We know it’s been a while, but we’re finally ready to pull the wraps off Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac, our latest release for the Mac platform. To make up for the wait, we’ve included two exciting new features which aren’t currently available on Skype for Windows.

Download the new Beta now – and read on for more details.

Continue reading "Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac: Skype Access and Screen Sharing" »

Our mobile team have been hard at work on two of our core mobile products, tweaking and refining them to iron out any creases and make life just that little bit easier for those of you who use them.

Continue reading "Tweaking and refining Skype on mobile devices" »

This beta’s a bit different to the one Mike was talking about last week. Today’s release is rather more pocket sized, and encompasses a number of improvements to Skype for your mobile.

Continue reading "Skype for your mobile Beta 2" »

In June we announced the first beta of Skype 4.0, a radical departure from any other version we’ve made before. Since then we’ve spent a lot of time reading and analysing your feedback and we’ve made a number of changes.

This video is recorded in HD - we recommend viewing it full screen (for those of you reading this in an RSS reader, you can watch the briefing video here - you can also grab the embed code if you want to use this video in your own blog)

First, I’d like to talk a little bit about the feedback itself. We had over 350,000 people trying out Beta 1. We had around 15,000 people giving us their comments through the Give feedback button directly in Skype; around 40,000 through surveys (both online and email) and about 700 comments on various blog posts.

Continue reading "Skype 4.0 Beta 2 for Windows" »

Update: Skype for Asterisk is out of beta

Stefan Öberg is vice president and general manager for Skype Telecom and Skype for Business

I’m speaking today at AstriCon in Glenndale, Arizona, and I’m excited to announce the beta version of Skype For Asterisk, which will allow small and mid-sized businesses to integrate Skype functionality into Digium’s Asterisk software. If you’re an Asterisk user, you’ll be able to make, receive and transfer Skype calls from your Asterisk phone.

Specifically, the beta version of Skype For Asterisk is an add-on channel driver module that integrates Skype calling with Asterisk-based telephony products. Skype For Asterisk also complements small and mid-sized business users’ existing services by providing low rates for calling landline and mobile phones around the world.

Continue reading "Skype for Asterisk Beta" »

Hi all,

A few weeks ago we updated the the 4.0 Beta 1 build with some necessary bug fixes. Today we're updating the build again with some more bug fixes, in particular to video calling, where some of you have reported problems when making calls to older versions of Skype.

There's no real functional change in these hotfixes, as we're still busy making a number of changes that address a lot of the feedback we've received and are aiming to launch those in Beta 2.

That's all for now.

Mike

Hello! I'm Mike Bartlett, Director of Windows Product Management here at Skype.

Four and a bit years ago we changed the way people talked. Free calling is something that brings smiles to people all over the world, every day. We're very proud of that.

Today, we're announcing the most exciting change to Skype since inception - Skype 4.0 Beta 1 for Windows.

Over the years, we've added a lot of richness and functionality to Skype. It's no longer just a little piece of software for making free calls. Our video calling experience, now enjoyed on over a quarter of all Skype to Skype calls, is starting to take centre stage alongside other great features such as instant messaging, group conversations, SMS & voicemail.

Continue reading "Skype 4.0 Beta 1 for Windows" »

Beta-friendly users have been running Skype 3.8 for Windows since April 2. But with the usual beta imperfections now sanded off, this audio-focused iteration of Skype is ready for public release. If you're a Windows user, head to the download page to get it.

Continue reading "Skype 3.8 for Windows goes public with audio improvements, other tweaks" »

If new technology and the word beta don't send you running into a Norwegian doomsday vault, we've got something for ya. Today, Skype released a beta version of Skype for your mobile, a mobile "thin" client that works on about 50 of the most popular Java-enabled mobile phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. Take a look at the product pages to learn more about what it can do at this early stage -- and to give it a test run.

Continue reading "Another way to connect: Skype for your mobile now out in beta" »

Here is where people

One frequently finds,

Lower their voices

And raise their minds.

--- Richard Armour on libraries

Libraries. Even if we don't set foot in one, it's comforting to know they're there: massive silent repositories of thoughts, polemics and conversations that mankind has managed to produce in spite of its lower instincts. Some countries even celebrate the Library Workers' Day on April 15, just a couple of weeks from now.

When it comes to libraries, Skype hasn't sat idle either. That's because today we're announcing the beta version of Skype 3.8 for Windows, which contains an improved and optimized audio library. No need to lower your voice here. Let rip, for speaking your mind never sounded so good on Skype before.

Continue reading "Sounds good: Skype 3.8 for Windows now in beta" »

Free video calls have been a feature on Skype since late 2005 and have helped millions of people keep in touch. It’s become so popular that one in four Skype-to-Skype calls today involves video. Like they say in Hollywood – show, don’t tell.

Things are about to get a whole lot bigger, sharper and smoother. Today, Skype and Logitech announced a collaboration to give Skype users the kind of video quality that used to be the privilege of big businesses.

Enter High Quality Video, due in November. (Although, if you’re adventurous enough to play with beta software, you’re welcome to try it out now.) Explaining what it does is a bit like dancing about architecture, because you really need to see it in action. But the video window on Skype has grown to 640x480 pixels, delivering up to 30 frames per second. This produces a level of clarity, detail and fluid motion that is pretty astounding. It’s been immensely satisfying to watch the reactions of people who’ve seen it for the first time. Them jaws, they tend to drop.

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

- Skype 3.6 for Windows (expected to be available in November)
- 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 (expected to be available in November at www.logitech.com/downloads)
- a dual-core PC
- a broadband 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).

Wow, is that a ladybug on your shoulder? Check out our newest beta version with High Quality Video.

Most of you know that free Skype video calling has been around for a while, giving friends and family the opportunity to have a much deeper connection. Well now we’ve improved the quality so much with High Quality Video, it’s like you’re right there with them.

This means that now when you call your mom to let her see little Johnny, she’ll feel like she’s right there giving him a big Grandma hug.

In order to make High Quality Video calls, in addition to running the latest version of Skype (currently Skype 3.6 for Windows beta), your system needs to meet certain hardware requirements.

Want to know more about how you can make clearer, sharper video calls? Find out here.

We’ve now released Skype 2.7 for Mac beta. With “beta” on the label, there may be some wrinkles, kinks and unsprayed bugs which we’ll remove in time for a public release. With that in mind, feel free to download and play with it.

Here’s what’s new:

* Group contacts – organize your contacts into as many groups as you need. While there are some pre-defined groups (like Online, Waiting Authorization, Recently Contacted), you’re free to add new ones that suit your life. This should be a godsend to those whose contact list has ballooned to hundreds of Skype users. Explore this nifty feature under the cogwheel icon on the main screen.

* See your Apple Address Book contacts in Skype - easily call or SMS anyone who has a phone number in their address-book profile. When texting, just make sure the number is one that belongs to a mobile phone.

* Create and manage public chats by clicking on Chats in the menu bar and choosing Start Public Chat. A public-chat assistant will walk you through the necessary steps.

* Auto Redial for busy or unconnected calls. When your call hits the busy signal, Skype will give you the option of automatic redial every two minutes until the call goes through. This setting can also be adjusted in Skype > Preferences > Calls.

* Easy sound-level controls – when you need to tweak the sound level during a call, use a simple slider in the call window

* Overhauled file transfer – wearing a more fashionable jacket, file-transfer now looks elegant and acts even nicer, especially when receiving many files at once

Download Skype 2.7 for Mac beta at skype.com/go/getskype-macosx-beta

Oh, and one last thing: if the default language on your Mac is Czech or Norwegian, Skype 2.7 Mac beta will automatically follow suit.

Skype conversations have had visual flavor ever since video was introduced in Skype 2.0 for Windows. Now, video makes a somewhat different appearance in version 3.5 which went public today. It lets you download videos from top independent video-sharing sites Dailymotion and Metacafe and add them to your Skype ‘mood’.

Skype moods are a simple and personal way to share all sorts of things with other Skype users. Since we believe that sharing is good, and that video is good, the conclusion is simple: video sharing is also good. User-generated and licensed video is incredibly popular these days and video moods on Skype should be a great conversation starter.

But new visual features in the latest version of Skype go beyond video mood messages. People can now also include video content in Skype text chats. Skype also lets you take still photos during a video call.

Last but not least, there are a couple of other things in the goodie bag:

Skype 3.5 for Windows lets users transfer their incoming calls to another person or a group of people on Skype (or, for Skype Pro subscribers, to a landline or mobile phone number).

We’ve also introduced auto redial. If the number being called is busy, Skype can automatically redial it every two minutes, until the call is answered.

Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling.

As I make my way through no fewer than 517 emails that some evil spirit produced during my week-and-a-half holiday, I'm pleased to pull back from the depths of the inbox and mention today's coolest bit of Skype-related news.

Namely, Nokia's funky N800 Internet Tablet now speaks Skype. Officially, that is. (You may have noticed in late June that Skype did a pre-release demo of Skype for the N800 in New York).

Andrew Brennan from Skype Gear has written a nice review that you can read here. Once you're convinced it's something for you, install the latest Nokia firmware version from here, as instructed by Andrew's review. Or download Skype for the N800 here.

As Villu’s on holiday this week, and so probably very busy drinking mojitos or sleeping, I thought I’d pop in to let you know about the new 3.5 Beta version of Skype for Windows.

It includes a number of new features and fixes a range of previous problems. However, as Raul points out over at the Skype Garage blog, this Beta version is only intended for use by those of you who don’t mind a few rough edges — it isn’t perfect yet

Video snapshot

This Beta version lets you take video snapshots of the person you’re calling, so whether it’s a reminder of your partner to take with you when you’re travelling on business, or just a snapshot of a particularly silly pair of sunglasses, there’s something for everyone here.

