Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile is game changing, does Flash

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.

[Olu O @ Jan 28th 2008 10:52AM]

SICK, I'm sold!!!!! Browsing on my Kaiser will be SOOO much better now

[Dane @ Jan 28th 2008 10:53AM]

US only ... dammit.

[Ellianth @ Jan 28th 2008 11:15AM]

Page won't load. But I was all excited! Glad I read your comment, since I live in Canada.

[Alex @ Jan 28th 2008 10:59AM]

Good. Let's hope this will push Apple to release flash support for mobile safari.

[KarlW @ Jan 28th 2008 11:42AM]

flash support in safari isn't Apple's fault, it's more Adobe's fault.

Adobe stopped releasing an API for flash around version 6, so that's the highest version supported by these new browser-enabled devices (PS3, PSP). Apple just didn't bother to make Flash 6 for the iPhone, as most sites use 9, and it just wasn't worth the effort.

Since we seem to be in a age where any device that can has an internet browser, perhaps it would be wise if Adobe did start releasing an API again. Otherwise Microsoft's Silverlight (which is almost open source, with a Mono version in the works) might steal a lot of market share.

[Kris @ Jan 28th 2008 12:15PM]

KarlW, you're wrong on many levels. I won't get into it but I will say this: Safari on an iPhone is almost the same Binary that is installed in OS X which means it can easily take advantage of the existing Flash plugin.

[rlynd3 @ Jan 28th 2008 12:26PM]

Wrong!!

[SteveS @ Jan 28th 2008 1:46PM]

This makes you wonder how things have gone so far that a single plugin from Adobe can essentially make or break your internet experience (mobile or otherwise).

The quality of what was supposed to be an open, global experience is now controlled by a single entity with a proprietary product and a complete lack of motivation/care to have universal adoption of that product because (unfortunately) they have become the de facto "standard" for the web.

WTF? Is this 2008? How did we get into such a mess?

[dj-kenpo @ Jan 28th 2008 5:04PM]

anyone who's seen flash on the nokia n810 knows why not to wish for flash on the iphone.

not in it's current state anyways.

we got an 810 at work to play with at it's now in a box. it was so painful seeing ANYTHING in flash on it.

[Peter Vogel @ Jan 28th 2008 7:16PM]

KarlW -- you're completely wrong -- Adobe *donated* the entire Flash VM to the Mozilla foundation, it is available opensource as "Tamarin"

[Brad @ Jan 29th 2008 1:35AM]

Flash works on my Windows Mobile phone just fine. Just go download Flashkit from Adobe.

[t3h @ Jan 29th 2008 5:02AM]

> KarlW, you're wrong on many levels. I won't get into it but I will say this: Safari on an iPhone
> is almost the same Binary that is installed in OS X which means it can easily take advantage
> of the existing Flash plugin.

Hints for the clueless.: Mac OS X has x86 and PPC variants. The iPhone is running a cut down version of OS X, but it runs on ARM. The binaries are in fact very very different because of something called CPU architecture. The Flash plugin is therefore not able to simply be copied over. Apple cannot recompile the Flash plugin for ARM, because Adobe makes it, not them.

Lastly, the desktop Safari and the iPhone/iPod Touch Safari are actually quite different in terms of user interface - they only really share a rendering engine. Had you used them, you might see this.

So Kris, and anybody else who clicked on the + button, you might want to understand some highly basic things about computer software.

[Superprime @ Jan 28th 2008 10:59AM]

WTF? Opera has been doing this for a while

[Olu O @ Jan 28th 2008 11:04AM]

true, but you have to pay for Opera's browser. hopefully, this one will be free

[BigDaddyM @ Jan 28th 2008 11:11AM]

And Opera is not avaialable for my 8125 and I would pay for Opera!

[MattyG @ Jan 28th 2008 11:21AM]

opera is free last time i checked

[Leon @ Jan 28th 2008 11:23AM]

Being that a lot of the things Skyfire can do are from server-side loads I am highly doubting it will be free.

[Alan Strangis @ Jan 28th 2008 11:36AM]

@ BigDaddyM: You can either run the free Opera Mini (Java) on the 8125 or get a 30 day trial of Opera Mobile.

Both DO run on my 8125. I've been using the free Mini, because I like it's zoom in/out functionality better than Mobile's method (though Mini isn't as YouTube/Flash friendly).

