Since the fall 2009 release of its VodBurner Skype video call recording software the Netralia team has offered the ability to record, edit and upload or publish Skype video calls. Their challenge has been to keep up to the ensuing enhancements in Skype video calling:

• from VGA resolution at 30 frames per second (“fps”) to 720p (initially at 22 fps, now at 30 fps) to the recent availability of 1080p at 30 fps
• the various Skype-certified HD webcams from FREETALK, FaceVsion and Logitech
• changes in the Skype for Windows software and how it handles video calling

As reported last week the new Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 finally makes it feasible to participate in Skype video calls at 720p resolution at 30 fps¹; the recent launch of the TelyHD Skype video calling platform has made it possible to make Skype calls from any TV set with an HDMI input – also 720p at 30 fps.

And now VodBurner has the ability to record 720p HD video calls followed by editing and sharing the recording.

What follows is a short clip from a video that will appear in a forthcoming post about the TelyHD. Using VodBurner the video was recorded onto a Windows PC where the Logitech C920 served as the webcam; the person being interviewed was using Skype for TV on a TelyHD Android-based platform that incorporates an HD webcam (720p @ up to 30 fps).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zJe3lWzubM

Note that this is a short clip from the beginning of the interview simply to demonstrate VodBurner recording HD video. For the full video go to the review post for the TelyHD platform (link coming when published).

Here’s the Skype for Windows Call Technical Info behind this call (click on the image to enlarge):

I expect to be doing an interview with VodBurner’s Jeremy Hague soon to discuss VodBurner and its many features in more  detail.

Requirements on the recording side: Skype 5.8 for Windows, VodBurner 1.0.9.148 or later, Logitech C920 webcam, Internet service with at least 1.0 Mpbs upload speed.

Download VodBurner with installation instructions here.

¹ My service provider’s upload speed does not support consistent 1080p resolution.

Earlier this week Skype released Skype 5.8 for Windows as a gold release. It brings to all users features that have been creeping into recent beta versions including:

• Full HD video calling (720p and 1080p @ 30 fps) provided you have an appropriate webcam and sufficient Internet upload speed
• check out Logitech C920 Webcam: for a Superior Skype Video Calling Experience for more details
• Group Screen sharing – where a participant in a Group Video call can share either a window or the full desktop with up to ten participants; this requires that the host of the call have a Skype Premium subscription
• Check out Skype for Windows 5.6: Call Monitor, Enhanced Screen Sharing – and Ads! for a discussion on how Skype’s screen sharing works.
• Hiding offline Facebook contacts (Contacts | Hide Contacts Who | Are offline); in addition to hiding Offline Skype contacts
• Push-to-Talk – for multiplayer gamers – allows users to set a hotkey to toggle microphone muting on a Skype call
• Bing Bar integration (is this the first sign of a Microsoft integration?)

It’s a two screen upgrade process – in my case it took about five minutes as I have over three years of Skype chat conversations stored on my local PC; they still come in very handy using the search feature (Ctrl-F).

Video calling to Facebook users (independent from whether they have a Skype account) is still in beta but included with this release. What does beta mean? While it works quite well, there are still some issues to work through and still needs to address more feedback from user experiences:

• Need to be able to select speakers in FB window in addition to webcam and microphone
• Call from Skype to Facebook contact: when sending 720p 16:9 aspect ratio from Logitech C920 on Skype side; image on FB side is distorted to 4:3 aspect ratio – recipient on FB side should be able to see 16:9 aspect ratio

You can download this latest release by going to “Help | Check for Updates” in your Skype for Windows client or downloading here.

From the time just over four years ago when Skype introduced High Quality Video at VGA (640 x 480) resolution and 30 frames per second (“fps” or “frame rate”) I have had the opportunity to test many webcams for Skype Video calling. In the fall of 2010 I reported on the launch of HD Video calling (1280 x 720 or “720p” – @ 22 fps) using webcams from FREETALK and FaceVsion. In the spring of 2011 I first tested a “conference room” video webcam from FREETALK; “conference room” webcams are suited for covering the longer range typical of a small-to-medium conference room size rather than a close-up desktop PC webcam for both video and audio.

Last week I received an evaluation unit of the recently announced Logitech C920 webcam. In my CES 2012 post Logitech C920 sets new Skype HD Video standards I discussed some of its unique features such as:

• the first Skype-certified webcam to deliver 1080p HD video
• the minimum required upload speed to acheive 720p HD resolution is 1 Mpbs
• dual stereo microphones

On receiving the webcam I learned there is more:

• my first encounter with a Skype-certified webcam that delivers 720p HD video at 30 fps
• faster ramp-up to 720p HD from call launch
• delivers 1080p video at 21 fps
• 15MP webcam for photo capture
• delivers an excellent quality image (feedback all those whom I have called)
  • takes full advantage of Carl-Zeiss optics, 20-step auto focus and “Right Light” feature
  • Logitech calls this “Liquid Fluid CrystalTM” technology

Having made several calls with the C920; they have been my best Skype video calling experiences of all.  I am using a Dell Vostro V410 quad core PC that is about four years old. Requirements include: dual-core 2.0GHz processor, Windows XP/Vista/7, Skype 5.7 for Windows beta or later, Internet upload/download speeds as discussed below.

Worth noting:

Relevant speeds – to set the baseline for this discussion it is important to take a look at the frame rate observed and minimum upload Internet Connection speeds required, based on either vendor specifications or experience:

Previously Skype had specified 1.2 Mpbs upload speed as the minimum required. However, when I started receiving calls last fall from contacts with recent Logitech webcams (C310, C510, C910 and Webcam Pro 9000) I noticed that they went to 720p yet I confirmed that my contacts on these calls only had 1.0 Mpbs maximum upload speed. This was my first clue that Logitech had developed a webcam that allowed HD video on the very common broadband Internet services that cap out at 1.0 Mbps upload speed (and without an onboard H.264 processor).

My service has a 2.0 Mbps upload speed; however, in practice it usually delivers 1.6 to 1.85 Mpbs upload speed. So while I was expecting to easily get to 720p I was only being hopeful (or lucky) if a call went to 1080p.

Overall speed observations during a call:

When you initiate the C920 webcam (either when launching a call or by turning on the webcam during a call) it comes up almost instantly with a video image; no swirling icons waiting for the webcam to get started. But the other noticeable difference was that it usually takes less than 30 seconds for the webcam to start delivering HD video at 720p.

One other noticeable improvement was that the Logitech C920 is the only webcam that delivers 720p at 30 fps whereas the other HD webcams could only go to 22 fps. (Not a terribly noticeable difference but it becomes television quality with no choppiness or pixilation).

Overall one has a much improved call initiation experience and on all calls to other PC’s it has always switched to 720p HD in somewhat less than a minute.

All of my calls went to 720p at 30 fps as would be expected with my service’s upload speed; however, I did have two calls go to 1080p at 21 fps after about 10 to 20 minutes (remember I’m not supposed to get 1080p at all); this held for the last 20 to 30 minutes of those two calls. From the call technical info I could also see there was less demand on my CPU processors than I had previously experienced (usually had been well over 50%).

Note that these calls were to users with Skype for Windows or Skype for Mac; a call to Skype for iPad (to an original iPad) was observed to be at VGA resolution (640 x 480) at 15 fps; a call to Skype for TV on the TelyHD device went 720p at 15 fps on both sides of the call. In other words, the combination of Skype and the webcam will adapt resolution and frames-per-second to the resources of the device at the other end of the call.

The mounting bracket – one other feature that was immediately obvious was the flexibility of the mounting bracket. Using a combination of hinges and rubber surfaces, it easily mounts onto the top of any flat panel display; yet it can also sit on, say, a desktop surface. Not only does it mount readily and firmly but when on the display frame it can easily be titled up and down. Finally the underside has a tripod thread such that it can readily be mounted on any tripod.