Video sharing

With this version, you can share video in chats and in your mood message — make your conversations come alive with some of the best clips on the web.

Get 3.5 Beta

If you’re keen to try it out, go ahead and download the updated Beta version of Skype.

It’d be great to hear your feedback on the new features — contact us on the Skype 3.5 Beta forum or, for the more technically minded, in our public issue tracker Jira.

This is one of those posts that strives to inspire y'all to upgrade your version of Skype. So what is it this time? In a word: sound. The sound of music. The sound of silence. The sound of the bearded supplier in Macedonia.

There are many factors that affect the way your Skype-to-Skype call sounds. Some are beyond our reach. Others we -- and you -- can control.

With each new release, Skype's engineers improve sound and video quality. And because we've replaced our audio engine in our most recent releases -- it's now fully built in-house -- it's worth bearing in mind that you may run into some bumps when a call is placed from an older version of Skype to newer versions.

Maybe the only bumps you encounter are goosebumps. Most people won't notice a thing. But to set your mind at ease and to get the best possible call quality, it's definitely worth upgrading.

Skype 3.2 for Windows is now available as a final version. [Download.](http://www.skype.com/go/download) See also the [press release.](http://about.skype.com/2007/05/personalise_your_skype.html)

I previously [posted about the new features in this version.](http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2007/03/skype_32_beta_for_windows_send.html) 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](http://www.skype.com/intl/en/campaigns/videosnapshot/) and [Terms and Conditions](http://www.skype.com/intl/en/campaigns/videosnapshot/terms.html) for more information. In short, you will first need to [capture your human emoticon](http://www.skype.com/intl/en/help/guides/videosnapshot/). 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](http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showforum=139), 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.](http://www.skype.com/intl/en/campaigns/videosnapshot/howto.html)

Yesterday, we finally quietly rolled out an update to our systems that's been among the most anticipated ones for the past, oh, two years or so.

If you have a SkypeIn number in one of the permitted countries, you can now choose to show this number as your "Caller ID" when calling other people with SkypeOut.

I like this update because it's done in the classic "Skype style". It's easy to use and just works. All you have to do is to go to [Your Account](http://www.skype.com/go/myaccount) and then look for the "Caller Identification" bit. Click the "Change" link to set it up. See also the [FAQ](http://www.skype.com/go/help.faq.cli) for more information.

The prompts say that activation may take some time. At least when I tried yesterday with some colleagues, it worked fairly instantly. When I called my Estonian mobile with SkypeOut, my Estonian SkypeIn number happily showed up as the caller.

There's one downside. It's a pretty complicated area where our legal people continue to be busy working with our partners and governments, and it boils down to this: Caller ID is available only for some "SkypeIn countries". As of this writing, you can use your SkypeIn number as SkypeOut caller ID if the number is from UK, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Hong Kong, Estonia and Poland. There are some other countries where you cannot currently use SkypeIn number as SkypeOut caller ID. And this list will continue changing. You can always get the most up-to-date information simply by going to Your Account page and seeing what's the current situation there.

Since this is a server-side update, it works regardless of what platform or device you are using for SkypeOut. It may be the Skype for Windows desktop client, it may be a cordless Skype phone or even a WiFi phone. All you have to do is simply go online and configure it once in Your Account, and then it works.

I know, I know, I'm late to the April 1 party. But [this Skype for Cows release](http://www.skypejournal.com/blog/2007/04/first_look_skype_for_cows_32.html) is still hilarious Though it doesn't cover the new version's most obvious feature, MOOd messages.

Skype 3.2 beta for Windows is available from today. If you're adventurous and an experienced Skype user, [download now.](http://www.skype.com/go/windows-beta)

Here are the most significant changes in this version.

### Send Money with PayPal

You may have heard Niklas talking about this just last week at the VON conference down in San Jose. We have also referred to this feature previously. And now it's finally out as part of this beta.

It's very easy to use. Both the sender and receiver just need to have a PayPal account. The receiver may also create the account later after you have already sent the money.

This feature is subject to PayPal limitations -- you need to be in countries where Paypal supports respectively sending or receiving money. If you use it to send money to someone who cannot receive it, the funds are returned to your account or credit card, so it's fine and no money is lost.

See our [user guide](http://www.skype.com/help/guides/sendmoney/) for more information about how exactly to use this feature.

You may also say that Skype is now your **PayPal contact list**. PayPal itself didn't have a contact list feature. And now all your PayPal send/receive transactions can happen right within Skype.

Continue reading "Skype 3.2 beta for Windows — Send Money with PayPal, video snapshot, other improvements" »

image from wikipedia.org

Well hello now... who are these? None other than Dominican girls at carnival in Taíno garments and makeup. Taíno is a type of indigenous American ancestry, and according to the CIA World Factbook, about 73% of all Dominicans are of mixed race, that is, of mixed European, African, and Taíno. And altogether, the [Dominican Republic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic) has almost ten million people.

And Dominican Republic has now joined the proud club of (currently 15) countries and regions who can claim having their own SkypeIn numbers which you can now buy and use.

When was the last time we added a new SkypeIn country or region before this? I can't remember. Too long ago. But I hear that now we're picking up the pace of SkypeIn expansion again, and Dominican Republic is the first of the "new wave". So keep an eye on this space for more news.

If you'd like to buy a Dominican Republic SkypeIn number, just head over to [Your Account](http://www.skype.com/go/myaccount) and follow the instructions there.

Skype 3.1 for Windows is now available as final "gold" public version. [Download here.](http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/) See the [press release.](http://about.skype.com/2007/03/skype_goes_beyond_voice_and_introduces_skypefind_and_beta_version_of_skype_prime.html)

The two major new features in this version, apart from the new typing indicator, are SkypeFind and Skype Prime Beta. See my [previous post about 3.1 beta](http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2007/02/skype_31_beta_for_windows_skyp.html) that talks about SkypeFind, typing indicator and other new things in 3.1, and see the [Prime Beta](http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2007/03/skype_prime_beta_introducing_t.html) posts. Here are some updates to both of these that we released today.

### SkypeFind competition

We are running a competition around SkypeFind until the beginning of July. Just list a business in SkypeFind, and if it happens to be the one where people call most, as compared to the other listings, you may win some Skype Credit every week, or pure cash each month. See the campaign details and more info in [English (US)](http://www.skype.com/campaigns/skypefind/), [English (UK)](http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/campaigns/skypefind/), [French](http://www.skype.com/intl/fr/campaigns/skypefind/), [German](http://www.skype.com/intl/de/campaigns/skypefind/) or [Japanese](http://www.skype.com/intl/ja/campaigns/skypefind/).

### Skype Prime Beta information

Skype Prime Beta now has a [product page](http://www.skype.com/products/skypeprime/) that sums up all the relevant info, and there are [user guides](http://www.skype.com/help/guides/skypeprime/) that tell you more about how to set it up and use it. Plus you can now have web snippets to promote your Skype Prime call service right on your home page, blog, website or wherever else on the internet. [See here for more on the badges.](http://www.skype.com/go/skypeprime) And here's an example badge I made for echo123. She doesn't actually know anything about tambourines and won't charge you any money, this is just an example.

Since we put out the first beta of Skype Prime this Wednesday, we have been getting tons of feedback [on blogs](http://www.technorati.com/search/Skype+Prime), to our support, chat and any other channels that you can possibly think of. We see many comments about the content of possible call services, maximum and minimum charges, Skype's cut of the revenue, more varied billing options, user interface improvements and many many more things. Thanks, keep it coming

In fact, we anticipated getting all this feedback, and this is exactly why we put out Skype Prime out in its early stage of development. Skype Prime is currently a beta/test version and you can expect many changes to it as we go forward. We know of several rough edges that we have there and we keep polishing those. So we ask you to think of Skype Prime in its current state as not of something that's set in stone, but rather something that you are just seeing the first version of. If you have been following the development of Skype, I'm sure you have noticed that we keep evolving and re-engineering things, and this will surely be the case for Skype Prime as well.

This also means that if you are uncomfortable using pre-release software, you are probably better off staying back for a while and letting it evolve through a few more versions before giving it a run.

If you want to be involved with Skype Prime, please send your input to our [support](http://support.skype.com/?_a=tickets&_m=submit), use the [forum](http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showforum=134) or [Skype Prime Beta public chat](http://ui.skype.com/ui/0/3.1.0.136/en/publicchats-join?skypename=srobesky&topic=Skype%20Prime%20Beta%20Chat&blob=wN9oidKUEg23CZX3ohNxD-YSQbS7FI9BYfZ03YWH1wyFHcPfzY97L1VdHSMkoTwrkqxkLY7P7j9uzK2FMP5n).

Today, we put out an update of Skype 3.1 beta for Windows. [Download here.](http://www.skype.com/go/windows-beta) It contains the typical bugfixes and such from the previous release -- thanks to everyone who's been helping us with the reports. Keep them coming.

In this version, though, there's one new feature that deserves more attention, since I believe it is really important, interesting, useful and fun. That's a lot, I know. But bear with me. The feature is **Skype Prime Beta**. And I think it's one of the most important innovative things that Skype has put out in quite a while.

### What is Skype Prime?

In short, it enables paid Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls. You can charge other people for calling you either a one-off fee or by the minute. Conversely, if you are the caller, you can call experts who charge for their services, and you can then pay the fee and access the expertise that the other call party provides.

