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Skyfire for iPad hands-on (video)

Sam Sheffer — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

What's better than using Skyfire on a 3.5-inch screen? Using it on a 9.7-inch one, of course! After tinkering with the new iPad browser, we've noticed that it has the same feel as its iOS brother and Android cousin, with a modified look to it. Features like private browsing, mobile or desktop view and bookmarks remain present -- and rest assured, the ability to watch Flash videos is still as easy as tapping a button. What's perhaps the most salient addition in this rendition is the social network integration. When the app is opened, you'll notice right away that it's got eight buttons along the bottom, four of which are Facebook related. These buttons, referred to as "quick view" by the peeps at Skyfire, give you, well, a quick view of the button you've tapped. For example, when the Facebook button is pushed, you're presented with ~~a trimmed down~~ the mobile version of the social network. The same goes with Twitter and Google Reader. The app also features Fireplace, which allows you to view specifically the links your Facebook friends have shared, and 'Popular', which shows all the related links your friends have shared based on what website the browser parked on, and of course a dedicated 'Like' button. The Share function lends you an easy way to share links via various popular networks.

As for the browsing experience itself, the devs at Skyfire did a great job ironing out the kinks that we stumbled upon in the iPhone version. Pages render nicely and quickly, pinch-to-zoom works as well as it does on Safari, scrolling is buttery smooth and Flash videos play noticeably quicker in comparison to what we experienced on the iPhone. The app is sadly not available in the App Store just yet, but hang tight, it's been submitted for approval and should hit virtual shelves soon.

Update: Video's now after the break!

Update 2: We just got word that it's been approved by Apple. It'll be available tonight at around 8PM EST and cost $4.99.

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Skyfire for iPad hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire being rereleased into App Store 'in batches,' coming to other nations in due time

Darren Murph — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:36:00 EST

Good news, sick-and-tired Safari users -- Skyfire's back! Sort of. After hitting the App Store and subsequently crashing / burning under the load, the company yanked it in order to get its server situation under control. Now that it has had 48 hours to pony up for extra bandwidth (a wild guess, there), it looks as if it's ready to cautiously let even more people join the fun. The CEO has confirmed via a blog post that Skyfire will "open batches of downloads for new users over the coming days," with the first batch hitting right about now. It'll be first come, first serve, so you know what to do there. In related news, he also affirmed that it's still available to US downloaders for now, but that "additional country support" would follow shortly. Huzzah!

[Thanks, Ankur]

Continue reading Skyfire being rereleased into App Store 'in batches,' coming to other nations in due time

Skyfire being rereleased into App Store 'in batches,' coming to other nations in due time originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire for iPhone hands-on (video)

Sam Sheffer — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:43:00 EST

Although Skyfire for iPhone is almost exactly like its Android counterpart, it's still not available for download in the App Store due to server issues, so we thought you might want to see how it works. We've seen improvements on the Flash-to-HTML5 conversion servers in the past day or so, which makes watching videos a breeze. The app itself serves as a fully functional browser with the usual features you'd hope to find: bookmarking, a dedicated search bar, custom homepage, and even private browsing. Pages render rather quickly, although scrolling and pinching to zoom is a little rough around the edges. As for actually watching Flash videos, it couldn't be easier -- once you've navigated to a page embedded with a video, a popup window will appear and you're good to go. Sadly, though, the browser lacks the ability to scrub videos. But hey, if you've been waiting three-plus years to play flash videos on your 3.5-inch display, Skyfire might (or might not) be the solution to your burning desire. Be sure to check out the browser in action after the break!

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Skyfire for iPhone hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire disappears from iTunes App Store due to technical difficulties (update: 'sold out')

Sean Hollister — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 19:54:00 EST

Trying to get a copy of the Skyfire browser for your iOS device? You may not have much luck, as the pseudo-Flash-capable browser has just disappeared from iTunes App Stores around the globe, mere hours after its splashy debut. When we try to download it for ourselves in the United States we get the message immediately above, and RazorianFly readers are chiming in with reports that the app is no longer available in Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Spain and the UK.

We just pinged Skyfire for comment and they say it's not Apple's fault; demand for a Flash video workaround is apparently so high that the company's having server issues and decided to pull the app rather than introduce new users to a sub-par experience. Skyfire assures us that it's adding servers as quickly as it can, but didn't provide an ETA on when we might see the app once more.