Software: The C920 is accompanied by software that is downloaded from the Logitech website. This includes the Logitech Webcam Controller which can be used for setting zoom/pan/tilt as well as making adjustments for lighting (“RightLight”), auto focus and sound (“RightSound”). Also included is “Logitech Webcam Software” which provides:

• Video recording (up to 1080p resolution),
• Links to common video calling applications (Skype, GMail and Logitech Vid),
• Motion detection  – start recording when motion is detected, and
• Video mask maker – special effects
• Web Gallery – storing and editing recordings with the  ability to download to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube or to share via email.

Audio: The C920 also includes a microphone on each side to pick up a stereo effect and making it suitable for larger distances in, say, a small conference room. I was able to test this out in a small office environment during an HD video call and found it to work satisfactorily. While the other party on a 90 minute call reported that there can be a bit of “barrel” effect, Skype’s echo cancellation worked perfectly.

Call Example:

Call with Mike Phillips¹ (@mcphillips) who had a Logitech C910 webcam; this was captured when the C920 was delivering 1080p resolution. Mike’s Internet service had a 5 Mbps upload speed. Click on the images for a larger version:

What does H.264 have to do with this? Everything! Recall:

• Previous webcams with H.264 onboard processors took 30 seconds to 3 minutes to go to HD resolution; they capped out at 22 fps. They required 1.2 Mpbs upload speed and would take 15 seconds to a minute from launch just to show an image.
• The previous Logitech HD webcams had no onboard processor (in other words they did their video processing on the main PC using up CPU cycles); they went to 720p resolution on services with only 1.0 Mbps upload speed.
• The Logitech C920 turns on immediately, goes to 720p HD much more quickly (15 to 45 seconds), goes to 30 fps – and it goes to these performance levels consistently when calling another PC.
• The Logitech C920 reduces the demand on your main PC processor and bandwidth requirements.
• It allows a much better experience when recording a video call with, say, VodBurner, reducing wait times and quality loss that would arise from encoding on the main PC.

Putting these observations together tells me that the Logitech engineers have been hard at work not only to deliver the the best video calling experience at HD resolutions but also to  ensure that technology to achieve this performance becomes transparent to the entire Skype video calling operation. (And, given that it requires Skype 5.7 for Windows (beta) or later, it says they have been working with Skype’s audio/video engineers.)

What does the other party have? I have made calls where the other party had various Logitech webcams (C310, C910 and 9000 Pro), a recent MacBook Pro webcam and a FREETALK Everyman HD webcam. In every case my experience with the the C920 was as described here. Of course to receive HD video they must have at least a 1Mbps download speed (usually not an issue with any broadband Internet service) and a recent version of Skype – Skype 5.x for Windows, or Skype 5.3 for Mac or later. It also worked at 720p HD on a call to Skype for TV on the TelyHD device. It makes calls, but at VGA or loeer resolution, to Skype for iPad and Skype for iPhone.

There was one instance where the other party switched to an older non-Skype-certified webcam during a call (from a Logitech C910) and basically we could not get any semblance of good call quality. On the other hand it appears to work well when the other party is using a webcams built into laptop and flat panel monitor displays.

Skype Group Video Calling: While Skype Group Video Calling only delivers VGA resolution, due to screen real state issues when showing up to 10 participants and desktop sharing, I would expect this webcam to perform better in terms of speed to get into a call and robustness during a call as well as demand on the local CPU resources. I’ll report back after my next group video call later this week.

Bottom line: The Logitech C920 delivers a quantum leap to the user experience for Skype video calling, especially when it comes to taking advantage of HD video:

• The webcam fires up delivering video images almost instantly after launching video
• It reduces the minimum upload speed requirement for 720p HD video to a speed available on most broadband Internet services
• It goes into 720p HD video much more quickly (not to overlook at a TV quality frame rate)
• If you have sufficient Internet connection upload speed, it delivers 1080p video at a reasonable frame rate.
• It delivers a smoother, more robust and sustainable HD video call experience
• Its optics deliver the best quality images when it comes to natural colors and color depth, sharpness and dealing with lighting issues.
• It reduces the load on your PC processor/CPU
• It easily adapts to mounting on any monitor or laptop display, work surface or tripod.
• It works with other services such as GTalk and Logitech Vid
• It provides a much better experience with video recording
• I have recorded a Skype call with VodBurner
• It includes a recording ability with single click download to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

As mentioned at the beginning I have followed Skype video calling for over five years; I have checked out many webcams, especially when it comes to HD video. If you are looking to have the best overall Skype video calling experience from a Windows PC, it’s well worth spending the $99 to achieve it.

The Logitech C920 is available on Amazon and at electronics retailers such as Best Buy.

In another post I’ll talk about successfully recording a Skype video call using this webcam and VodBurner.

And the inevitable Mac question: while a reviewer on Amazon.com claims it worked on his Mac, Logitech will not comment on future products. In any event full Mac support, certainly for 1080p resolution, would also require an upgrade from Skype for Skype for Mac – Skype has made no announcement in this regard. In a response on Logitech’s community forum:

Unfortunately, at this time, there are no plans to provide Mac support for the C920; however, I suggest keep checking our website as we are always coming out with new solutions.

Currently the Logitech C910, as shown in the chart above, does support the Mac and offer most of the C920 features except support for 1080p  and the onboard H.264 processor as the major omissions.

¹Mike Phillips blogs on Scoop.it at Equipment and Techniques for Webcasters and Podcasters and hosts a weekly podcast Computers 2K Now Sundays from 9 to Noon ET where he and his co-hosts discuss podcasting, webcasting, broadcasting and audio. Follow him on Twitter @mcphillips

Today Skype announced the availability for user testing two upgrade clients: Skype for Windows 5.7 beta and Skype for Mac 5.4 beta. Most importantly this brings major feature equality, including one major new feature, to both:

• Both expand their ability to combine real time communications with asynchronous social networking. The major feature introduction is the launch of one-to-one video calling from the Skype client to your Facebook Friends. In addition there are updates to the delivery of Facebook presence information to/from your Skype client.  Combined with the previous Facebook news feed and Facebook chat, the Skype client is also becoming a unique Facebook client/user interface.

• Skype 5.7 for Windows beta now supports screen sharing in Skype Group Video Calls – a feature available on the previous release of Skype for Mac.
• Skype for Windows has also added a “Push-to-Talk” microphone toggle in its hot-keys menu (Tools | Advanced | Hotkeys). (OK, this feature, addressing a request from gamers, is missing from Skype for Mac).

Bottom line: For the first time it would seem that both Skype for Windows and Skype for Mac have feature equality for all their major features. The challenge remains to make the user interface, including navigation, consistent between the two. At the moment they require two different learning experiences. And Skype for Mac is still missing the Call Quality Information bar.

More to follow once there has been a chance to try out the new features. Keep in mind this is beta software and may still have bugs. From one of the announcement posts:

Please post your comments and suggestions on our Support Network and in case you see the odd bug then please report it to us on our public issue tracker, so that we can make the next release an even better one.

Update: Dan York confuses feature equality with porcine aviation: OMG! Skype Simultaneously Releases (Almost) The Same Version on Windows and Mac OS X

Related articles

• Hands on with Skype’s new Skype-to-Facebook video calls (gigaom.com)

Today Skype announced the release of Skype for Android 2.5 with support for 14 additional phones, taking the total of supported phones to 41. Notably, Skype for Android is now supporting five Motorola phones, the popular Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG Optimus models, including the LG Optimus Black that has a Skype edition for TELUS customers. A complete list of supported phones can be found on the Android Market (click on the “more” button).

Update Dec. 16, 2011: Skype released Skype for Android 2.6 which provides hotfixes for several issues reported by users.

