem), HTTPS support for Wikipedia entries, numerous HTML5 improvements, and some new tools for developers.

You can download Mozilla Firefox 34 Beta 1 for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X from Softpedia.