[josh05]

I got an email from skyfire addressing the influx of emails they get from Blackberry and android users. They picked android for development over BB for the time being because the android platform seems more promising for them. I have been waiting since last summer for the skyfire browser on BB and now I hear these tragic news! Here is the message:


I wanted to comment on a topic about which we get a lot of questions: our timing around release on Android, Blackberry, and other operating systems.* Much as we would like to provide full transparency on our roadmap, we have to keep in mind that we are a Silicon Valley start-up in a very competitive space, and we cannot give away our development plans to competitors.That said, it�s a good moment to share with people some decisions we�ve made.* We decided to place Android development ahead of Blackberry a few months ago.* We�ve since put all our efforts into Android and have some great stuff to show for it (soon!).* This required us to pause our Blackberry work for now.* Here�s why we took this approach:1. We see Android as a fast-rising ecosystem, with a rich, totally open developer environment, a healthy app market and a healthy advertising and search ecosystem.* The Android OS has a tremendous amount of interest from handset makers and carriers, and also has a strong need for making the explosion of video more network optimized (Skyfire�s wheelhouse).2. The Blackberry developer environment is not as favorable for cutting-edge application development.* The APIs are fragmented and inconsistent, and the Java virtual machine Blackberry requires is not efficient. While Blackberry users are desperate for a better browser - we know, and we hear them - we only want to bring out something that meets our high standards and is truly great.3. The timing makes sense to return to Blackberry in the future.* Blackberry has pledged to improve their developer environment in their 6.0 OS coming at the end of this year, and we can�t wait to see it.* Blackberry has said at that time they will introduce a webkit browser with server-side assist on html and text, developed based on their acquisition of Torch Mobile.* We understand it will be a long way from able to handle native Flash 10.1 and similar rich media plug-ins, and we think we can build on that webkit engine and add cloud-based new features around it. The bigger picture is that Webkit based smartphone browsers are proliferating, and we are aligning in that technology direction.* We see a lot of need to make these browsers better, and believe that our cloud platform can be the answer.** We�re looking at other Webkit platforms beyond Android already, and will share more information when we feel it�s appropriate.We appreciate the community�s efforts to help us refine our products.** We�ll definitely be incorporating feedback from Blackberry Alpha testers when the time is right � and we owe a great deal of thanks those Blackberry alpha testers for their time and input.* As you may have read, we just announced our Android alpha and got a resounding response � we heard from over 3000 applicants in just a few hours and selected 30 Alpha testers who are getting their invitations today.Look out for more exciting announcements from Skyfire soon.* Follow us on Twitter or Facebook to know as soon as new launches are available.* Thanks for your interest and support. Jeff

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[wbeckle]

I think they made some good points, and I'm sure they're not the only development team who sees things this way. I'll add that the BB OS is kinda dated and uninteresting. I think they have a good position in the market but I'm not sure they have the brains to build upon it.

[Mes3]

I agree with em. I'm jumping to Android once the pricing and dates come out on the Nexus One, Evo, and Moment 2. Might just go with a Hero if it ever comes down in price.

[spiderhider]

It's not at all surprising they went with Android (open source with a million resources) over blackberry(closed almost sandboxed OS)

[F0nage]

Skyfire's EULA is pretty scary. Good riddance, I have no intention of using it on any platform.

[wbeckle]

reading the EULA is not a bad thing but do u really choose what u use based on it? All of them say "use at ur own risk, we reserve all rights blah blah blah". don't think skyfire is that different, is it?

in any case i came across another article commenting on the difficulty of developing for BB from a programmers perspective. it was talking about the improvements made in Rim's recent developer releases. So although the article had a positive spin, the fact that Rim development is currently more "difficult" than other OSes still came out.

[F0nage]

I do read them, mostly. Skyfire openly tells you they will look at your browsing habits and can use your personal data however they see fit. That was enough for me.

[spiderhider]

I do read them, mostly. Skyfire openly tells you they will look at your browsing habits and can use your personal data however they see fit. That was enough for me.

Sounds just like Google and googlemail.

[F0nage]

Sounds just like Google and googlemail.

Agreed. I don't use them either.