Turns out Flash content is still top on the list of demands for iPhone users, as the newly minted Skyfire mobile browser — which just hit the Apple App Store this morning — has already been taken down after seeing “historic demand” and crippling loads to the company’s servers just five hours after launch.

The Skyfire 2.0 mobile browser allows iPhones to access Flash-based content by compressing video and transcoding it into an iOS-ready, HTML5 format.  The app, which sells for $2.99, was declared “sold out” after catapulting to the position of “Top Grossing App” in a matter of hours.

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A couple weeks ago, we reported on Greystripe releasing their unique rich media ad-units for the mobile Web, using proprietary “Lightning Technology” to turn ads built using industry standard Flash tools into HTML5.  Today, the company announced the new ad-units are already outperforming static banner ads by an impressive 136 percent in terms of click through rates.

The results were collected over the past two months during the beta period and since the launch of Greystripe’s mobile web ad platform, RevMax for Publishers.  Early publisher partners of Greystripe, including Yellowpages.com, Evite, Dictionary.com and CollegeHumor have already seen impressive results with the new format.  Publishers have been clamoring for mobile app ads because of their high engagement and response rates, and Greystripe is steadily proving that the same results can be achieved on the mobile Web as well.

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On the heels of advertisers expressing frustration over long delays associated with Apple’s tight control over iAd, Greystripe has announced a 5-day turnaround for rich media mobile-ad campaigns on its network.

Greystripe uses a proprietary method for delivering Flash-based creatives as iOS-compliant HTML5 to the iPhone and iPad, creating rich media ad-units that rival what iAd provides.  With it’s technology and quick turnaround, Greystripe is definitely leveraging Apple’s bad publicity to promote its similar offerings.

“For brands looking to target the back-to-school season, getting ads mobile-ready now is critical.  Apple’s iAds have recently come under scrutiny for the eight to 10 weeks it takes for an advertisement to be developed,” Greystripe said in a press release.  ”This long lag is driven by Apple’s tight control over the creative process and reliance on HTML5 for ad development.  With Greystripe, advertisers have full creative control over proven, high performance rich media ads that can be turned around in the shortest possible time and developed using industry standard Flash tools.”

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Great news for people who keep up with their favorite shows via online video: Vimeo today released its Universal Player that allows viewers to watch embedded videos on mobile devices.

It’s a move that, methinks, will help force content owners to start making their videos available to mobile consumers. Last week I opined the inability of mobile phones–even those with Android 2.2 and its Flash capabilities–to play videos on Hulu, due to copyright owners not wanting their material on the platform. But Vimeo has long been a great, er, alternative to official network video sites. (I waver on the term alternative since, rather, it’s one of the unofficial sites that got networks and production companies to realize they needed to put their materials online themselves.)

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Over the weekend I was pleased as punch when my EVO informed me that the upgrade to the latest Android OS–Android 2.2, also known by the wannabe-hip nickname Froyo–was available for the handset. I’ve been eager for the upgrade, mostly because of reports that Android 2.2 would allow smartphones to play Flash videos, the format of videos on Hulu. One more thing the EVO will do that the iPhone can’t, I cackled to myself.

Wah-wuh. I’d momentarily forgotten that Hulu’s inability to be played on phones is due mostly to content owners’ decision to make them unavailable on the mobile platform. My EVO still has full Flash capability, an improvement from the so-called “Flash Lite” support of earlier Android incarnations (not to mention Apple’s non-support of the format). But it was still a bummer not to be able to rewatch the Glee finale in bed during a bout of insomnia. And so for me, an enthusiastic mobile video and mobile Internet consumer, the new Android is about as much an improvement as the Malibu Stacy doll on The Simpsons getting a new hat.

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Mobile video is beginning to become an important aspect to rich media mobile advertising, but the underlying technology has been limiting in terms of compatibility.

iVdopia, provider of a rich media mobile ad network based in India, has just launched a solution to eliminate these issues with its new HTML5-based video platform dubbed “V5.”  The new platform allows the ability to provide a unified video ad experience across all devices and Smartphones, regardless of whether they support Flash.  iVdopia claims its the first to offer a “create once, run anywhere” tool for mobile video advertising.

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At the OMMA mobile event yesterday in NYC, mobile agency execs discussed the evolution of the mobile ad space, while offering views on how the channel may evolve in the near future following the introduction of things like HTML5 and Apple’s iAd.

Despite the hype surrounding the mobile app space, mobile agencies suggest new technologies could help “turn marketers’ attention away from the crowded branded app space.”  With surprising “anti-app” sentiment, panelists warned advertisers not to dive into the app space just yet, and instead place emphasis on formulating clear mobile strategies before deciding which channels are best suited.

“Our initial conversations with clients always start with them getting excited about applications,” said Jared Hopfer, marketing manager at mobile agency Mobext. “As an agency we have to calm them down and talk about the types of functionality that an app would offer that other experiences wouldn’t, and weigh the relative benefits.”

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