Skyfire update adds social networking

Skyfire's mobile browser is nearing full release

Skyfire has updated its namesake mobile browser to better support social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The browser is still officially in beta, but version 0.9 adds a new FriendFeed-like starting portal giving users direct access to their chosen RSS feeds, as well as those from their Facebook and Twitter accounts. In addition, users can update their Twitter or Facebook status directly from Skyfire, the company said.

Skyfire uses a proxy server to accelerate web viewing, pre-rendering pages before compressing them for speedier delivery to a user's handset.

Several browsers, such as Opera Mini, use the same method, but Skyfire supports web sites with active content such as Flash, Silverlight, Java and Ajax, enabling users to view YouTube videos on their phone, for example.

Other improvements address text readability. Skyfire now automatically adapts the font size within large articles in web pages so that users can read the text with much less horizontal scrolling.

Skyfire still supports Windows Mobile and Symbian handsets. With Windows Mobile, the new release now supports all regular screen resolutions from 240 x 240 up to 800 x 480 and a broader range of handsets. The Symbian client now has a simplified install and the 352 x 416 resolution found on Nokia's N80 handset.

Skyfire declined to say when the full release version will be available, but a spokesperson said that it is "imminent".