Ever since Skype came out, and especially since SkypeOut was launched a bit less than three years ago and Skype first moved into the paid products space, you have been asking for this kind of feature, in addition to our free voice and video calls. "Skype is great for free high-quality voice and video, but every once in a while, I'd like to charge for my calls." I'm happy to finally see us rolling this out, and I'm sure it will enable a whole new range of businesses. So nothing will change in our free global Skype-to-Skype calling, but on top of it, you can now have paid calls if you want.

Continue reading "Skype Prime™ Beta — introducing the global expertise marketplace" »

It’s time for a new Beta version of Skype for Windows. Download here. Please note that as with all Beta versions, you can expect this version to have some bugs and a few rough edges which we will be polishing before the final version. Download and use only if you are comfortable with using pre-release software.

Although only a minor increase in the version number, from 3.0 to 3.1, this release contains a major new feature called SkypeFind.

### SkypeFind

SkypeFind is one of the most interesting features that we've done in quite a while now. We call it "Local businesses you like", and that's what it is - a collection of businesses, with reviews and comments, built by everyone using Skype.

Continue reading "Skype 3.1 Beta for Windows – SkypeFind and typing indicators" »

When we announced the launch of Skype 3.0 a couple of weeks ago we told you about Extras, little pieces of software developers have created which enhance Skype and offer you even more features.

In the last post we let you know all about Last.fm. This week we want to let you know about Unyte, an Extra which lets you share documents, applications or even your entire desktop with the person you are calling or chatting to on Skype.

Unyte is great for when you’re discussing a project with colleagues. If you are on a conference call with four co-workers and want to discuss a project plan you have all been working on, use Unyte to share the document with everyone on the call and any updates you make will be seen straight away by everyone.

You can open Unyte from the ‘Do More’ button in a call, chat or even the contact list. Unyte will then open and you can choose which applications you want to share from the list.

Once you’ve selected the application you want to share, click the ‘Start sharing’ button and choose you want to share it with.

The people you’ve selected will get invites to view the document and will be able to see it until you decide to stop sharing it by clicking the button.

If you’re a developer and would like to develop and distribute similar extras for Skype, keep an eye on our Developer Zone and the Developer blog.

Just a summary of the recent news that we've had on our various blogs.

### iPhone

On Monday, the iPhone was released, but it was not THAT iPhone, it was from Linksys. More on the [Gear blog](http://share.skype.com/sites/skypegear/2006/12/new_linksys_wifi_and_cordless.html).

### New pricing plan for SkypeOut in January

We [announced](http://about.skype.com/2006/12/skype_to_announce_disruptive_p.html) that we will have a [new pricing structure for SkypeOut](http://heartbeat.skype.com/2006/12/new_skypeout_pricing_structure.html) in January. Among other things, it will include a connection fee for the calls. More details coming up in January 2007.

### The Skype "worm"

We learned of an alleged Skype worm circulating your computers and news this week. [More on the security blog.](http://share.skype.com/sites/security/2006/12/reports_of_skype_worm.html)

### Skype for Business control panel updates

Ok, this isn't exactly from this week, but it deserves to be here nevertheless, as you may have missed it otherwise. [Skype for Business control panel updates.](http://share.skype.com/sites/business/2006/12/enhancements_to_the_business_c.html) Among other things, you can now get up to 33 sequential SkypeIn numbers. (Guys, what's with the figure though? 33? Huh? You should have made it 42 then.) More details and control panel screenshots coming up in January.

Extras are little pieces of software written by developers to enhance Skype and give you even more features. We’ve been working with developers for some time to create Extras for Skype but with Skype 3.0, we’ve made it easier for you to download them.

Download Skype 3.0 and click on ‘Do More’ while in a call, on a chat or just looking for something to do. The Do More menu lets you see all the Extras available to play games, share applications with other users, record your calls, collaborate online through network sharing capabilities and much more.

You can also go to the Extras Gallery to download even more Extras and rate and comment on them for everyone else.

We’ll post more details about some of our premium Extras over the next few weeks so stay tuned for lots of insider tips about what they do, how they can make Skype even better and what you can use it for.

If you are a developer and want to learn more about how to develop a Skype extra and get it published, please use our developer resources such as the Developer Zone, the Developer blog and the forum.

As part of the new look and feel of Skype you can now personalise Skype even more by adding wallpaper.
To celebrate our new look and feel, we’re offering you the chance to design a Skype wallpaper which other users can then use too to customise Skype.
As its Skype 3.0, we’ll choose 3 winning designs which will be published right here on Share together with the authors’ Skype Names, for all to see. The best 3 designs will each receive a USB Internet Mini Phone from our friends at US Robotics.

To enter please e-mail your wallpaper design in PNG (.png) or JPEG (.jpg) format to wallpaper@skype.net with your name, email address and Skype Name so we can give you all the glory if you win and of course ship the prize to the 3 lucky winners.
Entries must be received by January 13th 2007, 23:59:59 GMT and we’ll publish the winning entries right here.

Skype 3.0 for Windows is now the [official version](http://about.skype.com/2006/12/skype_goes_the_extra_mile_to_c.html) and out of beta. Thanks to all the testers who helped us with feedback and bug reports. [Download here.](http://www.skype.com/go/download)

One cool bit of info that we've found out from our user research that's good to mention in connection with this release is that over half the people using Skype use it to meet someone new. This is very much in line with what we've always thought and what we're trying to bring more and more into the very product itself -- that you use Skype not only to talk with those you know, but might also use it for find new friends.

Continue reading "Skype 3.0 for Windows now officially launched" »

Today we released Skype 2.2 Beta for Windows Mobile. See the press release, download page and feedback options.

Lots of great stuff in this release, see the release notes for the full details. For me, the most interesting thing is Skype multiperson chat (group chat) that is now on Windows Mobile devices. It always bothered me that you can have great group chats on all our desktop versions, but as soon as you switch to the Windows Mobile versions and then someone tries to chat with you, they get some kind of silly error about your Skype not supporting multichats and thus you can't chat with more than one person at the same time. I'm a big fan of group chats and they are already truly excellent and we can and will take them a lot further. (I see from the release notes that we added this already on August on the Pocket PC version, but now it's available on more devices.)

Continue reading "Skype 2.2 Beta for Windows Mobile" »

We now have the Ways to pay page available on our site. It describes various payment methods you can use in different countries. By default, it shows you the country you're currently in, but you can select other countries yourself to browse around. You can see the details of the payment methods, as well as understand how much they cost to you, as different methods may have different fees associated with them.

This is a handy guide if you for some reason are having trouble with paying for Skype. In most countries, there is more than one method available, so you can choose the one that suits you most.

Today we put out an update to Skype 3.0 for Windows beta. Last week we also put one out, but discovered a bad bug and pulled it in a few hours. Today's update has this bug fixed, as well as many others. Most important fixes regard voice and video quality and HTTP/SOCKS proxy not working previously. Read more and see the download info on the [Garage blog](http://share.skype.com/sites/garage/2006/11/skype_for_windows_30_beta_upda.html).

I guess this also acts as a "launch" of sorts for the whole [Garage](https://developer.skype.com/SkypeGarage). It's a place where we will be distributing various unstable/preview/beta versions of Skype, as well as patches and contributions we've made to open source projects, and other experiments we do ourselves around Skype. Read the [introduction](http://share.skype.com/sites/garage/2006/10/welcome_to_skype_garage.html) for more, and take a look at the things already there. The most interesting ones to me are the [Database projects](https://developer.skype.com/SkypeGarage/DbProjects). The developers sat down and went "hmm... we need to build a database on a shoestring budget. And we need to scale it to.. uh.. let's say one billion people. That should do it for a while." The Garage Database Projects site has a lot of interesting material and actual code on this.

So if you want to follow the bleeding edge of Skype, [subscribe](http://feeds.feedburner.com/SkypeGarage) to the [Garage blog](http://share.skype.com/sites/garage/) for any future beta/preview Skype updates, and come participate in things before they reach the general public.

Today we put out two new betas.

Skype 2.5 for Mac beta

Skype 2.5 for Mac beta contains the long-awaited SMS feature.

Other notable changes are 10-way conference calling and other fixes. Read more on the Mac blog.

And just to make it clear, Skype 3.0 beta for Windows also supports 10-way conference calling. In some earlier versions of Skype, 10-way calling was limited only to Intel DualCore platforms, but we have now removed this restriction and 10-way calling continues to be available on Intel DualCore as well as other platforms. (Note that regardless of if it's a DualCore or not, you still need a pretty juicy processor to support all that call activity, and performance may suffer with slower machines.)

Skype 3.0 for Windows beta update

This one contains important fixes to last week's beta and we recommend everyone running last week's beta to upgrade to the new one.

UPDATE: this was available for a while today but we had to pull it since we got reports of some potentially pretty disastrous bugs. If you managed to download the update and it works for you, no need to worry, but for others, we'll post another beta update when we have more info on this.

Note about change logs

The change logs used to be linked straight from the download pages, but are no longer there. Instead, from now on you can find them at the following locations. We are trying to make the web pages as easy to use as possible, while moving the more detailed and in-depth information away to our wikis, forums, blogs and other channels.

Skype for Windows change log, Skype for Mac change log, Skype for Linux change log

We set up a public chat for this blog last week. We weren't really sure how many people would turn up or what we would talk about, but it's been a good experiment and I believe demonstrates the viability of the public chat concept.

We started off just a few minutes before uploading the public beta...

