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 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)

If Skype Extras is creating an issue with software bloat through its games partner, Easybits, why do I get a blank Skype Extras window from the Tools | Get Skype Extras menu in Skype for Windows 5.3?

In one of its previous lives, ca. 2006, Skype introduced a Partner program where they encouraged third party developers to innovate products around the use of Skype. These products arrived in the form of games, productivity tools, hosted business services and utilities that enhanced the Skype experience or incorporated Skype for its real time communications features. At the time Skype provided API tools that facilitated development of these products; they remain available even as Skype ramps up its SkypeKit developer platform. Products were made readily available to Skype for Windows users through the Tools | Skype Extras menu of the Skype client. One partner had over 3 million downloads between January 2009 and August 2010; a very significant number have become ongoing subscription-paying customers.

Original Skype Extras Window

During the summer of 2007 Skype held a Mashup Competition with regional and worldwide winners. PamFax, still in its infancy but sending faxes from a PamFax window, won the worldwide competition. (Watch Voice On The Web for a complete update on PamFax’s evolution to a one-stop multi-platform “Fax for business” solution in the next few days).

Some the Extras publishers were acquired; for instance IBM’s Lotus Sametime division acquired the popular desktop sharing utility, Unyte. Others went away due to either  a lack of market acceptance, a failed business model or impatient investors. And there were many issues with the level of support provided by the Skype Developer program at that time.

Skype announced the end of the Skype Extras program in late August 2009, pointing out that no new Extras would be accepted from that point forward and that Skype Extras would not be accessible from the Skype for Windows menu after August 31, 2010. However, while this menu is still available from the Skype for Windows 5.3 client, I get the blank window shown above. However they can still be found available on the Skype website: Skype Extras page and on the Skype Store.

So what puzzles me is the recent appearance of stories about an additional program, easybits.exe, being installed with Skype for Windows. Easybits provided the platform for the Skype Extras games; it seems that a recent update to Easybits inadvertently got into some users’ recent installations of Skype for Windows. Looking through my Task Manager, there are no traces of easybits.exe; the only item related to Skype Extras Manager is skypePM.exe and it’s not consuming much RAM. Phil Wolff, over at Skype Journal, has more to say on this, including Easybits response, in #Skype Extras partner EasyBits releases game uninstall tool.

Bottom Line: So my real question is, given the blank Skype Extras screen I receive as shown above (and have received for some time now), the lack of any trace of EasyBits software on my Skype for Windows 5.3 installation and the announcement that Skype Extras would go away last fall, what is the real status of Skype Extras today? Or is it just quietly withering away?

Skype’s statement: EasyBits Update for Skype Extras Manager

P.S. – many of the former Skype Extras publishers have continued to offer their software and even built additional products that use the Skype API’s. Within a few days I’ll provide an update on where you can find these products today and their evolution into even better offerings.

Related articles

• EasyBits releases removal tool for afflicted Skype users (zdnet.com)
• Skype pushes gaming software down users throats (go.theregister.com)
• How To Uninstall EasyBits GO (EasyBitsGo.exe) Completely (ghacks.net)

Tuesday’s announcement of the pending Microsoft acquisition of Skype has certainly drawn a complete spectrum of comments, feedback and posts. They range from Microsoft’s perception as doomsday venom for an acquisition’s products and services to praise for the potential to merge two complementary software companies that allow not only the continuation of the current service but also leveraging real time conversation features and technology into Microsoft’s existing platforms and products.

But the bottom line is that over 170 million people have actively been using Skype this year. As reinforced at the acquisition press conference, any move that would threaten or inhibit those users’ ability to continue using Skype would not help Microsoft’s bottom line. Thus, for instance, the ongoing support of Skype clients for Mac OS/X, iOS4 handheld devices, Android devices and even Linux. Yet we can now certainly see that a Skype for Windows Mobile can be expected to surface by year end.

But it’s really the user experiences that will both win new users and drive continued use by existing users. Technology journalist, technology TV program host/producer and social networking strategist Amber MacArthur has summed up the desires of most Skype users in her Tending Tech blog on the Globe and Mail website in a post: Dear Microsoft, don’t mess up Skype.

Amber outlines the history of her experience using Skype video. She was a pioneer in using Skype video for TV broadcast feeds – even when the best Skype video call resolution was 320 x 240 – long before Oprah. She regularly uses Skype for her current productions and business activity. But she also has more importantly found the value in Skype for reinforcing family relationships through calls to relatives, especially to her parents for the weekly grandparent call – regardless of where either she, in her travels, and her parents are geographically.

Amber speaks for all Skype users in her conclusion:

In my world, it’s fair to say that Skype is a necessity. Aside from Gmail, it’s the one piece of technology that I’d hate to live without. With more than 170 million active users around the world, I’m not alone. Sure, Facebook has more subscribers, but I’d ditch that social network any day of the week if I had to choose between it and Skype. I can’t say I remember any memorable Facebook messages, but there are Skype video calls I can’t forget.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what the Microsoft news means to the tech world. After all, $8.5-billion is a lot of money. However, the truth is that I don’t care. I don’t really care how much the giant software company paid. I don’t care if it gives them a stronger foothold in the web world. All I care about is that I can still make free video calls to Mom and Dad on my son’s birthday and invite them to share in a little virtual cake and a singalong. [Editor’s bold]

So, Microsoft, don’t screw up Skype. There are 170-million people and growing who won’t be very happy if you do.

Bottom line: I would ask that every Skype employee and all Microsoft employees who may become involved with embedding Skype technology into Microsoft products print  Amber’s post and put it up in their cubicle or office and, when making decisions related to the deployment and use of Skype, ask if each individual business decision passes the “Amber Mac Test” outlined in the excerpt above. It provides one significant benchmark against which the evolution of Skype and its technology can be measured.

Note: the number of users in the quote has been adjusted to reflect the 170 million active users reported at the Microsoft-Skype press conference. Based on previous reporting, this is based on the number of users who actually made at least one Skype call or conversation during the Jan-March 2011 quarter. A much more realistic measure of Skype usage than simply the total number of Skype accounts that are increasing by over 500,000 per day.

Update: Check out Alec Saunders Microsoft-Skype: emerging themes for the perspective of a former Microsoft product manager.

Related articles

• Microsoft Acquires Skype – An Investor’s Perspective (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Microsoft-Skype: emerging themes (saunderslog.com)
• Microsoft And Skype Like A Horse And Carriage (informationweek.com)
• Microsoft-Skype Deal: Three Ways It Benefits Enterprises (lirax.wordpress.com)
• The End of the “Skype as Bandit” Era (disruptivetelephony.com)

Over at Disruptive Telephony, Best Practices Chair of the VoIP Security Alliance, Dan York, summarizes recent reports on a security vulnerability in Skype for Mac.

Given that I basically live inside of Skype for Mac and use it extensively every day, this is obviously extremely concerning. Particularly because I do let anyone on Skype send me messages… and my Skype ID is easily found on my websites and many other locations (and since is rather obvious – “danyork”).

As a heavy user of Skype for Mac’s group chat feature, Dan questions why there has been no communications from Skype other than a response to ZDNet UK’s story where they say:

UPDATE (5:13pm): Skype has just sent ZDNet UK a statement promising a fix next week. The statement reads: “We are aware of this and will release a fix early next week to resolve the issue. We take our users privacy very seriously and are working quickly to protect Skype users from this vulnerability.”

This evening Skype has responded in their blog post, Security Vulnerability in Mac Client Has Been Addressed. To summarize:

• Skype acknowledges they were aware of the vulnerability, not only via Pure Hackers but also their own internal processes
• The issue was addressed in a “minor” update, version 5.1.0.922 released on April 14, 2011

This vulnerability … is related to a situation when a malicious contact would send a specifically crafted message that could cause Skype for Mac to crash. Note, this message would have to come from someone already in your Skype Contact List, as Skype’s default privacy settings will not let you receive messages from people that you have not already authorized, hence the term malicious contact.

However, they also stated:

As there were no reports of this vulnerability being exploited in the wild, we did not prompt our users to install this update, as there is another update in the pipeline that will be sent out early next week.

And go on to point out that customers will prompted to install a more comprehensive update to be released next week. But they made the following statement:

In the meantime, we recommend you update your software with the fix made available on April 14th, just click on Skype -> Check for Updates or you can download the software here.

