The people at Say It Visually have put together this fun little video. It’s a neat summary of what Skype can do – thanks guys

Of course, as we didn’t produce the video, we’re not responsible for its content. But it’s cool nonetheless.

Skype 4.1 for Windows is now gold, and is ready for you to download.

We’ve fixed a number of bugs found in the beta release, and recommend that you update now.

We’ve added useful features like screen sharing, which is a great way to show off your latest creations and presentations, or help a friend with their computer. We’ve also included birthday reminders (though you’ll have to bring your own cake).

What’s more, we’ve listened to your thoughts and feedback and further refinements have been made to audio and video quality – so your calls should sound and look better than ever.

Download Skype 4.1 for Windows now

New languages

Skype for iPhone speaks your language – it’s now available in Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish and Traditional Chinese as well as English.

Voicemail and SMS

We’ve listened to your feedback – Skype for iPhone now lets you listen to your Skype voicemail while you’re on the move, as well as send super low-cost SMSs to friends and family around the world.

… and more

Additionally, we’ve made some improvements to the look and feel, particularly when calling phones using the dial pad.

So – what are you waiting for? Download the update in iTunes, or launch the App Store on your device and tap Updates to grab the latest version.

Note: This version requires iPhone OS 2.2 or 3.0. If you’re still using iPhone OS 2.1 or 2.0, you’ll need to update to 3.0 in order to run Skype 1.1 for iPhone – it’s free (for iPhone users) and easy to do. Skype for iPhone is not supported on devices running modified versions of iPhone OS.

It includes two cool new features: SMS and file transfer. Sending SMSs using Skype is a great way to reach friends and family instantly anywhere in the world – Skype’s low rates mean that you won’t have to break the bank to do it. And file transfer lets you send files quickly when you’re on the move.

We’ve ironed out the remaining wrinkles since the Beta release, and it’s ready to go. Download it now and give it a whirl.

In our drive to promote innovation and users' rights on the Internet, the last few weeks have been simply amazing. An update is due.

Last month, we were all surprised that the European Parliament took a stand and went against EU governments by adopting by a very large majority an amendment to the proposed revised EU telecoms regulations, which ensures that Internet users can only be disconnected upon receipt of a proper court order, rather than an administrative order.

Then last week (9 June), the French Constitutional Court (the equivalent of the Supreme Court in the US or the 'Law Lords' for the English Courts), citing the founding principles of the French Republic the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, confirmed that a similar legal proposal in France to disconnect users suspected of downloading illegal material was not acceptable.

First, this is because it negates the presumption of innocence. Secondly, and crucially, the Court underlined that powers to disconnect a user from the Internet amount to restricting freedom of expression and communication - the freedom to speak, write and print (See the decision and in particular Article 16 which details that "[...] pouvoirs peuvent conduire à restreindre l'exercice, par toute personne, de son droit de s'exprimer et de communiquer librement, notamment depuis son domicile [...]". Now get on to your favourite online translation website :)

When they met last Thursday 12 June at their regular Council of Telecoms Ministers, as expected the EU governments formally refused to accept the will of the European Parliament, which means that the review of EU telecoms regulations will resume in the Autumn, when the two sides will try to come to a compromise on this amendment on fundamental user freedoms.

This next, and final, phase of the negotiation should be fun. It goes to some of the more fundamental issues in society and for the Internet. For us at Skype, it's not a theoretical debate however: Skype users are regularly refused their right to express themselves and communicate freely. And it's not only governments that do that: some network operators fancy themselves as 21st century censors, degrading, blocking, discriminately charging for Skype traffic just because they don't like it.

Thankfully, not all network operators are that short-sighted, others operators know that Skype can benefit everyone - just check out the latest offer from the mobile operator '3' in the UK, which is just so cool - giving you free Skype to Skype calls from your mobile without the need to top up ever again (See here and here).

There was some news on this front too last week, and the picture is getting even more confusing: both Vodafone and T-Mobile (in Germany) have announced that they are not going to block Skype and VoIP anymore. So they have resolved their technical problems, then, have they? Well, sort of.