[8.11.2006 12:11:06] Jaanus Kase says: hi
[8.11.2006 12:11:14] Jaanus Kase says: this is gonna be the blog/publicchat chat
[8.11.2006 12:11:43] Nicola Riordan says: excellent
[8.11.2006 12:12:29] Nicola Riordan has been promoted to chat host
[8.11.2006 12:12:31] stephanie robesky has been promoted to chat host
[8.11.2006 12:12:43] Jaanus Kase says: youll both be hosts and help me keep an eye on things here.

Then people started showing up, often saying that they like the new version. Which is always nice to hear.

Continue reading "The English blog chat last week: setting up, first reactions, bugs and fixes, social experiments" »

Skype 3.0 Beta for Windows is now available. We recommend it only for experienced users, as we continue to work on it. [Download here](http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/skype3beta.html), and [see this page](https://developer.skype.com/WindowsSkype) to find out how you can give us feedback to improve it.

This will be a major milestone release, comparable in its significance perhaps to Skype video calling that came out about a year ago. Nevermind all the bugfixes and tiny improvements – lots of those too, but we're also talking some major new things in this release. And here's what those are.

### New look and feel

This is the first thing that you'll notice when you first install and run Skype 3.0 beta, and the first major update to Skype's interface on Windows in a long time. [Read more about the new look and feel in this post.](http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2006/11/a_new_face_for_30.html)

### Public chats

Aside from the new interface, Public Chats are one of the most significant new features in this release. So significant, in fact, that they too deserve their own blogpost. [Read more about public chats and other chat improvements.](http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2006/11/public_chats_and_chat_improvem.html)

Continue reading "Introducing Skype 3.0 Beta for Windows" »

Extras are not entirely new to Skype, as we've had the features in Skype for developers to create extras for quite a while now. Skype 3.0, however, takes the extras to a whole new level, as developers can write extras that are more closely connected with the Skype interface and easier for you to download.

What's an "extra", anyway? It's a piece of software that a developer has written to enhance the functions of Skype in any way imaginable.

When you look at Skype 3.0, you will see a "Do more" button or link in various places, such as the Tools menu, call tab, contact menu or 1:1 chat window. This is where you can use the various extras available and manage them using the Extras Manager.

We've also updated our Extras Gallery at [skype.com/go/extras](http://www.skype.com/go/extras). This is the destination to go to find out what extras there are available for Skype and what's new and cool in this space. You can download, rate and comment the extras.

Watch for updates about Extras throughout the beta period.

If you are a developer and want to learn more about how to develop a Skype extra and get it published, please use our developer resources such as the [Developer Zone](https://developer.skype.com), the [Developer blog](http://share.skype.com/sites/devzone) and the [forum](http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showforum=61).

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.

It's here. No longer a preview, it's now a "beta". [Download.](http://www.skype.com/download/skype/macosx/20beta.html) [More info in our Mac blog.](http://share.skype.com/sites/mac/2006/09/skype_for_mac_with_video_is_he.html)

Already during the preview phase, we got lots of "thanks" and kind words from the Skype for Mac community, along with suggestions and problems feedback. All appreciated and useful.

Stepping back from this specific release -- why Skype Video is cool is that it's one of the few video calling solutions that's simple to use and really just working across platforms and networks.

If you're on Mac, please help us by [telling us what you think of this beta](http://ecustomeropinions.com/popup/survey.php?sid=223721717), or [comment on the forum](http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showforum=47).

You often see big news about major new products on this blog and on our website. Launching new stuff is only a part of what we do at Skype. Another, often invisible but in the long run the more important part is improving what we already have, based on what you tell us.

Here's a small example about a fix that we just put out there regarding how you buy SkypeIn. We have this concept of "reserved number" -- that is, a SkypeIn number that you don't currently own but that's reserved to you. That may happen when you just click around when buying things on [Your Account](http://www.skype.com/go/myaccount) (when you select a number, you must initiate the payment in 30 minutes), or when you have a number that you owned previously, but you didn't renew it so it "expires", so to speak, but we still keep it with you for 90 days just in case if you want to change your mind and still extend it. Whew...

So anyway, you have these reserved numbers associated with you. But they were hard to find because their list was below the country selection, which in layout terms means "(very much) below the fold", and nobody ever scrolled down so nobody ever saw those. And you told us, "dear Skype, this stuff is really confusing and hard to use. How about making it easier." We looked at it and weren't really sure why it was placed where it was, but what the heck, let's just make it easier then.

And so now we display these reserved numbers right above the country flags so they're really really hard to miss. More clarity in the purchasing process means more happy Skypers and less support load for Skype. Everybody wins. (Click on the picture to see the bigger version.)

Skype for Windows 2.6 Beta is now out of Preview and in public beta. Download here. Thanks to everyone who helped us find and fix bugs during the Preview stage. It's not yet out as final release, but much more stable now.

Here are the major changes. See below for how to give us feedback about this beta.

Skypecasts on Live tab

This release gives Skypecasts much more visibility. You can now find Skypecasts directly from Skype itself.  Simply browse to the new Live tab to view all the Skypecasts starting soon and find one you’re interested in. You can then click the "Talk or listen" button and get added to the Skypecast immediately.

Continue reading "Skype for Windows 2.6 Beta — Skypecasts on Live tab, browser plug-ins, clickable moods, birthdays..." »

Similarly to [some other countries and regions](http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2005/07/free_calls_to_tollfree_phone_n.html), you can now call Taiwan toll-free numbers (+88680...) free of charge with Skype, wherever you are.

Skype for Windows Mobile 2.1 beta is out now. See the [mobile blog](http://share.skype.com/sites/mobile/2006/08/skype_for_pocket_pc_21_beta.html) for more info about what's new, and see the [beta page](https://developer.skype.com/WindowsMobileSkype) for download and feedback instructions.

We have an [early preview of Skype for Windows 2.6](https://developer.skype.com/WindowsSkype) out there now. You can see that it's called a "preview", which means it's not even a beta yet. You won't find it on any skype.com pages -- it's limited to the Developer Zone and the forum at this time. We only want those people who are comfortable with (possibly unstable) preview versions to download and use it -- and report anything you find back to us.

The main change in this version, and the main reason for calling it a preview, is that we made some pretty significant changes in the audio handling part of Skype, which may make it unstable. So at this time the main goal of this preview is to test all the audio stuff. There are some other new or changed things that are also visible, but we're focusing on the audio part for the time being.

See the [2.6 preview page](https://developer.skype.com/WindowsSkype) for more info and download links, and talk back with us in the [2.6 preview forum](http://forum.skype.com/viewforum.php?f=48).

This is one of the happiest posts I've ever written here. We now have [Skype for Mac 1.5 BETA](http://share.skype.com/sites/mac/2006/07/skype_for_mac_15_is_here.html) available, and there's also a [video preview](http://share.skype.com/sites/mac/2006/07/video_has_arrived_if_youre_bra.html).

The two versions are otherwise the same, but the video preview just has video and the BETA doesn't. If you are adventurous and don't mind one or two bugs, feel free to [download the video preview](http://share.skype.com/sites/mac/2006/07/video_has_arrived_if_youre_bra.html) and let us know what you think. Mind you, it's a preview, so it's even before beta. We don't support the video preview, but we welcome all the feedback and video-related bug submissions. [See the video feedback instructions](https://developer.skype.com/MacSkype). Otherwise, if you just want to get the latest and greatest changes in the 1.5 BETA but prefer to give the video a bit of time to become more stable, [pull the 1.5 BETA](http://share.skype.com/sites/mac/2006/07/skype_for_mac_15_is_here.html).

I'm happy to write this because video has been the number one thing requested in Skype for Mac since... well, pretty much ever since we released Skype a few years ago. It's great to see the energy and enthusiasm in the Skype for Mac community about video, and we're happy to bring you this first official public preview. As said, not for the faint of heart, but you're welcome to help us get it even better than it already is.

Video support for Skype for Mac will be one of our major acts this year. You can tell that by just taking a look at our various blog posts and the comments here, especially in the Mac blog. Whatever we post, we have people asking "WHERE IS VIDEO FOR SKYPE FOR MAC? GIMME SKYPE FOR MAC WITH VIDEO." It's great to see this much interest and we'll surely meet it by bringing you a fine video version with the superb quality you’ve grown to expect from Skype.

Among all the excitement, we recently learned that there is an early development version of Skype for Mac with video floating around some warez sites. What you need to know about this version is that it is an internal unstable development version, and thus it is extremely buggy. It may and will destroy your contacts and other data. It is completely unsupported and if you experience problems due to using this version, you’re on your own. The only way to make sure you’re getting the correct and official version of Skype is to download it directly from skype.com, or from the pages of one of our official [partners](http://about.skype.com/partners.html).

Another thing worth noting about the video part is that the version going around is two months old, and thus is definitely not the "latest and greatest" that you’ll see once we release it. It’s not yet ready for primetime, but will be soon. It sounds old, but please bear with us. Not much longer to go.

Here’s a screenshot of an actual video call with Skype for Mac.

Skype for Linux 1.3 beta is now available. There wasn't a new Linux version since the end of last year and I didn't really want to post anything until there was something available for you to actually download and use. There is now, so [download the new Skype for Linux 1.3 beta](http://www.skype.com/download/skype/linux/13beta.html). One highlight of this release was that support for the ALSA sound system has been the most requested feature since we first released Skype for Linux almost two years ago. Well, it's there now.

[Read more details about this release in our Skype for Linux blog.](http://share.skype.com/sites/linux/2006/06/open_beta.html) This is where we'll post any updates regarding Skype for Linux, so if you're a Linux fan, keep an eye on it.