Other notable features include:

• Enhanced video on several models: including switching between landscape and portrait mode and zooming in through a simple double tap on the screen; video calling enabled by default on more devices
• Improved support for Bluetooth headsets
• Revised user interface for message history
• Support for joining a (multi-party?) call
• Support for editing and deleting messages
• Advertising for non-paying subscribers, continuing a program previously announced for Skype for Mac 5.4, and Skype for iPhone/iPad 3.5.

In the direction towards a more common user interface across all Skype clients Skype’s Garage Blog elaborates on the “Revised user interface for message history”:

The main notable changes to the message history views are that we are now grouping the instant messages, calls, etc. all together. Skype 2.5 for Android works now exactly the same as your Skype on Windows or Mac already.

The Skype Garage Blog post also provides more details on the new features as well as a list of known issues. The one issue not mentioned is whether Skype is taking any initiative to improve the impact on battery life.

One caveat: for several of the models make sure you have the latest version of Android (2.2 or 2.3, as appropriate).

This release continues the recent stream of Skype upgrades where we are seeing enhanced video calling support and a move towards more consistency in the user interface across platforms, such as support for editing and removing messages.  But one cannot overlook the move towards more revenue generation through either advertising or encouraging purchase of Skype credit or a Skype calling plan subscription. Certainly the latter is helping to build value for the post-Microsoft acquisition days.

(Note there is a hotfilx upgrade for this version; more information here.)

Yesterday afternoon, for the first time, I was able to make a Skype-to-Skype call from my car using Skype for iPhone over a 3G/HSPA+ wireless service and the Bluetooth connection to my car audio system. I held a (legal) hands-free conversation with a contact in the U.K.; in fact at one point, while waiting to make a turn, I was able to use the rear-facing video camera for a few seconds where he saw, referring to the video quality, a “very fit” lady running down the sidewalk and across the intersection.

Yesterday Skype released new versions of Skype for iOS devices, namely Skype for iPhone and Skype for iPad. The main features promoted by Skype include anti-shake technology and the Bluetooth connectivity mentioned above. However, I also found a couple of additional changes:

• restoration of the ability to access the dial pad during a Skype-to-Skype call; this is necessary to work with PBX’s that can be called via a Skype for business SkypeID using Skype Connect.
• a new call management bar on Skype for iPhone that is more consistent with the call management bar on Skype for iPad and Skype for Mac.

While most of these are self-explanatory, the anti-shake technology probably is best explained through this video; basically it compensates for small movements of your hand while showing a video via the rear camera on the device.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLKE58eA-S8

As mentioned above I made a Skype-to-Skype call from my car to a U.K.-based contact where:

• the Bluetooth connection using my car’s audio system for the speaker/mic worked quite well
• there was crystal clear audio due to the use of Skype’s SILK codec technology
• the other party confirmed that the anti-shake technology appeared to be working for the ~30 seconds when I could use the rear webcam while managing hands-free driving (that’s the law in Ontario)
• one could access the dial pad

Three screen shots to show how the new call management bar works:

• Clicking on the blue “+” icon, second from the right, provides access to the dialpad and chat session
• Selecting the dial pad brings up the dial pad shown
• Clicking on the video camera icon allows selection of the front- or rear-facing camera on the device.
• Clicking on the center icon, initial image above, allows selection of the device’s internal speaker/mic or an external earpiece/mic connected via the 3.5mm audio jack

Four other points to note:

• The new version delivers advertising if you don’t have Skype credit or a Skype Calling Plan subscription; this expands a policy launched with the release of Skype for Mac 5.4 two weeks ago.
• A security issue on Skype for iPhone has been addressed; probably the one reported last week.
• This upgrade supports iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, 2nd and 3rd Generation iPod Touch, and both iPad and iPad 2, running iOS 4.
• During an earlier call to the same Contact between his iPhone and my Skype for Windows, the video transmitted from my PC started out at VGA resolution but dropped down to 160 x 120 resolution, probably to match more closely the 192 x 144 resolution that the iPhone delivers for video calling.

Bottom line: Skype for iPhone 3.5 addresses some user feedback issues, especially when it comes to the Bluetooth connectivity as well as a couple of housekeeping issues that had arisen with previous versions. The new Call Management bar also provides more consistency although it would also be useful if one could see call connection quality information, such as has appeared in previous versions.

It’s not quite at the point where I could say “Call James B. on Skype” whereas, using my BlackBerry, I can say “Call James B. mobile” in a totally hands free way. I had to park the car to launch the call via the
Skype client; for most of the call the front-facing camera showed the retracted windshield shades. It would also certainly be useful to have a mounting bracket above the dashboard to hold the iPhone such that the rear camera can show where you are going during a video call; otherwise one needs a passenger to hold the phone safely.

Note: A few hours after the release was announced Skype came out with a notification that there were a couple of issues with respect to loading Skype contacts – which I’ve noticed – and showing Skype credit. While Skype has provided a work around involving uninstalling and reinstalling the application, we should be expecting a hotfix release in the next couple of days to address these issues. Update – 28/9 evening – the hotfix update that resolves the contact sync issue is now available.

Not all PC’s were created equal! With its level of popularity and 170 million monthly active users, there are going to be almost 170 million different PC and device configurations on which Skype is installed. Supporting a software application on this many configurations across 27 languages can be a challenge, especially when working across many versions of Windows and Mac OS/X as well as the various hardware peripherals (headsets, webcams, phones, etc.) that can be incorporated into these configurations.

While Skype does a major effort at checking out its releases such that it installs easily and works “out-of-the box” there are always a few configurations that present a challenge. Add into this mix the variety or ways one can connect to the Internet and an additional series of challenges arise. (Full disclosure: the author at one time managed a support operation for a top-selling utility product that would disclose all the “sins” of PC’s configured with DOS and early versions of Windows. Been there; done that!)

Over the past eight years the Skype Forum has been a hotbed for users to air issues and get assistance from either other Skype users or Skype personnel. About a month ago Skype announced its intention to replace the Forum by launching a beta version of a new Skype Community Support Network with improved infrastructure and navigation for reporting issues and obtaining responses.

Offering support in eight languages, it is still supported by many of those, including Skype enthusiasts, often designated as Moderator or Super User, who have provided much of the support in the past. Since its launch as a beta over a month ago, it has once again evolved into an very active forum for reporting and resolving issues with using Skype.

Earlier this week Skype announced the availability of support via Skype’s Facebook account page:

We think there is a big appetite for information about Skype, and Skype Support Network was created in direct response to that. Having this information available within our Support Network and extended to various social media channels, such as Facebook, is part of our efforts to engage customers and help them access information they need. So, feel free to ask us a question or search our community for answers right from within Facebook or visit us at the Skype Support Network.

Again it’s shown as a “beta” but there is certainly no lack of queries in its first few days:

Bottom Line: one more resource for discussing any issues arising from using Skype. While Skype employees are tracking and responding, one must also recognize and appreciate those many Skype enthusiasts who voluntarily supply their support to these forums. Without them these forums would not be nearly as effective.

Related articles

• Skype 5.5 for Windows: Deeper Facebook, New Emoticons and More (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype Opens Its Walls A Bit? Lets You IM Facebook Users Just Like Skype Users (disruptivetelephony.com)

At the beginning of July, Skype released Skype for Android 2.0 with Video calling and support for four Android phones. Today Skype announced support for 17 additional Android phone models from Acer, HTC, LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. More details are at Mark Douglas’ post: Skype 2.1 for Android enables video on majority of Android devices. Mark also provides additional information on this release related to working with other Android phones and bug fixes.

Given all the publicity re Skype for iPad this week, it’s worth noting the following issue in the Release notes:

Video calling to the iPad 1 that is using the Skype for iPhone app is currently not working; the call automatically gets downgraded to an audio call.

