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We’ve just released the final version of Skype 2.8 for Mac – it’s ready for you to download now.

Those of you who have already been using the beta version won’t notice any new features, but we’ve fixed a number of bugs. Raul’s post on the Garage blog has all the details.

For those of you downloading for the first time, here’s a rundown of the new features since 2.7:

Screen Sharing

Sometimes trying to explain what you are seeing on your screen to someone on a call just doesn’t work. With screen sharing you can easily show exactly what you are looking at by simply calling your Skype contact and sharing all or part of your desktop.

It’s great for sharing presentations with colleagues, or for showing off a killer move in a game. It’s easy to do, and totally free.

You can share your screen with anyone using a video-capable version of Skype, and screen sharing is also available in Skype 4.1 for Windows, enabling cross-platform collaboration.

Skype Access (BETA)

When you’re on your travels, connecting to WiFi hotspots can be, well, a right pain. Fiddling with your credit card, inserting numbers, etc. Skype Access removes that hassle – simply pay by the minute for the time you need with Skype Credit.

Please note: Skype Access is still in beta in the Gold version of 2.8. We’re keen to hear your feedback, so please let us know how you get on. Leave a comment below, or file an issue in our tracker.

Other new features

Improved chat management

If (like me) you’re in loads of Skype chats at the same time – my current count is 456 – you’ll welcome this one. You can now sort chats in the drawer and set priorities to chats, so you can deal with the most important messages first.

Quick Add

It’s now much easier to add people to chats. Click Add in a chat window toolbar, and the Quick Add window appears. Start typing and it’ll search your contact list. To add someone to the chat, click their name in the Quick Add window.

Mood message chat

You can use the mood message chat to keep up with your friends’ updates, and also update your own mood message. It’s a bit like Twitter, but don’t tell them we said that.

To switch on the mood message chat, check Show buddy mood messages in chat in the Advanced section of the Preferences window.

Large profile pictures

Just like Skype 4.1 for Windows, you can now use images of up to 256 x 256 pixels.

Hidden avatars in incoming contact requests

A small minority of Skype users have profile pictures which others may find unpleasant, and so they’re now hidden by default in contact requests.

Add notes to contacts

You can add notes to a contact in their profile window – handy for keeping track of who’s who.

In this beta, we’ve focused on fixing bugs to get 2.8 ready for its Gold release. We’ve paid particular attention to Skype Access, which lets you pay by the minute for WiFi using your Skype Credit – it’s possibly the coolest new feature in this release (sorry, screen sharing) so give it a try and let us know what you think.

We’ve also done a bit more sprucing up of the interface, and have added an account window (Account > View Account), much like you find in Skype for Windows, so that you can buy Skype Credit, edit your Skype To Go speed dial numbers, and so on – all from within Skype.

As always, we welcome your feedback – let us know what you think of Skype Access in particular. Your comments will help us make Skype for Mac even better.

Update: The more technically minded of you might be interested in the release notes document (PDF)

Update: this promotion has now ended – thanks for taking part

As a special treat, we’re giving away 10,000 minutes of Skype Access completely free – simply connect as normal for up to 30 minutes at a time, and you won’t pay a thing.

For those of you who are in the dark about Skype Access, here are the basics:

Skype Access is a super-cool feature only found (at the moment) in Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac. It lets you pay by the minute for WiFi using your Skype Credit – except, of course, that until the 10,000 minutes run out, you won’t actually pay at all.

To get started, make sure you’re running Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac, find a compatible hotspot, and surf away

1. From March 17th 2pm GMT up to March 23rd 00.00 GMT (the ‘Promotional Period’), Skype registered users shall be entitled to use Skype Access for free, in accordance with these terms and conditions (‘Promotion’). Usage of Skype Access is possible in sessions each lasting for 30 minutes or less. Skype reserves the right to end the promotion upon reaching 10000 free minutes given away. End of this promotion will be communicated on Skype for Mac blog.
2. To qualify for this Promotion you must have downloaded the Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta software and you must have a valid and active Skype user name and account (‘Participant’).
3. Skype reserves the right to suspend, shorten or extend, change or cancel the Promotion at any time. Skype also reserves the right to change and amend the terms of this Promotion at its own discretion at any time without notifying you of such changes.
4. To the maximum extent permissible under applicable law, Skype shall not be liable in contract or tort (including negligence) or breach of statutory duty or in any other way, for the loss or damage howsoever arising suffered by the user resulting directly or indirectly from this Promotion.
5. Skype reminds users of the nature and limitations of the Internet and is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any communications network, online system or computer hardware or software that may affect access to the Promotion.
6. Although Skype will use reasonable efforts to ensure that all information relating to this Promotion is accurate, Skype will not be responsible for any inaccuracies in the promotional material.
7. If Skype has suspicions or knowledge that any user has misused the Promotion, or been involved in any fraudulent or illegal activity relating to the Promotion, Skype reserves the right to exclude any user from the Promotion at any time and at its sole discretion.
8. Skype Access is provided by Boingo and is subject to Boingo’s Terms of Service.
9. Sponsor: Skype Communications S.a.r.l, 22/24 Boulevard Royal, Luxembourg, L2449 Luxembourg.

