Skip to main content

Skyfire Shows iPhone-Like Browsing for Windows Mobile

Skyfire says its mobile browser makes the Web experience like on Apple's iPhone -- on Windows Mobile smartphones. Unveiled at DEMO 08, Skyfire says its mobile browser can even use Flash, Ajax or Java technologies thanks to pages reformatted by Skyfire's servers. Skyfire says the technology for Windows Mobile provides "real Web" support.

In a development that makes clear the revolutionary impact of Apple's iPhone, a start-up company unveiled at the DEMO 08 conference a new mobile Web browser that may bring iPhone-like browsing to phones running Windows Mobile 5 and 6.
Skyfire, currently in private beta, makes mobile browing "just like" using the Web on a PC, the company said, even if sites are built with Flash, Ajax or Java technologies. What's more, the company said, smartphone browsing isn't any slower than browsing on a computer.
And just like on the iPhone, users can watch YouTube movies, interact with social networks and listen to streaming music, the company added.
'Real Web' Support
"For too long consumers have been promised the 'real Web' on their phone, only to be disappointed by slow rendering, error messages, no Flash support, watered-down WAP pages or second-rate mobile versions of their favorite site," Skyfire CEO Nitin Bhandari said. He added that Skyfire eliminates all those frustrations "at a speed not seen before." The Skyfire browser, he said, will "fundamentally change" how people use smartphones.
Chris Shipley, executive producer of DEMO, called Skyfire a "simple and elegant" product that addresses "one of the biggest pain points in the mobile experience today."
Skyfire's ability to let smartphones handle video could be a milestone in the growth of rich media on the mobile platform, currently at only 18 percent, said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst for M:Metrics. "Technologies that improve the user experience of mobile applications will bolster the adoption of mobile media as it becomes increasingly mainstream," he said.
iPhone-Like Browsing on 3G
Apple developed a special version of its Safari browser for the iPhone. While major handset makers like have rushed out iPhone copycats with touch screens and MP3 players, they have so far failed to match the iPhone's seamless Web browsing.
Coupled with a data plan from AT&T, Apple's exclusive carrier partner, iPhone buyers can browse the same Web sites they view on computers, not dumbed-down versions tweaked for mobile browsing with such technologies as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
But one of the major gripes of iPhone owners is that they are locked in to AT&T's poky Edge network. Buyers of Windows Mobile smartphones, on the other hand, can use the carrier of their choice, and many of those phones work on speedy 3G networks.
Protocol is Key
How does Skyfire do it? In press interviews, Bhandari said Skyfire spent the past 18 months developing an efficient protocol that Skyfire servers transcode every web page into. By having the servers recode the pages into a format the phones can handle, users experience fast, rich Web browsing.
"The delay added by the server is actually such a small percentage of the time we're actually saving ... that it's actually a huge benefit in the end-user experience," Bhandari said.
Skyfire plans to release a version for Nokia's Symbian platform within several months and support for other platforms is in the works. Bhandari said the company may develop versions for Google's Android platform and the iPhone as software development kits become available. As always, search and advertising are potential revenue models.

Popular posts from this blog

Test New ALFA-AWUS036H v.2 (1.000mW) VS ALFA-AWUS036H v.1 (500mW)

- Recently emerged the New ALFA-AWUS036H v.2 (1.000mW), and these are the tests. TEST WITH NETSTUMBLER 1) usb da 100mW chipset railink 2) usb da 200mW chipset railink rt73 3) intel 2200 b/g con connettore esterno rp-sma 4) Alfa-AWUS036H 500mW 5) New Alfa-AWUS036H V2 da 1.000mW

Creating A Cheap Bluetooth Sniffer

Many papers and posts on internet forums have commented on the success of turning normal everyday bluetooth USB dongles ($10), into their more powerful counterparts that allow the capturing of packets from the airwaves. These more powerful USB dongles are usually sold at a much higher price ($10,000) together with the software to drive and control these devices. The problems associated with BlueTooth sniffing You cant simply just purchase the dongle with the alternate firmware. There is next to no real opensource packet capture program for the bluetooth protocol. Hardware & Limitations Chipsets: Whats the difference? The chipset of the Bluetooth USB Dongles are very important. Broadcom chipsets are cheap hardware and are deemed unsuitable devices for this paper. But unfortunalty nowadays, every manufacturer seems to prefer putting these chips in their products compared to the more reliable Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) chipset. If your lucky enough to find a dongle with a CSR chips...

ALFA-­AWUS036H & ALFA-­AWUS050NH INSTALLING/UPDATING DRIVERS RTL8187, r8187, RT2800usb on UBUNTU

NOTE: For surfing Internet with ALFA-AWUS050NH on Ubuntu Jaunty with rt2870sta driver, you must use the Kernel "2.6.28-11-generic #42-Ubuntu", without change or updates the drivers modules. NOTE: The tutorial is not related to Ubuntu karmic. Driver RTL8187/Stacks-­mac80211 (ref. ALFA-­AWUS036h) ­- These drivers, for surfing Internet, are more stable than r8187, and fully compatible with Network-Manager 0.7 installed by default on Ubuntu 9.04. Network-Manager 0.7 installed by default on Ubuntu 9.04. ­- Supports all encryption without problems. (OPEN, WEP and WPA/WPA2) ­- With Compat-Wireless, the "injection" working, but for support “Fragmentation attack” (opt. -5) you need to install one patch. - The RX sensitivity and packets injection is less, related to drivers r8187. Driver r8187/Stacks-ieee80211 (ref. ALFA-AWUS036h) - This driver is recommended for use with the Suite of Aircrack-ng, but not particularly suitable for Internet connections, as less stable and disc...