Android – Iphone – Applications

written by nhiepphong \\ tags: another-browser, browser, browser-changer, changer, default-browser, from-the-tabs, general reference, list, such-as-skyfire

While Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab have been all over the news, several competing hardware manufacturers are working tirelessly to get their own offerings onto the market. One such company is Research in Motion (RIM) of BlackBerry smartphone fame.

If you’ve been with us for a while you probably remember that RIM is preparing their own tablet dubbed the BlackBerry PlayBook which will be running a unique operating system (called BlackBerry Tablet OS) and will feature things like a 7-inch screen 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, an HD webcam and more. While we’ve heard of the PlayBook a good deal, we’ve yet to get official confirmation as to when the tablet will actually be hitting store shelves or how it will compete against some of its hardest hitting competitors.

Well today we are proud to tell you that a video has hit the web of a RIM employee comparing the BlackBerry PlayBook against Apple’s iPad. In the video, he shows that the BlackBerry PlayBook’s web browser loads pages much faster than the iPads – in some cases even finishing before the iPad began.

written by gunturbabu \\ tags: berry-play, black, blackberry, browser, comparison, internet, ipad, onto-the-market, permanent-link, playbook, research, rim, video

Facebook is one of the most popular apps on the iPhone, and as of today it’s getting an important privacy update. New in version 3.3.2 is the ability to change your privacy and account settings directly from the app itself. Previously, Facebook users would have to log into Facebook.com in their browser in order to change settings, but those practically prehistoric days are now far behind us.

Actually, we shouldn’t get too excited just yet as the requirement to go into the browser hasn’t been removed, but rather reworked so it’s slightly less cumbersome. Now whenever users pull up their account they’ll be presented with the ability to tap a button to chance their privacy and security settings. Once tapped, the app redirects the user to their settings on Facebook.com, allowing them to make and save changes. So even though you still have to go to the website to actually make any changes, at least now you can start the process from the app. Hopefully this will be a springboard to even more streamlined implementation down the road.

The privacy and account settings are really the only noteworthy additions in this update, as the rest of the content is just bug fixes and performance boosts. Sort of an underwhelming update really, with the only new feature only being half-implemented in a process most folks don’t use their iPhone for in the first place. Then again, after Facebook’s recent slam of Apple’s iPad as not truly a mobile device, relations between the two companies might be a bit frosty. Still, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for some sort of major update in Facebook 3.3.3, because with such a nicely numbered update we’re well within our rights to expect a major new feature.

FREE!

Facebook

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Social Networking

[via TUAW]

[ Facebook iPhone App Gets Privacy Update is a post from 148Apps ]

written by Debra \\ tags: ability, browser, facebook-com, Iphone, privacy-update, rights, user

Last week we reported on Skyfire finally launching on iOS. As was to be expected, nearly everyone with an iOS device tried to download the new browser at once, promptly crashing the company’s servers and causing all sorts of problems. Now the team is ready to try again, but this time they’re only allowing a few downloads of Skyfire at a time.

On the company’s official blog CEO Jeff Glueck announced that Skyfire will be available “while supplies last” and that the company will continually release the browser until servers near capacity, then shut it down until things clear up a bit.

“Due to overwhelming demand, we are taking this approach because Skyfire believes a good user experience should come first, and we would rather have fewer, happier customers, and add new users as we can support them,” he said. “We will open the first batches to US users only, with additional country support to follow shortly.

“Please note that there may be some initial congestion as a flood of new users simultaneously try to use the service, but try again an hour later and things should smooth out.”

Glueck is recommending that those who don’t get Skyfire right away keep checking the company’s Twitter and Facebook pages for updates on when the browser is available. Glueck is also promising to make Skyfire available outside the US as quickly as possible.

Those who have been able to use the browser seem impressed, as previously inaccessible videos now work without issue. The key is that Skyfire takes Flash videos and converts the code to HTML5, which can be read by iOS devices.

Has anyone out there tried Skyfire yet? If so, what do you think? Has it been worth the added hassle to watch video content you couldn’t see before, or is the net gain ultimately minimal?

$2.99

Skyfire Web Browser

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-11-03 :: Category: Utilities

[via Skyfire blog]

[ Skyfire Slowly Making Itself Available to iOS Users is a post from 148Apps ]

written by clamshell \\ tags: browser, browser-at-once, code, flash, html5, ios, nearly-everyone, open-the-first, skyfire, time, utilities

In a surprising move that brings us two different Flash-enabled browsers in the span of less than a week, iSwifter has launched their browser on the iPad. While at first glimpse it may seem that Apple has relented on its insistence that Flash not appear on iOS devices, the truth is a bit more complicated than all that.

First off, while iSwifter supports Flash, it doesn’t support all Flash content found on the web. Rather, only portals such as Ted Talks, Muzu.TV, Jambo Media, Green TV, All Things Science, Yahoo Blogs, WatchDoIt and Ignite Show. SkyFire, on the other hand, will convert any Flash video to HTML5 so that it can be displayed on an iOS device. Thus, while iSwifter will save you possible bugs and glitches from format conversion, it’s still not a magic bullet to get access to all the Flash content floating around out there.

In addition iSwifter also allows access to thousands of Flash-based games which otherwise might be walled-off from consumers. The ability to play Flash games on an iOS device is hidden via smoke and mirrors, where the game is actually hosted on iSwifter’s servers and players are merely streaming it from that point. It’s a similar setup to the OnLive cloud-based gaming service, just on a smaller scale.

It’s also important to note that the app is currently only available for iPad. While the company plans to launch an iPhone/iPod version soon, they aren’t yet ready to announce a release date.

While apps like iSwifter and Skyfire are helping folks slowly work around the iOS prohibition on Flash we won’t be able to truly put this issue to bed until Apple and Adobe kiss and make up. Perhaps someday users won’t have to utilize a workaround just to get access to otherwise freely available content, but until that day we continue to engineer solutions to problems that probably shouldn’t exist in the first place.

FREE!

iSWiFTER

Released: 2010-09-10 :: Category: Games

[via Venture Beat]

[ iSwifter Bringing Flash to iPad is a post from 148Apps ]

written by husain \\ tags: browser, Games, green, html5, ignite show, ipad, iswifter, jambo media, muzu.tv, ted talks, things-science