It's out. [Grab it.](http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/helloagain.html)

This version is about talking to several people at once – so it’s like you’ve got the whole family together in your lounge, even though you might live thousands of miles apart. With Skype you can enjoy talking for as long as you like, without worrying about the cost or the distance. Plus with features like conference calling, free video calling and group chats it’s never been easier to stay in touch with all of your friends and family no matter how far apart you are. [Visit the lounge.](http://www.skype.com/share/lounge/)

Skypecasts now have [their own blog](http://share.skype.com/sites/skypecasts/). We'll also post the most important Skypecasts news here on the main English blog, but the Skypecasts blog is where you can track the daily buzz. So if you're into Skypecasts, [head right over](http://share.skype.com/sites/skypecasts) and [subscribe](http://feeds.feedburner.com/SkypecastsBlog).

We just put out new layout to the [Your Account](http://www.skype.com/go/myaccount) area. This is basically the area where you manage everything about your relationship with Skype as the company. It mostly involves buying things such as Skype Credit, extending your SkypeIn number and those kinds of things. There are also settings like e-mail privacy which you may want to use even if you never bought anything from Skype and never will.

All the important things like your remaining Skype Credit and SkypeIn are in the top part of the screen above the fold. We think they're easier to find now than they were before.

Continue reading "The new Your Account page" »

We have a poll in the forum about what we should do next on Skypecasts. Go vote Plus if you think there's something else from these choices, please leave your comments as text.

See the Skype for Mac blog for more info about this. If you're a Mac fan, you may want to subscribe to that blog, this is the first place where you'll see any Skype for Mac news and updates.

Skype is currently organising a research group to be run in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. We’ll ask you some questions about how you use Skype, what you find easy and what you think we could be doing better. In return for your time, we gift you a little Skype Credit.

Would you like to be part of it? If you’re in or around New York, Chicago or San Francisco Bay area, [sign up](http://ecustomeropinions.com/popup/survey.php?sid=364071605). The groups will happen around May 15 to 17.

Skype is currently organising a research group to be run in London on Monday 15th May at 6.30pm. We’ll ask you some questions about how you use Skype, what you find easy and what you think we could be doing better. In return for your time, we gift you a little Skype Credit.

Would you like to be part of it? If you're in London area, [sign up](http://ecustomeropinions.com/popup/survey.php?sid=361704560).

By far the most important and groundbreaking improvement in Skype 2.5 is many cute new emoticons.

Plus a few hidden ones. These aren't in the dropdown but they are definitely necessary in some situations. When confronted with something that drives you nuts, this one is really handy.

Skype for Windows 2.5 BETA is now available. [Download it here.](http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/skype25beta.html)

Following are the highlights of this release.

### Shared groups

Shared groups are an interesting new feature. [Read this for more](http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2006/05/shareg_groups_in_skype.html) or see the [starting guide](http://www.skype.com/help/guides/sharedgroups.html).

### SMS

You can now send [SMS text messages](http://www.skype.com/products/skypesms/) to mobiles with Skype. Just right-click on a contact who has a mobile number entered in their profile, or on a SkypeOut mobile contact, and select "Send SMS Message". [See the guide for more.](http://www.skype.com/help/guides/sms.html)

Continue reading "Skype for Windows 2.5 BETA — SMS, Shared Groups, other improvements" »

We all know that people love to talk, so we're excited to announce an [early preview of Skypecasts](http://www.skype.com/go/skypecasts): a new way to have conversations with people across the world who share your interests. Skypecasts are live, moderated conversations allowing groups of up to 100 people from anywhere in the world to talk to one another.

Continue reading "Early preview of Skypecasts" »

SkypeIn is now available in Australia. [Get it.](https://secure.skype.com/store/skypein/start.html?get)

I asked an Aussie colleague what's a good saying... he said "Not sure it is relevant, but my favourite aussie saying is "Don't come the raw prawn with me mate!" which roughly means don't try to bullshit me". [More Aussie slang here.](http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html)

Well, no raw prawn or rip-offs here... just head over to the [My Account](https://secure.skype.com/store/skypein/start.html) area and get yourself some fresh Australian SkypeIn while stock lasts. Costs the same as other countries -- 10 € for 3 months, or 30 € for the whole year. In Australian dollars, that's $ 16 and $ 50. Just a reminder -- you can switch your currency to Australian dollars or any other of the 14 currencies we support.

Something tells me we're going to have a new SkypeIn country this week. Anyone want to guess what country is that?

I've got a lot of questions like this recently to all imaginable and unimaginable addresses. As has the whole of our team and support and any other channels.

> Jaanus, can you give me ANY information on video in Skype for OS-X. I'm using both platforms for various apps and my skype contacts are a mix of both.

Trust us guys, we don't have the Mac OS X video version hidden in some secret lair from where we could take it and just publish, but we don't as we're evil Getting it to work takes effort and we're going ahead with that at full steam. We know you would be disappointed if it were anything less than perfect, and we do have a lot of hardcore Mac fans in the house at Skype who want to get their hands on it the same way you do. So hang in there and we'll publish more on this as the happy day of release comes closer.

As it says. More details [in the forum](http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=48744). [Download.](http://www.skype.com/download/skypewebtoolbar/) Here are the highlights. "Web as a phone book" rocks

> The most important feature is they try to turn the entire web into a big phone book - every phone number found on a web page can be called.

> Phone number recognition is not perfect (it never will be) but it is as close as we can get it. If you find a page where we don't properly recognize the number please post a link and (even better) a suggestion as to a rule that would eliminate those numbers. Such a rule could be: "Swedish number almost always have one of more dividing characters(.- /\). If a digit sequence is found on a Swedish page that is written without such, it most likely is not a phone number" or "Cambodian numbers always have 8 digits". We know those two and a few thousand more - but I am sure there are such rules we don't know! So if you find an error -- please let us know.

We just released [Skype for Business](http://www.skype.com/business/). It was sort of available already before, as Skype Groups that is now the [Skype control panel](http://www.skype.com/products/skypegroups/).

However, there's much more than controlling the credit allocation that you need from Skype when you're running a business. You might want to learn more about how other businesses are using it. (See the [Salesforce story.](http://www.skype.com/business/skype-in-salesforce.html)) You might want to learn about add-on products and services that you could use. There are questions about security and stability. We hope the new [Skype for Business homepage](http://www.skype.com/business/) will help you to learn about all that. Or just go to [skype.biz](http://skype.biz) that takes you to the right place.

See the [press release](http://www.skype.com/company/news/2006/skype_smb.html) for more info and links to other related services. And what's a better way to kick off a new service than to have a [brand new freshly-baked blog](http://share.skype.com/sites/business/) for it Together with the newsletter (subscribe on [skype.biz](http://skype.biz?newsletter), the Skype for Business team hopes to keep you posted.

The business offering has been received with great interest. See the [BusinessWeek](http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060309_564273.htm) and [Los Angeles Times](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-skype9mar09,1,2105235.story) for some writeups.

A new revision of Skype Web Toolbars was just released. [Go get the new version.](http://www.skype.com/download/skypewebtoolbar/)

Lots of new stuff. There's now a Firefox sidebar so you can browse your contacts right in the page. Send Page sends the current page to a contact. The country selection is more fun than the "industry standard" boring 200-field dropdown -- you get a geographical division of the countries instead and can select it from the right part of the world. We like global. Easy-hide lets you hide the toolbar so it won't clutter the space, yet the Convert-Phone-Numbers-To-Skype-Links-A-Tron machine is still active so numbers and Skype Names on web pages are converted to handy buttons.

Read more and give us feedback [in the Toolbars forum](http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=47567).

SkypeIn numbers are now available in Japan. Go get yours in our [web store](http://www.skype.com/go/myaccount). SkypeIn numbers in Japan are provided by [Fusion Communications](http://www.fusioncom.co.jp/).

Skype for Pocket PC 2.0 is now available as the official public version. Thanks to all who helped us improve the beta. [Go get it now.](http://www.skype.com/go/mobile)

Skype for Pocket PC 2.0 (prior release was v1.1) enhances voice quality and the number of devices supported, more languages and 240x240 screens. Other key features and benefits include:

* Skype to Skype and SkypeOut calls
* Instant messaging
* Presence, including: Online, offline, away, call forwarding, device not connected
* Automatic synchronization of your Skype contact list between device and desktop
* Voicemail
* Making SkypeOut calls directly from the device phone book
* Simplified contact search
* Authorizing contact requests and adding new contacts

The following are some of the many Pocket PC devices that support Skype for Pocket PC 2.0:

* Several HP iPAQ models including HP iPAQ hw6900 series Mobile Messenger, hx2400, hx2700, rx3700 and hx4700 series models
* Dell X3i, X30, X50, X50v, x51 and x51v models
* Fujitsu Siemens Computers Pocket LOOX N520, 718 and 720 models

Together with the new release, we also made it easier to use the [download page](http://www.skype.com/go/mobile). You can now select the manufacturer and make of your Pocket PC and the wizard offers you the most suitable version for your device, plus there are screenshots guiding you through the download and installation. Handy stuff.

SkypeWeb is now officially available. It is supported in the [latest release of Skype for Windows](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/). To activate SkypeWeb, you need to [turn it on](http://www.skype.com/share/buttons/status.html). You can get your own [Skype button here](http://www.skype.com/go/skypebuttons).

SkypeWeb in short means that you can have a fancy button for your e-mail or web page which goes something like this:

One bit of feedback we've had is that there's currently no "dropdown-style" button available in the [Skype button builder](http://www.skype.com/go/skypebuttons). People are asking what's up with it and why did we take it away? Short answer -- we just didn't make it in time to remake it to the new style with status. It's coming back. Soon. Really. Keep checking the page.

