Firefox 38 Update Integrates Pocket Service

This week, Firefox has announced the addition of a new feature when Mozilla updated their popular web browser to version 38. Pocket, a read-it-later service designed for saving text and video, will now be fully integrated into Firefox that will help users save articles, videos, and websites that they prefer to read or watch later all in one convenient place. In addition to this update, Reader View now offers a distraction free reading mode.

 

Integrating a third-party service like Pocket is a little out of character for Mozilla so if you’re a Firefox user, you’re probably a little surprised by the news. You’re not alone. In the wake of Pocket’s full-fledged integration, Firefox’s Reading List feature has now been entirely removed from the browser. Firefox users may have mixed feelings about the changes but it’s clearly a win for Pocket; they are the party to most likely benefit from the integration.

The Pocket button will be prominently featured in Firefox’s user interface but if you don’t want to use the service it’s easy to hide it. Totally disabling it will be much harder though because it’s not an add-on. Mozilla probably could have built this type of service for their browser from scratch so why integrate with Pocket? The answer to that question has yet to be found.

The new distraction free reading mode is a welcome sight for Firefox users who like to avoid ads, menus, and other distractions while reading on a website. There aren’t a lot of features with this new reading mode but users can adjust text fonts and background colors now thanks to the update.

Firefox Hello received a new feature during the update as well. According to the Firefox blog post that announced the update and new feature(s), “This new feature [Firefox Hello] allows the host to share a browser tab or application window while in the video conversation.” Firefox Developer Edition received some fresh new tools during the update too. For more information about all the latest features in Firefox 38 here.