Skype 2.6 for Windows beta update: Skypecasts controls in client, bandwidth indicator

We just released an update to the Skype 2.6 beta. Download here.

See all the changes in the change log. A couple of things are interesting.

First, the Skypecasts controls are now available directly within Skype, so you don't need to work with that web popup any more. You still need to join the Skypecast through the web page and the web popup pops up, but after connecting, you can close it, as everything that you need to interact with the Skypecast is straight in the software. If you are the host, you can mute and unmute talkers. If you're a regular Skypecast member, you can ask for talk and ee how many others are talking or not talking.

There are some known issues in this version with Skypecasts, documented in the changelog.

Another interesting new feature is the bandwidth indicator. You need to enable it in the advanced options. After you do so, a small icon appears on your Skype status bar, indicating the upload and download bandwidths graphically. If you float your mouse over it, you see the consumed bandwidth for upload and download in a tooltip.

For developers, there's a feature here that has been requested a lot: you can turn off the visible Skype UI through the API now. For more info on this, please stay tuned for updates on our developer zone and the developer blog.

Please leave us feedback using the links on this page and sign up for the survey.

Comments

From China ( Guangzhou) it's impossible to accessto the Skype cast, last week end i be in Shaghai for the F1 and skypecasts still working.

Thank for all you're effort for improve you're products for US

Your automatic within the client is not working or it's disable in the beta?

After 6 days of usage I noticed accidentally that the bandwidth indicator really works. The problem is the rather large delay of maybe 20-30 seconds, after which the coloured columns are updated.

When are you going to get Skype to look decent on Windows Vista. This shpuldn't really have been a problem if you used standard commen controls - why do you use a custom menubar in the first place?

Hi, first of all skype its a great product.
but your lastest beta release 2.6 is not as good as it could be. And what a i can see, it was in beta for more than 1 mont.
And i know why!

What i could see, you are using Directsound instead of winmm.dll, to manage the waveout to the sound card.

And you are not using Directsound as it must be used.

Please fix this problem. every time you wirte in a cursor (buffer) please lock and unlock the buffer in a serialization way like microsoft suggest in Direct Sound best practice.
Lock, write. unlock.
In this way, you could release the new version quicky.

Hope it will be usefull.
Kind regards

s3siow

TrackBack

» Update to Skype 2.6 Beta from Ben-Ari.Name
Skype announced an update to Skype 2.6 Beta version. Skype introduced a few minor changes that include: Bandwidth indicator (enabled through advanced options) and Skypecasts controls that are now available directly within Skype. View the full ch... [Read More]

» Skype 2.6 beta para windows, control de Skypecasts en cliente e indicador de ancho de banda from messenger.es, todo sobre la mensajería instantanea
Ya esta lista una nueva actualización de Skype 2.6 beta. Descargar aquí. Puede ver el fichero de cambios en el “change log“. Entre los cambios más notables esta el control desde el cliente de las conferencias con Skypecasts, así como ... [Read More]

» Nice Feature Added to Skype 2.6 Beta from Rooster's Rail
I was fairly damning of the new 2.6 beta for Skype. I was harsh because I did not think that anything was all that new, interesting, useful or innovative. But today I have learned of a new feature that is pretty cool. They have added a bandwidth indica... [Read More]