One more reason to encourage iPad owners to replace Skype for iPhone with Skype for iPad.

As mentioned in the previous post linked above, battery drain probably remains a cautionary issue with Skype for Android. Once my contact who uses it on a Nexus S returns from a mini-vacation, I’ll look for more feedback.

The Skype Everywhere story continues to build.

Related articles

• Skype for iPad: Post-launch Reprise (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype with video calling comes to Android 2.2 devices (zdnet.com)

Skype for iPad launched two days ago and has become an instant hit at the Apple App Store. In fact, according to AppiAnnie, which tracks sales at online stores, Skype for iPad was #1 download on the Apple App Store in 86 countries on launch day. This lead continued into the next day.

This response is certainly a measure of the intensity of anticipation; “Skype for iPad” has been a popular search term on Google for that past several months.

And a few comments based on my experience over the past two days:

• Voice quality – definitely as good as the experience using the iPhone.
• Collaboration – as a participant but not as a host! While you can follow a Group Chat or be a participant in a multi-party voice call via Skype for iPad, you cannot create any form of multi-party conversation. There is no “Add to call” feature anywhere; you cannot add/remove participants to/from a chat session. You must create and host the multi-party conversation in Skype for Windows or Skype for Mac.
  

  3 Party Call

• Video calls – while you cannot send video on the original iPad you can receive video calls on it. Have had a couple of good call experiences with it. Of importance is that video calls be received from contacts using Skype for Windows, Skype for Mac, Skype for iPhone/Android or Skype for TV.
• Notifications: once I had installed Skype for iPad I started receiving an iPad notification every time someone put a message into a Chat session. When you have over 400 Contacts, this can quickly become annoying. Go to the iPad “Settings”, scroll down to Skype (and make sure you select Skype for iPad – showing as version 1.0.1273 until there is an update), select Notifications and turn Sounds and Alerts “Off”.
• Battery drain: more than 24 hours after my last recharge with Skype for iPad open throughout, my battery is down to 55%. Certainly more than acceptable than the iPhone experience if you charge your iPad overnight on a daily basis.
• USB Headset – No! while Dan reported success using a USB headset via the Camera Connector when using the original Skype for iPhone on the iPad, I encountered an unacceptable level of choppy audio when attempting to use a USB headset. If you need a headset for, say, privacy reasons, use the 3.5mm headset jack on the iPad.

Bottom line: With battery life more in the background as an issue, the challenge now is determining under what circumstances I would use it:

• when out of the house and have a WiFi connection, whether via a WiFi Access point or the Personal Hotspot feature of my iPhone¹
• in my office as a backup when my PC is not available (rebooting or running too many other programs such that call quality deteriorates)
• as a speakerphone where maybe 2 to 4 people are listening
• (with iPad 2) as the default video phone, provided the iPad 2 can be located appropriately for capturing the video image (probably using one of the “stand” type covers)

But only ongoing experience will demonstrate where I end up using Skype for iPad. Certainly it adds to the “attache case” content I discussed when iPad was first announced. After all we often carry a mobile phone in a brief case.

¹Using the Personal Hotspot feature of the iPhone helps to consume the 6GB monthly data plan available on my iPhone – which otherwise never gets over 1GB – and saves the monthly fee for an iPad data service – especially since I seem to use well over the minimum level Rogers offers in its iPad data plans.

Related articles

• Skype for iPad: Creating a Default Video Phone for Consumers? (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype Now Optimized for your iPad (blogs.skype.com)

Not without its launch hiccups, the much-anticipated Skype for iPad was apparently in the Apple App Store for a while last night and then disappeared accompanied by a Tweet from Skype that said: “To ensure your best Skype experience, we’ve temporarily removed Skype for iPad which went live prematurely today.” I went to the Apple App Store around 8:30 EDT this morning and found nothing. Fifteen minutes later I found an application identified as “skype software S.A.R.L.” and presto, I was able to download the Skype for iPad application. Shortly afterward Skype provided a blog post: Skype Now Optimized for your iPad.

Skype Journal’s Phil Wolff, in  Skype for iPad is like Skype for iPhone, with elbow room, has gone through many of the installation steps and launch features. We did an iPad 2 to iPad 1 video call this morning while he was preparing breakfast and cracking some eggs; it confirmed that you can receive a video call on an original iPad but, of course,without a camera, you can only place a voice call (or chat).

This image also provides an overview of the user interface, in landscape mode, during a call: access to the user’s Skype profile, a Contacts button, the “Current” call and a “Recent” list of Contacts with whom you have had recent chat, voice or video conversations. You can click on any of those items during a call; the call will continue with the video freezing and you can then return to the Call screen by clicking on the “Current” item (and the video goes “live” again).

Contacts: When you initially launch the application you get a  4 x 5 matrix display of all your Skype account’s Contacts at the beginning of the alphabet. My first intuition was to scroll down the screen to find a contact I wanted to call but, with over 400 contacts, that gets tedious. I wondered if there was a Search capability – there is, but you need to pull down at the top of the Contacts screen to show the Search bar. Over on the left again are avatars for all the “Recent” Contacts. (Skype for iPhone at least shows the alphabet on the right side of the Contacts screen with a search icon before “A”, making it much easier to find the Search bar.)

Tags, Categories and Groups – there’s a bit of confusion! Especially if you have been using Skype on a Windows or Mac. When you first launch Skype for iPad you will see an embedded “Tags” arrow in the upper left of the ribbon bar. This takes you to a page where you will see icons for “All Contacts”, “Online Contacts” and each of the “Categories” of Contacts you have created in Skype for Windows. The confusion arises through the lack of a consistent term for what are called “Categories” in Skype for Windows, “Groups” in Skype for Mac and “Tags” in Skype for iPad. Someone has to take charge as Uber-Product Manager for Skype clients and get the terminology consistent.

One issue that was consistently noted by several who installed it was that, if you have a large number of Contacts, it would take some time for all the Contacts to be loaded. Also it would capture recent chat sessions that had originated on, say, Skype for Windows; I found some sessions that went back three or four days. Again this delays getting to a point where you can really start to use the application.

Profile: Clicking on the Profile icon in the upper left brings up the My Info screen from which you can select “My Profile” as shown on the left.

As Phil noted, there is no way to buy Skype Credit through the application, clicking on Skype Credit simply brings up an information screen. This is probably a result of Apple’s recent policy change about “in app” purchases that significantly impacted how various book stores operate on the iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad. (Does this mean we will see a new version of Skype for iPhone to replace the current one that allows you to “Add Credit”?)

The application inherited my Call Forwarding information, Skype Credit amount and Skype Online number.

Making Calls: from the Contacts screen, select a Contact, select the “Call” or “Chat” button and, if “Call”, select whether you want to make a Skype call or a SkypeOut call to one of the Contact’s listed phone numbers. Note that there is also an option to launch a chat session or send an SMS message. (The Video button is shaded as I am using an original iPad with no video camera.)

The dark call screen will appear (note its similarity to the call screen in Skype for Windows 5.5), When answered, as shown above, it includes a call control bar for showing the chat session, going to a full screen display, muting the mic, a dial pad (even in a Skype-to-Skype call) and ending the call. If you select one of the Recent contacts you will see the chat session screen with a “phone” icon in the upper right; tap the phone icon to launch a call. There is no option for make multi-party calls hosted on the iPad.

Voice quality during my calls today was indicative of using Skype’s SILK codec. By making a call to a Skype for Windows client I was able to confirm, via the Call Information screen in the Skype for Windows client, that Skype’s SILK codec was, in fact, deployed.

At this point there is not enough experience to comment on battery drain, a significant  issue with Skype for iPhone. I have also tried to make a call using a USB headset via the iPad Camera Connector; while you can hear something, it’s a very choppy audio that is not suitable for a call. On the other hand, using a 3.5mm plug headset, such as the FREETALK Handsfree, provides the crystal clear audio associated with SILK.

