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Skyfire Mobile Browser Adds Flash To Windows Mobile
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 3:00 AM on September 25, 2008
Windows Mobile only: Skyfire, a browser for Windows Mobile that supports Flash, Ajax, and many media formats, has been released for public beta downloads with an upgraded 0.8 version. The biggest interface change is a Chrome-like universal address bar, which acts as search input when non-URL text is entered, but Skyfire also added one-click SMS sharing, which auto-shrinks URLs for text message space. Our sibling site Gizmodo points out that Skyfire out-races Safari and Opera's mobile versions on the web, but mostly because Skyfire's servers are pre-optimizing common pages. Skyfire is a free download for Windows Mobile phones only.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Bennish
Posted September 26, 2008 9:53 AM
wtf? WinMo has ALWAYS had flash. Good god, Jesusphone comes out without it any everyone assumes therefore NOONE has it??? give us a break, don't be too much like your giz cousins, lh!
Angus Kidman
Posted September 26, 2008 10:08 AM
We like our Giz cousins :-) and I've certainly used Windows Mobile phones in the past that didn't support Flash -- but there's more to Skyfire than just that in any case.
zammbi
Posted October 24, 2008 10:36 PM
Windows mobile did have basic flash support from Adobe. But it only supported flash 6 or 7?. It couldn't play youtube videos or anything useful that I remember. They also never updated it, last time I looked.
I wish I could test this new browser but I only have windows mobile 2003.
Edit: this captcha is horrible heh.
Arvin Bautista
Posted 3:44 AM 25/9/08
How are skyfire offsetting the cost of pre-optimizing pages on their servers?
Arvin Bautista
David Sikes
Posted 3:42 AM 25/9/08
Looks good, does it work on VGA devices yet?
David Sikes
andrwmorph
Posted 3:41 AM 25/9/08
Its too bad my PPC has Windows Mobile 2003 :)
andrwmorph
Mrrix32
Posted 3:40 AM 25/9/08
Sounds good. Shame it doesn't work on WM2003 :(
Mrrix32
xlerate
Posted 3:32 AM 25/9/08
Great looking beta.
30+ Comments on Skyfire forum that authentication is not working.
Bummer.
xlerate
RenRen
Posted 3:57 AM 25/9/08
@xlerate: Just installed it... Caught in a log-in loop. Too bad. It looked promising, but I really don't have time to toy around with it. It's going off my phone until the official release. You think they would have crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's?
RenRen
RenRen
Posted 3:56 AM 25/9/08
@SamburgerHandwich: There's a silverlight website?
RenRen
JerryA
Posted 3:50 AM 25/9/08
I've been using this for about 4 or 5 months now. It's not incredibly fast but it's nice to watch youtube and such on the bus home from work.
JerryA
SamburgerHandwich
Posted 3:45 AM 25/9/08
It also supports silverlight, which could come in handy if you're ever on the silverlight website.
SamburgerHandwich
brownsin07
Posted 4:19 AM 25/9/08
@xlerate: @xlerate:
Got it working on my verizon moto q but have the same problem authenticating.
brownsin07
briguy73
Posted 4:18 AM 25/9/08
I just downloaded the update and like it a lot better than the last version. I like how you can now type directly into a text box now and not have a pop-up box to type in... It also has nice auto suggest feature in the search bar - similar to Google auto suggest feature.
briguy73
The_Gas_Man
Posted 4:37 AM 25/9/08
"but mostly because Skyfire's servers are pre-optimizing common pages."
No, they're compressing all pages. Just like Opera Mini (not to be confused with Opera Mobile).
The_Gas_Man
onesix18
Posted 4:36 AM 25/9/08
I've been using the beta for a while, and I really like it, but the app startup time is unbearable! OperaMini starts in like 2 seconds...
onesix18
lightmanx5
Posted 4:34 AM 25/9/08
I'm excited to try this on a planning/productivity website I use at work ([www.planningcenteronline.com])!
I also am having verification problems with Skyfire, however.
lightmanx5
SamburgerHandwich
Posted 5:26 AM 25/9/08
@RenRen: just microsoft's
SamburgerHandwich
RenRen
Posted 5:09 AM 25/9/08
It had not been working on my HTC Dash (T-Mobile) for a couple of hours after installing it. It just started working a few minutes ago, and, so far, it's pretty sweet... YouTube is now viewable on my phone. I might be able to blow off the money I saved for an iPhone on booze and women now... No, I'm not. I'm still getting an iPhone.
RenRen
Dadu
Posted 5:58 AM 25/9/08
@Mrrix32: Amen
Dadu
zormal
Posted 5:57 AM 25/9/08
They only send the download link to US numbers.
