skype

Microsoft's Skype unit made available for download on Monday Skype updates for Windows Phone 8 and Windows desktop.

Skype 2.6 for Windows Phone 8, which the team calls a "minor" update, is available for download from the Windows Phone Store. The 2.6 update includes improvements around the reliability of chat and call notifications, of calls to phone numbers, and resolution to "occasional missing message preview in the recent conversations list," according to the Skype site.

The Skype team also provided information about some upcoming fixes and updates for still-unresolved problems with Skype on Windows Phone 8. … Read more

For some audiophiles, Counting Crows and The Wallflowers will forever be associated with the mid-1990s--along with Netscape Navigator, Hotmail, and of course, Windows 95. But don't call their joint summer outing a nostalgia trip. Velvet-tongued Counting Crows vocalist Adam Duritz, hot off the heels of The Outlaw Roadshow (alongside a slew of new indie bands), prefers to view his comparatively intimate Wallflowers double bill as a much-needed respite.

Other than sharing a decade, the comradely combos have shared previous tours, a track (Duritz sang on The Wallflowers' "6th Avenue Heartache"), and even a producer (T-Bone Burnett, back … Read more

Microsoft's ownership of Skype has placed it in the crosshairs of a patent lawsuit.

CopyTele, a company that calls itself "specialists in patent monetization and patent assertion," launched its suit today, alleging that some of the technology used in Skype violates patents owned by its subsidiary, Secure Web Conference Corp.

In its complaint, CopyTele is asserting the infringement of two U.S patents -- "Method and apparatus for securing e-mail attachments" and "Portable telecommunication security device," both granted in 2005.

Both patents concern secure Web-based peer-to-peer communications, such as those used by Skype. … Read more

Microsoft is delivering Skype to Outlook.com users' inboxes.

A preview, which combines the video chat and messaging service with the tech giant's free e-mail service, is being introduced now to users in the U.K. and will be rolled out to users in the U.S. and Germany "in the coming weeks." Further international expansion is expected this summer, the company announced Monday evening.

Microsoft promotes the integration as "less typing, more talking":

"Even with the best email service, sometimes text isn't enough," Simon Longbottom, Skype's director of global marketing, … Read more

As of today, owners of the BlackBerry Q10 device will get to use Skype's free video and voice calling via the official Skype app.

Available now on BlackBerry World, the Skype app automatically adds your Skype contacts to your BlackBerry phone book when you sign in. Other features include the ability to send text messages and make calls to landlines and mobile phones for a fee.

According to Skype, though, the app available today is still only a "preview version." For users, this means that all of the features are there, but the user experience will likely … Read more

Skype said today that it now handles 2 billion minutes of connections each day.

That's an impressive milestone for any company, and it highlights that Skype remains a major player when it comes to the communications game.

That tally doesn't account for Internet phone calls solely; it also includes video calls, group chats, and instant messages. The service, a unit of Microsoft, likely is poised to grow with the Redmond, Wash., giant, which is eager to integrate it into more platforms, such as Windows Phone.

The company made its name on free Skype-to-Skype calls. It then expanded to … Read more

Saudi Arabia is threatening to block several popular Internet chat, call, and messaging services if they don't get in line with the country's regulatory requirements.

The apps in question include Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber, according to the country's official news agency SPA.

Apparently, the Saudi Arabian Communications and Information Technology Commission issued a statement that said, "The Commission emphasizes that it will take appropriate action regarding these applications and services in the event of failure to meet those conditions."

It's unclear exactly what rules the apps were breaking, but local media reports from earlier … Read more

"Am I making myself clear?" takes on a whole new meaning now that Windows Phone 8 users can chat with their Skype contacts in high-definition video.

Out today, version 2.4 of Skype for Windows Phone 8 taps into the hardware acceleration in Microsoft's mobile OS to enable high-quality video calls.

Lower-end phones will deliver VGA video. But higher-end devices, such as the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC Windows Phone 8X, and Samsung Ativ S, can amp that up to 720P HD video, Skype said today in a blog about the new version.

The app automatically sets the … Read more

France has referred Skype, the Internet calling service, to prosecutors for investigation after failing to register as an telecoms company in according with the country's laws.

First noted by The New York Times, the move stirs debate over what exactly constitutes as a phone company in the digitally connected age, and the rise of Internet calling voice-over-IP offerings. For instance, video-calling features -- which Facebook also includes as part of its service -- could force others into registering in the country. 

French regulator Autorite de Regulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes (ARCEP), the electronic … Read more