The mobile version of Firefox - also known as Fennec - is almost ready to launch.  Indeed, a Mozilla exec was recently quoted as saying that a release could be "days away," so it's possible that the new mobile browser will appear in time for some tech-inclined individuals to play with it on New Year's Eve or even Christmas.

Word of this short-term goal comes via the BBC from Jay Sullivan, who's Mozilla's vice president of mobile.  Apparently Fennec's going through a last phase of testing, and, barring any "showstoppers," will be available quite soon.

The catch relates to compatibility, meaning this rollout won't put Fennec in everyone's hands.  Owners of Nokia's N900 phones will be the first to get their hands on the mobile version of Firefox.  Then, as the BBC reported, "The organisation is also developing versions for Microsoft's Windows mobile and Google's Android operating system."

Something for the iPhone might follow, but not in the near future.

Still, given how long Fennec's been in development (well over a year), any release will still count as a major step forward.  And this (probable) launch is especially interesting given that Firefox 3.5 recently topped all other desktop browser versions on a global basis.

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