Darn...
zormal
the_Sleepwalker
Posted 5:47 AM 25/9/08
I have made the switch a few months ago. I have a Blackjack II running WM6. It's awesome. I haven't had any problems aside from when you re-launch it after it's been in memory for awhile (unused) it will close and then force you to restart. Sounds bad, but it's a small price to pay when IE Mobile doesn't render pages correctly.
the_Sleepwalker
jupiterthunder
Posted 5:41 AM 25/9/08
@lightmanx5:
Don't SPAM, please.
One of the great things about LH is that we aren't bomabarded with things we don't ask for.
No offense.
jupiterthunder
spotsphill
Posted 7:15 AM 25/9/08
@zormal: Download to your PC first.
spotsphill
stinkbucket
Posted 7:40 AM 25/9/08
Still waiting for a text message to let me log in. 5 hours, now.
stinkbucket
RenRen
Posted 8:50 AM 25/9/08
@SamburgerHandwich: Oh, I thought it would be something I should worry about.
RenRen
element119
Posted 10:09 AM 25/9/08
i'm tempted but i dont want to give them my #.
opera mini sync'ing with my opera desktop will be hard to beat.
element119
element119
Posted 10:04 AM 25/9/08
@Arvin Bautista: not sure, but opera mini does the same thing.
element119
defence5
Posted 3:39 AM 25/9/08
Still only usable by US residents I see :-(
defence5
element119
Posted 10:32 AM 25/9/08
@element119: curiosity killed the cat. waiting for my download link to come sms.
element119
GBot
Posted 3:11 PM 25/9/08
Remarkably fast over wifi, even on my otherwise anemic T-mobile Wing...
Although I use Google Reader in Pocket IE to get my internet fix 99% of the time.
GBot
XGhozt
Posted 3:57 PM 25/9/08
I had a chance to beta test this browser. Trust me when I say it's come a long way and very well done. I was able to watch a few hulu movies on it via Wifi on my AT&T Tilt.
XGhozt
vsolis
Posted 4:27 PM 25/9/08
@element119 i was in the same boat. i didn't want to give them my mobile number, but in the end, i did. i was hoping it would work with my e800 (still running winmo 2k3). as expected, it didn't even get past the install.
vsolis
ivealwaysgotmail10
Posted 5:31 PM 25/9/08
@element119: not true. skyfires servers pretty much serve ur phone an image of the area its looking at, when you move around the page it has to load it from the server not just from memory so its compltely diffirent.
ivealwaysgotmail10
virgilstar
Posted 10:50 PM 25/9/08
I beta tested this, and on WM5 (treo 700) it is like molasses. Kinda like the half-baked effort microsoft offered last year (something about fish in the name, can't remember it). Anyway, this has a lot of work if it's ever gonna get close to Opera in terms of speed and ease of use.
BTW, what's this about "bringing flash" to windows mobile. It's been around for years... you just go to Adobe's download center, and grad FLASH FOR WINDOWS MOBILE, install it, and you're all set to view flash in the regular pocket internet explorer that ships with WinMo. What's the big deal with skyfire having it built in?
virgilstar
ThoraNormish
Posted 4:59 AM 25/9/08
Work great for windows 6.0
ThoraNormish
anagy100
Posted 2:41 PM 25/9/08
The product looks nice, however you give up a lot of your privacy to them. Take a look at their "Privacy and security policy" at the bottom of the page.
You might be surprised by what they collect and use...
"Personal Information includes, but is not limited to, your name, any screen or user names, account passwords, phone number, credit card, payment account or other billing information, email address, home and business postal addresses, the model and phone number of your mobile device that will be used to subscribe to and access the Browser (your "Device") and your privacy preferences."
anagy100
XGhozt
Posted 5:17 AM 26/9/08
@virgilstar: That doesn't work for everyone. Plus, being built it as I've noticed runs a lot smoother. You're right, it doesn't compare to the ease of Opera Mini, but it's still early, and it's got some +'s.
XGhozt
LeonardAmphilochus
Posted 9:33 AM 26/9/08
Will not install on my HTC Touch Diamond which is running Windows Mobile 6.1 ...
LeonardAmphilochus
SonaliAntiphus
Posted 7:02 PM 25/9/08
No need to give them your number. Just make up a number and get the CAB-file via download to PC. And you don't have to be in the US for that either.
SonaliAntiphus
rickrollz
Posted 10:15 AM 25/9/08
@the_Sleepwalker:
Have you downloaded WM6.1? I thought the new IE was going to support flash, but apparently not. I'm going to give this program a try anyways.
rickrollz
guitarjockey
Posted 7:58 AM 25/9/08
I gotta say so far I'm loving skyfire for mobile 6. It pwns ie and opera out of the water for me. It's got everything I want and it still has a few bugs. But once they take care of the bugs it is going to be a great browser.
guitarjockey