You can get Firefox 9 for desktop and mobile right now, Google-Firefox deal renewed

Firefox was in a precarious position for a while because the search deal with Google was running out – and that was the main source of cash for the non-profit Mozilla Foundation. Firefox fans can breathe a sigh of relief as there’s a new deal that ensures Google sponsorship for another three years.

After reports that Chrome has surpassed Firefox for the second spot in the most popular browser leaderboard, it looked uncertain if Google still had interest in Firefox. It turns out it does and Google will remain the default search provider for Firefox for the foreseeable future.

Mozilla does offer a Bing version of Firefox, but a reported 80%+ of the foundations money comes from the Google deal so it would have been a major hit if they lost that.

To celebrate the occasion, Firefox fans can treat themselves to the latest version of Firefox – version 9 – which boosts JavaScript performance by adding type inference to the engine for about 30% performance gains and two-finger gesture support for Mac OS X. There are bug fixes and improvements in other areas but not ones you’re likely to notice easily.

This time it’s official, so updating is as easy as going into the About dialog. And if you don’t have Firefox already, you can snatch it from their official site.

Firefox 9 for Android also moved out of the beta channel and right into the release channel. Its developments were in a different direction than its desktop counterpart – it brings the new tablet-specific design, adds access to the camera for web pages and HTML5 form validation.

Check out the new UI on video:

You can grab Firefox 9 for Android from the Android Market. There’s a separate app for the Beta channel if you like being on the cutting edge of browsers.

Desktop Ivy Bridge processors reportedly getting delayed again, this time until Q2 2012

Ivy Bridge seems to be moving away from us every time we get closer – Intel has reportedly told its partners that their next generation desktop CPUs won’t be hitting the market in March-April as previously thought, but instead will come out some time in Q2 2012.

The new processors feature several key improvements that make it worth the wait – or it did at least when we thought they were coming sooner.

The new 22nm process and utilization of 3D transistors result in a significantly reduced power usage, plus the built-in GPU should finally offer acceptable gaming performance.

Here’s what the lineup should look like. It matches what they now have with current Sandy Bridge processors (no surprises like hex-cores or anything), but check out the TDP specs – they are lower across the board and Ivy Bridge will still outperform their Sandy Bridge counterparts in every scenario.

It all sounds very good, but Q2 seems far off – especially when you consider that this isn’t the first time Intel pushed the release date for Ivy Bridge back (fingers crossed they won’t do it again). Also, the budget minded Core i3 Ivy Bridge CPUs will come even later, we’ll only be getting Core i5 and Core i7 in Q2.

Okay, maybe Q2 isn’t as distant as I’m making it sound, but some (like me) would rather wait a few months after the debut for the prices to drop, so Q2 means such people will have to wait until Q3 to get one.

There’s no info on whether the mobile parts of the Ivy Bridge lineup have been delayed along with the desktop processors.