Updated: Skyfire Web Browser 4.0, Honeycomb bug fixes and more

by Adam Johnson on Jul 2nd 2011, 7:58am
tagged Android, Honeycomble, mobile browser, Skyfire

Skyfire is hands down my favorite mobile Android browser, and today has been updated. With features like, Facebook Quickview, Like button, Flash video w/alerts, Fireplace Feed Reader, Popular pages, and Twitter integration all on Skyfire’s customizable and unique Skybar, this browser stand out from all the rest.

If you own a Honeycomb tablet, you will especially be interested in these recent changes, as many of them apply to Android 3.0, the tablet designed mobile operating system. Check out the graphic below as it lists the latest Skyfire improvements.

Skyfire Updated to 4.0, Brings Scrollable, Customizable Skybar

by Michael Murphy on Apr 21st 2011, 11:00am
tagged browser, Skyfire, update

Skyfire has been one of the most popular browsers on the Android platform for a long time now. By using a proxy server to convert Flash videos, they were able to bring a very complete web-surfing experience before Flash was standard Android fare. And even now, they are working hard to continue to bring more features to the table. We told you last month that an update was coming, and today they launch version 4.0. Skyfire users are familiar with the “Skybar” — the menu bar at the bottom of the browser that gives access to various functions — and will be pleased to know that it’s now scrollable and customizable. Also, it now has the capability to add 8 new buttons that will integrate Twitter, Groupon, and Google Reader, as well as a “Share” button, sports news and finance feeds, and a “settings” button to allow you to tailor the browser to your liking. The video-streaming through their servers, however, will now be a “premium” feature for a one-time charge of $2.99, but existing users will be grandfathered in, and Verizon customers will have a short time to pick this feature up for free as well. Full press release and screenshots after the break.
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Skyfire 3.2 for Android, “MAJOR” Changes

by Adam Johnson on Mar 23rd 2011, 2:05pm
tagged Android, browser, Skyfire

Update: By way of one of our readers, when downloading Skyfire 3.0 from the Android Market, you will actually be installing version 3.2. You can check this by going to your Skyfire settings and looking at the ‘Skyfire Version’…Thanks Again Jimmy

As of right now we are all browsing on our Android devices (if we choose to) using Skyfire 3.0. Well via a tweet just a few minutes ago, @Skyfire announces:

So lets all stay tuned to find out what these MAJOR updates will be. I checked the Skyfire site and there is mention of 3.2, instruction to go to the Android market and download, but it’s not yet showing up. So I wait patiently. I strictly use Skyfire as my default browser. It does so much as a mobile browser. Just check out the list of features below:

Flash Video
User Agent Switching
Facebook QuickView
Fireplace Feed Reader
Popular Pages
Related Ideas
Skyfire OneTouch Search
Facebook Like Button

Stick around and watch for more information on the latest updates to Skyfire for Android, that the popular browser is calling “MAJOR”.

Firefox 4 for Android Release Candidate now Available

by Adam Johnson on Mar 22nd 2011, 3:58pm
tagged Android, browser, firefox, mobile, mozilla, opera, Skyfire

If you search the Android Market you’ll find a few decent choices when it comes to browsers. My personal favorite on my HTC Evo is Skyfire. I don’t know why exactly, but i’ve been using for a good long time since my WinMo 6.1 days. I always seem to come back to it.

Well, we now have the latest Firefox 4 RC available for our browsing pleasure in the Android market. With very competent other mobile browsers out there for Android, such as Opera (mobile/mini), Skyfire, Firefox, the stock browser, and a few other less known browsers that may fit your lifestyle, which one do you choose to go to for your mobile World Wide Web experience? Let us know in the comments below..