Continue reading "SkypeWeb is now available" »

Today, we announced that Skype supports 10-way conference calling on PC-s with new Intel processors. Specifically, this means Intel Centrino® Duo mobile technology-based laptop PCs, and desktop PCs based on Intel® Pentium® D processors, Pentium Extreme Edition processors and the recently introduced Intel Viiv™ technology. And 10-way conference calling means you can have up to 10 people in the call, instead of up to 5 as was the case up to now.

Support for 10-way conference calling on new Intel processors is available in the current public version of Skype 2.0. If you don't have it yet, [download it from here](http://www.skype.com/go/download).

Note that only the conference host needs to have a new Intel processor -- other users (conference participants) can participate in the call as clients with any platform and device that supports Skype conference calls.

Like Andy correctly notes, this cooperation is not only limited to 10-way conference calling. We are working with Intel to further optimize Skype on cutting-edge hardware. Video calling and mobile devices are two obvious examples. So going forward, we will definitely see more news about similar innovations from Skype and Intel. See also the [Intel's Skype gateway page](http://www.intel.com/go/skype).

SkypeIn numbers are now available in Brazil. To get a SkypeIn Brazil number, just go to our [web store](http://www.skype.com/go/store) and pick a number. We are offering SkypeIn in Brazil together with our partner [Transit Telecom](http://www.transitbrasil.com.br/).

Skype 2.0.0.73 for Windows is now out. [Get it here.](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/)

The detailed list of changes is in the [change log](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/changelog.html). Most fixes are minor, but one deserves attention -- the DEP crashing fix.

A story has been going round on this ([the original that started it](http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=148)). We know this bug affected increasingly large number of users, and we're relieved we got it fixed now.

Continue reading "Skype 2.0.0.73 for Windows: DEP crashing fix" »

Do you ever think there was an easier way to pay for for Skype Credit, SkypeIn and all those things? There is now -- with PayPal. When you go to pay with PayPal, you can now go for "PayPal Preapproved" which means that the next time you need to make a purchase, it's only a few clicks away and you don't have to go through the whole process of selecting your address and all that.

If you haven't yet tried PayPal, why not do so? It's one of the easiest, safest and most convenient way to pay Skype.

[Here's a chance to win a free webcam in the next two weeks.](http://www.skype.com/campaigns/giftcerts2005/) Just buy some [Gift Certificates](http://www.skype.com/go/help.faq.giftcertificates) and you automatically enter the lottery. Even if you already have a webcam, you can give this one to someone you care about, so you can enjoy Skype video calls with them.

We just released new beta of Skype for Pocket PC. [Go get it.](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/pocketpc/)

The last version of Skype for Pocket PC with any new features was released in April this year almost 8 months ago. So we certainly could hear you saying "WHERE IS A NEW ONE?!?!??!" Well here you go.

As you can see, there are two versions to download. Version 1.2.0.89 is the preferred one for 400+ MHz devices, and 1.2.0.91, which says "recommended if your Pocket PC has a CPU of 312 MHz", should actually read "from 312 MHz up to 400 MHz". The second one has been optimized to work well on devices slower than 400 MHz. Otherwise, they are the same.

Lots of new things in this release -- most importantly:

* supported operating systems: Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC and Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC.
* languages: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Japanese
* supported displays: 240x320, 480,640, portrait and landscape, 240x240 and 480x480.
* supported networks: WiFi/802.11, 3G/UMTS or EDGE.
* voice quality improvements
* extended screen support
* Skype Voicemail: you can receive and send voicemail. The thing you can't do, though, is update your greeting
* lots of bugs fixed - see the [change log](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/pocketpc/changelog.html) for details

So go [get the new release now](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/pocketpc/) and give us feedback in the [Skype for Pocket PC forum](http://forum.skype.com/viewforum.php?f=13).

WeeMees are characters that represent you. They can share your passion for extreme sports, cutting-edge technology, punk hairstyles or exotic pets or whatever else you do or are. [Get your own WeeMee.](http://www.skype.com/go/weemee)

Continue reading "What is a WeeMee?" »

This morning we released [Skype 1.4 beta for Mac OS X](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/macosx/). The new version contains some new functions, like Call forwarding, Mood messages and now iTunes pause automatically when you receive a call on Skype. There are also loads of tweaks like new sounds, new sign-in screen and some other UI updates. Hope you like it. No video yet for Mac OS X, but we're working on it.

You've been asking for it, and the whole team has been working for it for over a year.

Skype 2.0 (BETA). Now with free video calling.

[Get it here.](http://www.skype.com/go/download)

If you don't want to break your computer with the beta, you could wait for the non-beta release of Skype 2.0, which is not too far away.

Continue reading "Skype 2.0 beta - free video calling" »

We launched SkypeIn numbers in Switzerland (Zurich area) approx. 45 minutes ago. To buy them, just go to our [web store](http://www.skype.com/go/store), click on "SkypeIn (BETA)" and pick Switzerland from the list of countries.

As with [Germany](http://share.skype.com/blog/products_and_services/skypein_germany/), some restrictions apply -- you have to be a Swiss resident.

The response has been great, and we have been told this is considered as the best thing that has happened to Switzerland since 1971. This was the year when women were granted the right to vote on a federal level (note: that it was only in 1990 that the last province in Switzerland gave women the full right to vote).

[Skype Web Store](http://www.skype.com/go/store) now supports the following currencies: zł (Polish zloty), R$ (Brazil real) and 元 (Taiwan dollar -- how cool of a symbol is that 元?).

SkypeIn numbers are now available in Germany -- finally, after a relatively long quiet period, we get a new SkypeIn country! Yay.

To get it, just go to our [web store](http://www.skype.com/go/store), click on "SkypeIn (BETA)" and pick Germany from the list of countries.

Continue reading "SkypeIn Germany" »

Autumn is kicking in and Halloween is just around the corner. (It just started snowing in Tallinn today. Wet and dirty, but still... something special about that first snow every year.) And right now on [Personalise Skype](http://www.skype.com/go/shop.personal) you can download screams, howls and pictures to scare your friends this Halloween. So if you're not too spooked, why not spend some Skype Credit and be frightful.

You might have heard of [Skype Groups](http://www.skype.com/products/skypegroups/) before. It is a tool that enables businesses and families to manage multiple Skype paid accounts. The main functionality of Groups is buying and distributing Skype Credit, SkypeIn and Skype Voicemail to members of your group.

Today, Groups moved out of beta and we added the new automatic credit distribution function. Automatic distribution lets you automate the allocation of Skype Credits to users' accounts, so they never run out of credits again.

Continue reading "Skype Groups helps businesses and families" »

Do you live in or around London? Interested in visiting Skype and meeting with the team?

Whether you're new to Skype or a grizzled veteran, we want to talk with you about what you like and what we could do better. It's more than just a focus group, as we would like your input over several months (don't worry, it won't require that much time from you).

We'll invite you to our offices a few times so our relationship can grow, and soon we'll be finishing each other's sentences.

If this sounds like fun, go ahead and send an email to "voices 'at' skype.net".

If you're using or planning to use Skype paid services, you can now switch to Japanese Yen or British Pound on your [Skype My Account page](http://www.skype.com/go/myaccount). Log on, click on Settings and Change Currency. Your Skype Credit balance and all purchases will then be in that currency. Previously, there were Euro and US Dollar available, so now you can use EUR, USD, GBP, YEN. More currencies coming up.

UPDATE: we first posted this announcement last Friday but pulled it because there was a problem with some Pound payments not coming through. Everything has been sorted out and is working fine now. As always, if you notice anything wrong with your payment or account, please contact our [support](http://www.skype.com/go/help.ticket.submit).

Yesterday we added a new member to our toolbars family, the [Skype toolbar for Firefox](http://www.skype.com/products/skypewebtoolbar/). It is a beta version, but works pretty well they say. Initially only for Firefox for Windows, other platforms coming up. Also the two other members of the family, the [Internet Explorer toolbar](http://www.skype.com/products/skypewebtoolbar/) and the [Outlook toolbar](http://www.skype.com/products/skypeemailtoolbar/) moved out of beta.

We now call them [Web Toolbars](http://www.skype.com/products/skypewebtoolbar/) and [Email Toolbar](http://www.skype.com/products/skypeemailtoolbar/). The Web Toolbar page looks at what browser are you using, and offers you the right one.

The toolbars enables you to call directly form the application you installed them in. So let's say you are looking for Swedish people and search a directory service like [privatpersoner.eniro.se](http://privatpersoner.eniro.se). If you have the toolbar installed, all the phone numbers become clickable so you can call them straight from your browser.

You can now buy Skype Gift Certificates. They are Skype voucher codes that you can buy to give out as gifts, resell or use for yourself. You can buy Gift Certificates for Skype Credit (which you can use to make SkypeOut calls), SkypeIn (including Voicemail) and Voicemail.

### Cool! How do I buy them?

Just log on to [My Account](http://www.skype.com/go/store), scroll down and select "Purchase Gift Certificates" from the bottom of your My Account page. Select the desired type and amount of Gift Certificates and proceed according to the on-screen instructions.

Note that not everyone can buy Gift Certificates. To buy Gift Certificates, you need to have made several SkypeOut calls over a period of at least 3 months and not have any fraudulent transactions recorded for your Skype Name. The Gift Certificates links will be visible or not visible to you depending on whether you meet these criteria. If you don't see the link, just keep using Skype and SkypeOut and check back at a later date. Also, initially Gift Certificates are supported only if your currency is set to Euro. Other currencies coming up.

Continue reading "We bring you... Skype Gift Certificates" »

A short answer would be "Skype Credit is something that we made available today." But this doesn't really answer the question So read on.

