TheSkypeBuzz.com Latest Blog Posts

Skype Updated: Adds New Chat And Dialpad Views, Fixes Bugs, Makes Stability Improvements

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:54:45 GMT

Everyone’s favorite VoIP apps, Skype (free) and Skype for iPad (free), have recently received updates. Now, fans of the iPhone application can enjoy a new interface for both the chat mode and dialpad, while both apps should be more stable than ever before thanks to a number of bug fixes and stability improvements.

The biggest changes made in the update for the iPhone application, clearly, are the new dialpad and chat views. However, whether Skype 3.7 fixes every bug present in the application is a question of debate. Numerous iTunes reviews have handed out a one-star rating to the update, arguing that remaining bugs affect both the call mode and chat mode. I downloaded the update myself, just a few moments ago, and now that app crashes repeatedly upon launch on my iPhone 4S.

Skype’s iPad app received an update to version 3.7, though the new version only promises bug fixes and improvements. Fortunately, the updated version of Skype for iPad works fine for me, which is a relief.

Perhaps our advice would be for Skype users to avoid the update for the iPhone app, as it would appear that the new version of the application isn’t entirely stable. And a working app, if you ask me, is a lot more important than updated chat and dialpad views.

Skype releases updated iOS app with revamped interface and bug fixes

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:28:23 GMT

If you're an iOS user who relies on Skype for communication, there are freshly-updated iPhone and iPad apps waiting for you to download. The biggest change you'll notice is that the chat interface and the dialpad have been revamped, but there's only so many ways to display that sort of information, so the changes feel relatively minor. Perhaps more important are under-the-hood fixes to make the app more stable for the man users who now run iOS 5, as well as some unspecified "bug fixes." The new iPad version is unchanged visually, but will benefit from the aforementioned bug fixes and stability enhancements for iOS 5. Unfortunately, a few users are complaining that this update is still relatively unstable, so it might not be long before we see another update available.

Skype Helps Dad On Deployment Watch Son's Basketball Games

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:43:40 GMT

KINSTON -- The Lopez family isn't letting a few thousand miles keep them apart. They are using Skype to make sure Andrew's father, a hospital corpsman stationed in Afghanistan, gets to see every Kinston Vikings basketball game.

"He has to get up at 4:00 a.m. or something like that sometimes to try and watch it," says mother, Joanne Lopez. The younger son, Gabriel, holds up the iPhone so dad can watch the game live and cheer on his son.
"He was cheering as if he was here, he was like 'yea, yea get'em!'," tells Joanne. Father and son even have post game chats.

"We talk about what we did wrong and all the details of the game," tells son, Andrew. Dad's advice is paying off, Andrew is a rising star for the Vikings. At home and on the court, it is the connection with his dad that helps Andrew get through the deployments. As he tears up the hardwood, he says he gets his drive to succeed from his father who is a world away.

"He just really impacted me on how to grow up, he's a good father," says Andrew. Andrew's dad only has two months left on his deployment, until he can come home and see Andrew play in person. Mrs. Lopez wanted to give a quick thank you to the school principal, Coach Gulledge and his coaching staff for letting them Skype the games.

Cisco's Skype Appeal, Windows Phone Tango Marked Microsoft Week

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:01:38 GMT

Microsoft’s biggest event of the week could also prove troublesome in coming months. On Feb. 15, Cisco Systems announced that it will appeal the European Commission’s approval of Microsoft’s Skype acquisition.

“We respect the European Commission, and value Microsoft as a customer, supplier, partner and competitor,” Marthin De Beer, senior vice president of Cisco’s Video and Collaboration Group, wrote in a Feb. 15 posting on the company’s corporate blog. “Cisco does not oppose the merger, but believes the European Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater standards-based interoperability, to avoid any one company from being able to seek to control the future of video communications.”

In simple terms, that means Cisco wants interoperability between its products and those of the combined Microsoft-Skype entity, particularly when it comes to the enterprise and small and midsize businesses (SMBs): “Microsoft’s plans to integrate Skype exclusively with its Lync Enterprise Communications Platform could lock-in businesses who want to reach Skype’s 700 million account holders to a Microsoft-only platform.”

As an antitrust regulator with significant power within the EU, the European Commission has the capability to make things busy for Microsoft’s legal teams (something it’s done before, such as over the presence of Internet Explorer on Windows 7.)