Initially I had an issue with my iPad mic not working; however, a search on Google provided the solution: sometimes it is necessary to fully power down the iPad and reboot it to make the mic work.

Bottom line: Skype for iPad takes advantage of the larger display format to manage Skype calling; however, there is a learning curve that could be enhanced through more consistency with making calls on a Windows or Mac PC (or even the iPhone). It offers outbound calling to landlines and mobile phones, it works over either 3G or WiFi, it delivers a new dimension in video calling on mobile devices (supporting both the front- and rear-facing iPad cameras), it supports instant messaging.

It’s certainly a more suitable platform for video calling than the iPhone. There still needs to be some longer term experience to see how battery life will impact using Skype for iPad as an every-day “phone” and whether it can become a “default” platform for Skype calling. The processor speed on the iPad 2 vs the original iPad may also become a consideration.

Related articles

• Hands-On With Skype’s Web Phone App for iPad (wired.com)
• Hands on with Skype for iPad, a killer video chat app (venturebeat.com)

Since the launch of Skype 5.2 for Windows, the Dial Pad features have been enhanced significantly to point where it actually has some intelligence to make it easier to place a call to the PSTN.

Normally the Dial Pad is used for SkypeOut calling for two purposes:

• to dial out to a PSTN number (to place a call)
• to interact with any Auto Attendant or Interactive Voice Response (“IVR”) menu that may answer the call (usually a call to a business or an automated service, such as for fax number deletion). (during a call)

Skype 5.5 for Windows gold release also restores the dial pad as an option during Skype-to-Skype calls; this option had been dropped in the 5.5 beta release. But you may ask why would one need a dial pad for a Skype-to-Skype calls? Turns out that there is a Skype for Business offering that requires access to the dial pad during what is really a Skype-to-Skype call to a business using this offering.

Over at the Skype Reference Guide I have added a page that describes all the features and benefits of the Dial Pad in Skype for Windows 5.2 and later. Find out why, when you click on the “Call Phones” button, you may end up with no numeric dial pad; learn about the only situation where you may need a dial pad during a Skype-to-Skype call and the minimal dial pad feature in Skype for Mac 5.x. Learn about Text-Tone dialling and how that simplifies making a call to a Contact’s PSTN number.

Related articles

• Skype 5.5 for Windows: Deeper Facebook, New Emoticons and More (voiceontheweb.biz)

Yesterday Skype released the “Gold” or “user” version of Skype 5.5 for Windows. Many of the features, including the Facebook integration, were discussed in Skype for Windows 5.5 beta: First Impressions with Facebook Integration and Skype for Windows 5.5 beta: The Call Bar. In the final release these have been enhanced; at the same time Skype introduced some amusing new emoticons – some in the emoticon table for the chat message; others are “hidden”.

As for the complete new feature set, according to Raul Liive, Skype’s Beta Program Manager, it includes:

• Skype to Facebook instant messaging (enhanced from beta)
• New and updated emoticons (new)
• New login experience
• Improved call controls (modified from beta)
• Improved video calling reliability (yes!)
• Simplified installer flow (only three splash screens)
• Avatar selection improved
• Video snapshot capture improvements
• Changed group conversations profile area:
• 
• Plus several bug fixes

Facebook Enhancements: In the beta there was little to identify whether you were in a chat session with a Contact’s Skype chat or Facebook chat. With this release, the Facebook icon appears at the top of the conversation pane. However, confusion can still arise. In the Contacts pane “Recent” tab there is no way to identify whether one would be communicating with the Skype chat or Facebook chat. Product management is probably conflicted because they also want to show the contact’s presence information … maybe a blue icon for Facebook chat presence would help.

Notice also that if you are in the Contacts Facebook chat conversation, the call bar only allows you to call PSTN numbers (via SkypeOut) but not place a Skype-to-Skype call, as would be expected. You can still set up a conference call and monitor your hardware and network conditions via the call bar.

Finally the Facebook news feed content has been moved to the Skype client Home Page tab (no longer a separate tab) but still continues to show the profile pictures (avatars) for the most contacted Contacts (either through calls or chat sessions).

• When you enter a Mood Message on the Home Page tab, there is an option to share the message on your Facebook news feed.
• Running your cursor over any of the Skype profile pictures along the top row or a Facebook message will bring up a Call button which can launch either a Skype-to-Skype call or a SkypeOut call with the Contact.
• You can “Like” a Facebook message and/or add a Comment

It will be interesting to see how the various calling services evolve in both the Skype client and Facebook itself as Skype’s integration into Facebook deepens beyond the initial Facebook Video Calling introduced three weeks ago. Dan York adds his comments on the implications of the Facebook Chat integration in Skype Opens Its Walls A Bit? Lets You IM Facebook Users Just Like Skype Users.

Emoticons: not something I used a lot but I can see using them more often; when appropriate in the context of a chat session I might use only a few of the emoticons. However, today Skype introduced several new emoticons as shown on the right. Most amusing is the “wfh”, a hidden icon that I can see many users in today’s virtual commuting world having an association with (although more often in their Skype Mood Message).

Skype has several hidden icons, as shown on the left – sometimes called “Easter eggs”. I’ll not give the shortcodes but many of them can be implied from the name. “Working from Home” is very dynamic rotating between the two images shown in this graphic. For those who are totally puzzled and frustrated there is a hidden “wtf” button.

Suffice it to say that these icons have created much discussion and amusement today. Skype for Mac’s Chief Whining Officer, Dan York made himself heard arising out of our musings earlier today when the release was first announced. Let’s hope they appear in a forthcoming Skype for Mac release. Actually both sides of the conversation need to have Skype for Windows 5.5 “Gold” release in order to see these emoticons properly.

The Call Control Bar (or Call Navigation Bar) has been modified slightly. Most importantly it continues to offer the Call Quality Info feature – perhaps its most useful feature where you want to monitor and modify conditions during a call. Also very useful is the PopOut window during a video call which allows you to watch the video image while using other applications during a call.

And, talking about Video, over the past two weeks I have done a few Skype Group Video Calls with up to eight parties. Where this group had previously used a service where only the speaker’s video appeared (it was really a “push-to-talk” service) the dynamics of the group call change entirely when you have the many “ad hoc” features of a Skype Group Video call – chat window, identification of who is speaking, monitoring the network conditions .. even the network connection recovery feature has helped a few times. And, as it should, the technology stayed in the background relative to the conversation. (The call resulted in at least one Skype Premium subscription being picked up.)

Oh, and there’s lots of flexibility in sizing and placing the various participants’ images. As Raul noted in his post reference above:

In this version we have made numerous ‘under the hood’ updates to our video engine to improve its reliability. We have reduced the amount of graphic card resources needed for video calls and improved support for older cards, especially for users with SiS graphics cards.

Full disclosure: the Skype Group Chat is being hosted on a quad core PC with a 1.7 Mbps upload speed on the Internet connection.

Bottom line: Skype for Windows 5.5 “user release is a winner, most importantly because the client and technology is almost totally transparent to the conversation. The Facebook integration remains optional as to whether you use it (you simply can either not log into Facebook or log out of it if you find it not satisfactory). It still needs a bit of User Interface work to more readily identify whether you are chatting via Skype or Facebook. The emoticons can add some fun and excitement to the conversation (an picture is worth a thousand words sometimes) and have some amusing new additions. But experiencing the robustness of Skype Group Video Calling is perhaps it most innovative feature in terms of user benefit (even if Skype for Windows is still awaiting inclusion of the screen sharing feature recently introduced in Skype 5.2 for Mac).

Being the “Gold” or “ user” release, Skype for Windows will probably auto-update at some point. However, if it does not or you want to try it out now go to Help | Check for Updates or click here to access the download.

