Skyfire beta updated; one step closer to the real, real web on mobiles
Skyfire pitches its like-named mobile browser beta with the tag line, “The PC web. On your phone. Real fast.” Simple yet poignant. Many companies make similar claims yet fail to deliver. Apple, for example, had a long commercial run highlighting the iPhone’s ability to display real webpages. That’s nice and all, but try to download a file or listen to / watch some embedded media and you’re reminded pretty quickly that you’re not, in fact, dealing with the real web. S60’s browser on the other hand, while a whole lot less visually pleasing, does take things one step further. Users can download and upload files or even watch an embedded video or two courtesy of Flash Lite integration – sometimes without crashing. With the newly updated Skyfire browser however, things just got a whole lot more interesting. Skyfire claims users of its browser which recently entered open beta can “watch any video” and “listen to any music”. While the word “any” takes those statements slightly outside the realm of reality, the fact is the Skyfire browser is pretty remarkable in terms of speed and multimedia capability. Forget about YouTube videos, we’re talking full-on Hulu.com, TV network sites and more for video, and music sites that had been previously unaccessible as well. If you’re packing an S60 handset and you’re in a region where Skyfire is available (US, Canada, and UK), definitely do yourself a favor and hit get.skyfire.com from your lame current mobile browser.
Just wait for Adobe 10 for android will full not light version of flash
Still has bugs with multimedia application. Not compatible with high resolution handsets like HTC Pro, FUZE or HD.
Works on BlackBerry?
Not for blackberry Conrad! For winmo or symbian.
Just went to the Skyfire site….
Looks like BB is high on the priority list, just not supported yet.
So… maybe they’re working on it??? God I hope so. The BB Browser is freakin KILLIN’ ME…
1) You should say what version the upgrade is
2) Still not compatible with Rhapsody. Skyfire’s still a bunch of liars.
Ok, I take that back. You can’t sign into Rhapsody, but it does play music from rhapsody.com. So it kind of works.
If skyfire takes anywhere near as long to make a BB version as slingplayer has, it could be awhile(years).
Just installed it on my n95-8gb
It looks like Opera Mini with a more draconian privacy statement :/
RIM’s going to have to step up browser development. Their browsers suck big time.
One of the reasons I sold the Bold after having it a day was the teeny tiny script and right to left disapearing scroll with nothing to refer to while typing, in addition to the fact that anything on the web amounts to a stone age interface.
0.85 still chews up my battery. Anyone else seeing that?
Im not seeing that but what i am seeing is that upon installing it, it told me that im missing “OS PIPS”…which i have no idea just what the f*ck that is…lol Then during start up it aska me a hundred times what internet connection i want. I only use one. And it does this every time i start the program. Then upon exiting it would crash my OS and restarts my phone. Niccceeeee. I reinstalled it four times over the last six hours and finally it doesn’t crash my system upon exiting but it still asks me a hundred times what internet connection i want when it starts up.
Wow…Is this is the kind of progression we’re gonna have with this program i think i’ll just say goodbye while i’m ahead. It’s too bad cause its the only browser that i can comfortably surf the net with only the edge network and have impressive battery life on my e71
I’m using it on my e51 and it works great. Of course it’s still a bit buggy, but it’s still better in displaying multimedia content, than the rest of the competition.
The idea behind the browser is so simple yet logical. A server pre-fetches you query, processes all the data, and you get the image, it’s sort of a “Remote Desktop” type of thing.
If a lot of people start using it I fear it’s gonna get slower.
They will have to get a lot of computing power behind it.
You’re spot on, kozjegyzo. Skyfire is a cloud computing browser. It depends upon Skyfire staying in business and staying profitable to keep up with their server hardware. I don’t like software that possibly would stop working if a company dies. I prefer my device to handle all the page rendering instead, keeping the web easily accessed without any additional help.
Skyfire’s model still has its advantages, such as instantaneous upgrading of technology. They added Silverlight in one day without anyone knowing it because it was all on the server side. Flash11 will be there almost as soon as its public, and they can add other types of rendering tech at will. It also frees device hardware resources for other tasks. That’s why Skyfire is so fast. Its run in the cloud!
I still prefer Flashlite 3, or Flash Mobile. It is only slightly behind the latest desktop Flash, and Flashlite 4 will surely attempt to become closer in performance to Flash 9/10. It keeps the power in my hands. I can open Flash objects without any data connection.
I’m surprised you prefer Skyfire to the E71’s Nokia OSS Webkit browser. Zooming and column width are better managed visually, requiring less panning. ALL links work and are selectable. The video playback in-browser is elegant in fullscreen. Text is clearer and easier to read. Full HTML with Flash and Javascripting is possible even on a proxied WAP services connection. Maybe you should give it another look, and be careful to choose desktop and not mobile sites.
Skyfire won’t work on any proxied connections, and requires a long login to use. I can open my browser and search for a video on YouTube or Google, AND WATCH IT, before Skyfire allows you to login and complete the search. So the only use for many avid S60 users will be watching the online content that requires Flash 9 or above the default browser is incapable of showing, and only via WiFi, 3G, or non-proxied EDGE. It was nice watching the Olympic coverage via Skyfire. But T-Mobile T-Zones and similar data plan users won’t be impressed. This is mainly for WinMo’s sad browsing experience. S60 was supported mainly for its large number of sold devices.
@ christexaport
Right now I’m using an e51, but will be getting an e71 hopefully this week. I’ll try the browser in that too.
I found that Skyfire is easier to navigate than the Nokia browser, but you are right about the link selection, and the character sharpness.
I’m very fond of meebo.com, I use it as my messaging center no my pc. It dose not work with the Nokia browser, however Skyfire displays it. I look forward to my e71, and it’s capabilities.
@ kozjegyzo,
if my memory serves me right, your E51 doesn’t have the Flash enabled version of the Nokia OSS Webkit browser. Once you upgrade, to the E71, you’ll get the latest browser that allows video to play IN THE BROWSER, with an option to play fullscreen. Your E51’s browser supports certain video streams to play via the external Realplayer in low resolution. The E71 browser looks exactly like desktop Internet Explorer on 85% of the web, animations, videos and all. Most web based apps like image uploaders, etc. work as designed. Its the benchmark for mobile browsing, despite rumors that the iPhone’s simplistic Opera Mini like Safari web browser is better. Its easier and loads pages a little faster only because it doesn’t load any Flash, show any videos, animations, or javascript. The latest Flash enabled Nokia browser is better than Skyfire except in terms of audio streaming. You switch tabs by hitting 5, zoom out to see the entire page view by hitting 8, and place the view box wherever you wish to zoom in and press 8 again, or the OK/Select button. It works via simple WAP services connections, doesn’t require a login, and will work even if Skyfire and Nokia go out of business. I use Skyfire to pick up the slack on Flash9 or later content, which isn’t so often.
If you like the E51, you’ll love the E71. I hate mini QWERTY devices, but hated to return my review device. My review on PhoneReport was long and thorough because I really liked it alot. Had it had T9 and a 5 megapixel CZ camera, I would buy two!
… and by the way, meebo.com works on my N95 8gb, from which I’m posting this and all other comments on any site you’ve seen me on, including my own. The E71 has the same Flash enabled browser.
Well, I love it – fast & slick – tested on HTC TyTN II WM6, 400Mhz .. flash 9 content is awesome, zoom in/out is bit slower than opera mini, but render quality is far better than opera.
my 2 cents
Skyfire rally swallow battery energy! after few minutes of runninge.g. you tube, usually phone gets so hot and battery alarms beeps! Better stay with opera min and forget flash issue…