Last time we mentioned the Skyfire mobile browser for Windows Mobile handsets, we told you that this Flash-enabled browser could seriously turn the mobile-browsing game on its head. Dynamic Flash, AJAX, Java, Skyfire’s got all the angles covered. What more could you ask for?
Well, how about a review of the pre-beta software? That’s right. We couldn’t get our hands on an advanced beta copy of the Skyfire browser, but Brighthand was able to play with the browser and came way with a positive impression.
Full web-sites not only open with haste (the New York Times webpage loaded in 4 seconds), Skyfire apparently uses the iPhone-approach to mobile browsing. The full web-page (not a stripped-down mobile version) is shrunken down to fit the screen, and a simple tap-tap zooms in to a particular portion of the site. And, YouTube videos play right from the Skyfire browser.
Once the webpage is loaded, you’ll likely need to zoom in on article-text before you can read them. But, zooming in to a particular article can result in text that’s wider than your screen. Skyfire’s SmartFit feature resizes the article’s text to fit the handset’s display.
Google Maps works just like it does on your desktop. While other devices rely on mobile applications of Google Maps, Skyfire can take advantage of the online-based Google Maps full-featured interface – sweet.
We’ll be sure to write-up our take on the Skyfire beta as soon as the Skyfire team sees fit to give us a beta copy. Until then, drool over these screenshots from Brighthand (and the video, too).
[Via: Brighthand]