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Topic: Enterprise Software

Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

Summary: Adobe Flash is finally coming to the iPhone ... thanks to Skyfire.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

Adobe Flash is finally coming to the iPhone ... thanks to Skyfire.

Skyfire is a web browser for the iPhone platform, but with a difference. It offers the ability for iPhone users to view Flash video content by transcoding it into HTML5 on the fly. Skyfire for iPhone was built in accordance with Apple guidelines, including the use of a WebKit browser core shared with Safari, and h.264 adaptive streaming and has been approved by Apple for inclusion in the App Store.

As well as transcoding Flash video, Skyfire offers several features not offered by the built-in Safari browser:

  • Related Content – The “Explore” icon recommends relevant content (news, video, tweets, etc.) based on the page they’re viewing at the time.
  • Sharing – The “Share” icon lets users share any article or video easily with their friends on Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.
  • User Agent Switching - load pages for either mobile or desktop.

  • Privacy - Keep your browsing private, with no data trail.

Skyfire will be hitting the Apple App Store this Thursday, priced at $2.99.

Topics: Enterprise Software, Apple, Browser, Hardware, iPhone, Mobility, Operating Systems, Smartphones

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31 comments
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  • If you want a true Desktop browser experience, use Skyfire

    Have it installed on my Samsung Galaxy S Android.
    Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

      @Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate

      Hmmm. This isn't Adobe Flash - you know the OOP environment, it's apprently just Flash video. So no websites functioning, just the ability to see Flash videos.

      Woopty do ;-)
      tonymcs@...
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

        @tonymcs@... That's still something!
        The Star King
        Reply Vote

  • Well we will see if it gets approved from the almighty...

    Steve.
    mrlinux
    Reply Vote

    • Flash IS NOT running on the iPhone.

      @mrlinux
      All of the rendering occurs first on the Skyfire proxy server and is then painted to your browser.

      In practice it is as good as your Desktop browser experience.
      Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

        @Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate Where did you get the idea it is rendered by a proxy server ????
        mrlinux
        Reply Vote

        • Semantics. Video is rendered by a Skyfire server.

          @mrlinux

          Read up:
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyfire_%28web_browser%29
          Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate
          Reply Vote

    • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

      @mrlinux First paragraph, last sentence, ding dong.
      I12BPhil
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

        @I12BPhil 1st paragraph last sentence, it does not mention this fact.
        Skyfire for iPhone was built in accordance with Apple guidelines, including the use of a WebKit browser core shared with Safari, and h.264 adaptive streaming and has been approved by Apple for inclusion in the App Store.
        mrlinux
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

    So it goes through a proxy server where they get to record all of my web activities? Why would that be appealing?
    txscott
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

      @shollomon

      Skyfire collects no information relating to the real identities of users (we don't collect ever names, addresses, emails, or phone numbers). We have never sold information about our users. Our business model very publicly is to develop data and video optimization technology to license to wireless carriers and handset makers to improve network efficiency. Consumer trust is essential to our business, and we go well beyond privacy norms in maintaining our systems as fully anonymous, without any login or identity data collection or storage.

      Further, Skyfire 2.0 is not a proxy browser. Rendering is done locally by webKit on the device. The cloud "booster engine" only steps in when there is a video that would not smoothly play without our cloud, or when the user engages with the toolbar.
      Skyfire for iPhone
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

        @Skyfire for iPhone Hi there, thanks for joining in the discussion. So what actually happens when Skyfire encounters a flash video on the page? I guess it will only work for flash videos encoded with H.264? (with Flash as the container)
        The Star King
        Reply Vote

    • Compared to Android

      @shollomon Who records everything you do on the device .... including GPS location???
      wackoae
      Reply Vote

    • Tracking

      @shollomon You mean like Google? Not only does Google track all web activities from their search pages but they also transform all hyperlinks embedded in emails going to your Gmail account - they modify the links to go through their redirection page so they can even record what links you follow from within your email - and of course they read your email so they can dynamically display relavent (or at least what they think is relavent) advertising
      archangel9999
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

    This articles title is misleading. It should be "Adobe Flash traslated into HTML5 via Skyfire coming to IPhone".

    That's nice and all but can they translate 100% of the flash websites out there? If it can, thats awesome...but I doubt it.
    cybr2th@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

      @cybr2th@... Hulu is reportedly blocking this feature from rendering its Flash videos. It would seem that Hulu wishes to promote its own Hulu Plus service.

      Also, I heard that Flash games are really not supported.
      kenosha77a
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

    I failed to mention that in addition to Skyfire selling information about your web surfing to advertisers, you can forget about running any kind of adblocker on this browser.
    txscott
    Reply Vote

    • And how is that different from using an Android device?

      @shollomon Not that I agree with what happens, but how is that different from using Android (with all the spyware built into the kernel) or using Facebook or playing Farmville?
      wackoae
      Reply Vote

  • Hey, good to have that privacy feature with all the Flash videos.

    Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.
    Userama
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Adobe Flash coming to iPhone, thanks to Skyfire

    Won't this app be rejected by Apple because it duplicates functionalty that is already available on iOS?
    James Bomb
    Reply Vote
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