I checked my installed version; it was 5.1.0.914. I did the “Check for Updates” and was told there were “no updates”.

Bottom line: download the updated software here (version 5.1.0.9220 and install it to ensure you have no exposure to this vulnerability. And expect to be notified of a more comprehensive update next week.

You can’t win … when customers are heavily prompted to update, there are complaints; when they are not prompted the story somehow gets out  anyway. Decisions, decisions….

One final question: will this update address any of the issues discussed not only in my recent posts but also in several other online discussions (listed at the end of some of these posts).

Update: Dan questions why this issue even had to come to light in ??Skype’s Security Communication FAIL – Why Issue a HotFix If You Don’t Tell Anyone?

Related articles

• Skype Bug Leaves Mac Users Vulnerable to Exploit (macstories.net)
• Expert: Skype for Mac hole can be used in remote attack (news.cnet.com)
• A bug in Skype for Mac could give hackers root access to OS X (thenextweb.com)
• Skype bug gives attackers root access to Mac OS X (theregister.co.uk)
• Skype vulnerability discovered by Pure Hacking (purehacking.com)

For over a year the author has been a keen user of Skype for Windows 5 as a Skype client that has simplicity, yet flexibility. It’s easy to manage contacts, follow conversations, handle video calls as well as archive and search conversation history. Yet, with the release of Skype for Mac 5, there has been a “Skype for Mac 5” fever outbreak on the Internet due to its lack of consistency with these features. Bottom line is that users are confused and, in many cases have gone back to Skype for Mac 2.8. On the other hand the Skype for Mac team says they are listening.

In the previous post in this series, Skype for Mac 5: Returning to Ecstasy – Step 1 – Consistency, after pointing out how widely Skype for Windows 5 has been accepted, I went on to discuss some consistency issues including the use of the left Contacts pane. It is primarily used for managing Contacts and selecting a Contact or Group with whom the user wants launch or monitor conversation activity, whether chat, voice or video. One key recommendation here was that, in Skype for Mac 5, not only individual Contacts but also Contact Groups should be managed in this pane.

This post focuses on the right Conversation pane which, for the most part, manages and, as appropriate, archives content associated with the user’s conversations such as chat text, call detail records and file transfer information.  During Skype for Windows 5.x voice and video conversations it also displays, in the upper part of the pane, not only other party’s Skype profile graphic or video associated with the call participants but also user “controls” to manage how the call proceeds:

• a Call Bar beneath the image allows the user to manage the call activity, such as adding people, bringing up a dial pad, opening a chat window, sharing a desktop or file and, via the Call Quality Information  tool, monitor associated hardware and Internet connection conditions. This latter tool has been discussed previously with a recommendation to adopt all the features of this call bar in Skype for Mac 5. Also note that, from the CallBar, there is an obvious icon from which you can open a chat window below the video image.
• during a video call you can select whether you want to continue to view the video within the Conversation pane (with an option to zoom in on the image), in a separate “pop-out” window or Full Screen. There is also an option to capture a snapshot.

Recommendations for the Conversation Pane

1. Use the right pane solely for conversations; move all the Contact management activity, especially Contact Groups, to the left Contact pane.
2. Invoke all the features of the Skype for Windows call bar, including the Call Quality Information tool; this has been a most useful tool during calls in ensuring that all the audio and video hardware is working during (or prior to) a call.
3. Include the larger blue Chat icon, not a barely visible down arrow to open the chat window.
4. Invoke the Snapshot/Zoom/Full screen/Pop-out feature bar. When in an HD video call with Full Screen Skype is approaching a telepresence effect that will be even more useful with newer (HD) webcams that can pick up an entire small board or meeting room.
5. Invoke these changes while leaving available the existing View options to have a small Call Control bar that remains visible while in other Mac desktops and to have a list of contacts online. Useful options but they should be “Mac” enhancements to the feature set of Skype for Windows 5.
6. As with Skype for Windows 5, invoke a “Home” screen for viewing some conversation history information and manage the User’s Skype profile.
7. I’m neutral on whether to invoke Facebook; occasionally I find it useful.
8. Keep the indicator on the left of the panel for expanding the video image to the full width of the Skype window.

Bottom Line: Users are not only looking to have all the primary Contact, Calling and Conversation features available across Windows and Mac (and potentially Linux) platforms but they are most comfortable when there is consistency between the User Interfaces. In some cases there is a feature that is currently available in Skype for Mac 5 (such as viewing Full Screen) but it’s the User Interface triggering “button”  or icon that should have a base level of uniformity across all platforms.

One may say that most users have only one platform but I am in a family where some members run on Windows while others run on the Mac. Also during cross platform calls it is features such as the Call Quality Info or Sharing icon that I ask the other party to use or seek out when they are having difficulty with, say, their hardware or features such as screen  sharing.

Other posts in this series:

• Skype for Mac 5 – From Ecstasy to Agony
• Skype for Mac 5: Returning to Ecstasy – Step 1 – Consistency

Other views on this issue:

• Ignore the Code: Skype 5 Ideas
• Dan York, Disruptive Telephony: My 3 Main Issues With Skype 5.x For The Mac
• Balance Network: Skype 5 for Mac Redesign, “A little more than just a Chat Style”
• Attack of Design: Skype Beta for Mac’s Usability Failings
• Hudson Barton, Aaytch: How To Fix Skype-for-Mac 5.x
• Andy Abramson, VoIP Watch: Skype Has Another Set of Outages Yesterday
• Keith Lang: screen shot on how to organize Contacts
• Jaanus Kase: Skype 5 for Mac: spatial arrangement and inconsistent single-window design

And, for those design masters: enter the Mac chat style competition; competition announcement

Related articles

• Skype for Mac 5.0 Goes Gold: Incorporating Beta Feedback and More (voiceontheweb.biz)
• What’s New in Skype 5 for Mac? (appreaders.com)
• Skype’s "Easy Conference Call" – A Hidden Gem (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype for Windows 5.2 Released: Subtle Window Dressings (voiceontheweb.biz)

For over a year the author has been a keen user of Skype for Windows 5 as a Skype client that has simplicity, yet flexibility. It’s easy to manage contacts, follow conversations, handle video calls as well as archive and search conversation history. Yet, with the release of Skype for Mac 5, there has been a “Skype for Mac 5” fever outbreak on the Internet due to its lack of consistency with these features. Bottom line is that users are confused and, in many cases have gone back to Skype for Mac 2.8. The rash of posts reminds me of a famous comedy routine asking “Who’s on first, What’s on second and I Don’t Know on third” (read down the post for an explanation). On the other hand the Skype for Mac team says they are listening.

It is obvious from personal enquiries and blog posts that Mac users have not experienced Skype for Windows 5 and why it has become so readily accepted after some initial feedback from beta versions and even previous “Gold” versions. The irony here is that, whether intentional or not, Skype for Windows 5 subtly incorporated some of the widely acclaimed  User Interface features of Skype for Mac 2.8.

Behind all this, Phil Wolff, in How to keep & maintain an online relationship tip #1 (Skype!), points out how deeply Skype has penetrated our psyche:

First, Skype is just assumed. It is not novel, special, or difficult. It’s just there, like it’s always been. How could you not Skype? More than seven years after launch, Skype is part of American [Ed. worldwide] youth culture. Like tuxedo nail polish art.

In this post I want to point out where some key terminology needs to aligned so that a couple of terms used in Skype for Mac 5 is consistent with the terms already used in Skype for Windows 5. Keep in mind that in Skype for Windows 5 there are two underlying panes, each with a consistent purpose:

• Contacts on the left: add them, manage them, organize them, select whom you want to converse with and open the relevant conversation pane.
• Conversations on the right: it’s about content! Chat sessions, call detail records for voice and video calls, file transfer information, when did it happen? over what time period. Even the Facebook feature puts conversation content into the same pane. And if you select your own name at the top of the Contacts pane you deal with your own personal “content”.

Compact View

In his  Ignore the Code post, Skype 5 for Mac, Lukas Mathis provided an example where he was able to follow eight separate chat conversations in one Mac desktop. When he wants to deal with Skype he simply switches to his “Skype” desktop and picks up on the relevant conversations – switching desktops is unique to the Mac OS/X:

Skype for Windows has a Default View where the Contacts pane and Conversation pane are side-by-side in one window. However, after a wave of initial user feedback, it quickly incorporated a “Compact View” where conversations could be broken out into separate windows with the following result for an eight window scenario:

One window for managing Contacts, three containing group discussions, one window for the dialpad (more on that in another post) and three conversation sessions with individuals. However, one advantage of Mac OS/X is the ability to have up to four “desktops”. As a result there is the potential to keep these windows open on one Mac desktop and have them readily accessible by using the Mac OS/X features for switching desktops.