Dan York’s excellent video shows off screen sharing in action, and it’s worth reading the rest of his comprehensive blog post for highlights of the other additions to this beta version.

Dan expresses some frustration that things aren’t the same on different platforms:

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

In the words of Ron Burgundy - I don't know how to put this but this version of Skype is kind of a big deal. This latest release is all about those features you may not see, but make a big difference to how you use Skype on your Mac.

We've made Skype for Mac smarter in the manner it "just works" as it now supports NAT-PMP and uPnP which means Skype can now 'talk' to your internet connection in order to get the best connection, and thus give you the best Skype experience. The other major change we've made is something I've been looking forward to - it's for all our friends out there in colleges and dorms the world over or for those of you that must enter a username and password to use the Internet on your Mac. With this version Skype "just works" as it supports "Authenticated Proxies" - so if Safari works for you, so should Skype.

Thanks again for your constant feedback, bug reports and support - it's meant we've been able to fix a bunch of bugs and updated our non-English versions of Skype for Mac. If you wish to read the full technical release notes, check them out over at developer.skype.com.

So please go and download it now, and remember - stay classy.

Ok, I'll admit - I really this version. Today we released Skype 2.7 for Mac, and it has just the kind of features that us, Mac users, love. In our last version, we made Skype sound better, and in Skype 2.7 we've made it look better. We've enabled improved video quality on all the current Mac desktops or laptops. We've also introduced a feature you've all been asking for: contact grouping. With this version you will now be able to group your friends and family so you can keep an eye on those you care about.

Not only have we made it look good, but we've introduced my favourite feature of Skype for Mac after video: address book integration. This feature will save you loads of time -- you can now see someone who is in your address book from within Skype's contact list and be able to call them directly. And don't worry, these numbers are not sent to anyone or stored on any Skype servers. We're only displaying those that exist on your own computer.

We've made it better and easier to use. We've streamlined the way you send and receive files so they are all grouped within the new file transfer manager, we've introduced the ability to automatically redial busy numbers (so now you can get through to those pesky radio competition hotlines), and made it easier to change your volume and audio settings whilst you're in a call.

We haven't forgotten about the quality of Skype for Mac either -- we've fixed a whole load of bugs, Skype for Mac is now available in русский язык (Russian), Čeština (Czech) or Norsk (Norwegian Bokmål) - thanks to Igor, Lukáš and Kenneth.

Best of all, Leopard users will purr since its ready for Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.

Download the new Skype for Mac and let us know what you think of it by commenting this post or forums.

The second thing that we believe will bring smiles to a lot of folks is this: today's beta version of Skype 2.7 for Mac adds attractive pixel muscle to your video calls. That's because we've now turned on 640x480-pixel video by default.

So, as long as your webcam can handle this resolution, your friends should see the bigger-and-improved you on their screens. At a better frame rate, too -- we've been squeezing up to 25 fps out of our systems.

Now, because sending out higher-resolution video needs a faster processor and a fatter internet pipe, you'll benefit greatly from having a fast machine (think Core 2 Duo) and a broadband connection with at least 384kbps upload speeds.

If the receiver is using a pre-2.7 version of Skype for Mac, or if their machine cannot handle 640x480 video resolution (like G4 or G5 Macs that are slower than 1.25 GHz), the sender's Skype software will scale the video feed down to 320x240 pixels (or even 160x120, if needed).

Please remember we're dealing with beta software here. So you may encounter the occasional quirk and hiccup as you're using it. If you'd rather stick with public versions Skype that have a lot of beta wrinkles ironed out, we've just issued a Leopard-friendly hotfix to the public version of Skype 2.6 for Mac. Enjoy!

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

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

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

Now you can organise your contacts into as many groups as you need. While there are some pre-defined groups (like Online, Recently Contacted, Address Book Contacts), you’re free to add new ones that suit your life. This is very useful to those who are very popular and have a contact list with hundreds of people. Explore this feature under the cogwheel icon on the main screen and selecting 'Show Contact Groups'. See the user guide.

Here's what else is new:

* See your Apple Address Book contacts in Skype - easily call or SMS anyone who has a phone number in their address-book profile. When sending a SMS, just make sure the number you're sending to can receive SMS.
* 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 controls – when you need to tweak the sound level during a call, use a simple slider in the call window, or change your device by clicking this icon.
* Overhauled file transfer – wearing a more fashionable jacket, file-transfer now looks elegant and acts even nicer, especially when receiving many files at once

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.