In the wake of my look at Windows Mobile 6.1, I’ve gotten several emails from people recommending the Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile. I’m surprised to say I’d never heard of it before. But it looks very interesting:
Skyfire is a free, downloadable mobile web browser that allows you to experience the internet on your phone exactly like on your PC. Now, you can use the full web from your mobile phone with unprecedented speed and simplicity – without the typical restrictions and limitations that current ‘mobile web’ efforts offer. It’s “The Web”, not some mobile web.
Mobile browsing exactly like your PC
With Skyfire on your phone you can for the first time ever shop, watch web video, listen to web music and stay connected on your social network -- just as you would on your PC. We're talking about full-featured PC versions of your favorite websites. Skyfire gives you speedy page loads, full audio, images and video. From Myspace, Facebook, YouTube to Hulu - it's the full web experienced on your phone.
The real web, served-up right
Unlike other mobile browsers, Skyfire supports the desktop version of Adobe Flash applications so sites, including those that serve-up video and music, are rendered exactly as you would expect - just like your PC. You will instantly recognize the content, be familiar with the page layout -- which is not true for most mobile browsing experiences. We support all that's good about today's web - not just Flash, but also Silverlight, Ajax, QuickTime and more. And even better: Skyfire evolves with the newest capabilities without you having to do anything.
Go anywhere, see anything
Not only do we deliver video and audio, we also deliver everything else you routinely do on the web. Get maps, check sport scores, view weather forecasts, read the news, check flights, and stay active on your favorite social networks. From the Top 10 of websites all the way down to the obscurest of pages - you'll do it all from your mobile phone just like you do on your PC.
Blazing fast
Skyfire is faster than any mobile web browser you've ever used. You'll load web pages as fast as your PC and eliminate the long delays and error messages you get with other mobile browsers. Don't take our word for it, check out this bake-off by Laptop Magazine and see how we handily outclassed the iPhone 3G.
Easy to use
It's easy to experience the PC web on your phone with Skyfire's clickable content and intuitive navigation. We know it's a small screen and that's why we made navigating intuitive with full screen, thumbnails and adaptable zooming modes. You simply and quickly get to exactly where you want to be on a page - navigating at speeds that make the experience enjoyable.
Quick content and simple search
All the places you routinely visit are a click away. We have handy links to popular websites on the start page. Your bookmarks and your browsing history is just a click away. Better yet, you can even bookmark your specific view (zoom level, position) of content on a web page to get exactly to the right place in one click.
We made search simple. Use our nifty SuperBar to perform a search or enter a URL from a single field. We even suggest the most commonly used search keywords as you type. Plus the search results are from Google and Yahoo and are presented in easy to read tabs for each category: web, images, and videos, and maps. Simple and it's all a click away.
Plenty of handy features
We're always adding new features as we roll out our beta releases. Recently, we made it easy to share and easy to find mobile sites.
Discover something on the web that you want to share? Now you can send it to your friends from Skyfire via a text message. We even shorten the URL to easily fit into a single SMS text message with room to spare for your own words.
Don't like the big web page on your small screen? Want to go to the mobile site instead? If we find a mobile version of the same site, Skyfire lets you know - then you decide if you want the mobile or full website. Simply look for a 'Mobile Version' link at the top left of a page. Skyfire even renders iPhone specific web sites nicely.
On the phone you own - and free!
You can load Skyfire on your existing Windows Mobile (version 5 or 6) or newer Symbian Series 60 phones in a few steps. In a matter of minutes, you can install it either over the air or via your PC. It's free - what more can we say. No need to buy an expensive new phone and get locked into a new contract just because you want a better mobile internet experience.
Other options include both Opera Mobile and Opera Mini, one of which is a paid retail product and the other which is free but limited. Skyfire appears to be a superior alternative, but any of these is better than Pocket IE or whatever they’re calling it these days.
Thanks to everyone that wrote in about this.