Can't wait to try SkyFire... Opera has been so close for so long, but never QUITE right.

[Thunderbuck @ Jan 28th 2008 11:58AM]

While I like Opera a lot, Flash support has left something to be desired for me. I dislike that I've had to pay for each new version. And the way this new browser scrolls/zooms is pretty cool.

That said, being in Canada, and having an Axim PDA rather than a phone, Skyfire is useless for me... *sigh*

[Brian @ Jan 28th 2008 12:40PM]

PC version of Opera is free, but you have to pay for the mobile version.

[ToyandMe @ Jan 28th 2008 1:06PM]

I can't view youtube with Opera Mobile on my Touch. This sounds like the cat's meow.

[JD @ Jan 28th 2008 2:47PM]

As others have said Opera MINI is free and has been so forever. It works great on my 8125. Pretty much any phone with Java will run it. It's hecka fast and kills IE mobile.

Opera MOBILE is the one that costs money, but I'm not sure why you'd need it.

[amby @ Jan 28th 2008 11:00AM]

Might be my misunderstanding... but Nokia N95 phones are already doing this with the latest firmware (Flash Lite 3 support)? Or what is the difference? (Besides the one phone, Symbian only aspect ;)

[Neel Palrecha @ Jan 28th 2008 6:32PM]

flash lite is a mobile version of flash. this new browser supports full flash embedded in the browser. Flash lite is also not for embedding into mobile web sites, but it is an application platform. for example if i wanted to develop an application for the N95, I could develop it in j2me, symbian, or flash lite.

[amby @ Jan 28th 2008 8:11PM]

Ah, thanks Neel - this clarified a lot!

[Chrisphillers @ Feb 6th 2008 7:34AM]

@ Neel Palrecha - Thats not correct - the N95 8Gb (black) has flash lite 3 - ie native flash support in the browser so I can surf the full youtube.com, myspace etc. The N95 (original) doesnt support full flash like the N95 8Gb however a firmware update will be coming along soon to allow this also.

I dont know why people are going on about this so much as basically the upper end Nokia phones can do this already.:)

[Nicky-Larson @ Jan 28th 2008 11:00AM]

Yep,that does it for me .I am so so sold. Been waiting for a Browser like this for years.Watch out Opera.

[rob @ Jan 28th 2008 11:19AM]

But how do I get it?

[nd @ Jan 28th 2008 11:21AM]

you don't. it's not available yet- not even in beta form.

[bob cobb @ Jan 28th 2008 11:04AM]

Just saw this in the WSJ this morning, was just about to check it out

[bachviet @ Jan 28th 2008 11:01AM]

Now that's cool.

I am going to try it with my Nokia N5700 once the S60v3 version is released.

[gibber9583 @ Jan 28th 2008 11:05AM]

Blackberry, please?

[nd @ Jan 28th 2008 11:06AM]

"Thank you for signing up for the Skyfire private beta program. We will notify you when the beta version of Skyfire mobile web browser is ready for a test drive. We look forward to your feature suggestions, troubleshooting tips and ideas. Even with the early beta release, you'll be browsing the web on your phone just like you do on your PC."

Oh well, nothing like jumping the gun a bit...

[superfresh @ Jan 28th 2008 11:11AM]

Don't we already have this? The iPhone commerical said.

This is not a watered-down version of the internet...
Or the mobile version of the internet...
Or the kinda-sorta-looks-like-the-internet internet...
It's just the internet, on your phone.

:) Is it the Flash version of the internet?

[mike @ Jan 28th 2008 11:12AM]

Am I the only one who thinks that this a joke? Trying to view a website on the iPhone or any other device with a small screen is impossible with a browser like this. If I want the full website experience, I have a laptop for that.

[nd @ Jan 28th 2008 11:23AM]

maybe not the only one, but i don't fall into that camp. i use the browser a ton every day on my winmo palm device. having a browser that does flash would rock. have you used internet explorer on a winmo phone? it's better than you might think...

[Michael Chastain @ Jan 28th 2008 11:24AM]

The small screen can be a challenge, but it's better than nothing. Do you have your laptop with you when you're at a restaurant and want to check movie times? When you're in line at the grocery store and want to check sports scores? When you're shopping with your wife and realize you forgot to transfer money to your checking account?

