From the category archives:

Skype News

During my recent interview with Russ Shaw, Skype’s VP and GM for Mobile, he emphasized Skype’s focus on having a true Skype user experience when it comes to supporting Skype on mobile devices.
What is meant by a “true Skype user experience” on a mobile device? Some examples, based largely on my own experience with several [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype News, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype

Yesterday’s announcement that Skype will become available as a supported service on Verizon Wireless has to have sent a tsunami through the wireless operator world. To review the offering:

A Skype client will be included on nine models of BlackBerry and Android smartphones in late March; current customers with these devices will be able to download [...]

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Categories Communications News, Embedded Skype, Mobile Devices, Skype News, Skype Partner Solutions, Skype Platform, Skype for Personal, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

Full disclosure: This post was prepared prior to today’s press conference using information that was publicly available prior to the conference. In the second post I’ll discuss the service as announced at CES today.
When you can advertise “Free phone calling internationally”, they will come! In the CES interview with Skype CEO Josh Silverman, Josh [...]

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Categories Communications News, Embedded Skype, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype Channels, Skype News, Skype Partner News, Skype Platform, Skype Software, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

At last month’s CES I had the opportunity to meet with Skype CEO Josh Silverman and discuss various Skype issues that have arisen over the past year as well as where Skype is headed as a privately owned company. At the time I thought this would result in a normal text-based blog post outlining [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Mobile Applications, Skype News, Skype Partner News, Skype Platform, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype

At CES 2010 last month I had the opportunity to record interviews with Skype CEO Josh Silverman as well as Russ Shaw, Vice President and General Manager of Skype Mobile and EMEA, and Matt Jordan, Enterprise Business Development Manager.
In this second interview Russ Shaw covers a wide range of questions about Skype on different [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Embedded Skype, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype Hardware, Skype News, Skype Partner News, Skype Platform, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

At CES 2010 last month I had the opportunity to record interviews with Skype CEO Josh Silverman as well as Russ Shaw, Vice President and General Manager of Skype Mobile and EMEA, and Matt Jordan, Enterprise Business Development Manager.
In this first interview Matt Jordan talks about the evolving Skype for Business Program. After giving [...]

Categories Communications Stories, Skype For Business, Skype Hardware, Skype News, Skype Partner Solutions, Skype Platform, Using Skype

Skype for iPhone 1.3 Released

by Jim Courtney on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 6:01 am

Early today Skype released Skype for iPhone 1.3, available as an update in the Apple App Store.
Two key new features:

Landscape Mode for Skype IM:

Call Quality Indicator

The Call Quality Indicator builds on the experience gained with the call quality indicator in Skype for Windows 4.2 beta – a tool I have found most useful in [...]

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Categories Mobile Applications, Skype News, Skype Software, Skype on Mobile

At CES 2010 last week In Store Solutions announced they will be adding three webcams to its FREETALK® product line that set new standards for video calling hardware.
The primary service goal for these webcams is to support 30 frames per second transmission over Internet services available via widely deployed broadband (cable and DSL) connections. [...]

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Categories Communications News, Skype Hardware, Skype News, Skype Partner News, Skype Platform, Using Skype

Skype’s announcement today of agreements to have television sets become end points for Skype video calls really raises a series of both user interface issues as well as social issues:

Do I want to be interrupted while watching programming such as a sporting event or Oprah?
Where is it more convenient to talk: via a TV [...]

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Categories Communications News, Embedded Skype, Skype Hardware, Skype News, Skype Partner News, Skype Platform, Using Skype

At about 5:30 (GMT+1) this afternoon members of the Skype Public Chat discussion learned that not only was there a new beta version of Skype for Windows 4.2 available for download but also Skype had released its first beta version of Skype for Symbian (for Nokia smartphones).
Shortly afterwards, while listening to the final Gillmor [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype News, Skype Software

Skype launches an Open Beta phase for its Skype for SIP service. Over 10,000 businesses worldwide have lined up to join the program.
Over the past eight months, Skype has been running a closed Skype for SIP beta program. A couple of PBX vendor agreements have been signed while Skype personnel have been having discussions [...]

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Categories Communications News, Skype Channels, Skype For Business, Skype News, Skype Platform, Using Skype

The Skype Spinout Version 2.0

by Jim Courtney on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 11:11 am

So it’s finally resolved. The Skype spinout from eBay will involve Skype’s founders as investors and board members while contributing a cash investment. Skype finally owns the core intellectual property required for Skype to operate at its current cost levels. eBay gets the cash they were looking for but 5% less of the new [...]

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Categories Communications News, Skype News, Skype Operations

When Martin Geddes started out his eComm Europe launch keynote talking about real customer pains and how they needed to be addressed from a user interaction viewpoint, I had hope that maybe we would be hearing more about real business cases in the emerging communications world. What we have learned from the subsequent presentations [...]

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Categories Communications News, Conferences and Events, Skype News, Skype Platform, Using Skype

Two announcements yesterday, when meshed together, create the setting for Skype to become, de facto, the ‘”unofficial” personal communications software provider for the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver and Whistler, B.C. next February:
Skype President Josh Silverman today posted: “Good Move AT&T”:
Since launching our iPhone application six months ago, people have downloaded and installed Skype [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Service Providers, Skype News, Skype on Mobile, Wireless Carriers