First let's look back a bit at what has been recently happening on the front of Skype paid services. In August we soft-launched an improvement that introduced US dollars to your payment options, with more currencies upcoming. Just in September, we brought you the Skype Groups Beta, so you can buy Skype services for other people.

Now we have Skype Credit.

You buy Skype Credit in amounts of 10 and 25 Euros or US dollars and then spend them how you like on Skype services and content. When you buy Skype Credit, SkypeOut will be activated immediately and you can start calling out to landlines and mobiles. So far, this sounds a lot like the SkypeOut credits that we had before. What's new is that you can now also spend your credit balance on other Skype services, like SkypeIn, Skype Voicemail and Personalise Skype sound & pictures.

Continue reading "What is Skype Credit?" »

Related to [Lenn's piece about how to add Skype Buttons signature to your mail in OS X](http://share.skype.com/blog/sharing_tools_news/mac_how-to%3a_adding_a_skype_me_button_to_your_signature_file_in_apple_mail/) -- last night, we released [new Skype for Mac OS X, version 1.3.0.14](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/macosx/), which supports Skype links and buttons. So now you can use the Skype Buttons also on Mac -- [go grab one of those buttons and put it to your web page NOW!](http://www.skype.com/go/skypebuttons) Use [http://www.skype.com/go/skypebuttons](http://www.skype.com/go/skypebuttons) whenever you want to link to the Skype Buttons page.

We were a bit quiet for the past few days. This is because we had to wrap up Skype for Windows 1.4. It is out now and available at your nearest Skype download site. [Get it while there are still some copies left!](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/)

Now, a lot of great new things in this release. The major new features in this release are [Call Forwarding](http://www.skype.com/go/help.faq.callforwarding), [Personalise Skype](http://www.skype.com/go/shop.personal) and improved call quality. You will never miss a call again with forwarding to SkypeOut numbers and Skype Names, and the calls sound better than ever.

We've brushed up our [Tools for Sharing](http://share.skype.com/tools_for_sharing/tools_for_sharing/sharing_good._not_sharing_bad./) quite a bit. Find many new [banners](http://share.skype.com/affiliate/) (several of you asked for larger variety of non-Flash -- go grab'em!) and updated [Skype buttons](http://share.skype.com/tools_for_sharing/skype_buttons/skype_buttons/) -- more about them in the post below. Also, some completely new stuff like [shout-outs and flyers](http://share.skype.com/tools_for_sharing/tools_for_sharing/shout_out/).

Continue reading "Skype for Windows 1.4 — "Have you got the new Skype?"" »

Last night, we put out the public beta of [Skype Groups](http://www.skype.com/products/skypegroups/). The essence of it is that you can buy Skype services for other people and keep an eye on their usage -- like refill their accounts if they run short of Skype Credit. It supports SkypeOut (Skype Credit), SkypeIn and Voicemail.

For more info, check out the [product page](http://www.skype.com/products/skypegroups/), [FAQ](http://support.skype.com/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=subcat&_i=36) and [Skype Groups (BETA) forum](http://forum.skype.com/viewforum.php?f=32). Give us feedback what you think of it, does it work fine for you or are there any things you don't understand or problems that need to be fixed.

Well, the Mac team at Skype is very happy to deliver its latest update: Skype for Mac OS X 1.3. Skype’s Mac group has been busy listening to the Mac community, adding new features and polishing the fit and finish of every aspect of our Mac client. Skype's new Mac version adds: improved call quality, Multi-chat, drag and drop contacts, a new services and alert interface, a red badge on our dock icon, API support, animated emoticons, support for selecting multiple contacts, better support for "Do-Not-Disturb" mode, Growl support, improved keyboard commands and tool-tips.

Oh, and one more thing…a Widget! The Skype Widget 1.02 lets Tiger OS X 10.4 users look up international calling codes, check Skype’s rates and place calls to Skype names and phone numbers, all from a handy widget. Check it out.

Continue reading "Skype for Mac 1.3 out now" »

Hi! We're Skype Voice Services. [We just got announced today.](http://www.skype.com/company/news/2005/skype_voiceservices.html) We're not available to users just yet -- this is more of a call to you to start building us and getting ready to earn some revenue.

In a nutshell, Skype Voice Services Program lets you offer your services through Skype calls. They can be free to callers, or you can choose to charge any price you set. In case of chargeable services, the caller pays using his/her Skype Credit. For an example, try tellmeonskype.

Continue reading "Say hi to Voice Services Program" »

Skype is proud of being international and localized. We have partners in many countries, our services and software are available in tens of languages, both official and user-supported.

Yet a critical piece of the puzzle has been missing. No matter where you came from, if you wanted to buy our paid services, you were always forced to pay in the Euro currency. This was all fine and good for our European Union friends, but there are many of you in the world who haven't seen a single Euro and conduct their daily lives in another currency. And we forced you to perform confusing rate calculations all the time ("How much does this cost in my currency? How about this call? How much credit do I really have left?")

Or, we're happy to say, it used to be so until now. **Dollar payments for Skype paid services are now available as public beta.**

Continue reading "Let's roll those dollars (yet another beta)" »

Personalise Skype has been launched! It's a service that allows you to break out of the familiar Skype sounds, ringtones and pictures "box" and download some first rate pictures for your profile and ringtones to make your cat purr or make your neighbours go mad. We're all different so why should I have the same ringtone for incoming calls as Jaanus and having default Skype picture in the profile is no fun at all. Also, it helps your friends to find you in their contact list.

Sounds interesting? Check out our [Personalise Skype pages](http://www.skype.com/products/personalise/) and if you want more information about the service, how it works, requirements to use it or what happens if you change your computer then head over to our [Personalise Skype Help pages](http://personal.skype.com/wnf/t74/0/m/help). Personalize Skype requires the new Skype for Windows 1.4 [that we just made available as beta](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/).

Continue reading "Personalise Skype launched" »

It's the day of the good news. We've just released Skype for Windows 1.4 beta as a [secondary download](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows). As usual, we recommend public betas only for advanced users and for testing -- there are known issues but overall it should not break your computer or wreak havoc in some unknown way.

What's new? Most importantly, significally improved call quality. We continue to work to maintain Skype's leadership in defining how calls over the Internet should work and sound, and 1.4 is a major step forward on that path.

Featurewise there's the über-requested **call forwarding**. This means that you can forward your incoming Skype-to-Skype and SkypeIn calls to either another Skype Name or to any landline or mobile phone. Yes -- no more missed Skype calls! For forwarding calls to landline or mobile you need to have sufficient Skype balance available, but otherwise call forwarding itself is free and open to everyone.

You can do tons of cool stuff with forwarding -- such as let your grandpa call you on your SkypeIn number. If you're not around your computer, the call is automatically connected to your mobile, without the caller ever noticing the difference. Or, you can forward to multiple numbers and Skype Names, and the first one to pick up receives the call.

We've also spiced up Skype for those who'd like to see more personalized sounds, ringtones and pictures. You can get them from our webstore and the selection is certainly big. For now, this new service works only with Skype for Windows 1.4.

There are several improvements to search, adding contacts, Getting Started Wizard and finding contacts from your Outlook, Outlook Express and Opera address books. Following are some other changes you may find interesting in this version. Full list of changes is in the [change log](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/changelog.html).

Continue reading "Skype 1.4 beta: better sound quality, call forwarding, personalization" »

Today we are sharing the all-new Skype for Windows Mobile Pocket PC v1.2 - Beta.

Skype for Pocket PC provides you with the freedom to enjoy Skype on the go: in the home, office or outdoors - wherever there is a high speed data network (WiFi, 3G or EDGE) which your Pocket PC can connect to. So, find your favorite WiFi hot spot and Skype away. If you get an EDGE or 3G enabled Pocket PC with a high speed data plan, you can really start going places, while talking to your buddies for free.

Version 1.2 offers the ability to make Skype to Skype calls, Skype Out calls, instant message chats and to send and receive voicemail. We also worked hard to provide good voice quality. Supported languages now include: English, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Italian and Spanish.

For the best sound quality we recommend you use earphones, a device with a CPU of at least 300MHz as well as built-in WiFi. If you don't plan to use earphones, we recommend you turn on the 'echo cancellation' in the Skype application (You can do that under Tools / Options in the Skype PPC application). If you plan to use an external WiFi card, your devices should have at least a 400MHz CPU.

You can start using it today but remember, this is still an evaluation version and hence it is not perfect, yet. Just download the following file to your Windows desktop or laptop: [http://www.skype.com/go/mobile](http://www.skype.com/go/mobile) Note: Do NOT download this file directly to your Pocket PC, as it will not be recognized. Rather download it to your desktop or laptop computer and then use ActiveSync to transfer it to your Pocket PC.

Please share with us your comments on voice quality, ease of use, places you enjoy using Skype on your Pocket PC and what exact device you are using it on. Just post your comments here or on the Pocket PC forum at: http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=33354

Thanks for helping us make a better product for you!

Nitzan Shaer
Product Manager, Handheld Devices

A sincere thank you from all of us at Skype to the 500+ developers who contacted us in just 24 hours wanting to work together to join Skype and the open Web. The response has been amazing and has come from developers, bloggers, and just plain excited end users wanting to get started today. Here is just a sampling of what people are telling us:

“I would like to use SkypeNet API to bring Skype to mobile phones equipped with WLAN.”

“I want to add Skype presence to some cool WAP/XHTML sites I have!”

“I would like to integrate skype status into the Lotus Notes client.”

“I work with Public Schools in the UK to develop improved communication and shared practices using cost effective, innovative technology.”

