Skyfire Labs’s namesake program for the App Store may allow the owners of Apple’s mobile devices to circumvent around Apple’s blockade of Abode System’s Flash technology.

Skyfire, which can be downloaded for $3, is an alternative browsing app for the iPhone; and can play specialized Flash video from a number of popular websites. The widely-used Abode Flash technology has been blocked by Apple from its mobile devices, with the company claiming that Flash is an obsolete technology which hampers the performance of its devices.

The new Skyfire app works by sending requested videos via the company’s intermediary servers, which convert the video into a format that is supported by Apple’s mobile operating system. Users can thus watch the video from Skyfire's servers, effectively working around Apple’s ban on the use of Flash technology.

Noting that the browser runs on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, Skyfire CEO Jeffrey Glueck said on the company’s website: “Skyfire can help unlock millions of videos previously unviewable for iOS users, in a way that will be network-friendly and battery-friendly.”

However, the Skyfire app - which was available for sale for a few hours on Wednesday, and rapidly climbed to the top of the paid chart in its category - has been “temporarily” taken offline by Skyfire, referring to it as being “sold out” while the company is working “really hard” to increase capacity.