TeddyK
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The lack of Flash is probably the one feature that everyone points to when talking about the shortcomings of Apple’s iOS devices. That’s why it’s hardly surprising that all the other competitors push that out in the open when marketing their tablets. Those of you who have an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch might really like Skyfire’s VideoQ app to bring those Flash videos to life.
If you haven’t heard of Skyfire, it’s a California tech firm that’s created a web browser for use on iOS and Android devices. The key in the iOS browser is that it can playback Flash videos from websites you visit.
But now they’ve gone further in coming out with an app called Skyfire VideoQ, which takes Flash video from Apple’s Safari browser and converts it to the HTML5 format Apple prefers. All you have to do is surf to a web page with Flash video on it, copy the link and open up the VideoQ app. VideoQ is able to read the iOS device’s clipboard, so that it knows what you just copied. It then asks you if you want it to open up your video. Click open, and the video appears.
As cool as this is, it doesn’t quite work this way all the time. You can email a link to video@skyfire.com and it will then open it on VideoQ. But an easier way — after having watched one video — is to get rid of the app from your multitask bar, and then reopen it again after you’ve copied a link. Doing that gets VideoQ to open the link without you having to email anything. Alternatively, you can register your email address to speed up the process. Sending multiple emails with links adds the videos to a queue.
An added perk to this is the Skyfire crew figured there would be certain videos that might really popular, so as a result, many are already available for viewing. These are even broken down into channels like sports, technology, news and humor. The “What’s Hot” section has tons of videos that are just a mixed bag of stuff a variety of websites. You will probably find something in there that appeals to you, but don’t expect the world.
It’s a cool little app, and at $1.99, it’s worth the price for admission. So far, VideoQ is only available in Canada and the U.S., but other countries are expected to follow.
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