Skyfire mobile browser 0.8 reaches public beta, still rocks
By Sean Cooper 
posted Sep 24th 2008 9:22PM
posted Sep 24th 2008 9:22PM
posted Sep 24th 2008 9:22PM
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Still no tab supports? Boo!
Is it a universal Browser?
will it work on My Blackberry Curve? what about regular phones?
winmo and s60 only
Crashed a lot on my N95-1. Plus it broke Quake :( (installed a different version of PIPS)
still no support for browsing using a proxy huh? If only they would include that this browser would really rock.
always made my tilt run hot. now that i've loaded 6.1, i'm thinking of passing up skyfire...
same with my Q9c. it would also drain a full battery in like a half hour. i like what it can do but i fear for what it could do to my hardware.
Maybe you should mention in your article that it's only for US users so far... :(
The forum mentioned this version is only for users "well, if your phone number starts with a 1," meaning US carriers only.
From what I remember you have the option to confirm the signup via email OR sms. So just use a fake USA number to sign up with and just confirm it via email.. see if that works.
I have it on my htc 8125 winmo 5, and it works great. I have had the 0.6 beta version and have had no problems at all. I love it even more now that i have put 0.8 on the phone. It loads pages faster then any of the other browsers i have tried. I cant wait to see how they make it better
how did you get 0.8? i still only see 0.6
yea im in the beta and when i loaded up, it still says 0.6. cant find an update button but it looks like its different since i last loaded it anyway.
Nice, but not quite there yet:
Needs:
- SmartFit feature doesn't work (at least nothing noticeable on sites like gizmodo.com)
- Needs kinetic scrolling
- Needs a more granular zoom function. Both Opera and Skyfire seem to suffer on this one. Try the HTC Album zoom method on the diamond. Clockwise finger circles on the screen zoom in, counter-clockwise finger circles zoom out. Make it smooth and realtime as you are making the circles and you will have a winner!
- When zooming in, skyfire should really shift the text into the window like Opera does. Maybe thats what the SmartFit feature is supposed to do when it works.
Nice job otherwise! Its speedier than Opera in most cases.
If you have .6, how do you upgrade to .8? I logged in and requested an SMS, but the URL sent opens a page to download and install .6 not .8. Any insight would be appreciated.
.8 is WM only. If you're running Series 60, you're going to have to wait.
I have been using Skyfire Beta 0.6 on my ATT 8125 with a WM6.1 ROM.
I just had Skyfire send me a link via SMS to download the new beta. The link takes you to the 0.6 Beta download. File name: Skyfire_6843_PPC50.CAB
When downloading to the PC it is the same file. Where is the 0.8 Beta located. Can someone post a link?
False Alarm. The flie: Skyfire_6843_PPC50.CAB
is in fact the 0.8 Beta. The _6 part made me think it was was the 0.6. All is well. It works great. I also like the search / web address bar that you can choose to install on your home screen.
love the updates can finely use skyfire to download stuff the update seems to run better than the old one on my mogul the new web bar is awesome ant the improved text entry is great
Hasn't this browser been "about to come out" for like a year now? I remember being stoked about it coming out when i first got my ATT Tilt last october, if i remember correctly. By the time this damn browser comes out it will be obsolete... It's a shame too because every good browser for windows mobile seems to never actually come out. I remember how long i waited for the new opera mobile (which is finally out, but it took FOREVER). I got so sick of waiting for a good browser to hit windows mobile i finally gave up and got an iphone in like march. It has lots of issues and i'll probably jump ship to Android as soon as some more phones are avaliable, but mobile safari still beats anything my windows mobile friends have shown me.
This beta might finally be alright but how damn long has it been? And its still hard to find phones with a good capacitive screen, resistive blows even if you manage to find a good browser.
-Taylor
It really bothers me that to download this software your required to give both you email and your mobile phone number. If they are trying to gain market share why not give it out to anyone who asks? I will not give out my contact information until I have tried and enjoyed a product. (I really hope the skyfire programmers read this)
I love most of the new features... Great Job. I need to know why my phone gets Hot when I use Skyfire.
Does skyfire work well enough to watch a couple episodes of family guy on Hulu? What about pandora?
Skyfire 0.8 is arguably the best browser for Windows Mobile at this point. There needs to be a way to adjust volume in browser though for phones that don't have external volume controls.
new vartion plz