Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Mobile
  4. Web
  5. Legacy Archives

Firefox 20 debuts with new download manager and private tab browsing

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
firefox-20_dt
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Firefox 20 made its debut yesterday with a few new features, one of which seems downright invaluable: an easily accessible download manager. Seriously, how many times have you or a family member downloaded something only to immediately lose track of where the file went on your system? The latest version of Firefox also includes upgraded private browsing, customizable homescreen shortcuts, and more support for HTML5 and WebRTC. Plus, many of these updates are included on the new version of Firefox for Android. Both the desktop and Android versions are available today.

Firefox 20’s new download manager is a simple little button that lives to the right of the search box. Click on it to see not only what files were most recently downloaded, but also the folder to which they were downloaded. From this box, users may also search for downloaded items and clear previous items. When you’re downloading a file, the icon changes to a handy progress bar. From here, you can also pause and resume downloads as needed.

Recommended Videos

Mozilla has also upgraded Firefox’s private browsing capabilities on the both the desktop and on Android. Users are now able to make one tab for private browsing while leaving other tabs unaffected. This eliminates the irritating problem of having to close your entire browsing session to exit private browsing mode. Mozilla suggests that the private browsing tab could be used to shop for gifts or for keeping multiple email accounts open, though we’re guessing that people will use that private tab for other, more personal reasons.

Along with the desktop edition, Firefox for Android has also been updated. The new version includes the same support for per-tab private browsing and support for lower-end mobile devices that use the ARMv6 processors, including the Samsung Galaxy Next, Dart, Pop, and Q, and the HTC Aria and Legend.

Lastly, Mozilla has given developers a hand with greater support within the browser for HTML5 and WebRTC protocols, including support for accessing, with permission, a user’s webcam and audio recorder.

Nothing mind-blowingly new here, but still an update we’re excited about.

Meghan McDonough
Meghan McDonough
Former Contributor
Meghan J. McDonough is a Chicago-based purveyor of consumer technology and music. She previously wrote for LAPTOP Magazine…
Topics
NotebookLM can now automatically organize your research sources for you
Managing sources in NotebookLM just became effortless.
google-adds-data-tables-feature-in-notebooklm

If you use NotebookLM for research, you know how quickly sources pile up. Managing them manually, especially in notebooks with ten or more entries, has been one of the tool's most frustrating pain points, but Google just fixed that.

NotebookLM, the AI-powered research assistant built on Gemini, is rolling out automatic source labeling and categorization. The feature activates once you have five or more sources in a notebook, and it automatically assigns labels for you.

Read more
Old tech keeps coming back because new tech got annoying and we miss simpler times
Dumb phones, discs, cameras, and retro consoles are cycling back because modern tech got too needy for its own good
Toned picture of retro cassette player and earphones on tabletop.

Old jeans and old sneakers get a pass because fashion is cyclical. One year something looks dead, a few years later it’s back with a better markup and a straight-faced explanation about authenticity.

I’m starting to see consumer tech the same way. The revival isn’t limited to one corner of the junk drawer, either. It’s showing up in phones, cameras, audio gear, movies, and games. A tiny camera dangling from a wrist has more personality than another glass slab taking overprocessed night-mode shots.

Read more
The best trick AI can pull is disappear into my gadgets instead of turning into a product
AI may finally become useful when it stops announcing itself and starts quietly fixing the annoying parts of everyday tech
Appliance, Blow Dryer, Device

My wife recently woke up from a nightmare where AI had taken over human bodies. The likely culprit was less dramatic: Google Photos kept nudging her to “AI” herself when she only wanted to look at pictures of our cats.

That’s where a lot of people are with AI right now. Curious, tired, mildly creeped out, and increasingly annoyed when normal apps start acting like every action needs a software demo attached.

Read more