Because I personally find it easier to manage conversations in my activities, I now prefer the Default View; however, users have a choice; choice has won over acceptance.

But “Compact View” in the current Skype for Mac 5 simply removes the Contacts’ Profile Pictures from the list of Contacts in the left pane; frankly, it’s useful only because I want to optimize real estate and maximize the number of Contacts I see in the left pane. And forget about the “Cover Roll” view; I find no reason or utility for it other than aesthetics.

Anti-biotic recommendation One: Incorporate the flexibility to have either a single “Contacts/Conversation” pane or a “Compact View” similar to Skype for Windows 5 where the Contacts pane is accompanied by multiple individual conversation panes, such that Lukas could keep his “Skype” desktop. And use the term “Compact View” for this option on both platforms.

Groups and Categories

When Skype launched Skype 4.0 for Windows it changed the definition of Contact Groups (“Groups”) and introduced a new term: “Contact Categories” (“Categories”). Basically a Group is comprised of all the Contacts participating in a Group Chat or Group Voice call (multi-party call). A Group is created in the Conversation Pane either by dragging Contacts into the blue header of a Conversation pane or using the “Add People” button in the Conversation pane call bar. Once created, a Group can be added as a Contact in the Contact pane’s list.

Contact Categories, associated with the Contacts pane only, are subsets of Contacts that can be categorized by some common interest. Basically by selecting a Category from the Contacts (or left) tab in the Conversation pane you only see those Contacts within the Category – a great tool when you have over, say, 50 Contacts and the Categories only include those for whom there is a common association.

The issue with Skype for Mac 5 is that what are Categories in Skype for Windows 5 are still called Groups in Skype for Mac 5. And, with Skype for Mac 5.1 the Groups are listed across the top of the Conversation side of the client. Also I can find no way to create a Group in Skype for Mac 5.1; fortunately adding a new Category in Skype for Windows 5 is reflected in the “Groups” of Skype for Mac 5.

Anti-biotic recommendation 2: Incorporate the Skype for Windows 5 algorithms for identifying and managing Categories and Groups into Skype for Mac 5. Use the left (“Contacts”) pane only for all management of Contacts, including Categories. And introduce a “Create Contact Categories” feature.

Managing “Who’s on First”

(Apologies to non-North Americans who have not heard the Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s On First” routine; it’s a word play parody incorporating baseball analogies.)

In Skype for Windows 5, near the top of the Contacts pane are two “tabs”: on the left one for selecting Categories as defined above; on the other a tab called , simply – and appropriately – “Recent”. It builds a Contact timeline, going backwards, of those Contacts with whom a user has had her/his most recent conversations. The latter reflects Phil’s statement:

In my own experience Skype weighs fresh conversations more heavily than other factors.

Select a Contact under either tab and the Conversation pane opens up with a chat window and button bar from which a conversation with that Contact (or Group Contact) may be launched or continued. Note that there is also a Search window where a user can quickly find a Contact when the Contact list gets too long to appear within the length of the Contacts pane; a feature I find very helpful.

But one might as well watch “Who’s On First” to get a flavor for the confusion created in Skype for Mac 5. Contacts and “Recent” Contacts are not readily separated or categorized. In fact, if you want to see the Contacts in a Group …  woops Category … you need to click on a a Group (Category) name in the right pane and the Contacts are listed in what should only contain conversation content.

Anti-biotic recommendation 3: Incorporate the Categories tab, Recent tab and Search window that is seen in Skype for Windows 5. If there are any “Mac”-unique quirks associated with doing this, such as a floating Contact Monitor, incorporate them as an enhancement but keep consistency with the basics as a starting point.

Bottom line: Not only should Skype for Mac have the same feature set as Skype for Windows, as often  promoted by Dan York, but also the user interface and associated terminology should be similar such that a user going from one platform to the other can just continue to use Skype in a manner totally transparent to the user. On the other hand, let the Skype for Mac team innovate through enhancements that take advantage of features of Mac OS/X where feasible and reasonable.

Other posts in this series:

• Skype for Mac 5 – From Ecstasy to Agony
• Skype for Mac 5: Returning to Ecstasy – Step 2 – The Conversation Pane

Other views on this issue:

• Ignore the Code: Skype 5 Ideas
• Dan York, Disruptive Telephony: My 3 Main Issues With Skype 5.x For The Mac
• Balance Network: Skype 5 for Mac Redesign, “A little more than just a Chat Style”
• Attack of Design: Skype Beta for Mac’s Usability Failings
• Hudson Barton, Aaytch: How To Fix Skype-for-Mac 5.x
• Andy Abramson, VoIP Watch: Skype Has Another Set of Outages Yesterday
• Keith Lang: screen shot on how to organize Contacts
• Jaanus Kase: Skype 5 for Mac: spatial arrangement and inconsistent single-window design

And, for those design masters: enter the Mac chat style competition; competition announcement

Related articles

• Skype for Mac 5.0 Goes Gold: Incorporating Beta Feedback and More (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype for Mac 5, Skype for iPhone 3.0.1 – Upgrade Wednesday (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype for Windows 5.2: Subtle Window Dressings II – “Text Tone” Dialing (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Months pass, and fury over Skype 5 for Mac still boils (skypejournal.com)
• This Is What Skype 5 For Mac Should Look Like (techcrunch.com)

When I met Skype’s Vice President for Consumer Products, Neil Stevens, at CES 2011, one of his points was that he wanted to see more frequent Skype client upgrades, reducing the time between new upgrades from 12 to 18 months down to 2 to 3 months. Skype certainly demonstrated that last week when, two months after the launch of Skype 5.1 for Windows, Skype released Skype for Windows 5.2 with a set of subtle improvements that largely relate to the user experience when initiating calls.

The most obvious change is to the Call Bar. Whereas previously one would see:

the Call Bar has become:

The most obvious change is the switching of the order of the “Video Call” and (voice) “Call” buttons and the  elimination of a separate line for “Skype”, “Mobile”, “Office”, etc. numbers. No doubt the former is a result of two factors:

• the popularity of video calling where Skype claims that over 40% of all calls are now video calls and
• the recent introduction of Group Video calling as  a revenue generating premium service

Access to any type of voice call is now done via the Call Button, which has acquired an associated drop down menu. In turn this drop down menu provides the access to the contact’s various voice calling options. If the Contact’s presence is Online(), a Skype-to-Skype call would be the default.  Should be user not be available (Offline, Invisible or set for Call Forwarding ) but has entered a mobile or landline number into their Skype profile, there are three changes:

• the Call button has changed to read “Call Mobile” (or Office or Home)
• the Mobile, Home or Office number would be checked off as the default destination for placing a call.
• you have a “heads up” that a Skype-to-Skype call selection will result in reaching the contact’s voice mail

While the drop down menu shows a default based on presence, you can still select one of the other options to initiate a voice call but you are now forewarned that a Skype-to-Skype call to someone with one of the three “not present” statuses mentioned above could result in reaching their voicemail.

Note that the drop down menu also allows the addition of a phone number. Very handy when you know the contact’s phone number but they have not entered it into their Skype profile.

One more change to the Call Bar: the “Share Button” provides a ready access to sharing a Contact or File. If you are in a call, the Screen Sharing option becomes available.

Bottom line: while these changes can reduce the number of clicks to make a call or share information, they also provide, in a subtle way, readier access to Skype’s revenue generating Group Video Calling and SkypeOut services. With only 8% of Skype users actually using SkypeOut it would be interesting to see if these changes actually provide any more than slightly incremental revenues.

Watch for a post on the changes to the “Call Phones” menu.

Download Skype 5.2 for Windows here or go to Help | Check for Updates in your Skype for Windows client.

And should you even be making a voice call? Check out this New York TImes article: Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You. (Warning NYT may have initiated their pay wall.)

Related articles

• Skype for Mac 5.0 Goes Gold: Incorporating Beta Feedback and More (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype At CES 2011: It’s All About Video and Mobile (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Skype’s “Easy Conference Call” – A Hidden Gem (voiceontheweb.biz)

Yesterday Skype issued two “hotfix” upgrades.