Update: While we're not sure how an digital app can be "sold out," that's exactly what the company says happened to its $2.99 browser today -- after quickly becoming the top grossing app in the iTunes App Store, Skyfire is "temporarily not accepting new purchases" and says it will issue Facebook and Twitter status updates when the next batch of licenses is available. In other words, Skyfire's throttling the flow of purchases from now on. PR after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Skyfire disappears from iTunes App Store due to technical difficulties (update: 'sold out')

Skyfire disappears from iTunes App Store due to technical difficulties (update: 'sold out') originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire browser for iPhone hits the App Store, ready to play your Flash videos (update)

Donald Melanson — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:11:00 EST

It's been over two months since it was first submitted for approval, but the Skyfire 2.0 web browser for iPhone is now finally, officially available for download, complete with the ability to play Flash videos... sort of. To get around the iPhone's Flash restrictions, the browser actually transcodes the video in a way that lets the phone only see HTML5, and it compresses all videos by about 75 percent in the process to ease bandwidth concerns. Of course, that workaround also means that Flash video is the only type of Flash that the browser supports, and the company also notes that Hulu is currently blocked but that "scores of other premium sites are supported." Skyfire also points out that the browser has more than just Flash going for it -- it's a full-fledged Webkit browser in its own right, and packs a few other tricks like easy sharing to Facebook and Twitter, and a so-called Facebook Quickview mode. Head on past the break for a quick video overview, and hit up the App Store now to grab the browser for the "special early adopter price" of $2.99.

Update: Skyfire is now "sold out." What could that possibly mean? Find out right here.

Continue reading Skyfire browser for iPhone hits the App Store, ready to play your Flash videos (update)

Skyfire browser for iPhone hits the App Store, ready to play your Flash videos (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire for iOS gets App Store approval, available soon

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:39:00 EST

Getting something like a browser through Apple's App Store approval process can be a nail-biting experience both for the developer and for would-be users -- but now that Opera Mini set the precedent, there's little justification for denying them (assuming there's no foolishness going on under the hood). This time around it's Skyfire, submitted in early September and finally cleared by Cupertino's powers that be this week which means that it should pop up in the App Store in short order. As in the Android build, Skyfire's iOS browser does some back-end magic to convert any Flash videos that it finds embedded in web pages so that they can be viewed, a feature that could make this a pretty popular download. Keep a close eye in iTunes over the next day or two.

Skyfire for iOS gets App Store approval, available soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire submits iPhone browser for App Store approval, we wait for the Flash to hit the fan

Tim Stevens — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:44:00 EST

There was a time when Skyfire on Windows Mobile meant full Flash all the time. The 2.0 version on Android reigned that in a bit, really only supporting Flash video and little else, something Android 2.2 users no longer need to worry about. iOS users, however, do still spend their days ruing websites with such content, and so that's the market Skyfire is targeting next. The company has submitted a version of the browser for App Store approval, transcoding Flash video such that the phone only sees HTML5, with content coming in over H.264 adaptive streaming. As such, video is said to be compressed an average of 75 percent, in theory allaying any concerns about this thing being a bandwidth hog. In other words: there's no reason for this to not be approved, right? Right! However, something tells us things may not be so easy...

Update: Now with video -- watch the Skyfire crew coerce a poor iPhone into playing Comedy Central content right after the break.

Continue reading Skyfire submits iPhone browser for App Store approval, we wait for the Flash to hit the fan

Skyfire submits iPhone browser for App Store approval, we wait for the Flash to hit the fan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire 2.0 beta for Android video preview!

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:27:00 EST

We just spent a few minutes playing with the beta version of Skyfire 2.0 for Android that was released today, and we'll cut to the chase: this is easily the best browser we've used on the platform. Clearly we'll need to spend more time with it to make sure it can handle all the typical sites you'd want to visit while you're on the road -- but loading the desktop version of Engadget is always a great barometer for this sort of thing, and this browser rocked it. Rendering is about as reasonably fast as you can expect it to be (on our Snapdragon-powered Nexus One, anyhow), and everything we saw displayed spot-on perfect (save for embedded Flash, of course), but if you're in a situation where you don't need to see the full page or it looks screwy, you can toggle it to send an Android user agent right from the app's toolbar below the URL field. It works just about as well as Steel and the built-in browser on a G1 we tested, and Flash videos work just fine there as well.

The browser touts compatibility with Flash videos, too, so we headed over to YouTube to try our hand at it; it immediately detected the presence of a video and popped up the so-called "SkyBar" at the bottom of the screen, where you can press the Video button to load the video in a new window. It doesn't work embedded in the page, but considering how small your phone's screen is, that's really for the best -- you get the full-screen experience, and in our testing, it looked fantastic. One downside is that you don't seem to be able to scrub videos while they're playing, but maybe this is something these guys can get patched up for the final release. Follow the break for our full video!