By the way notice that the Help Menu now includes a link to Skype’s Heartbeat page – not sure if this is new but worth drawing attention to, as one qick check on the service status. Don’t know if this arose out of the comments re Phil Wolff’s “Heartbeat” suggestion reference by Tony Bates in the Skype Journal interview at CES last January.

Release notes.

Related articles

• Skype for Windows version 5.5 update adds more Facebook features (digitaltrends.com)
• Facebook Video Chat – Powered by Skype: First Impressions (Voice On The Web)

Great video quality on trial call; however, battery life issues continue to dog Skype on mobile smartphones.

Yesterday Skype announced the release of Skype for Android 2.0 introducing two-way video calling and SMS messaging into the Skype for Android feature set. It also introduces a new user interface running on phones with Android 2.3 or later and a front-facing camera,  including HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S.

Most importantly it allows video calling with Skype users on the iPhone (3.0 or later), Mac (5.0 or later), Windows PCs (4.2 or later), other Android phones and Skype-enabled TV’s and BluRay players. Calls can be made over WiFi or 3G connections. More details are in the Skype Garage Blog post here.

Not having an appropriate phone I went to two acquaintances with access to the Google Nexus 5 for their feedback. First I made a contact with an acquaintance at his office in London, UK from my MacBook using Skype for Mac 5.1 – over WiFi connections at both ends. Rather than a production quality interview it’s more of an exercise in testing out various features of the new version as he wanders about his office, especially when it comes to making a video call. Here’s an edited version of the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zXsWZf9hos

Note that, aside from excellent video quality, the image, as observed from the Technical Call Info detail, was 320 x 240 running up to 17 fps, the camera was able to adapt to both focal range and ambient lighting conditions. Overall it was a more than acceptable quality call. While the demonstration includes switching between the front-facing and rear camera, it was not accelerometer sensitive, in that one could not invert the phone with an inversion of the image. While I did not check during the call, one would assume it uses Skype’s superwideband SILK codec; certainly the crisp audio was there.

Initially there was a question of whether Skype for Android 2.0 could support multi-party Group Chat. “Eventually” is the answer in that once you sign in, it can take 15 to 30 minutes to catch up with all the recent messages in a fairly active group chat. But this is the same experience as with Skype for iPhone.

Another acquaintance, the developer of this website, is a big fan of the Google Nexus S and ran a battery test with this result:

Greatly improved UI but battery issues persist. I started it at 2:00pm with a full charge, by 8:00pm the phone was dead. It was pretty much sitting idle the whole time. Android reports it taking up 16% of the battery usage when running in the background (second only to the display). Disappointing… I wish I could use it.

No great surprise, given the battery experience when running Skype for iPhone. Once again, Skype provides a Skype client on a mobile device where you need to open and close Skype only when you really need it. Certainly, if one could have a Contact group (Mac) or category (Windows) comprising only those contacts whom the user deems critical for mobile Skype calling, it may help to reduced battery draining presence activity for users with over 50 contacts.

Here’s the Skype video demonstration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o6TBezfSpU

Bottom line; While delivering a more than acceptable qualityvideo calling experience with higher resolution than Skype for iPhone (320 x 240 vs 160 x 120) along with the voice calling, chat, presence and mood message features of Skype, battery drain continues to be an issue. The solution: only have Skype for Android open when necessary, keep it near a charger or find an extended battery accessory for the phone (similar to what FastMac has for iPhone).

Just over a year after Skype’s first announcement of SkypeKit as a closed beta program for third party developers, Jonathan Christensen, Skype’s Vice President, Emerging Opportunities, announced the opening up of the SkypeKit developer program to a public beta at eComm 2011 this afternoon.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to discuss the program with Chris Andrews, Sr. Business Development Manager at Skype. The primary function of SkypeKit is to provide access to a “headless” version of Skype from which developers can provide their Skype functionality through their own product’s user interface. Otherwise SkypeKit provides access to the same functionality as standard desktop clients; however, it does not support screen sharing or multi-party video (Group Video).

To join the SkypeKit developer program developers create a developer account and pay a one-time fee of $10 to download the SDK and participate in the developer community forum. With its ability to support embedded Skype in hardware, hardware partners will also need to obtain Skype certification at the standard costs for that program. Software application developers have no additional cost. At this point there is no revenue sharing expected by Skype; that’s the one issue that will have to be addressed at some point if Skype is to demonstrate ROI to Microsoft.

Chris confirmed access to the video stream is available via Skype’s proprietary RTP interface which has been designed to address the various screen formats developers will encounter with either their own hardware or, in the case of a software application, the various PC and other intelligent device displays. Documentation is available at the Skype Developer site.

While SkypeKit provides support for both hardware and software, most of the development to date has centred around hardware devices. At CES Skype announced that SkypeKit was being used for a baby monitor based on the Panda chip and is being tested for incorporation into GM’s OnStar service. One new player he mentioned is Tely Labs, a startup with no website, who are developing a “living room experience” for their own branded TV accessory; we’ll have to wait to see what this means beyond the various Skype for TV/BluRay offerings.

An initial software platform incorporating SkyepKit is Imvox, a social voice communications platform for gamers. From their website:

The biggest benefit of Imvox’s participation in the SkypeKit developer program is it allows us to offer the gaming community crystal clear voice quality, which is used by hundreds of millions of people across the world every day. The Skype partnership also enables Imvox to work cross-platform, so Windows and Mac users enjoy the same high-quality audio. It’s about time a solution works for everybody in the gaming market.

I had an opportunity to experience Skype’s SILK codec in a gaming platform a year ago November with the launch of the Blabbelon “click-to-talk” voice service for gamers. It’s a different market space from the traditional consumer and business voice conferencing.

Long time Skype partner InnerPass has been awaiting the launch of SkypeKit’s open beta to incorporate Skype into their newly launched Group Mix team collaboration service – an evolution of their previous InnerPass Meeting and Sharing service that was offered as a Skype Extra.

The SkypeKit Developer Site provides documentation and samples to assist with the development process covering topics such as TV, audio and video and various development tools. However, Chris did mention that, while all the tools are there to support software development, they still need some work to make a software developer totally comfortable with using SkypeKit.

Bottom line: With Skype’s pending acquisition by Microsoft it will be interesting to see what uptake there is from developers and how this developer program works in conjunction with other Microsoft developer programs. Certainly Microsoft brings the financial heft and experience required to establish and attract a large developer community for SkypeKit as it evolves.

According to Stacey Higginbotham’s GigaOm discussion with Jonathan Christensen there are 2,000 developers who have been part of the closed program but there are over 10,000 developers who have applied and can now participate. As with the iPad and smartphone market spaces the evolution of the real time communications space will really depend on how readily users will adopt the resulting applications. Until other services can offer a combination of high quality voice, the ability to call a wide range of devices and platforms, HD video and over 170 million active users, Skype certainly starts out with an initial performance lead over pending competitors.

Skype Journal: Skype for iPad; SkypeKit launching at eComm next week?

Related articles

• Whither Skype Extras Today? Withered? (voiceontheweb.biz)
• The future of Skype Extras (blogs.skype.com)
• Skype for TV – Not on Windows (voiceontheweb.biz)
• With SkypeKit, Skype wants to be everywhere (gigaom.com)

Yesterday came the first firm indications of the imminent arrival of Skype for iPad. It’s been hotly sought out in Google searches and Skype users have long regarded Skype for iPhone as somewhat pathetic when running on an iPad, especially in 2x mode.  With the iPad’s much larger display and, with iPad 2, its video features a dedicated Skype for iPad offers interesting possibilities, especially for turning an iPad into a unique video phone. The first indication of its appearance was this video on MacRumors where someone had captured a temporary YouTube placement by Skype:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5G_CkPfDOU

Then came the review on CNET; this post on TUAW provides comments from an interview with Rick Osterloh, Skype Head of Consumer Product Management. But I had my first interview about Skype for iPad with Neil Stevens, Skype’s Vice President and General Manager for Consumer at CES last January. The main takeaway from that interview: Skype has hired a user interface expert to design the UI for Skype for iPad. Skype wanted to get a fresh approach to the user experience.