Skype for Mac 5.0.0.7994

The latest Skype for Mac upgrade addresses an issue where Skype was taking over ownership of the video camera such that it could not be used with other software. Other issues addressed are outlined in this Skype Garage Blog post along with some known issues.

Skype for iPhone 3.0.1

The latest Skype for iPhone 3.0.1 upgrade (available via the Apple App store) provides support for video calls between Skype for iPhone and Skype for TV or Skype for Nokia N900. Skype for TV only supports the H.264 codec; as a results Skype video calls can only be completed with clients that have support for the H.264 codec, such as Skype for Windows 5.0, Skype for Mac 5.0 and, now, Skype for iPhone 3.0.1.

Of Interest

The Skype for iPhone 3.0.1 release blog post mentions the item “Support for iOS 4.3”. My iPad and iPhone (currently at version 4.2.1) say the next check for an iOS 4 upgrade will occur tomorrow (Feb. 11); probably coincidental with today’s launch of the Verizon version of the iPhone. While Skype has announced support for the “Verizon” iPhone, there must be an iOS upgrade coming to support the Verizon version of the iPhone but wonder if iOS 4.3 will also support, for all iPhones, the WiFi “personal hotspot” feature that is supposed to be available on the Verizon version of the iPhone.

As stated previously, while Skype for Mac 5 brings users closer to the Skype for Windows 5.x client, there still seems to be a learning curve for some users in terms of the “Contacts sidebar” and “conversation pane’ algorithm that has been employed in Skype for Windows 4.x and 5.x for over a year now. It takes some adaptation to the thinking; however, my personal experience has demonstrated that this is a much more effective and productive interface in terms of tracking activity with each of my Contacts. Full disclosure: I probably do more searches in Skype Chat windows than Google searches even though each addresses totally different user needs.

But, since the launch of Skype for Mac 5 Gold, there is one additional Skype for Mac UI issue that I would like to see addressed. Skype for Mac 5 allows you to narrow the Skype client window. However, whereas narrowing the Skype client in Skype for Windows 5.x stops the narrowing of the Contact pane at a width such that you can still see most Contacts’ full name, narrowing the Skype for Mac 5 window crunches the width of the Contact pane to the point where it becomes useless for access contacts.

Bottom line: Yes, it’s a Skype for Mac hotfix but there are still some outstanding features of Skype for Mac 5 required to have the full feature set of Skype for Windows 5, especially with respect to the issue of introducing the complete call bar feature set in Skype for Windows 5. And as for video calls between iPhone and TV sets, another Skype first – definitely not available with FaceTime.

Note: This headline, Skype for iPhone adds HDTV support, is incorrect for two reasons: Skype for iPhone video currently supports 160 x 120 resolution and Skype for TV supports, at best, High Quality Video’s 640 x 480 resolution (or lower if network conditions deteriorate). But it’s definitely not HDTV. Furthermore the H.264 codec  supports lower resolutions that 720p; it’s not always synonymous with HD resolutions. (And somewhere today I recall seeing a headline about “HD” becoming a useless term as it becomes used for anything that might be the “latest” in video — or even audio)

• Skype Journal: Download: Skype for Mac 5.0.0.7994 Hotfix; Download: Skype for iPhone 3.0.1. Video calls to Skype for TV
• Disruptive Telephony: Skype Adds H.264 Support to iPhone App And Supports Skype TVs

Related articles

• Skype for iPhone now lets you make video calls to TVs (thenextweb.com)
• Skype 3.0 for iPhone: New Dimensions in Smartphone Video Calling (voiceontheweb.biz)

Yesterday Skype released Skype for Mac 5.0 Gold version, addressing many of the concerns raised in the beta version released three months ago. And, rest assured, Skype received lots of feedback about the new user interface experienced in the beta version and the disruption it caused to those long time fans of the previous version 2.8. While not addressing all the issues (such as my major one – see below) the 5.0 Gold release certainly has a more usable and less intrusive UI.

When I interviewed Skype’s Neil Stevens, Skype’s Vice President of Consumer Products, at CES three weeks ago he had given me a heads up that this release would be forthcoming shortly. But he also expressed two other goals for Skype’s Consumer Product development process:

• Work towards a more common User Interface across all the PC platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux
• Reduce the release cycle time between versions from  12 to 18 months down to two to three months to be more responsive to market needs and user feedback.

In my earlier post discussing the beta version I mentioned how Skype for Mac was moving in a similar direction towards the Skype for Windows 5.1 user interface. While not going all the way there, the Gold release does address some of the outstanding issues:

• the chat window can very easily be brought up at the bottom of the conversation pane and resized (addressing Dan York’s major issue with the beta)
• the Skype client window can be narrowed to take up less desktop real estate although it can almost get too narrow when the Contact Sidebar gradually disappears if narrowed down to the extreme
• reduction of white space in both the main conversation pane and sidebar (click on View | Compact Sidebar for the latter).
• more prominence to the Contact Monitor (View | Online Contacts – see below on left) where you can see who’s online by Group. (Although I’m still trying to figure out whether it’s viewable outside the Skype application.)
• restored full screen mode for video calls – probably the most requested feature restoration
• moved the dial pad up to the tool bar such that its availability becomes more readily apparent.
• on video calls, the caller’s window can not only be readily moved within the Conversation pane but also resized
• in the Call settings of preferences you can add a Skype watermark that is viewed when your cursor is not within the Conversation pane (actually it’s also faintly there behind the red “end call” button when the Call Status bar is visible).

Also Skype for Mac 5 includes support for Group Video calling for which there is a seven day trial available following which users must sign up for Skype Premium which also includes access to Live Chat support for Skype. (Note the discount for 3- and 12-month subscriptions.) Yes, it’s another potential revenue generator for Skype.

My initial observations – it’s all about the navigation and call management:

• At the bottom of the conversation window are four icons: toggle Contact Sidebar on/off, toggle chat session on/off, full screen video on/off and caller video window on/off. Very handy.
• The Call Status Bar at the top of the conversation screen still lacks the Call Quality Information feature of Skype for Windows 5.0. When I mentioned my previous recommendation about this to Neil he said to expect this feature to be incorporated into a future release. Once again, it is a most useful and handy tool for facilitating Skype calls in Skype for Windows.
• The floating Call Monitor bar, which appears when you are in an application other than Skype, remains a very useful feature. In this version double clicking on the “presence” icon returns you to the Skype client.
• While the DialPad has been moved to a more apparent position above the Conversation window, it also make more sense to have it appear on the Call Status Bar as well (as in Skype for Windows 5.x).
• One always wants to have “View | Compact Sidebar” set as I can see a Contact’s profile picture in the Conversation pane when I select the contact.
• There is more visibility, and therefor emphasis, for Groups due to their inclusion in the Contact Sidebar whereas accessing Groups in Skype for Windows requires an extra click from within the Contacts tab.
• Update Feb. 10, 2010. Support for H.264 is now included with Skype for Mac 5. This now allows calls between Skype for Mac and Skype for TV. There is still no support for the H.264 processor deployed on HD webcams and in Skype for TV clients. This also means one cannot make calls between Skype for Mac and any Skype for TV client as the latter requires H.264 support on the other party’s Skype client.

Bottom line: Skype for Mac 5.0 Gold certainly brings the Skype for Mac client closer to the Skype for Windows UI algorithm. It’s definitely easier to use than the beta. Also I have to admit my own bias in that I have come to the conclusion that the Skype for Windows algorithm is easier to manage and use than earlier versions of the Skype client. You basically have all your searchable conversation history for a contact in one “Conversation” window pane.

Whereas, unless someone was serious about providing beta feedback, I was not recommending that anyone upgrade to the beta, at this point I can readily recommend upgrading to Skype for Mac 5 Gold. There’s probably a bit of a navigation training exercise to go through but once you experience the algorithm, you’ll find it easier to manage and track your conversations. But also let’s hope we see a new version in 2 to 3 months addressing additional feature requests, such as the Call Quality Information feature.

And one Skype for Windows 5 feature that’s definitely missing: nary a sign of any Facebook integration.

Skype Journal’s Phil Wolff tracked “user sentiment” about the new version by following social networking and other feedback during launch day.