“I would be very interested in looking into building a small server system using the Skype API.”

“I would like to share Skype on my blog.”

"We are interested to integrate Skype User into our hotspot network and technology."

"I'd like to get more details on the SkypeNet API. We are interested providing services on Linux / PHP systems that incorporate Skype functionality and SkypeNet seems perfect."

"Our groupware software can be a good platform for the SkypeWeb API."

"We'd like to get started right away with SkypeNet. WE LOVE SKYPE!!!"

"We are intressed in using Skype as communication channel to web user."

"I am interested in developing a skype application for interactive TV."

More information will be sent out to all of you who have reached out to us over the past few days telling you when and how you can get started adding SkypeWeb to your Web sites and blogs, and using SkypeNet to support Skype IM and presence in your applications. SkypeWeb will require a future release of Skype to enable the feature and a beta will be coming soon to get you started. In the meantime, thanks for your support and creativity. We can't wait to see where you'll take this.

As part of celebrating our second year anniversary, Skype has a present to give back to the internet for all of the amazing support we have received from the internet community. We are announcing two new initiatives that make Skype and the Web a little more interesting and open up new possibilities for the developer and partner community. After all … sharing is good

Introducing SkypeWeb

We’ve heard from you that Skype doesn’t just let you talk for free over the internet, but has become an integral part of managing communication with your family, friends, and colleagues. Letting people know when you are available to talk via Skype makes the tool smarter unlike the telephone which just rings even when you are busy. SkypeWeb will enable you to let others know when you are free and make it easy for them to reach you from any Web site, blog, email, or just about anything that can speak HTML. SkypeWeb extends Skype beyond your contact list and lets people connect with you via Skype even if they are not a Skype user.

How will it work? Simple actually, just tell Skype that you want to share your online status with the Web, copy and paste a few lines of HTML and script that Skype will give you and voila … your Skype status is on the Web. Look for more announcements in the coming weeks from partners who will make sharing your Skype status on the Web quick and easy.

Interested in working with us to make it easy for Skypers to share their status on the Web? Drop us a line at skypeweb@skype.com.

Introducing SkypeNet API

Wouldn’t it be cool if your friends using other IM applications could contact you on Skype? We want Skype to be the worlds largest open IM system on the planet! What if you could use Skype to communicate with a product reviewer on a Web site, to chat with other players in an online game using Skype? All of these things and a few more that we haven’t dreamed up yet will become possiblities with SkypeNet API, a new set of tools and services that programmers can use to take Skype into new places that you may have never dreamed of before.

SkypeNet API will enable developers to access our IM and Presence system and bring it into new applications without needing to have the full version of Skype running on the machine. Think of it as mini Skype that can bring Skype to new places and let you do things you couldn’t do before. Details on the SkypeNet API will be coming soon, but we want to start the fun now. Interested in getting on board with SkypeNet now and just can’t wait until we publish more?

Contact us at skypenet@skype.com

The Skype Toolbars for Outlook and Internet Explorer that we've been working on for a while now, have now [their own page on skype.com](http://www.skype.com/products/skypetoolbars/). We've had a lot of requests for toolbars for more apps like Firefox, and those are being worked on too.

Also keep an eye on our [Extras Gallery](/directory/) which now has its own [RSS feed](http://share.skype.com/extras.xml) so that you can monitor what new&cool stuff is added there.

Since a few days ago, we require all customers to be registered in our web store when buying SkypeOut, SkypeIn or Skype Voicemail. In simple terms, it means that you cannot buy anything until you have confirmed your e-mail address with us. It is a simple procedure that requires you to just click a few buttons, and the web store walks you through it at the time of your first purchase.

For more info on why this is necessary and how it works, see our Knowledge Base. One specific known issue is that sometimes the e-mail may not come through because of restrictive Junk Mail filters -- see this article for explanation and possible remedies.

Our user research people are putting together research groups that help us better understand who you, our users are and what you expect of Skype. Which services and initiatives interest you, which don't, which areas we can improve... that kind of thing.

We are conducting the groups at our office in central London. So if you are close to London and would like to be involved, we would value your help. As a thanks for your contribution, we'll be giving you vouchers for SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Voicemail and a bunch of other stuff.

If you're interested in participating, e-mail research 'at' skype.net and let us know. The groups meet over the next couple of weeks, so be quick.

I heard we have another SkypeOut Gift Day coming, and this time it's on the weekend! So you don't need to get distracted from your daily business just to go get your gift, but can take your time and do it from the comfort of wherever you are on the weekend. So keep checking skype.com front page and your My Account page once in a while to see when it starts.

We've just made a change to SkypeOut that allows you to call toll-free numbers in several countries free of charge, even if you don't have SkypeOut and don't ever plan to buy it. (If you DO have SkypeOut, those calls are priced at zero price.) Note that this is currently in beta, so there may be issues -- see below for details -- but we've verified it works fairly well for us.

The following countries and number ranges are supported. We're working on the rest of the world.

* **France**: +33 800, +33 805, +33 809
* **Poland**: +48 800
* **UK**: +44 500, +44 800, +44 808
* **USA**: +1 800, +1 866, +1 877, +1 888

Continue reading "Free calls to toll-free phone numbers global beta" »

Skype's Niklas Zennström and board member Tim Draper just finished an hour-long interview from Skype's engineering office to a conference for 200 people at [www.alwayson-network.com](http://www.alwayson-network.com) in
Stanford, California. They used Skype video and their pretty faces were beamed up on two gigantic screens with top video and audio quality. The audience were VERY impressed (not with what they had to say but just seeing them). Super thanks to everyone at Skype team involved in developing video, and setting up the event on both sides (standard PC-s and web cams were used). [See the archived session.](http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=11288_0_4_0_C)

This is still an internal testing version, so don't yet ask how or where can you get it and how exactly it looks and works. But as you see, we're getting closer. We've been waiting for this a long time -- work on video started more than a year ago, and we've come a long way.

A little bird flew by and whispered me that Skype is soon going to hand out some services you'd normally pay for. And you don't have to do anything, other than just go and claim your free services. More updates on this coming soon to skype.com and this site. This will be a time-limited offering, so stay alert.

Update: [skype.com](http://www.skype.com) has now some more info on this.

We've just posted the first betas of toolbars for [Internet Explorer](/directory/skype_toolbar_for_internet_explorer_%28beta%29/view/) and [Outlook](/directory/skype_toolbar_for_outlook_%28beta%29/view/) in our Skype Extras Showcase. They are endorsed and developed by Skype, so you can be as ruthless in commenting them, as you would be with the Skype client itself, as we want them to be good. Please give your feedback to the [forum](http://forum.skype.com/viewforum.php?f=26) or as just comments to the relevant Extras Showcase items.

We're expanding the selection of emoticons in Skype. Over the next days, we'll be circulating a selection of them in the poll box to the right, and we ask you to vote for one of the two presented choices. This will be a factor, among others, in deciding which ones we're gonna do, so bring over your friends to vote, too.

It may, of course, be that we left some really important ones out -- in this case, just add your input to the comments of this article.

Continue reading "Help us select new emoticons" »

As the [announcement says](http://www.skype.com/company/news/2005/voicemail_v13.html), we released Skype for Windows 1.3 last night. Alongside with this, the Skype Voicemail service is no longer in beta.

Continue reading "Voicemail and version 1.3 released" »

Hi, everyone! This being my first post, I should write couple of words about myself. My name is Siim Teller, and I'm Localization Manager, dealing with all translation and localization projects. I also help Jaanus with ideas for this little site, and finally, I am the designated photographer in our Tallinn office.

And now to the topic at hand: Did you know that the Skype software speaks not only English, but 27 languages altogether? They range from big ones, like French, German, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, to the small and lesser-known. Estonian, Finnish and Danish are probably the smallest, if you look at number of speakers in the world.

I wanted to let everybody know that with the launch of new version 1.3 for Windows, we added five new languages. So if you feel more at home using Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Hungarian or Turkish, then go ahead, download the new version.
A very big thank you goes out to all the volunteers who have helped us getting so far! You're all listed on the change log page).

Lastly, before Mac-users start bashing me: Yes, Skype for Mac currently only comes in Anglo flavor, but we’re working on it. Thanks for your patience.

Skype for Windows 1.3 Beta is now [available](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/). As is usual with the public betas, we recommend them only for advanced users and testing purposes -- there are a few [known issues](http://www.skype.com/help/guides/knownproblems.html#1.3), but it should not cause any data loss or do other sorts of major damage. Your comments and feedback are welcome in the [forum](http://forum.skype.com).

Continue reading "Skype for Windows 1.3 Beta available" »

The Skype API [developer documents](/developer_zone/developer_zone/documents_and_examples/) are now available in Japanese and Simplified and Traditional Chinese, in addition to English.

We started PayPal payments beta testing in USA on February 18 and shortly followed with other countries. Today, we're happy to [announce](http://www.skype.com/company/news/2005/paypal.html) that the beta has been completed successfully and PayPal is now officially available as a payment method for buying Skype services. So when you now go to [Skype web store](http://www.skype.com/go/store) and PayPal is supported in your country, you can safely choose this option to complete your payment.

PayPal in Skype web store is available for [all countries (currently more than 45)](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-approved-signup-countries-outside) where PayPal itself provides its services.

We often get questions from new Skype customers who haven't been using international calling that much, and are now about to use SkypeOut that requires you to enter all phone numbers in an international format. A [dialing wizard](http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rates/dialing.html) is now available that shows you how to correctly dial with Skype, as well as the price that you'll be paying.

Continue reading "SkypeOut dialing wizard" »