Some comments re Skype for iPad:

• Initial response to the video have been positive about the user experience; however, we all need to try it out ourselves.
• With Skype Everywhere – on PC’s, iPhone, Android, TV sets and BluRay players – and the ability to call the PSTN worlwide – it’s not really competition for FaceTime but rather establishes the standards benchmark for cross platform video and voice calling.
• Having had an iPad for six months, it has become, as predicted at the time of the initial iPad announcement, my electronic briefcase. I rarely take a briefcase or even my Macbook when out of my home office, just the iPad. Applications such as Skype for iPad (and even Facetime) are an extension of the iPad’s functionality “beyond the briefcase” into user engagement. (Although I do seem to recall often carrying my mobile phone in my briefcase.)
• The tablet provides an ideal form factor and display size for a video call on a mobile device; easily carried about; no squinting to see the video (unless in direct sunlight). With its much larger battery, it will be interesting to see Skype for iPad’s impact on battery life. Once experienced by consumers Skype for iPad could help accelerate iPad 2’s sales growth.
• The cnet review, linked above, covered Skype for iPad’s performance over WiFi (excellent) and 3G (good enough). However, recently I dropped my iPad 3G subscription with Rogers when iOS4 became available on my iPhone. When I want to connect my iPad over a 3G connection, I simply turn on the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot and use the iPad’s WiFi via the Personal Hotspot as my only Internet connection. It will be interesting to test reception of a video call on my “original” iPad over this connection.
• While obviously the audio can be handled over the iPad’s 3.5mm audio jack, it should also work with USB headsets via the iPad’s Camera Connection kit as the USB adapter.
• One key assumption: given the support on Skype for iPhone, Skype for iPad should be expected to supports Skype’s SILK codec on Skype-to-Skype calls.

Finally, if I had an iPad 2 I could see making the iPad as my primary Skype device. It won’t be hindered by having multiple applications running as on a PC and it’s a very convenient overall form factor. And it’s easily portable with no cables attached. In fact it becomes closer to a large desktop phone (for the same reasons Bria for iPad can become a business desktop phone replacement). Let’s come to that decision once we’ve had actual experience with Skype for iPad.

Hopefully, as rumored, we’ll see Skype for iPad become available about the same time as Skype’s Jonathan Christensen speaks on Tuesday at eComm America 2011.

Final question: is there a hint there of having the same call bar as Skype 5.5 beta for Windows? That would be a contributor to consistency in the user interface.

Related articles

• Skype for iPad coming next week? (intomobile.com)
• Bria for iPad: Putting an IP Phone on the iPad (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Using Skype on iPad – Helping Navigate Canada’s Newest Air Travel Service (voiceontheweb.pmlo.org)
• Skype is coming to the iPad (gigaom.com)

One of the most helpful features introduced with Skype 5.0 was the Call Bar or Call Navigation Bar that comes up when you launch a call and is accessible during the call. (If it disappears during the call simply “mouse over” the “black background” call area and it will re-appear).

Its Call Quality Indicator feature is, frankly, one of the most useful tools which I find very handy when helping other parties ensure their mic, speakers and webcam are working ok during a call and to check the quality of the Internet connection.

But let’s look at the user experience with the Skype 5.5 beta for Windows proposed Call Bar; the icons have been modified and the order on the bar changed.

It’s a little vague, no "mouse over" bubbles to indicate the purpose of an icon.but you can find some information with tooltips that come up if you mouse over near each icon.  (Initially I did not find these icons during several calls but it was pointed out that the tooltips are there.) So either a user ignores them or has to guess. When you click on some icons you get a sub-menu (but that’s a click, not the more spontaneous bubble:

Here’s the issue. The majority of Skype users are not aware of the rich feature set that can support a Skype-to-Skype call. Make it easy to at least get a start at understanding the purpose of the various icons. For a starter the call bar tooltips, when found, are certainly helpful. A broader question is why change the icons (and icon order) that users are familiar with?

One new feature that is helpful: that right most “Display Call” icon that allows you to manage how and where the primary call window is displayed. Using the Pop-Out feature allows use of the full height of the Conversation pane for Chat.

Fortunately the Call Quality Indicator user interface remains the same and allows “ in call” monitoring of the audio, video and PC hardware as well as the Internet connection. One feature that also remains (and has worked for me in calls using this version) is the ability to recover a call if the Internet connection quality deteriorates momentarily during the call.

Bottom line: changes to look for in either the next beta version or gold release:

• Adding tooltips to the icons in the Call Bar to indicate what they do on a “mouse over”. Done.
• Change the End Call icon back to the familiar one. (and keep it consistent with the End Call button beside the Contact’s name in the Contact pane).
• Open a 1 inch/2.5 cm high portion of the Chat window to let users know they can still chat during a call.
• Don’t touch the Call Quality Indicator

But this all brings back another outstanding issue. Let’s hope  this same Call Bar (with the Call Quality Indicator) shows up in the next revision of Skype for Mac 5. Consistency helps user adoption, especially when it comes to learning about Skype’s extra features available during a Skype-to-Skype call. After all, with Firefox 5, I have almost the same overall User Interface on both the Windows and Mac versions … makes it real simple not only for users with both Windows and Mac PC’s but also for explaining a feature to a call participant independent of which OS the participant is using.

As a final comment: the real issue here with respect to user interface consistency is “innovation” vs a “company standard”. While there are some neat features unique to Mac OS that could be included in a Skype for Mac client, let’s see a consistency with the primary user interface both for managing Contacts and Conversations via separate panes in the client and for managing Skype’s extra features available during a call (the Call Bar). For instance, I have no objection to the way two or more participants are shown in the Call pane or Window during a call; but keep the basics similar!

Yesterday Skype launched Skype 5.5 beta for Windows whose main feature is deeper Facebook integration. But there were some other changes as well:

• changed Call Bar and the call control icons
• improved video calling reliability
• Changed group conversations profile area design
• New login window design
• Added a ability to start video calls via URI
• addressed several bug fixes

On the download page Skype does remind us:

Over the past few hours I have done some exploring and have noted:

Facebook integration:

The most obvious change is the new Facebook tab in the Contacts (left) pane. Only the selected tab shows the full name, such as “Facebook”; in this case the left icon represents “All Contacts” while the right icon represents “Recent” … showing recent contacts going backwards in time.

What changes is what occurs when you start to type a name into the Search bar; the Search bar finds all the Skype and Facebook contacts. In this case the top Contact shown is the Skype contact, while the second one is the Facebook contact. And the tabs themselves only show the three icons. But what happens when you go to the Facebook Contact?

Whereas from the Skype Contact you can call the Contact’s Skype account and any PSTN phone numbers on the Contact’s Skype Profile (or that you have manually entered locally into the Contact’s information), from the Facebook Contact you can only call any PSTN phone numbers in the Contacts Facebook profile. However, there is no way to add people or share files during a call even though the greyed-out buttons show up at the top of the Conversation pane. But the ability to call a Facebook contact on a mobile or landline number is one approach to encourage SkypeOut usage … using either a Skype Calling Plan or Skype Credit.

Here’s where it gets confusing: when you send a chat message to the Facebook contact (which goes to the other party’s Facebook chat and, if s/he is also a Skype contact, Skype chat) you set up one “Contact” in the Recent tabs. Then send a chat message directly to his/her Skype account, another “Contact” is set up in the Recent tab. But there is no way to differentiate the two; this is an issue that Skype is addressing in a future release (whether beta or final).