Finally, here’s the video from Skype for Mac Product Manager Krishna Panicker:

Related articles

• Skype for Mac Leave Beta, Adds Premium Group Video Calling (readwriteweb.com)
• Skype 5 for Mac out of beta, group video calling part of Premium subscription (tuaw.com)
• Skype for Mac 5 Improves on Beta – Still Far From Perfect (newsgrange.com)
• Download: Skype for Mac 5.0 Gold (skypejournal.com)
• Skype 5.0 for Mac Exits Beta, Group Calling No Longer Free [VIDEO] (mashable.com)
• Skype 5.0 out of Beta, Group Video Chat Now Premium Feature (pcworld.com)

Last spring Skype launched Skype for Windows 4.2 with support for HD (720p) video calling at up to 22 fps using one of two Skype-certified HD webcams with an embedded H.264 processor to offload the video processing from the user’s PC.  However, it turned out the calling experience ranged from excellent (for example, the call referenced in the post linked above) to erratic depending on the endpoints’ network conditions and CPU load. In fact, support of the embedded H.264 processor quietly disappeared in the initial releases of Skype 5 for Windows; under the correct conditions you could still have HD video calls happening but using the legacy VP71 codec that used the processor (CPU) on the caller’s PC.

This week Skype released a Skype for Windows 5 update that, amongst other issues, restored support for the H.264 processor on these two webcams and provides other improvements to the Skype video calling experience. However, it also requires a firmware upgrade on the TALK-7140 FREETALK Everyman webcam and the FaceVsion Touchcam N1.

In my limited experience, to date, with these updates, the first change I noticed was that the webcam would open up much more quickly on launching a video call. A second change is the significantly improved stability of the High Quality Video mode (640 x 480 @ >24 fps) when conditions are not appropriate for HD resolution. And, most importantly, Skype no longer crashes arbitrarily during a call. Overall a much more stable, robust and reliable video calling experience, at both High Quality Video and HD resolutions, is the outcome.

The updated FAQ for the FREETALK Everyman webcam also includes some useful information on the requirements for HD video calling:

Make sure both sender and receiver have installed the latest version of Skype for Windows; HD video is only supported by Skype for Windows 4.2 or later.[Ed.: It’s Skype for Windows 5.0.0.156 that is required to take advantage of all the upgrades.]

HD video (720p or 1280 x 720) requires an Internet connection with a minimum upload speed of 1.2 Mbps. Where there is insufficient network upload speed the Skype program will set the webcam automatically to Skype’s High Quality Video (640 x 480) with a minimum upload speed requirement of 384 Kbps, which is supported by most broadband (cable, DSL) Internet services.

Also note that there is some negotiating between the Skype program and the network that occurs when you start a Skype video call. Whereas Skype takes up to a minute for a High Quality Video call to be established, it can take up to 3 or 4 minutes (but usually ~ 2 minutes) for a video call to change over to sending HD. You will know you have achieved HD video when you see that the video image aspect ratio changes from the Standard 4:3 to HD video’s 16:9 ( in effect the image width becomes much greater than its height; it appears "more rectangular").

Other factors influencing HD video include the need for at least a dual core processor on your local PC and the RAM available. Try reducing the number of programs open, especially if you have <4GB RAM on your PC.

Skype also has a "bandwidth management" feature. Skype is constantly monitoring your network connection; should conditions degrade (due to conditions beyond Skype’s control), you may see your call drop back to High Quality Video or even lower (320 x 240 or 160 x 120). But if network conditions improve again, Skype’s bandwidth management will automatically restore better resolution all the way back to restoring HD video (when you have the other requirements for HD video).

See the Call Quality Indicator (Check Settings) to right of the "Call" and "Video Call" buttons for Call Quality information. This will give an indication of the system resources available for making calls (video or audio). See Call Quality Guide for suggestions to resolve any call issue

Bottom line: So the check points are:

• Upgrade to the latest update version of Skype for Windows 5 (5.0.0.156 or later); also perform the one-time update of the supported webcam’s firmware as outlined above.
• Ensure you are  using a dual core processor PC and, if you have < 4GB RAM, minimize the number of open programs.
• To send HD video, ensure you have a broadband Internet service with a minimum 1.2 Mbps upload speed.
• To receive HD video, ensure the recipient has a minimum 1.2 Mbps download speed (not an issue for most broadband services) and is using a Skype client that supports receiving calls from a contact using the H.264 processor (Skype for Windows 4.2 or later, Skype for TV).
• Be patient: It will take from 30 seconds to 4 minutes for the HD-supported webcam to switch to HD video after launching a video call; this is observable by the change of aspect ratio from 4:3 to the more rectangular 16:9 format.
• With Skype for Windows 5, Skype launched an improved bandwidth management feature which can often recover optimum conditions after a deterioration of a network connection (including after a total call disconnect). This feature also recovers HD from High Quality Video after a network connection’s recovery from a degradation of connection conditions.
• Note that the driver for these webcams is embedded in the webcam firmware such that no driver installation is required; just plug in the webcam (and perform the one-time update of the firmware as described above, if necessary).

Hint: I would also comment that one of the most useful improvements with Skype for Windows 5.0 has been the real time Network Connection condition indicator accessed from the revamped call bar in this version of Skype for Windows.

From it you can monitor any changing network connection conditions during a video call; and it will advise you of attempts to improve conditions and/or to reconnect a lost call. This Call Quality Indicator also allows real time monitoring of other hardware associated with supporting a Skype call.

As I gain more experience with HD video calling using these upgrades, I’ll provide further reports.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions, producer of the FREETALK line of Skype hardware sold via the Skype Store or freetalk.me website, has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. In Store Solutions also is responsible for the shopping cart for sale of the FaceVsion webcam on the Skype Store.

Related articles

• Download: Skype for Windows 5.0.0.156 (skypejournal.com)
• CNN uses Skype group video for call-in segment; violates Skype’s Broadcast TOS (skypejournal.com)
• Skype 5 Forcing Updates (chris.pirillo.com)
• WebM Video Codec in Skype 5.0 Group Video (webmproject.org)
• Facetime for Mac: Adding Millions to the FaceTime User Base (voiceontheweb.biz)

Aid workers and care givers who provide services in politically- and infrastructure-challenged countries where law and order is not necessarily a given, where war, violence and crime are rife, have always ranked very high on my admiration list as one of the most unselfish and high risk roles that one can perform in hopes of betterment of individuals’ lives. And often these workers are in hardship situations where they must spend not only weeks or months but even years with little or no contact with their families and friends.

So what is Skype doing to help?

Today Skype announced a partnership with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) where Skype has not only worked to supply communications services to 120 “hardship locations” but also adapted their software technology to deal with the low bandwidth communications infrastructure available to these locations. Skype’s Antoine Bertout has discussed this partnership with UNHCR’s Mohammed Faisal:

In Skype experiments with refugee workers, Skype Journal’s Phil Wolff outlines some of the special technical features of this “bespoke” version of Skype:

Changes that limit bandwidth use:

• Video will not start automatically.
• Video will not start until Skype sees needed bandwidth.
• Skype’s SILK voice CODEC (8-40 kbps) will be used when possible.
• No Facebook support.

In the video you will hear Mohammed refer to “our network”; there is an element of a virtual private network (“VPN”) involved in some circumstances as well. Also the client supports Skype Chat, including Group Chat, and SkypeOut calls to the PSTN. Note also that the Blue Wall firewall incorporated into the associated infrastructure allows calls only “outside business hours” in order to minimize impact on critical business operations.

Video calling may be bandwidth challenged in some situations; it would be interesting to know what resolutions and frame rates are supported (even if lower that High Quality Video’s 640 x480 @ 30 fps, at least one should be able to see images at, say 320 x240 @ 15 fps, etc., given Skype Video’s bandwidth adaptation features). But just hearing a distant voice will suffice for most calls.

But why just for UNHCR?

Dan York questions why such technology would not also benefit a sector of the business market in Interesting Tech in Skype’s Low-Bandwidth Version for UNHCR – Wouldn’t Enterprises Want This?:

As I listened to the video, it definitely occurred to me that there are businesses and organizations out there who could also benefit from a low-bandwidth version of Skype. I think, for instance, of shipping companies with limited Internet connectivity to vehicles or ships. Or to companies with distributed offices with very small branch offices with very small Internet connections.