[mike @ Jan 28th 2008 11:26AM]

I do have Windows Mobile AND Palm PDA devices and use the web on them a lot. I am saying I prefer the mobile web then full web on a PDA or Phone. Pages load a lot faster. Yes, FLASH is a good thing but Safari like on the iPhone is not!

[superfresh @ Jan 28th 2008 11:30AM]

yes, you're the only one that thinks it's a joke.

[Chris @ Jan 28th 2008 11:39AM]

It depends on what you're doing. I don't believe the iPhone was designed to be a replacement for your desktop browsing, or designed for extensive use on complicated websites. It was designed to give you the ability to quickly check something on the internet when you're bored or need some quick information and aren't by a computer. Most sites even at their most zoomed out setting are still readable enough to find what you're looking for. I have found that most blogs show up wonderfully on the iPhone. Engadget certainly does. I can fully read the text comfortably without having to constantly be zooming in and zooming out, or moving left and right to read things. It all just works. And most blogs are low enough in file size that they load decently fast over EDGE. The other area I use it for is Google searches, wikipedia searches and dictionary searches for games of strip scrabble. For simple tasks like that, the iphone is incredibly handy. I wouldn't recommend it for extensive browsing, but for simple tasks like blogs, google, wikipedia, certain news sites, e-mail and even checking a webcomic, iPhone is an awesome tool to have, and the fact that it does display the internet with such fluidity and grace, makes the experience a lot easier to understand and navigate. I used the internets on a windows mobile smartphone for over a year, and it made browsing very difficult because of the way it stacked content vertically. there was no way for me to zoom out and just to a quick scan of a site. I had to scroll for 10, sometimes 20 seconds to find what I was looking for on a page. With the iphone, i can just zoom out and find it in a second, double tap to zoom in directly on it, and I'm good to go.

[Ellianth @ Jan 28th 2008 11:40AM]

Say you forget your laptop and need to view a page properly?

[ej @ Jan 28th 2008 12:59PM]

This morning I renewed my insurance premium as I walked out of the door with my iPhone. It's lunch and I'm in a burger joint checking the status of a package on the Fedex website, reading Engadget, checking news and replying to you from my phone (I'm a bit information deprived since I'm in jury duty).

The idea of going back to my old Razr is the joke to me!

[SM @ Jan 28th 2008 11:16AM]

Now this is really sweet, I can finally go for a windows mobile device. A real big change for good if this thing delivers what it says.

[Scott @ Jan 28th 2008 11:23AM]

From their Privacy Policy:
"Once you have subscribed to and begin to use the Browser, we will collect information about your use of the Browser on your Device (“Browser Usage Information”). Browser Usage Information includes such information as which websites and programs you access or download on your Device, how long you visit such websites and use such programs, your activities (such as products purchased or advertisements viewed) on such websites, which specific areas of a website or webpage you use and for how long, websites you bookmark, search terms you use, referring/exit pages, browser and platform types, the geographic location in which your Device is being used and information you provide on third party websites. All of your Browser Usage Information is stored by Skyfire under an automatically generated, random identification number (“ID Number”) that will not be associated with or linked to your Personal Information. Please be aware, though, that your Browser Usage Information, when viewed in the aggregate, may reveal your identity even if it is not associated with or linked to your Personal Information."

In other words, when you use our browser, we track everything you do, and assign an "anonymous" ID number to that information. And oh, by the way, the "anonymous" ID number may be linked to your identity.

[Nicky-Larson @ Jan 28th 2008 11:41AM]

Thanx Man,I did not take the time to read that
It's highly appreciated

[Tom @ Jan 28th 2008 11:40AM]

Well, that just means I won't be doing anything illegal on my PDA anymore...

(Like I was in the first place..?)

[gibber9583 @ Jan 28th 2008 11:42AM]

By reading this, it makes me think this will be free. They need to make money, and this looks like there way of making it.(not identity theft, but good demographic info)

[Joshua @ Jan 28th 2008 12:05PM]

aT LEAST THEY ARE HONEST ABOUT IT

[Joshua @ Jan 28th 2008 12:06PM]

At least they are honest. You'd be naive to think Opera, Safai or IE don't track your every move.

[John @ Jan 28th 2008 12:36PM]

yeah... it would be horrible if there was some number that was related to all the things you did on the internet. Some sort of internet address, maybe? Man, thank god we don't live in a world like that - I'd bet that if it had been introduced, we'd be working on version 6 or something.