Messages sent from the Facebook Contact go to both the Contact’s Facebook chat window and the recipient’s Facebook chat pane in Skype. But not to the Contact’s Skype chat conversation, as expected. Bottom line is that Facebook Chat sessions and Skype chat sessions are independent. However, this feature is sufficient to eliminate the need for my Contact here to use Pidgeon to follow both Skype and Facebook chat sessions … one less client to take up desktop real estate (and CPU cycles).

There is an option to disable the Facebook Contacts tab; simply go to “Contacts | Hide Facebook Contacts.

The Facebook Wall Tab

The other major Facebook feature is the Facebook Wall tab:

Skype for Windows 5.5 - The Facebook Wall

Highlighted are:

• Enter a message to post to both your Skype Mood Message and, optionally, your Facebook wall
• Select whether you wish to view only the News feed from All your Facebook friends or simply those who are also Skype Contacts. (Alerts brings up Skype alerts such as subscription confirmations)
• Scroll over a Contact’s name to bring up the Call button from which you can launch either a Skype call or a SkypeOut call to the Contact.
• The small heart and cartoon bubble icons allow Facebook “Like” and Facebook “Comment” activity.

It’s optional as to whether you want to use the Facebook features; you need to log in to Facebook and do the usual “Facebook Connect” approval to get started; it’s not a default setting in Skype. If you want to log out of the Facebook connection, hit that little blue gear at the extreme middle right on the Facebook Wall.

Skype for Windows 5.5 - The Facebook Login

As I have over 250 Facebook “Friends” and over 500 Skype Contacts it took several minutes after logging into Facebook for the information to be synchronized and the Facebook News feed to appear.

Hide Facebook Contacts in the Contact Pane

Bottom line: Will I continue to use this? That will depend on how critical it becomes to my overall core Skype activity.

• For those who may be using a multi-IM service for chatting with both Facebook and Skype contacts, it is probably a benefit as they need to only chat through their Skype client.
• If I can contact my Skype contacts through Skype, do I really need another set of “the same” contacts to make voice calls via their Facebook information? Only if they have not entered PSTN numbers available in their Facebook profile but not in their Skype profile.
• Does the Facebook activity slow down my Skype activity? Only some experience will tell.
• The option is there to Hide Facebook links or even log out of your Facebook account authentication, should you find the feature of minimal use.

Remember, it’s beta; the good news about Skype for Windows betas is that they usually continues to offer the standard Skype voice, video and chat features reliably. It’s really the new features for which Skype wants feedback on the user experience.

In the next post I’ll talk about the changes to the call bar and its “control” icons.

And meanwhile we wait to see if Skype for Mac 5.thenext can bring some consistency with the Skype for Windows User Interface.

Related articles

• New improved Facebook view in Skype for Windows (blogs.skype.com)
• Skype delivers deeper Facebook integration (news.cnet.com)
• Your Skype is now a Facebook Chat Client (labnol.org)
• Why Skype just added deeper Facebook integration (gigaom.com)

Two weeks ago in the post, Whither Skype Extras Today? Withered?, I asked for a clarification about the status of Skype Extras.

Today Skype announced a HotFix that effectively removes access to Skype Extras although it shows up, greyed out, in the Tools Menu. Go to Help | Check for Upgrades. In Windows Task Manager you’ll find that SkypePM.exe is no longer seen in the Processes tab.

As PamConsult’s Dick Schiferli points out in the comments below the Skype Extras do remain available in the Skype Store and are also available from the various publishers’ websites. However, the good news is that several publishers of Skype Extras have not withered away but rather have upgraded their products to remove their dependence on the Skype Extras program while introducing new features.

The Skype Extras Survivors

PamFax – winner of the 2007 Skype mashup competition, continues to grow; their recent infrastructure upgrade means that faxes are delivered within a minute of clicking on the Send Fax button. No ongoing obligations yet there are subscription programs that include a fax number in 27 countries. Send and received faxes to/from PC’s, iPhone/iPad/iPodTouch and Android. Fax Dropbox documents; receive faxes in DropBox. Click here for a complete update on PamFax,

InnerPass is releasing a new team collaboration product, Group Mix, that aggregates all their document management, persistent “rooms” and desktop sharing expertise into a web-based product with a great user interface that is easily accessed in any browser from, say, a bookmark. The first release includes voice connections in several countries via the PSTN; they will bring Skype back in shortly. More details will be forthcoming in a post early next week.

Pamela continues to upgrade and add more features to the longest running Skype Extra. Call recording, conversation archiving and many other nifty features that enhance the Skype user experience.

Netralia continues to offer its Skylook Outlook plugin that has done very well in the customer relationship management space. More recently they launched and have upgraded VodBurner, capable not only of recording Skype Video calls but also performing editing of the recording and direct upload to YouTube.

Evoca has been building their online audio recording and hosting business where you can call in from any phone, Skype or PC mic, record interviews and conference calls. From their website:

Dial any of our U.S. and international phone numbers or use the Evoca Skype Call Recorder — available for registered subscribers. Our 100% web service securely saves and stores your audio file in digital MP3 format in your online Evoca account. You can keep it private, share it with colleagues, or publish it online for the world to listen.

OnState continues to provide and grow its web-based, pay-as-you-go call center/PBX offering. In fact, in addition to its Skype integration, it now supports Google Talk and Salesforce.com amongst other features.

There may be others; I’ll be glad to add them. But these are the publishers who have managed to build on their user feedback and market acceptance. They have continued development to enhance their products which incorporate Skype integration but can operate independently of the Skype Extras infrastructure.

While visiting relatives a few weeks ago I had the chance to participate in a Skype call with a remote family member. While they were using Skype for Windows, this suggestion applies to Skype for Mac also.

Basically both parties had Skype open during a video call when I hear one party say, “I’d like to put some information in the chat but I guess I can only do that after the call.”

They did not realize that you can carry on a chat during a call since the default is for the conversation pane to bring down that big blue-black blind that covers the text dialogue with participants’ avatars. Here’s a visual:

During a Group Video Call yesterday, once again the participants did not realize that one could click on the Chat icon to expose the text portion of the conversation pane. It’s even more challenging with Skype for Mac 5.x since the icon is a barely visible up arrow (second icon from left in the image). One more reason to have a call bar on Skype for Mac 5.x that is consistent with the call bar in Skype for Windows 5.x.

Looking forward to what comes forth with Skype for Mac 5.x now that that the Skype for Mac style contest is near closing. But a modification to Skype for Windows 5.x that addresses this issue would also be helpful.

Related articles

• Skype for Mac 5 – From Ecstasy to Agony (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype for Mac 5: Returning to Ecstasy – Step 1 – Consistent Terminology (voiceontheweb.biz)

Earlier today I blogged about the Skype Login Disruption that occurred this morning. Seems like Skype’s developers got onto the issue pretty quickly with the announcement on Skype’s Heartbeat Blog this evening:

• An update of Skype for Windows is available immediately.
• An update of Skype for Mac will be available tomorrow is now available.
• Updating Skype for Linux will continue to require a manual update.

Update: May 27: Skype’s Heartbeat blog reports on the Skype for Mac 5 upgrade. Also ensure you have Skype for Windows 5.3.0.116, released early this morning to address an auto-installation issue with last nights update.

Kudos to the Skype developers for getting on top of the issue and doing the software updates so quickly and to Skype corporate for communicating the issue and the fixes as they became available.

Hopefully each fix such as this builds a little more robustness into Skype.

Oh, and it had nothing to do with the Microsoft acquisition.

Related articles

• Skype faces second big outage, already has fix (electronista.com)
• Skype Outages Worldwide & How To Fix App Crashes For Windows/Mac [News] (makeuseof.com)