Update: One annoyance we've noticed is that pinch-to-zoom works in "steps" -- it's not smooth, which makes it pretty weird to use, but remember that Opera Mini doesn't support it at all.

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Skyfire 2.0 beta for Android video preview! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire 2.0 beta now ready to set Android ablaze

Vlad Savov — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST

We've been seeing mobile browsers steadily raising their game lately, so it was inevitable that Skyfire would look to shock and awe us with its first release for the Android platform. Version 2.0 introduces a brand new SkyBar -- which ironically sits at the bottom of the screen -- providing users with a trifecta of new features. Firstly, the Video link serves as a workaround for those pesky "your phone ain't got no Flash" missives by doing server-side conversions of Flash video into universally comprehensible formats like HTML5. If implemented well, this should be a major coup for the company, particularly in light of a potential iPhone release as well. There's also a streamlined sharing feature for social networks, and an Explore function that suggests internet content on the basis of what's currently on display. We'll be testing out the usefulness of these shortly -- for now, hit the source link to get your own Skyfire going.

Update: Check out our hands-on preview of the new browser right here. Hint: it's pretty awesome.

Gallery: Skyfire 2.0 now ready to set Android ablaze

Continue reading Skyfire 2.0 beta now ready to set Android ablaze

Skyfire 2.0 beta now ready to set Android ablaze originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire boss on possible iPhone port: 'stay tuned for news'

Ross Miller — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:57:00 EST

So Opera Mini for iPhone has proved to be kind of a big deal, and that HTML-laden beacon of hope is putting a twinkle in some other developers' eyes. Take Skyfire, for instance. CEO Jeff Glueck posted this week a congratulations to the Opera team for its inclusion in the iTunes app store -- a surprise to many, us included. He also explained that "this will certainly accelerate our strategy on iDevices," and seeing as its only product is a mobile browser with Flash and Silverlight, Jeff certainly has our attention here. That said, we're not exactly getting our hopes up, especially since the App Store's rules have always forbidden any app from running a code interpreter and we don't see how SkyFire can bypass that aspect of Flash and Silverlight entirely, even though it uses a server-side rendering model similar to Opera Mini's. We'll see what happens.

Skyfire boss on possible iPhone port: 'stay tuned for news' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu finally responds to PS3 blocking complaints

Richard Lawler — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:13:00 EST

After weeks of silence, Hulu has provided some commentary on its blocking of PlayStation 3 and Windows Mobile browsers (unless you work out a way around it, of course), sending a form email back to any members the requested support for the issue that was heavy on "context" and light on answers. Without acknowledging that the company even is blocking these devices, the dispatch mentions "maximizing the content you can access as conveniently as possible in a way that "works" for the content owner." Of course that doesn't provide us any details as to which content provider(s) terms necessitated the change, or if, and in what form, we can expect easy off-PC access to Hulu's video streams to return but if you feel like navigating the fluff yourself, the letter is after the break.

[Thanks, Connor]

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Filed under: Other hardware, Internet

Hulu finally responds to PS3 blocking complaints originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire for BlackBerry reaches private beta, BlackBerry browsing a little closer to not sucking (updated: nope, still alpha)

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:02:00 EST

Still no word on when we might get our hands on a public release, but for now, MobileBurn reports that the invite-only users of Skyfire's browser for BlackBerry ~~have been upgraded from alpha to beta builds~~. Web browsing has historically been a gravely weak spot in RIM's arsenal, so Skyfire's development for the platform is being met with considerable interest -- especially in light of how well-received its builds on Windows Mobile (pictured) and Symbian have been. Anyhow, the beta bump puts us one step closer to corporate browsing nirvana, but there's still no word on exactly when the unleashing might happen.

Update: We've just been tossed an update from a Skyfire spokesperson who has told us that this is actually just another alpha build we're talking about -- not a true beta. Unfortunately, we're thinking that means we're even further out from broad availability.

Filed under: Software, RIM, BlackBerry OS

Skyfire for BlackBerry reaches private beta, BlackBerry browsing a little closer to not sucking (updated: nope, still alpha) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire browser hits version 1.0 -- but not for BlackBerry just yet

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:00 EST

Ironically, it could be argued that it's BlackBerry OS in most desperate need of a mega-capable browser right now, but to start off, Skyfire's tying up some loose ends and going gold with the Windows Mobile and S60 versions of its well-received app. Reflecting the impressive length, width, and girth of the WinMo version's private and beta periods, 1.0 is said to feature some key improvements around performance, battery drain, better navigation and a new search feature. The gold builds are available now over at Skyfire's website, and don't fret, BlackBerry folks -- we're told a public beta is next on the company's radar.