Skype’s Peter Parkes has responded to a comment (to the original Skype blog post) about other aid organizations with:

UNHCR is the first partner to benefit from this low-bandwidth version of Skype for Windows. A large dispersed organization such as UNHCR is an ideal testing environment to evaluate the performance of this software in a wide variety of challenging connectivity networks. At the moment we are focused on ensuring a successful roll-out of Skype to a planned 80 to 85 per cent of UNHCR “hardship” locations before the end of 2011.

As such, it is not currently available to other organizations or the general public to download. It is clear to us however, that others could benefit from the changes and the lessons learned during the evaluation of the software that Skype has developed for UNHCR. Unfortunately, however, we are unable able to talk about our future intentions and can only discuss our partnership with UNHCR at present.

You can support UNHCR’s activities also….

Skype and UNHCR have also put up a page where you can provide financial resources to UNHCR to assist with supplying textbooks and training manuals, funding teachers and purchasing solar-powered computers, amongst other requirements that go to support their programs.

Bottom line: Over the past few decades advances in communications technology have helped to overcome many political injustices, natural disasters and barriers to economic opportunity . While it’s been great that Skype offers many cost-free services to all of us,  when it comes to providing assistance to those helping peoples disengaged from life’s real opportunities, Skype’s services become “priceless”.

Related articles

• UN refugee agency staff trial new version of Skype (guardian.co.uk)
• Skype Creates Bespoke Software to Help Refugee Workers (mashable.com)
• Low-bandwidth Skype custom app created for UN Refugee aid workers [Video] (slashgear.com)

Three weeks after announcing SkypeKit for Linux, Skype has lived up to its commitment to provide support for Windows and Mac OS X.

What does this mean for future deployment of Skype access?

Basically the ability to embed Skype within a third party Windows and/or Mac OS X application without the need for the Skype client to be open. Whereas the target developer audience for SkypeKit for Linux is probably hardware developers, there is now an offering available for software developers. From Jonathan’s post linked above:

Today, Skype is taking the next step by announcing a new version of the SkypeKit Beta SDK that works on Windows (x86) and Mac OS X. Now multiple desktop applications can offer Skype conversations — including video, voice, and text — without the need for users to separately download Skype software.

Look forward to seeing the innovation, especially with respect to video, in deploying Skype Everywhere within these future third party offerings.

Related articles by Zemanta

• SkypeKit SDK beta gains Windows and Mac support (slashgear.com)
• Skype’s SDK arrives in beta for Windows, Mac (download.cnet.com)
• Skype Announces Mac, Windows Support for SkypeKit (pcworld.com)
• SkypeKit to allow integration of Skype into all web-based devices (boygeniusreport.com)
• SkypeKit: Easily Building VoIP Into Any Application (fastcompany.com)
• It’s Been a Week for New Skype Video Experiences (voiceontheweb.biz)

Three weeks ago Skype made available the “Gold” release of Skype 4.2 for Windows. In the interim I have had the opportunity to experience many of its new features, several of which I have found improve the call experience in somewhat subtle but very beneficial ways.

Call Quality Indicator

This is what I have found the most useful new feature; it simply provides quick access to determine the conditions under which a call is being made. Before a call you can check your audio/video setup; click on “Check Settings” to bring up the device bar; click on a device to check that each of the mic, speakers, webcam (only if the Contact has a webcam) and computer speed are appropriately configured for making a call.

During a call you can continue to track call quality in the Call Bar; the network quality indicator on the right will also become active:

Should network connection conditions change the network quality indicator will turn orange or red and the number of bars will reduce. If you get a red exclamation mark you have a serious issue with your setup that most likely needs to be addressed. (The call in this case was to Skype Test Call; thus the gray “video” icon as Skype Test Call does not have a webcam.)

Note also that, at the end of every call, there is an opportunity presented to report on call quality. Responding, especially with less than best quality calls, certainly helps Skype to get a statistical handle on their performance.

But there’s one other unannounced feature associated with the Call Quality Indicator; click on the drop-down arrow to the right of the volume control in the Call Bar and you’ll find a menu that can lead to assistance with call diagnostics.  Select “Call Technical Info” and a separate window will open up with a wide range of diagnostic information including the other party’s SkypeID, codec being used, jitter, packet loss information and, for some calls, the version of Skype being used by the other party. Some of this information has been readily available in previous 3.x versions of Skype; however, in earlier versions of Skype 4.x it always operated in a “flicker” mode which made it difficult to read. Only a portion of the information available is shown here; the “24000” sample rate means the call is taking full advantage of the 12KHz audio bandwidth supported by Skype’s SILK codec.

Skype Access

Skype Access was first introduced on Skype for Mac 2.8; now it’s available in Skype for Windows 4.2. When you enter a WiFi zone supported by Boingo (there are over 100,000 125,000¹ worldwide with the SSID’s shown at this link), a window will pop up indicating that Skype Access is available (simply by having the appropriate client on your laptop). While it’s not exactly the least expensive way to connect to the Internet (including Skype) via a WiFi access point, it does come in handy for those 15 to 30 free minutes during airport stopovers or in “urgent” situations where there is no other alternative.

(Full disclosure: the author has a Boingo account which is available at the same locations as Skype Access as it has proven to be a cost saver at hotels that have the alternative of an expensive daily fee or using Boingo. On the other hand even at these locations, the Skype Access window will pop open.)

From time-to-time Skype has a Skype Access promotion; one is occurring the weekend during which this post was published; the promotion offers free Skype Access from 00:01 GMT Saturday, March 20 to 23:59 GMT Sunday, March 21, 2010 (extended to 23:59 Monday, March 22 in the U.K. to assist travelers stranded by the British Airways labor disruption).

Ready for HD Video

Ready, yes, but we’re not there yet; the HD webcams equipped for this feature will not be available until later this spring. However, I have received some test calls demonstrating that Skype 4.2 for Windows does support HD Video calling using appropriately compliant Skype-certified HD video cameras from FreeTalk and faceVsion. To the right is captured a frame from a test call using a faceVsion camera; below is the call diagnostic information from a recent test call using a prototype FreeTalk webcam – 1280 x 720 is the key parameter indicating HD Video support. (Once again, these webcams will only be available later this spring on the Skype Store). That we are all going to love the experience of these HD Video calls is all I can say at the moment. Note the reference to the H.264 video codec that is embedded in the webcam; the associated video compression is done on the webcam itself to reduce the load on the host PC’s CPU during a call and the associated network bandwidth requirements.

Update: While the FreeTalk webcam call reported above was made Tuesday, March 16, Jason Harris reports on an HD Video call from Andy two days later using the same webcam in Coming Soon: High Quality Skype Video Calls With Everyman HD. (I did not want to embarrass Andy by showing the details of his facial stubble in the one frame that I captured during our call; recall that many actresses were wary of HD video when first introduced as it could show intimate details of facial blemishes. I’m sure the make-up industry has compensated by now.)

Call Transfer: Simply stated, Call Transfer, a popular feature of many Skype 3.x versions, has finally re-appeared in Skype 4.2 for Windows.

Brower Toolbars: Since the release of Skype for Windows 3.0 a Skype Toolbar icon for Firefox was available; concurrently there has also been available a Skype Toolbar for Internet Explorer. Basically it uses a Phone Number Recognition algorithm to locate phone numbers within a web page and Skype-enable them (essentially a Click-to-Call using Skype or SkypeOut). With Skype for Windows 4.2 this feature has finally become stable within Firefox (full disclosure – the author has been an external beta tester for this toolbar). In a subsequent post I’ll discuss how it can also be used to Skype-enable Skype contact names within a web page. Suffice it to say it has become a very handy tool, especially with telephone directory services.

Additional features: The release notes for Skype 4.2 also list several less significant but helpful changes that assist with the user call experience. For instance:

• The video call button remains available even if there is no webcam detected
• Improvements in video quality in low bandwidth conditions
• Improved contact importers, including from GMail, Facebook, Hotmail and Outlook

But it’s still not “perfect”. The Release Notes and Release Notes Document include details of not only improvements and bug fixes but also a list of known issues that the Developer team continues to assess and track down. But there’s one 3.x feature for which I still would like to see support in 4.x – namely Skype Public Chats.

Bottom Line: With three weeks of usage, Skype 4.2 for Windows definitely brings an enhanced user experience, especially with respect to providing diagnostic information to help with call quality issues. Skype Access opens up one more option for road warriors to have Internet access for short sessions at airports or ‘’urgent” situations where no other option is available. And we still have to wait a few weeks for the webcams that will support HD Video support, setting new standards for video calling, but the final outcome will be well worth the wait.

