Skyfire Submits iPad Browser, New Features Beyond iPhone

By Geoff Spick (@Goffee71) Dec 17, 2010

Skyfire (news, site) expands its range of browsers to the iPad and brings more features than any of its mobile cousins.

Flashy Stuff

Skyfire gained instantly popularity (and notoriety) for being a paid-for browser (you can make money from browsers now?) that appeared on the Apple Store but vanished soon thereafter as it was unable to handle user demand. That demand came from people wanting to see Flash video web content play on their iDevices and Androids.

The small print alongside the app also said that it wasn't really for the iPad and that a specific version was coming. That version is now here, dedicated to the iPad and offering more social features and, as befits, a bigger browsing space.

iPad Power

With iPad likely to be one of the hit presents this Christmas, any app with a unique feature should do well. For a start, it ties in neatly with your Facebook account via Facebook Connect, rather like the desktop Rockmelt browser we covered recently. Pages also have a Facebook like link tacked on, so you can inform your followers instantly.

It also handles Twitter via a Quickview, and Google Reader to keep tabs on your friends and other popular social apps. Most of the features are accessible from a row of buttons at the bottom of the browser, as seen in this video.

A New Web Experience?

There is also a feed reader, lovingly called Fireplace, to keep tabs on what's happening on sites across the web without having to visit them. But the big draw is the ability to play Flash video — you should note that it doesn't play Flash games or animation however. The new browser compresses that video data by around 75%, reducing buffer time and saving battery life.

Packed with neat little features and with the allure of its Flash-playing status, Skyfire for iPad is awaiting approval with Apple before put up on the store, but stands a good chance of being one of the most popular downloads as users clamor to enjoy more video on their iPads.