I know, I know. Flash on mobile devices isn’t what it is on desktops, which frankly isn’t that great either (as I try to write this on a Macbook Pro with memory and processor all but consumed by a Hulu video). That being said, the Skyfire browser, which was submitted to the app store today, teases us with the ability to watch shows like the Daily Show and the Colbert Report for free using Apple-approved HTTP streaming. The Skyfire browser can only do Flash video, not interactive games, ads and such. Skyfire is a proxy browser like Opera Mini (which made it through the App Store gauntlet) so it isn’t an automatic fail. Thoughts? Press release follows: Flash Coming to the iPhone? Skyfire Submits First Mobile Browser to Apple Capable of Playing Flash Video Skyfire’s Cloud Technology May End Public Standoff Over Flash on “iDevices” Mountain View, CA – August 31, 2010– Skyfire is submitting a mobile browser to Apple’s App Store capable of playing Flash video while adhering to all Apple’s guidelines regarding HTML5 open-video standards on Apple devices. Skyfire 2.0 for iPhone follows on the heels of Skyfire’s recent launch on Android, which has now become one of the most popular third-party browsers on Google’s mobile platform, with nearly a million downloads in its first three months.Skyfire 2.0 is the first mobile browser built for the social media generation and makes the mobile Internet experience faster, Flash-enabled and fun, including smart media recommendations. What’s in Skyfire 2.0 for iPhone: · Flash Video –The “Video” icon enables users to play millions of Flash videos around the web that otherwise do not play on mobile. This unlocks content trapped behind those error messages with question marks and blue Legos by transcoding the Flash content into HTML5 on Skyfire’s servers. · Related Content – The “Explore” icon brings the most relevant content on the Internet to a user’s fingertips based on what they are viewing at the time. The Explore button pulls video, buzz, news, images and other sites from the wbased on what is on the current page. Adherence to Apple’s Standards: Skyfire for iPhone was built in tight accordance to Apple guidelines, including the use of a WebKit browser core shared with Safari, and h.264 adaptive streaming. Skyfire’s famed cloud-computing technology translates Flash video on the fly from millions of web sites into HTML5 formats, and supports iOS devices via Apple’s HTTP live streaming standard. Skyfire also avoids the concerns raised in Steve Jobs’ recent essay regarding Flash on mobile devices. By optimizing Flash for iPhones and network conditions in the Cloud, Skyfire improves performance and maximizes battery life while playing video. The browser also avoids alternate runtime environments and other security vulnerabilities. “We’re excited to submit a mobile browser for iPhone and iPod Touch that addresses Apple’s concerns regarding Flash deployment on mobile devices,” explains Jeff Glueck, CEO of Skyfire. “Rather than enabling Flash, Skyfire will translate videos into Apple standards. Skyfire supports HTML5 but at the same time, we recognize that the transition to HTML5 for 100 million Flash publishers will take years. We hope to bridge that gap and solve a problem for consumers who want access to millions of previously-unavailable videos on their iPhones.” An Advantage for AT&T: Not only does Skyfire enable Flash video while adhering to Apple’s guidelines, it offers a major enhancement to video data compression for AT&T. Skyfire compresses video data by an average of 75%, reducing buffer time, enhancing battery life and easing the network congestion that has caused user complaints in major metropolitan areas. Be First in Line: iPhone users who are interested in learning more about Skyfire on iPhone should find us on Facebook, or follow @Skyfire on Twitter to stay updated or sign up for an e-mail alert as soon as Skyfire 2.0 is approved for iPhone. About Skyfire: Skyfire is the creator of the Skyfire mobile browser, and has a mission to enable the “full internet” including rich media on mobile phones. The browser won the Best Mobile Application-People’s Voice at the 2009 Webby Awards and was named a Top App of 2009 by the New York Times’ Gadgetwise. Skyfire is based in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. For more information, visit www.skyfire.com, or follow Skyfire on Twitter attwitter.com/skyfire.
