November 2007

A few days ago, I wrote about why Skype felt it had no choice but to recall and replace about 8,000 London-based 0207 SkypeIn numbers. Our colleagues in customer support have pulled in extra resources and are totally focused on making the transition as smooth as possible.

Hardest hit were users who had subscribed to the affected SkypeIn numbers for 12 months. (SkypeIn subscriptions are available for 3 or 12 months). We know that small businesses are among them and that their trust and confidence is a precious, fragile thing. It’s with them that we’ll have to work the hardest to win back their confidence.

So here’s where things stand at the moment. Our customer support team has been working round the clock to assist everyone affected. At the moment, they’ve responded to over 75 percent of those who’ve required additional support. And we hope to sort out the remaining inquiries this week. (If there are any outstanding questions, please send an email to sichange@skype.net If you’d like to explore the possibility of retaining your number outside of your Skype account, please contact GCI Telecom on sales@geonum.co.uk).

Everything is being done to keep this from happening in the future. We’re no strangers to crises and major issues like this help us learn as a business. We’ll use the knowledge wisely. Have faith in us.

Animals are a big part of office life at Skype. More often than not, a golden retriever or Dachshund will check in on you during a particularly long conference call. Today, we got a minuscule — if temporary — addition to the crew here in Tallinn.

This little kitten, probably no more than a month old, had snuck into the engine compartment of a colleague’s car this morning, just outside the office. Weather in this part of the world hovers around the freezing point in late November, so we applaud her smarts and resourcefulness.

So what’s the point of all this? If you really need one, it’s that a little ball of purring fur in a fast-paced engineering office brings out smiles in a way that few other things can compete with.

May good things come to you, Karter.

Just as water vapor turns into ice crystals in Northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere, we’re getting better tools to help get things done without having to leave the house (or office). Skype today released the public version of Skype 3.6 for Windows, with major under-the-hood changes that focus on video. High Quality Video, to be precise*.

There are two ways to describe what we’ve done. You could say the video window on Skype has grown to 640x480 pixels, delivering up to 30 frames per second. Or, if you prefer plain English, you can now begin to enjoy free High Quality Video calls that are sharper, smoother and better than anything you’ve seen on Skype before.

To experience free High Quality Video, this is what both sides of the conversation will need:

* Skype 3.6 for Windows

• a Logitech webcam that has been optimized and certified for High Quality Video (the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000, the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks or the Logitech QuickCam Sphere AF (Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF in the U.S.)
• Logitech QuickCam software, version 11.5
• a dual-core PC
• a broadband internet connection (384 kbps and above).

For more, please see the High Quality Video page on the Skype website.

The three webcams are already available worldwide, in retail as well as the Skype web store. In Europe, the Skype shop has a special offer for the webcams. The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 or the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks will normally cost €99.99, but if you head for the Skype webstore, you’ll also get a free headset, free shipping, and SkypeOut credit worth up to three hours of calls to landlines and mobiles. In the US, Skype offers a $20 rebate on either of these products ($99.99 before the rebate).

*If this sounds familiar, it should – the more adventurous among you have been able to play with High Quality Video as part of the beta version of Skype 3.6 for Windows since October 10. You may also have read about Skype’s collaboration with Logitech to help make High Quality Video a reality.

Over the past few weeks, Skype has been busy launching its new online shops across Europe and North America. If you live in one of the 19 countries where they are available, browsing and buying Skype Certified gadgets just got a bit easier.

We hope you like the revamp, as the right bit of hardware can help take the Skype experience to a higher level. Where conversations are more convenient and relationships easier to maintain. And you (or the target of your gift-giving powers) will look cool with a nice bit of gear that’s at home on the desk or in the pocket.

To create the best and most convenient shopping experience, we‘ve joined forces with Digital River, experts at helping run great online stores. So here’s what’s new:

• updated look and feel
• easier navigation
• bestsellers‘ list
• streamlined product list to help users find the right products
• new product pictures
• better help section with top ten FAQs to help users get the support they need
• improved translations and additional local languages supported

To celebrate, we’re offering free delivery on some of the hottest hardware. Logitech’s Quickcam Pro for Notebooks supports High Quality Video calls from £69.99 / €99.99 / $79.99. And with a free headset and calling vouchers thrown in, it’s everything a Skype user needs to get started in style.

You don’t even need to be tied to your PC anymore. Make and receive Skype calls from anywhere in the home or office with a dual-purpose Philips Cordless Phone. The package comes with a Skype credit voucher for calling landlines or mobiles anywhere in the world.

It’s also worth taking a peek at the great value offers exclusive to our Skype Shops. Whether you want to spend a little or a bit more, check out your local Skype Shop online at skype.com/shop. It might help fill your Christmas shopping basket for a little less.

Like a lot of people in the Mac community, we’re excited that Mac OS X Leopard is now out in the wild. As you may have read, Skype runs into trouble when Leopard’s firewall is activated. At the moment, this affects a minority of Skype users.

However, we wanted to let you know that we’re embracing Apple’s new security efforts. By doing so, we’re continuing to ensure that Skype for Mac is the most secure internet-calling platform a Mac user can get. Our engineers are tweaking Skype for Mac and as soon as safely possible, the issue will be resolved.

In a few weeks, the fix will be included in an updated version of Skype that has a loving relationship with the Leopard firewall.