We always knew, and explained, that Skype works perfectly well on mobile networks and is a low-bandwidth application (only 8-20 kbps on average), so technical arguments for blocking Skype wouldn't last long. Instead they're now asking customers to pay extra if they want to use Skype.

Why are they introducing this measure, anyway? Errrr... So far, there's some really vague explanation on the T-Mobile website citing technical constraints and to be fair, it is difficult to gauge from the short argument they give what exactly they are referring to. As for Vodafone, they have yet to publish anything formal. The only thing we have from them is a speech by one executive given at the VIB Mobile Regulation and Competition Law conference in Brussels on 10 June 2009, who says according to the press that it's got nothing to do with technical difficulties, but with economic considerations:

"If you don't want to make a commitment to use voice, it is effectively saying 'I would like to substitute existing voice usage for potentially voip and other services'. You can do that, but you can't do it without making some spending commitment on voice services as well. Our investment in the customer, on the assumption they would spend a certain amount each month would disappear. That makes the economics unsustainable."

So it's about continuing to make large profits, then, not a technical constraint as has been claimed all along? No wonder policymakers, like consumers, find all this confusing.

Then yesterday (Tuesday 16th June) the Digital Britain plan (PDF) was released. In the UK, it's not just Skype usage but even access to the Skype.com website that is censored by some mobile operators. In parallel, millions of people in Britain work in ICT and creative industries, representing 8% of UK GDP. And yet, there does not seem to be much in the report about putting in place policies to encourage innovation in services and applications, or about UK Internet users and their right to access and use the services and apps of their choice online. We will be trying to engage with the UK authorities, especially to ensure that their future work about encouraging more people to access and use the Internet, delivering competition and meaningful consumer choice, and maximising the economic and social benefits of the Internet, is not stifled by censorship or restrictive actions imposed by self-interested companies.

Looking ahead, what do we need European governments and parliamentarians to do? We think that the EU telecoms legislation needs to be finalised in a way that clearly supports fundamental human rights - if the EU doesn't show the way in human rights, who will?

EU law should ensure that citizens can exercise their freedom of expression and communication and can benefit from Internet access that is open, taking into account the requirements expressed by users to make use of, and distribute, content, applications and services on the Internet. Access to Internet content, services and applications, as confirmed by the French Conseil Constitutionnel, is an explicit part of the fundamental rights of citizens to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference and regardless of frontiers. Additionally, unrestricted Internet access to content, services and applications is also a necessity for the preservation of the effectiveness of European and national policies designed to combat social exclusion, promote education, training, employment, etc.

As for all of us, Skype users? We should make our voice heard. If you can't use Skype on your mobile for any reason, call your ISP and complain. Write to your local politician and/or communications regulator, and let them know there is something very wrong going on with what your Internet provider is letting you access. More on that soon.

Is your office like this? If so, you need an escape plan. There's one here:

Yes, my job has expired.

Screen sharing in Skype 4.1 Beta for Windows

Hot on the heels of 4.0, the beta version of Skype 4.1 for Windows has arrived. It adds screen sharing, a feature many of you have been asking for since we introduced it in Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac, and more too.

Download now — Skype 4.1 Beta for Windows

Screen sharing

Have you ever tried to help a friend with their computer? Or take a colleague through a presentation? Or help a friend with their essay? Or show off a killer move in a game? Well, screen sharing in Skype makes doing things like that super-easy. Just click the Share menu in the conversation area of the Skype window.

With this beta, you can share your screen with any other Skype user on Windows, Mac or Linux. You can share your whole screen, or just a selection, and best of all, it’s totally free.

… and more

We’ve also added birthday reminders, and you’ll also be able to send contacts to other Skype users. For those of you who missed these features in the last version, they’re back

In addition, 4.1 Beta lets you import contacts from a range of other services including Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! and AOL.

It also includes further refinements to audio and video call quality, bug fixes and accessibility improvements. Look out for a post from one of our accessibility experts in the near future, who’ll explain exactly what we’re doing to make Skype easier to use for blind and visually impaired people, and for people who can’t use a mouse.

How do I get it?

Download now — Skype 4.1 Beta for Windows

So here’s the deal – you download the beta, and in return, you give us your feedback. Please let us know what you think about the new features, and let us know if you spot anything which doesn’t work as expected. You can leave a comment below, or better still, fill out our feedback survey – your input will help us make future versions of Skype better than ever.

