Last time we looked at Fennec, the code name for Firefox Mobile, it was back in December and only supported a few Nokia phones. All we had to go on for release dates for other platforms was "sometime in 2009". Less than a month into the new year, and it already looks like Fennec for Windows Mobile is close to being released, with a message on the development wiki naming the first week in February as the release target.

There are already several browser options for Windows Mobile users, including Opera, but Firefox has been notably absent. Fennec (fittingly, a species of small fox) is a slimmed-down version of the popular web browser, optimized for the display and input limitations imposed by mobile devices. The program should support major web standards, including JavaScript and AJAX for interactive web apps.

February's Fennec release will be built for the HTC Touch Pro smartphone; though the software should support any Windows Mobile 6 device, the team has chosen the HTC model as an initial platform to build for. It's not clear just why the Touch Pro, but some are speculating that it has to do with the smartphone's high-resolution screen, to make sure the page-drawing engine works smoothly when displaying a lot of information at once.

Keep an eye on the Fennec development wiki if you're interested in trying out the browser once it's released.

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