Skype 3.2 for Windows is now available as a final version. Download. See also the press release.

I previously posted about the new features in this version. A big thank you to everyone who submitted us bug reports and feedback for the beta, you have helped us to ensure the high quality of this final version. Here are some My Pictures that you can use to let your friends know of this release.

This release is a lot about personalization, and one of the most interesting features here is being able to instantly take a video snapshot of yourself. To celebrate this, we’re holding a competition — see below for details.

One thing that’s not obvious in the user interface but that you’ll surely notice during your calls is (yet again) improved call quality and echo cancellation, including with things like laptop microphones and speakers. We always recommend using dedicated hardware like a headset for best quality, but if you really have to call and don’t have any around, quality with this version is now again improved. We remain committed to providing the best call quality in Skype and continue our research and development activities in this area.

Video snapshots human emoticon competition

To celebrate this release, we are holding a human emoticon competition from today until June 6. You can upload your human emoticon and vote for others’ emoticons. The three most popular entries will win a digital photo frame.

See the competition page and Terms and Conditions for more information. In short, you will first need to capture your human emoticon. Just pick any Skype emoticon (public or “hidden”), and capture a photo of yourself acting out that emoticon. See the photo above for some examples.

You then upload it to this forum, where you can also judge other entries. You can upload either as guest or as registered forum user. If you are uploading as guest, be sure to give some contact details with your submission. Also, make sure that you specify which emoticon you are depicting. See the more detailed upload instructions.