[via intomobile]

Skyfire Announces Major Update With New Features, and, Yep, Pricing

by Michael Murphy on Mar 11th 2011, 11:00am
tagged browser, Skyfire, update

Skyfire is about to launch a big update to their browser. Version 4.0 “Pro Edition” will feature greater customization options in the UI, and will have some form of a pricing model attached. They have not announced how much they will charge for the app, but they did state that all features will continue to be free for the current users of the existing beta version of the app. It sounds like they have great things in store, so everyone be sure and download the current version of the browser from our apps database. Full press release after the break.
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Skyfire update brings search box and improved video support

by Mikka Burrell on Jan 27th 2011, 9:37pm
tagged Android Applications, Android Market, Skyfire

Back in April 2010, Skyfire for Android launched its alpha version and quickly became so successful that alpha testing had to be shut down for some time. Since returning to Android, users have enjoyed a steady stream of updates for the Flash-enabled browser. Skyfire is certainly ringing in 2011 the right way with its first official update for the Android platform.

Skyfire’s website is reporting these improvements in the new update:

Search Made Simple: We’ve added a search box to the top of the toolbar UI – Accessing our OneTouch Search feature has never been easier.
Find great Video: Enhanced video search experience with increased content providers – You’ve got to try it! Enter a ‘search term’ and you’re watching video (Yes, the new search box works for this!).
Play more Video: We expanded our list of supported sites and video players. For example in the UK we now support the BBC iPlayer and in Canada we now support CTV.ca.
Because your time is Important: We’ve removed the need to wait for the top toolbar to load prior to scrolling. Get your browsing started even faster.
Fine Tuning: Thanks to your help and feedback, we’ve squashed a number of bugs and eliminated some crashing issues noted on various devices. Bugs addressed are in the area of: stability/crashing, downloading and saving of files.

You can download Skyfire from the TalkAndroid ApptlyAndroid database or scan the QR code below. Be sure to let us know in the comments what you think of the updates and the app overall!

[via intomobile]

Android browser speed test might help you decide which one to use

by Jesse Bauer on Oct 1st 2010, 2:37pm
tagged Android, app, browser, flash, Google, Opera Mini, Skyfire, youtube

With so many options available for browsers on Android, it makes it hard to choose which of them really deserves our undivided Googling attention.

PC World looked into that problem for us, and as you can see, there was some good competition from the stock 2.1 and 2.2 Android browsers. Alas, there must be a clear victor. Judging from what we see in the pic above, that winner for fresh loading is a browser called Skyfire 2.0, with an honorable mention to Opera Mini for loading cached sites.

Skyfire reaches 1 million downloads to hit the top .02% in the Android Market

by Tyler Cunningham on Sep 14th 2010, 12:07pm
tagged adobe flash, android 2.1, android 2.2, Android Market, Skyfire

Skyfire, the popular mobile browser for Android, has hit 1 million downloads, putting it in the top .02% of downloaded apps in the Android Market. The browser allows for the viewing of Flash video for Android phones which have not yet been updated to Froyo, and works just as well on Android 2.2 devices as well.

The browser also decodes and compresses the video on their cloud-based servers, which reduces mobile video data consumption by 75 percent. Continue below for the full press release.

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Skyfire submits iPhone friendly version to Apple; your move, Steve

by Tyler Cunningham on Sep 1st 2010, 9:00am
tagged apple, ipad, iphone, Skyfire

Well well, how the tables have turned. How the mighty have fallen. How the… oh wait, I see what you did there.

Skyfire, makers of the popular multi-platform mobile browser with almost one million Android users, have announced the submission of their iPhone and iPad version to Apple for review and final approval. You may be asking yourself, how will this browser allow Flash video to be played on the iPhone and iPad?

Skyfire accomplishes this by transcoding all of the Flash video into HTML5 on the Skyfire servers, taking the burden off the phone itself. This allows the playback of Flash on Apple devices, without what Steve Jobs calls the “technical problems” of Flash.

It will be interesting to see whether or not this is approved by Apple. Given the fact that Skyfire has been working closely with them in adhering to their strict HTML5 guidelines, all signs are pointing to yes. However, if it is rejected, it will prove once and for all that Jobs’ Flash ban is more political than it is technical.

Continue reading after the break for the full presser:

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