Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: skyfire, mobile, browser | Themes: Software, Smartphones
15. Conclusion
Mobile browsing is becoming mainstream, thanks to the iPhone (which has only 8% of the smart phone market share, but generated 43% of mobile Web requests and 65% of mobile HTML usage as of April this year, according to analyst firm AdMob Mobile Metrics). Worldwide, Symbian phones are the most popular and generate 43% of mobile Web requests around the world, but the more powerful Safari browser on iPhone is having an obvious effect on usage. Internet Explorer Mobile is a long way behind other mobile browsers and Internet Explorer 6 Mobile will only be available with new handsets (or upgrades to Windows Mobile 6.5).
Skyfire gives Windows Mobile and Symbian users a mobile Web experience that's at least as good as that of the iPhone and with support for Flash and Silverlight, so you can use the real versions of Websites rather than cut-down mobile versions. Compressing Web pages also improves mobile browsing, which is an advantage more powerful mobile browsers won’t have when they arrive. This means Skyfire will still be attractive when Fennec and Internet Explorer Mobile 6 offer Flash browsing.
The intelligent zooming is another excellent feature for mobile browsing. It can’t solve all the problems of viewing a full-size page on a pocket-size device, but it means that viewing the real Web on your phone isn’t just technically possible–it’s actually usable.
Everything in Skyfire is a Web page, even your settings.
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Now, if only they would release an iPhone app for this...
I'm not much for windows mobile after I used the BlackJack. It tends to slowly turn to crap as time progresses. It would be really nice to see this technology on a phone that's already championed as the best phone ever (generally).
This browser looks great and does great, except for smth. that is important for a phone like mine (Nokia E51) with a smaller screen: it cannot rotate the page which is annoying esp. when watching video...
somehow i cant see a third-party app beating a native browser, then again we have firefox....
@pocketdrummer; Skyfire can't produce a version for iPhone (keen as the team would be to do it) as Apple doesn't allow other browsers on the iPhone.
@pocketdrummer; Skyfire can't produce a version for iPhone (keen as the team would be to do it) as Apple doesn't allow other browsers on the iPhone.
there are alternatives im sure of it but there more based on the integrated safari?
I wonder how skyfire stacks up against bolt? It would be nice if this worked on my 8230...
Now, if only they would release an iPhone app for this...I'm not much for windows mobile after I used the BlackJack. It tends to slowly turn to crap as time progresses. It would be really nice to see this technology on a phone that's already championed as the best phone ever (generally).
Sorry to hear of your WinMo experience. I have the 2yr old Tilt on AT&T and haven't looked back since. Had to replace only once after having dropped it...Oop's! Waiting till my November date to get my discounted TP2. Of course my WinMo is XDA hacked running SPB Shell 3.0