Of course, now that I have a MacBook Pro as my primary laptop, I have joined those asking when the equivalent features (Call Quality Indicator and HD Video calling) will be available in Skype for Mac².

¹Shortly after publishing this post I received my monthly email advising me that Boingo is now supporting 125000 access points worldwide.
² I can continue to use Skype for Windows on my desktop PC or via Windows 7 running as a virtual PC on Parallels for Mac.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions, producer of the FreeTalk HD Video webcams, has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. A more complete statement will follow shortly.

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With the release of Skype 4.0 for Windows beta 3 a year ago February, Skype first introduced their superwideband SILK codec. A month later at eComm 2009, Jonathan Christensen announced SILK’s availability for third party partners with royalty free licensing of the SILK codec. Since then it has been incorporated into all subsequent releases of Skype for Windows 4.x, Skype for Mac 2.8 and Skype for Linux. Recently Skype announced that the SILK codec will be supported in the next release of Skype for iPhone.

What does the SILK bring? Basically the best quality “in-your-head” audio available for voice conversations. To recall Jonathan Christensen’s highlights at the time the SILK codec was first introduced, the focus was on:

improving the audio bandwidth out to 12,000 Hz (12KHz)

providing bandwidth management to deal in real time with degraded  network conditions

balancing the codec optimization between voice, music and background noise, each of which can have an impact on the overall user experience

overall robustness to provide a more consistent user experience, regardless of network conditions and an individual caller’s voice signature.

From a user perspective, one will notice crisper conversations, easier interpretation of accents and an overall high quality “in-your-head” voice experience.

But there have been other consequences of SILK’s availability:

• The FREETALK Everyman Headset for Skype ensures that users get the full benefit of SILK by providing an audio chip that effectively replaces the PC’s native audio chip to bring consistently the full benefits of the audio quality available with SILK.
• Similarly the more recently introduced FREETALK Freedom Wireless Stereo Headset also supports SILK’s audio bandwidth.
• A push-to-talk offering, Blabbelon, which provides the ability for gamers to communicate in a multi-party voice algorithm used by gamers, has incorporated the SILK codec, setting a new standard for gaming voice sessions.

But here’s the bigger picture: in order to have a voice conversation that takes full advantage of SILK, the end points of the conversation must incorporate the SILK codec and the telecom infrastructure must support the transmission of SILK conversations.

• The three Skype clients make this possible for end-to-end Skype-to-Skype calls between PC’s (and iPhones with the next Skype for iPhone release);
• Invoking SILK in Blabbelon by default results in every call participant’s taking full advantage of SILK since it is incorporated into the SILK client.

Incorporation into Skype for iPhone will only take advantage of SILK should the other party also be on a Skype client. But:

• SILK is not currently supported in the recently released Skype for Symbian.
• Nor will it be used in the Skype clients being developed for use by Verizon customers due to the need to link the user’s smartphone to Verizon’s Skype gateway using the underlying 3G wireless voice channel.
• SILK cannot be invoked on SkypeOut calls to the PSTN.
• Nor is it supported yet on any other third party smartphone or other end point handset or phoneset hardware.

And therein lies the challenge: how does one propagate SILK such that it becomes available beyond the Skype and Blabbelon worlds? Skype has taken the first step by making the SILK codec available royalty-free and publishing the source code. However, for broadest adoption it needs to become a recognized international standard.

Recently Skype has been working with the IETF’s “CODEC Working Group” as one candidate to be considered in the working group’s effort to identify and standardize a superwideband audio codec that could be widely used across IP-based conversations. In a “Speaking of Standards” post earlier today, Skype releases source code for SILK super wideband audio codec – the details…, Voxeo’s Dan York has provided an excellent detailed background, including both the political and technical considerations leading up to the adoption of such a codec as an IETF standard for interoperability across service providers and end point software and hardware suppliers. He concludes with:

Still to be seen is if there are any additional licensing terms from Skype, but overall this is a great step forward for those of us who want to see better overall audio quality on the Internet. Obviously it’s in Skype’s interest to do this so that the CODEC WG might consider SILK as the codec to standardize on versus the others or creating a new one… but still… it’s great to see. What do you all think?

And it sure helps Skype’s case that Skype has recently hired executives who have IETF working group experience such as Director of Developer Relations, Jason Frischl and Chief Technology Strategist Dr. Julian Rosenberg.

Bottom Line: Ever since the launch of SILK, it’s very noticeable when one is not on a SILK call. SILK can bring significant business productivity advantages when there’s less of “can you repeat that?” or simply misunderstanding of the speaking party. It makes everyone in the family more readily understood during those grandparent Skype video calls. It’s all about improving the end user experience.

There are many efforts to incorporate “wideband (8 Khz)” HD Voice into the telecom infrastructure. GIPS has some excellent wideband codecs; Jeff Pulver is running HD Voice conferences. While HD Voice is definitely an improvement on today’s standard PSTN voice calls it is not up to the quality of SILK-supported calls.

However, spreading SILK’s quality of conversation requires not only the appropriate hardware or client software, as described above, but also support of SILK in the telecom back end infrastructure. Having a standard that every player making the conversation connection possible can work towards would be a major step forward in “clearing up the conversation” when on a voice call.

Update: Skype’s Jonathan Christensen provides an update summary about the SILK codec in his Skype blog post “Advances in audio”. He reiterates the focus he described a year ago:

• improving audio bandwidth going from 8 kHz to 12 kHz, meaning that a SILK conversation sounds like you are in the same room as the person you are speaking with
• providing real-time bandwidth scalability to deal with degraded network conditions
• balancing codec optimization between voice, music and background noise, each of which can have an impact on the overall user experience
• delivering a robust solution that delivers a more consistent audio experience, regardless of network conditions and an individual’s voice signature

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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 applications that support Skype via a mobile device:

• Find a person in an address book; press the “Green” Call button on the device and have the option to call via Skype or SkypeOut with a single click.
• Ensure access to ALL your Skype contacts with no limitation on the number of contacts displayed on the device
• Search for, and add, new contacts
• Support for Skype Contact groups
• Access and manage Skype voicemails
• Ensure that Group Chat threads are maintained on a mobile device; whereas many attempts at supporting Skype on mobile result in losing the “group thread” aspect of a Group Chat.
• Easily sign up for a new Skype account and manage Skype Credits
• Support for call forwarding (to three Skype ID’s and/or numbers)
• Chat history and call history log
• A consistent call quality
• and many more

Now that Skype is becoming mainstream on mobile via Skype for iPhone, Skype mobile^TM over Verizon and the recently released Skype for Symbian where these and many other Skype features are fully supported, Skype has decided to remove download access for two older Skype on mobile offerings: Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile.

So what happened? According to Skype’s FAQ on Skype for Windows Mobile their crime was “…. Skype Lite and Skype for Windows phones were not offering the best possible Skype experience”.

• Skype Lite served as a beta product for building expertise with the architecture and user experience that is now about to be implemented by Skype mobile over Verizon. But Skype Lite, as offered, had no formal carrier support. However, a key business aspect of this architecture is how it can be used to allow Skype to be adopted by carriers such that both Skype and a carrier partner win. And, frankly, I doubt many were using Skype Lite as it really requires:
  • carrier support at the Skype-PSTN gateway inherent to this architecture to provide the robustness and scalability required to ensure consistency of both call completion and call quality.
  • the hardware and intelligence resources of a smartphone to run reliably
• Skype for Windows Mobile – dropping support here is simply a reflection of the market statistics where iPhone, BlackBerry and Android have become the major players in the smartphone market, especially in North America. Its operation over carrier networks were a gamble; it was a battery hog and did not offer a consistently reliable voice calling experience. And the drain on Skype developer resources to continue support simply would take away talent required to support platforms with broader market acceptance. Maybe a review of this decision is in order once the recently announced Windows Mobile 7 becomes available down the road.
• As for Nokia, still the world leader in smartphone devices sold, Skype recently released Skype for Symbian where one gets a complete Skype voice, Instant Messaging (presence and chat), SMS and file transfer experience over both 3G and WiFi using a VoIP client on the device. (Warning, when using Skype for Symbian over 3G, ensure you have a data plan that will not clean out your wallet in one or two calls. )

Going Forward: So what are the options for Skype on mobile:

To further enhance the user experience, three other factors come into play:

• Ideally a Skype application on a mobile device allows multitasking such that IM activities (presence and chat) are being handled in real time in the background while using other applications on the smartphone. Skype for Symbian provides this experience while it has been highlighted as one of the key features of the forthcoming BlackBerry and Android Skype clients for Skype mobile over Verizon.
• Battery Life: while providing higher speed data services both 3G and WiFi have tendency to drain batteries more rapidly. These are issues that are also being addressed in Skype over Verizon client; this is especially easy to execute on BlackBerry with its API’s that facilitate battery management.
• Use of superwideband Skype SILK codec: this really requires a full VoIP client that supports SILK. The first mobile Skype client to support SILK will be the next release of Skype for iPhone.

