Mozilla Firefox 41 Begs For Attention With Built-in Instant Messaging

In recent months, Mozilla rolled out a feature with its Firefox Web browser that allowed people to have free video conversations, in conjunction with a partnership with Telefónica. Overall, it's a great feature to have, albeit in a place most people might not expect. Those who have made use of the feature have had a common complaint, though: no instant messaging. With Firefox 41, that feature has slipped in.

In order to take advantage of Firefox Hello, you'll need to create a Firefox account. If you already have an account for syncing, you're golden: it's the exact same login. After logging in, you'll be able to import contacts from Google or add them manually. Because the service is beginning to bulk up a bit, Mozilla is also now allowing users to set a profile picture.

While Firefox Hello is the major feature of the latest Firefox, some other things and fixes have been added as well. At the forefront is enhanced IME support for Windows using TFS, the ability to render SVG images for site favicons, and improved box-shadow rendering performance. For those who like to read the nitty gritty, a list of all of the changes can be found here.

To grab the latest version of the browser, you can hit up the Mozilla link below, or force a check for update by opening the browser's menu, clicking the help icon at the bottom, and then opening the About Firefox dialog.