Over the last year, we’ve seen a lot: the release of Skype 4.0 for Windows, which has transformed the Skype experience on the desktop – and, of course, we’ve seen Skype go truly mobile too. Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac is now out, and our new subscriptions now let you make unlimited calls to landlines in over 40 countries.

Thanks to all of you who voted – and don’t forget, if you have friends who haven’t tried Skype yet, tell them all about it – the first call’s on us.

Today at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, I had the privilege of presenting about how Skype is opening up new opportunities for broadcasters.

Over the last year, there have been many game-changing developments in the broadcast industry as many broadcasters have looked to technology and social media tools to tap into content from viewers. Look no further than CNN’s iReport that is constantly gathering news tips and multimedia from viewers; or look at The Oprah Winfrey Show, which uses Skype’s High Quality Video calling on a regular basis to include special guests on-air from virtually anywhere.

Broadcasters are embracing Skype because it complements traditional news gathering options (e.g. satellites, camera crews, etc.) in an easy and low cost way. With just a dual-core PC, broadband Internet connection and a webcam, broadcasters can use High Quality Video calling with Skype to fulfil their content needs. Even better yet, millions of people around the world are using Skype already, so it makes it easier for broadcasters to find someone to talk to over Skype.

Skype is continuing to innovate and improve its software to deliver the best voice and video calling experience possible. In the most recent version of Skype for Windows (Version 4.0) call quality is substantially improved. The new audio codec achieves wideband audio quality using 50% less bandwidth than previously required. Moreover, it introduces super wideband audio that delivers crystal clear, richer and warmer sound to those using a compatible headset and a high quality broadband connection.

In addition, as I mentioned during my presentation, Skype is currently testing HD Video calling which can deliver up to 720p. If broadcasters have the pre-requisite HD camera, HD capture card, a fast PC, and enough bandwidth, they too can start testing HD Video calling over Skype.

At Skype, we’re proud to have the best and the brightest audio and video engineers who make it possible for our software to deliver amazing voice and video quality that is so good, even broadcasters love it.

If you’re a broadcaster, and want to find out more, please get in touch.

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that we've added a few new countries to call to our subscriptions - not just that, but we're offering a 25% discount on our already low rates if you sign up for 12 months before the 6th May.

Five simple reasons why Skype subscriptions rock:

• You can talk as long as you want*, at any time of day, to over 40 countries
• No long term contract - you can sign up for 1, 3 or 12 months at a time
• You can call at any time - there's no such thing as 'peak' or 'off-peak' with Skype
• Voicemail included - so you never miss a call, plus 50% off an online number
• You can use your subscription from your mobile (including iPhone) or from any mobile or landline with a Skype To Go number

If you're looking for great value calls across the globe, our Unlimited World subscription should do the trick. You can make calls to over 40 countries - now including Argentina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Slovakia and Thailand - for just $12.95 US/€8.95/£6.95 per month.

We have subscriptions for calls to specific countries, too - India and South Africa, for example - which are a great way to stay in touch with family back home at a time when every penny counts.

See our subscriptions ›

* Fair use policy applies

According to research commissioned by the WWF UK in 2008, if businesses were to cut back 20 percent of their air travel and replace those trips with video calls, it would eliminate 22 million tons of CO₂ each year. Based on our own estimates, this is equivalent to:

• Annual emissions from 4 million cars
• One year’s energy use of 1.9 million homes
• Preserving 150,000 acres of forest

In addition, because Skype calls take place over the internet and are based on a peer-to-peer system, the company depends on a limited amount of servers. Thus, Skype calls require significantly less energy than other means of communication.

Video calling was introduced by Skype in December 2005. In a little more than three years, video calling has entered the mainstream and is widely used by people around the world. Today, 34 percent of all Skype calls between our users include video.

Not only are Skype video calls free, but they also provide a great alternative to travel and a better way to stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues, when you can’t be there in-person.

Business travel and commuting makes up as much as 50% of carbon output, according to WWF commissioned research. Simply cutting back on business travel and commuting, and enacting face-to-face video calls can make a huge difference. So on Earth Day, as you think about how you can help curb global warming – Skype is an easy and free way to get started.