Bottom line: Skype has set new performance and user experience standards for its supported use on mobile smartphones and handsets. Recall that Skype’s initial adoption on PC’s resulted largely from its straight forward ease of installation and configuration; they are now looking to replicate and enhance that ease-of-use experience in the rapidly expanding mobile smartphone space. And, finally, it appears that we can look forward to additional carrier agreements, modeled on the 3 and Verizon experience.

Update: Skype Journal’s Phil Wolff, Orphaning Skype for Windows Mobile users shows Leadership:

Practicing product management sometimes feels like raising livestock. We have great hopes, spend time nurturing them, and get the most out of them during their productive life. When that productive life is over? Take them to the slaughterhouse and kill them. Make room for the next generation.

Update, March 3, 2010: Say hello to Skype for Symbian – now available via the web or the Nokia Ovi store. Includes video interview with Mark Douglas, Product Manager for Skype Mobile.

Update, March 6, 2010: Jason Harris over at TechCraver has been making multi-party Skype calls from his Nokia N900

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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 sorting out call quality issues.

Check out Skype’s Peter Parkes post where he also discusses what the roadblock is for “Calling over 3G” as well as progress with incorporating push notification. C’mon Apple – it’s time to allow Calling over 3G: AT&T says Yes, Rogers does not have an issue. What’s the hold-up (iPhone 4?)? Maybe it’s a hardware performance issue?

The first thing I noticed after downloading the update was that the application appears to operate much more “snappily” in that wait times for chat sessions to appear or even to recognize you are Online appear to be much shorter. But I need more usage experience to confirm this perception further.

With the proliferation of WiFi access points in hotels, conference sites, offices, restaurants, airports and other public places, Skype for iPhone has become a very useful calling option for me with the extensive traveling I have been doing recently. And tomorrow I will put up a post about how I use Skype for iPhone to call my BlackBerry. Eh?

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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 with potential Skype for Business customers about their use of business communications processes.

Yetersday Skype has announced the launch of the Skype for SIP Open Beta program. According to Skype’s press release nearly ten thousand businesses around the world have applied to participate in this open beta phase. However, this phase is also open to any new applicants, whether PBX manufacturers, SIP gateway vendors or individual enterprises, who want to learn how they can take advantage of Skype for SIP in their business communications.

And why the interest? Skype for SIP:

• allows a business to provide inbound calling from a Skype client (whether on a PC or embedded in devices such as the RTX 3088 Dualphone), web-based click-to-call buttons or a Skype Online number through a SIP-enabled PBX or Unified Communications system.
• provisions outbound calling to landlines and mobile phones worldwide at SkypeOut rates
• has a monthly fee of $6.95/€4.95 per month per concurrent voice channel (which can handle either inbound or outbound calls)
• is managed from the Skype Business Control Panel:
  • to create and manage employees’ or outsourced resources’ Skype accounts
  • to subscribe to Skype Online numbers
  • to allocate SkypeOut credits to employees’ Skype accounts
• allows management of Skype calls via the existing PBX or UC features, such as call routing, conferencing, phone menus and voice mail
• can bring significant communication cost savings to enterprises, whether large, medium or small, especially if they are addressing continental or worldwide markets

From the Skype press release:

A company’s IT administrator just creates and registers a Skype Business Control Panel (BCP) for the organization and then follows the instructions to configure Skype for SIP to work with its existing SIP-enabled communications system. This Web-based tool allows a company to control its Skype usage from a single point and enables centralized billing, easy allocation of Skype Credit, subscriptions and online numbers to users, as well as reporting about both usage and spending. Furthermore, it gives companies the ability to manage internal employee accounts, including who uses Skype and who doesn’t and what features they can use.

As an example of the cost savings, Enterprise Business Development Manager Matthew Jordan described a company who would replace a T1 line with 23 lines at a cost of, say, $400 per month plus per minute toll charges, at up to,say, $0.03/minute, for both inbound and outbound calls. With Skype for SIP, the company would be looking at a cost of $161 per month for the 23 voice channels plus low SkypeOut rates for outbound calls to landlines and mobile phones anywhere worldwide and no charges for inbound calls.

From Skype’s perspective, a primary goal of this beta phase is to monitor usage to determine experience-based usage patterns. To facilitate this goal,  during this open beta Skype for SIP will have a 20% burstage allowances such that a company with 10 channels can actually use up to 12 channels as a means to optimize bursting levels required  based on real calling patterns. With over 10,000 Skype for SIP customers, they hope to gain statistically significant data as well as learn more about scalability and robustness issues.

The entire systems is designed to be global and scalable as numbers build. The required SIP gateways (at sip.skype.com) will be independent of SIP gateways used for legacy consumer SkypeOut calling.

Skype for SIP is a classic case of a transitional offering. Enterprises continue to use their legacy SIP-enabled PBX and then add Skype for SIP such that they can continue making calls but run them over Skype for SIP to reduce costs as they feel more and more comfortable with the advantages of the Skype for SIP exerience. It provides a low cost means of adding voice channels; it also allows a company to expand their calling into new countries at low SkypeOut rates with the only provisioning being the initial setup of Skype for SIP via the business control panel.

More information, including an introductory video, can be obtained and Business Control Panel accounts set up at the Skype for SIP beta website at sip.skype.com.

• Peter Parkes: Skype for Business Blog: Skype for SIP beta program opens up to all businesses.
• All Voice On The Web posts mentioning Skype for SIP.
• Andy Abramson talks about the “Skype Pipe”; he thinks “…. Skype just created a massive pipe into the corporate market.”

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Following on the heels of the recent launch of Skype for Linux 2.1 Beta, Skype announced to additional updates of note last last week:

Skype for iPhone 1.2

Peter Parkes sums it up in Skype for iPhone 1.2: adds call forwarding, SMS and quality improvements:

• You can set up call forwarding from your iPhone – forward Skype calls to a phone number when you’re not signed in, so you can pick up calls even when the Skype app isn’t running on your device
• Improved performance and better audio quality when making Skype-to-Skype calls
• It’s even easier to send text messages (SMS) – you can now send SMSs from the Call tab

The release notes provide a complete list of not only new features, but also improvements, fixed issues and known issues.

Using Skype or Truphone on the iPhone has always been limited by the fact you have to be in the relevant application in order to receive calls. (There are a few comments to Peter’s post asking for incorporation of “Push” for a reason.)

Adding this call forwarding feature to Skype for iPhone means that you will receive calls even when not in the application. However, there are costs: (1) it will use minutes from your carrier subscription and (2) as happens with call forwarding on Skype for Windows/Mac, you will need either a Skype Calling Plan subscription or Skype Credits to cover both the connection fee and and the Pay-As-You-Go rate for the length of the call.

Question: when launched it was mentioned that the SILK codec was “modularly designed for embedding into silicon”. We have also seen its migration into Skype for Mac 2.8 and Skype for Linux 2.1 beta. Has this version of Skype for iPhone incorporated the SILK codec as part of “improved performance and better audio quality on Skype-to-Skype calls”?

Skype for Windows 4.1 Hotfix 2

A hotfix does not introduce any new features; however, it does address known issues and it seems that Skype for Windows 4.1 had its share of them. However, the Skype for Windows (build 4.1.0.166) hotfix 2 released late last week addresses a long list of issues (document version). And the links also outline known outstanding issues, with work arounds where feasible.

Strongly recommended that you update either via the “Help | Check for Updates” menu item in the Skype client or by redownloading Skype if Skype itself does not offer to upgrade when you next log into your Skype account via Skype for Windows.

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