Filed under: Software, Symbian, Windows Mobile

Skyfire browser hits version 1.0 -- but not for BlackBerry just yet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire v0.85 supposedly available for worldwide consumption

Darren Murph — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:33:00 EST

Being that we're currently situated in the United States of America, we can't personally test out Decoder's claims that the latest and greatest version of Skyfire is ready for global domination, but we're taking it's word for it. Reportedly, most WinMo users and Symbian S60 owners can point their browsers to Skyfire's download page and suck down v0.85 without having to prove that they're in the US / Canada. Stop salivating and give it a go, hopefully everything turns out just peachy.

Filed under: Software

Skyfire v0.85 supposedly available for worldwide consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire mobile browser 0.8 reaches public beta, still rocks

Sean Cooper — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:22:00 EST

We love Skyfire's mobile browser, it does what it's meant to do and more importantly, it adds to your mobile web world with all the dynamic content you're used to on your desktop. Skyfire gets all this done by doing all the grunt work on their servers, then passing only the joy down the pipe to you -- so no Flash is no problem. This release piles new features in compared to the first we peeked at, and they've opened the doors wide in a public beta for all to enjoy for the Windows Mobile version -- well, if your phone number starts with a 1 -- this time. Features like contextual zoom, which figures out what part of the page you want to zoom in on when scrolling past it -- which worked really well with Viddler videos for example -- faster launch times, able to be set as default browser, search from your home screen, content download, and the list just goes on. But don't take our word for it, the price is still $free and what's to lose but a bit of time.

Filed under: Handsets, Software

Skyfire mobile browser 0.8 reaches public beta, still rocks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire for Symbian beta keys: get 'em while they're hot

Sean Cooper — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST

Skyfire's Symbian S60 browser beta kicks off today and to celebrate the event we're bringing you 100 codes to get in on the fun. On the off chance you missed the news posted earlier this week, this browser supports AJAX, Quicktime, Windows Media, and Flash -- to name a few -- all rendered and delivered to your set by a Skyfire server. So what's the rub you ask to get at these beta codes? Nothing, just plop your email addy in the comments and we'll get them out to the first 100 folks to reply. Enjoy and let us know what you think.

Update: Info has been sent, if you didn't get one, better luck next go-round.
Update: Some folks are reporting the beta code isn't being accepted. We'll look into this and try and find out what's going on

Filed under: Handsets, Software, Symbian

Skyfire for Symbian beta keys: get 'em while they're hot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire for Symbian now in beta

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:28:00 EST

While Skyfire continues to promise big things on the Windows Mobile front -- a front that needs as many high-quality browsers as it can get -- there's another beta getting underway at the company for a S60 version of its Flash-enabled web viewer. Like Opera Mini and Deepfish, Skyfire renders content server-side -- and in addition to Flash, it's packing support for Quicktime, Windows Media, Silverlight, and AJAX, so it should serve up a pretty PC-like experience. Unfortunately, that's an experience that only a select few in the private beta can enjoy at the moment, but Skyfire's now taking signups for Beta 2, so get in (or at least try to) while the gettin's good.

[Via IntoMobile and Symbian Freak]

Filed under: Software, Symbian

Skyfire for Symbian now in beta originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire browser released in limited beta

Ryan Block — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:16:00 EST

Lots of happy Windows Mobile users pinging the old Engadget tip jar tonight as the Skyfire seeds its first beta release of the browser. It's v0.5, and while we didn't get our download today, we'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

Continue reading Skyfire browser released in limited beta

Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile

Skyfire browser released in limited beta originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile is game changing, does Flash

Sean Cooper — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:48:00 EST

The Skyfire browser is set to finally bring PC-like browsing to your Windows Mobile device with crazy speeds and support for all manner of embedded content. Sure, there are ways to get Youtube and other mobile video content through proxy sites that convert on the go or with other 3rd-party applications, but this puppy does it all in one sweet and free package. Facebook and Myspace pages load up in no time, video plays in the browser, and all of this is accomplished with some server side magic on the part of the Skyfire server but is completely transparent to the user. All flavors of Windows Mobile -- 5 and 6 for both touchscreen and not -- are supported with the roadmap hinting at Symbian support in the near future. Sounds too good to be true? It is, and you don't have to just take our word for it, follow the read link to get signed up for the beta, this is something that just cannot be missed.

Update: Check the video of it in action after the break.

Continue reading Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile is game changing, does Flash

Filed under: Cellphones

Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile is game changing, does Flash originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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