Yesterday I travelled to Brussels to take part in a TV panel discussion on the revision of the EU’s telecoms legislation (which should be finalised by early May in Brussels) with two Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), David Hammerstein and Alexander Alvaro. We talked about the whole of the Electronic Communications Framework, and touched on one of our key concerns – the arbitrary blocking and degradation of applications like Skype. You’ll shortly able to watch a video of the debate online.

Then from Brussels, it will be off to Prague today where the current Czech Presidency of the European Union is holding its ‘High-Level Seminar on e-Communications’ on the theme of "Future Europe: Modern Communications for Everyone". I am lucky enough to take part in a panel looking at how the adaptation of the EU directives into national laws in each EU member state could improve the daily lives of Europeans. On the same panel will be a leading MEP, a UK government representative, Google and others including AT&T. No doubt this will be fun.

This comes at a very opportune time, as the German Federation of consumers has just issued the following statement supporting Skype and other innovators against arbitrary blocking by operators:

The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband) regards the contractual exclusion of VoIP services such as "Skype" by T-Mobile or other operators and access providers as violation of the principles of network neutrality. It is quite obvious that such exclusions aim to protect own services on own networks against unwelcome, that is to say cheaper, competitive offerings.

It is unacceptable for the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband), that particularly those mobile telecom providers, which are likely to benefit from vacant radio frequencies (‘Digital Dividend’) for wireless broadband supply, at the same time block the access of consumers to attractive services over their wireless infrastructures.

The EU and the national legislation are therefore called on to commit the operators and the access providers to generally ensure network neutrality by appropriate guidelines in the relevant European directives as well as in the German Telecommunications Act. In addition, both the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) and the federal states in Germany should impose obligations for the recipients in the course of the intended allocation of capacities of the "Digital Dividend", in order to preclude a blockade of certain services.

This mirrors previous statements by the European Consumers’ Association BEUC and France’s Que Choisir / UFC. Governments and Parliamentarians will now have to respond to this very clear call by consumer representatives to take action against bad behaviour and insert the relevant protections in the new EU legislation on telecoms.

There are also rumours in the press that, following Deutsche Telekom’s April’s Fool announcement that they would block Skype even on Wifi, the European Commission would be preparing ‘binding guidelines’ to prevent operators blocking VoIP. I am looking forward to hearing more about that in Prague – and hope it may be true, and only a prelude to clearer legislation ensuring that users can access and do what they want on the Internet.

If you want a good dose of Telecoms and IT policy and regulatory thinking, you can view a live video stream of this EU High-Level event, provided with the support of Skype. Enjoy

Many of those downloading Skype for iPhone are new users, and, if you’re one of them, I’d like to offer you a special welcome: it’s good to have you on board. If you haven’t already done so, head to a WiFi zone and make your first call – I’m confident you’ll be impressed by the audio quality.

It’s this sort of thing which gets us really excited: Skype for iPhone isn’t just about giving existing users more flexibility, it’s about bringing high quality voice calls to millions of people around the world – many of whom have never used Skype before. And, of course, we haven’t forgotten about other mobile platforms either

The Skype for iPhone team are already working tirelessly on the next release, which should be with you very soon. I’ll post here when it’s ready, and you should also see notifications on your device or in iTunes. In the meantime, keep that feedback coming in, and help us make Skype for iPhone even better.

Jason’s no newcomer to the world of VoIP. Before Skype, he was Chief Technology Officer at CounterPath, the leading developer of cross platform softphones for desktops and mobile convergence products for the likes of AT&T, BT and Verizon.

Personally, I’m thrilled about Jason joining. We have a great opportunity to revitalize our developer program and he has the skills and experience to lead this effort. He has an excellent track record working with industry standards bodies like the IETF in and is a thought leader in open source software development.

Last month, Skype made news when we offered our advanced SILK speech technology – which is incorporated into Skype 4.0 for Windows – to developers for free, and positioned it as a new standard for high quality audio.

Jason’s new role will allow Skype to do more in this direction, continuing to give third-party developers access to tools like SILK – and making Skype a platform for ground-breaking innovation.