I just discovered the most fabulous browser. I never pay full price for anything other than my Big Fish addiction (just our little secret), but I took the plunge and payed $5 for Photon Flash Video Player & Private Web Browser for the iPad (iPhone version is $4), and color me impressed. I have used Skyfire for the same reason for some time now, but it has its limitations. You can’t play Flash games using Skyfire, and not all Flash video is playable. Just the sites that Skyfire is hooked up to (which is quite a few to be fair). So far, Photon is working in all the ways that Skyfire cannot.

Before buying, I tried out my abnormal psychology site that runs on Flash in Skyfire and it was a no go. Using Photon, I was able to connect with no problem. Anything that means I don’t have to turn on a computer is a good thing. That makes Photon a very good thing!

After buying Photon, I also tried to hook into several Facebook games to see if they worked as stated, and so far, so good (as you can see in the picture). To bad I deleted all my farms and pet houses ages ago when I discarded my computer and went full time with the iPad.

And, Photon is no one-trick pony. It is really a full featured web browser with all the bells and whistles. You can choose tabs or windows, go full screen by pressing the square button at the far right, create and manage bookmarks, and adjust settings within the app itself. Pretty sweet!

If it streams in Flash, Photon can play it. Be it websites, apps, video, games, or music, Photon just works. All you have to do is push the lightening bolt, and then the magic happens. Photon gives you the latest in Adobe Flash player support.

You can even view Flash video or a game on one half of the screen and browse another website on the other half of the screen. It’s as easy as switching from tabbed browsing to split browsing. And, if you want to go really extreme, switch to Trio browsing (3 screens) or PIP browsing (picture-in-picture).

Just a note. There are a very few sites that do not accept apps like Photon. Hulu is a very big example. And, you will get the best experience over wifi. Speeds using 3G may not be the best for Photon.

Other features include:

• Private browsing, which clears the browser of cookies, history, and caches upon exit.
• Be anonymous while browsing.
• One toolbar to search and to enter an address. And, it offers suggestions based on your history and keywords.
• Share content via email or Facebook.
• Control screen brightness within the app.
• Turn on rotation lock within the app.
• Personalize the colors of the browser.
• Print pages using AirPrint.
• Adjust the bandwidth according to your network speed within the app for the best Flash experience.

I may have found a Safari alternative that I just can’t live without. Photon has found a place in my iPad dock on day 1, which is pretty impressive.

That’s it for me today. I’m off to do school, addictively surf Pinterest, and just play with apps so I can write another post for all of you tomorrow. Until then, …