March 2009

Skype 4.0.0.215 light installer package doesn't include Extras Manager. We are working on fixing it. Next hotfix release will include the EM.

In the mean time we would like you to download the Skype with full installer.

Download Skype 4.0.0.215 full installer from this link - http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-full.
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Edited on 19.03.2009

This issue has been fixed in Skype 4.0.0.216 for Windows.

Some say Silence is the voice of complicity. I share the point that SDP as some of you knew has been a bit too quiet lately. But again, it does not mean at all we all left the Skype developer community or are working on projects that are not related to serve and support the developer community.

Actually we have improve and increase the team (I will let wolli commenting on that later I'm sure).

Many projects for developers are planned and on track to be delivered this year from our team (too early to share) but you know how much we like to share, so stay tune!

But for now, I thought I should thank someone most of you (Extra vendors) work with. Our dear Halina Mugame has decided to move on and actually to go and visit the other part of the Earth.

From Halina's words:

Mark Twain said: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

So I'm off to follow my dream and discover the world -  living the backpacker life for a year or two. I'm starting with Oz - I'll land there at the end of next week

I want to thank you all  for everything - being patient when I started or made some mistakes, supporting me to do my job better, discovering and creating new things - and the rest. You Thank you!

It's with incredibly heavy heart we will say goodbye to her but guess what! she found her perfect backfill with the recruitment of Kristi Pakler.

From Kristi's words:

I am fresh at Skype, joined just this week. So I try to keep up with Halinas good work and make DevZone better and better. Newsletter and Blog will also be my areas. It's all new and exciting for me and I look forward to work with you all

We are very happy to welcome Kristi in our team and she will be working with most of you and of course we wish all the best to Halina.

We will talk to you very soon again.

Guest writer: Jonathan Christensen, Skype's GM for Audio and Video

Today marks a significant moment in the journey of Skype. Some of you may be aware of the SILK speech codec which is included as part of Skype 4.0 for Windows - it's what enables super-wideband audio and optimizes call quality, even in low network bandwidth environments. It transforms sound quality for Skype calls, and if you haven't already tried 4.0, believe me: you should.

I'm speaking at eComm today, and have some very special news to bring our developer community - we're making the SILK speech codec available for a royalty free license by third-party software and hardware developers soon.

What does this mean for the future of audio on the web?

SILK is Skype's signature super wideband audio codec which achieves super wideband audio quality using 50% less network bandwidth than previously required. It is the outcome of a three year long development process in the Skype labs, which focused on four things:

• improving audio bandwidth going from 8 kHz to 12 kHz, meaning that a SILK conversation sounds like you are in the same room as the person you are speaking with
• providing real-time bandwidth scalability to deal with degraded network conditions
• balancing codec optimization between voice, music and background noise, each of which can have an impact on the overall user experience
• delivering a robust solution that delivers a more consistent audio experience, regardless of network conditions and an individual user's voice signature

Making SILK available opens the door to its adoption as the standard across a huge range of platforms, applications and devices by web developers and chip manufacturers, as well as consumer electronics and mobile device manufacturers. By offering it for free, we are removing one of the biggest hurdles to adoption of wideband audio: cost. By doing so, I hope we'll establish a new industry-wide standard in speech processing: clearer, richer, and warmer audio.
When can I get my hands on the code?

We are still working on the details but for more information about SILK, please visit our SILK website.

Not sure if most have noticed but the Skype FUP ("Fair Usage Policy") has been updated. More here:

Click Here

There are some important additional daily limits for most subscriptions ,to be aware of, as you can see, with subscriptions along with the Monthly 10,000 Minute limitations with most Skype subscriptions, they are:

A maximum of 6 hours of subscription based calls per day.

No more than 50 different numbers in total can be called per day.

I quote from the FUP (" I love saying that ")

"Once these limits are exceeded Skype will charge normal rates and a connection fee for any additional minutes used. Subscriptions are for individual use only. Each subscription is to be used by one person only and is not to be shared with any other user (whether via a PBX, call centre, computer or any other means)."

This is why I created the SMFS "Subscription Monitor for Skype". Which will help you know when you are getting close to any of these limits so that if needed you can make sure you have some extra Skype credit in your account, if and when needed.

Click on one of the pictures to download/install NOW! or

Continue reading "Now You Can Monitor Your Skype Subscription Usage In Real Time" »