New Skyfire Mobile Browser Boosts Online Video Viewing

Skyfire released Skyfire 2.0 for Android Thursday, the latest release of the mobile browser that can play Flash videos from the Web that other mobile devices are unable to run, the company said. The browser uses Skyfire's cloud servers to translate videos into a format, such as HTML5, that's easier for a mobile phone to play.

Google has promised native support for Flash in the upcoming Android 2.2 "Froyo" release of the mobile operating system, but that's not due until sometime in May.

Skyfire said off-loading more of the translation work to the company's servers also helps save a mobile device's battery power.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Skyfire bills its software as "the first browser for the social media generation" because of its ability to bring the most relevant news, video, images and other content to users based on what users have on their current page. It also lets users share articles and video with their Facebook and Twitter contacts or via e-mail and SMS messaging with a single click.

Skyfire 2.0 offers what the company calls the "SkyBar," a toolbar that hosts key functions such as loading Flash video, provides content recommendations and allows users to share content " all without leaving the main browser page.

Skyfire 2.0 for Android is available for free at bit.ly/skyfireandroid.