Skyfire update brings Flash support to Android

Web browser firm Skyfire has launched Skyfire 2.0 for Android, claiming that it will allow users to view Flash content, including videos and games, for the first time.

Skyfire explained that activating the SkyBar tool as part of the browser allows access to Flash videos on a web page that previously would not play by translating the video into a format the phone can host, such as HTML5 video.

Native Flash support for Android will follow in a matter of months.

Jeff Glueck, chief executive at Skyfire, claimed that the product offers a new way to make the most of the internet on a mobile device, particularly in the age of social networking.

"Skyfire 2.0 was built for the way people use social media and the web today. People start their web experience by scanning Facebook and Twitter. Our new browser allows you to open those links and view the videos that your friends have shared," he said.

The service is hosted via the cloud, and can offer faster and smoother video, and extended battery life, as processes can be offloaded to the cloud servers, Skyfire said.

Skyfire 2.0 for Android is built on a webkit platform and retains the usual Android functionality, including pinch to zoom, copy and paste, find text, and the ability to run up to eight browser tabs concurrently.

The news could be welcomed by many consumers as Apple and Adobe continue to lock horns over the lack of Flash support on the iPhone and iPad.