July 2006

One of the most important changes in the chat window in freshly redesigned Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta is the lighter, more legible and better optimized Skype Modern Chat Style which you can turn on from Skype » Preferences » Chat panel. But besides the chat style, we added a few neat tricks for sending files that will help you be faster when chatting over Skype.

First, the drag-n-drop that you might already know about. Like in version 1.4, you can drop files into chat input or content area both in 1:1 chats and chats with several contacts. This will initiate file transfer to your chat contact (or multiple contacts). Drag-and-drop also works in chat drawer, you can drop files onto single contact or a chat title to initiate file transfer.

Second, you can now initiate a file transfer while in a chat (single transfer when in 1:1, multiple ones when in a chat with several contacts) by pressing keyboard combination Command-Shift-F. This will open a dialog that allows you to locate a file, select it and then send to the contact(s) you are chatting with.

But there's even a simpler, faster way to initiate a file transfer for the true pros in Skype chat. If you are browsing around in Finder and locate the file you want to send to your contact(s), simply use Command-C to copy it. Then switch to Skype chat window and simply use Command-V to paste the file. This will start the file transfer(s) right way. Simple, isn't it?

The long wait is over and Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta is finally here. We've put a lot of effort into it, so get it and give it a try. But before you do that, let me give you a quick overview of how (and why) Skype for Mac has evolved and changed.

Continue reading "New face of Skype for Mac" »

The new version of Skype for Mac is finally here. Go get Skype for Mac 1.5 beta. We’ve introduced some great new things you can do, brushing up the looks and added new language support for French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch users, with the help of our loyal Mac community. Thanks to everyone who contributed see the credits in the CHANGELOG

The first thing you’ll notice with this new release is the fresh new interface especially for Mac to be faster and easier to use, with exclusive Mac-only features like a detachable call window and resizable chat drawer.

We’ve also made it easier for Mac users to call traditional phones with the SkypeOut easy dialer which means you never again have to remember a country code. Just select the country, enter the local number and hit the Call button. Plus you can now call your existing contacts easily by importing contacts from Apple’s Address Book or Microsoft Entourage and calling them directly with SkypeOut. Finding contacts has never been easier either with Quickfilter - all you need to do is start typing the first few letters in a contact’s name to see all the contacts that match your search immediately.

We’ll be posting more details soon on all of the new features. Download Skype for Mac 1.5 beta here, or if you're feeling brave - you can try out our Video Preview. But please, let us know what you think.

Finally Video has arrived on Skype for Mac! The video preview of Skype for Mac was released today. Download the video preview now. We know that you've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting... so we’ve decided to release video early as a preview version.

Now Mac users can make free video calls to anyone else on Skype, no matter where they are in the world, or what kind of computer they’re on, Windows or Mac. So you can see your loved ones when you can’t be together, ask your fashionista friend for advice on your latest outfit or pull funny faces to make a friend smile when they’re having a bad day.

Skype for Mac with Video is currently a preview version. ‘Preview’ means that we’re still working on it and have only tested it under specific conditions, therefore we can’t guarantee the quality users on different hardware or operating systems will experience. The full systems requirements for video and suggested webcams can be found on the download page and the known issues with this video preview are listed here.

The Video Preview is exactly the same release as Skype for Mac 1.5 beta, except with video of course. So you can try all the other new features we’ve added for Mac users too.

Download the preview and test video so you can give us your feedback to help make the final release of Skype for Mac with Video the best it can possibly be.

If you are getting chat messages or calls from people you don’t know you may need to change your Skype privacy setting.

You can change your privacy settings in Skype to only allow calls or chats from people in your Contacts list who you have authorized.

Go to: Skype -> Preferences -> Privacy. Check the box next to the option "Only people whom I have authorized can start chat".

Then random strangers and people who are not on your contact list cannot contact you anymore.

Skype archives your chats for you and stores them locally on your computer, if you have enabled this option. Chat histories are not stored anywhere on the Skype network. In other words, no one else will ever be able to see any of your chat histories except you and the person you are chatting with. Chats are archived as a convenience to you, so that you can easily keep track of your chat conversations on Skype, think of it as sent mail for Skype.

To enable or disable this option go to: Skype -> Preferences -> Chat and select your choice of chat history settings.

To view archived chat sessions for specific contact, select the contact from your Contacts List and go to: Contacts -> View Chat History. A browser window will open showing your previous chat sessions with the selected contact.

You can clear your chat history by selecting “Delete All Chat Messages” under the “Chat” menu.

Please note that calls are not archived and therefore won’t be shown in chat history.

How do I backup my chat history?

Skype archives your chats locally on your computer, if you have enabled this option. If you want to backup your chat history or move it to another computer you can find it in a folder with the same name as your Skype Name in “username/Library/Skype”

Now that you’ve created lots of group chats you may find that you can’t respond to every message that’s posted in the chat. We’ve made it easy to turn off the volume on chats by disabling alerts.

If you don’t want to get an alert when there is some activity in a chat session you can turn off all alerts for this chat session by typing ”/alertsoff” in the text box and hit enter. You can also try the "/alertson sometext" command in the chat window. It's useful sometimes to set "/alertson yourname" so you’re only alerted to messages in the chat when someone mentions you by name.

No-one else will see this message so they won’t know that you have turned off alerts. For a full list of text commands enter ”/help” in the text box.

With Skype you can chat with up to 100 people in a group chat.
1. Select the participants you would like to invite from your Contacts List by holding the Shift key and clicking each contact.
2. Once you have selected the participants, simply click the chat toolbar button.
3. A chat window will open with all of the participants.

If you are already in a chat and would like to add additional participants to the chat simply click the ‘Add’ button in the chat window, and choose the contacts you would like to add.

Bookmark chats

This is a really useful way to keep an open forum for any ongoing conversations you have or any projects you’re working on. And it’s quicker and simpler than emailing. In the chat window click the blue pin in the top right-hand corner to bookmark the chat for future access.

Now you can find the chat using the Chat -> Bookmarked Chats menu option. You can remove a chat from your bookmarked chats, by clicking the blue pin again.

You can also bookmark a chat by going to: Chat -> Set Bookmark.

Set a topic

To keep track of bookmarked chats and group chats you can set a topic for the chat session. To set a topic, choose ”Set Topic…” from the ”Chat” menu and then enter your topic for the chat. The chat topic will be visible for all members of the chat.

We all love chatting with Skype so this week we’ll be posting hints and tips on group chat, chat history, bookmarking, emoticons and lots more to help you get the most out of Skype.

Starting a Chat

Chat is great for talking to your friends, family and colleagues when you don’t feel like speaking or maybe you’re busy in a meeting. To start a chat
1. Select the participant you would like to chat with from your Contacts List.
2. Then simply click the chat toolbar button.
3. A chat window will appear where you can type text chats to your friend and read their replies instantly.

Emoticons

A picture tells a thousand words and with Skype you can send emoticons or small pictures in chats to show how you’re feeling. You can send emoticons by typing in a shortcut such as “” or or by selecting the drop down menu labelled emoticons to select the picture you’d like to send. For example, if you write your friend will see a picture showing "thumbs up".

If you don't like these little figures, you can disable them under Skype -> Preferences -> Chat.

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