Microsoft’s week wasn’t all potential roadblocks, however. Its joint venture with GE Healthcare now seems firmly underway, with their corporate offspring given an official name: Caradigm. The new entity will focus on aiding health-care organizations and professionals via real-time intelligence, according to Microsoft. Dr. Brandon Savage, the chief medical officer of GE Healthcare, will become Caradigm’s chief medical officer and senior vice president of product strategy.

The two companies plan to launch Caradigm by the end of the first half of 2012, if all goes according to plan. Although caradigm.com is currently owned by a California health-plan provider, Microsoft and GE are in apparent negotiations to take over the Website.

On the rumor front, some news leaked about Windows Phone “Tango,” reportedly Microsoft’s next update to its smartphone operating system. According to the blog wmpoweruser.com, itself drawing the info from a Russian Website WP7Forum.ru, the build will include new features such as being able to manage contacts directly on the SIM card.

“Tango will support many new countries, will be able to automatically download and update apps via Zune, and increase the number of pre-installed applications from 16 to 40,” the blog reported. But the biggest feature is Tango’s ability to run on 256MB Windows Phones—a vital goal, if Microsoft wants to increase its platform’s market share by offering a range of midmarket devices.

Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to gear up for Windows 8, its next-generation operating system for both traditional PCs and tablets. According to one analyst, the platform could benefit from an unexpected source: Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

“In the wake of the new low bar for pricing set by the Fire and the Nook and the looming Google acquisition of Motorola Mobility,” IHS analyst Rhoda Alexander wrote in a Feb. 16 research note, “manufacturers and branded vendors are looking to Windows 8 tablets as a more profitable alternative.” It predicts those Windows 8 tablets will hit the market in late 2012 and early 2013, which fits with other analyst predictions.

Skype co-founder wants to give you free mobile broadband

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:31:31 GMT

Niklas Zennstrom changed the telephone industry when he co-founded VoIP juggernaut, Skype. Now he's preparing to attack the industry again with the introduction of free mobile broadband from FreedomPop. FreedomPop today announced that it would partner with Clearwire for its upcoming mobile broadband service. Backed by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, FreedomPop aims to disrupt the mobile broadband industry by providing mobile Internet to consumers free of charge.

FreedomPop had previously named LightSquared as its launch partner, but it appears that relationship has stalled due to mounting complications in the LightSquared camp. The FCC yesterday suspended LightSquared's waiver to build a national wireless broadband network using satellite spectrum. Tests have indicated that the beleaguered company's technologies interfered with GPS and other devices.

Clearwire isn't without its own problems. The company is currently scrambling to build out an LTE network to supplement its WiMax offerings in an effort to improve its coverage in high profile areas like the Bay Area, Chicago, and Manhattan. The transition is doubly logical as wireless providers like Verizon and AT&T are betting heavily on LTE and LTE threatens to become a global standard. WiMax, for its part, has few substantive presences outside of the U.S.

Zennstrom has a reputation for disrupting industries: Kazaa was among the most prominent peer-to-peer media sharing services when it was shredded by lawsuits. It now exists as a wholly unremarkable subscription music service.

Similarly, Joost launched big in 2007 to revolutionize online video and then proceeded to fall. By 2009, it had failed at every pivot and landed in Internet purgatory. It's now only mentioned in pieces like this. Nevertheless, Rdio, Zennstrom's other subscription music service, has been compelling and competitive in a scene that includes players like Spotify and MOG. And, with 65 million daily users, there's no arguing Zennstrom has had spectacular success with Skype.

Beyond Zennstrom's affiliation, few details, such as how it intends to monetize itself, are known about FreedomPop. Conventional wisdom (and speculation) indicates that the service will be ad-supported, but it could adopt a freemium model, allowing subscribers to avoid ads for a fee. What we do know is that FreedomPop intends to launch at some point in 2012. Here's hoping it's more Skype than Joost.

Skype’s the limit as Manchester council staff have online video meetings to cut travel costs

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:20:13 GMT

Council workers are to use video conferencing technology such as Skype to slash travel costs – and help the environment. Manchester town hall bosses have ordered staff to consider video-linked calls over the internet rather than arranging face-to-face meetings. Office-based staff will also be given smart meters to plug into their works stations, showing how much power they are using at any time.

Council chiefs say the measures will make them one of the first authorities to monitor how staff are cutting carbon emissions. Departments will publish annual data on their energy consumption and savings, as well as plans for future improvement. It is hoped the measures will cut electricity bills by as much as 30 per cent in some buildings. While workers will cut travel by using Skype for conferencing, bosses are also encouraging car share schemes or public transport rather than taxis or private vehicles.

The energy initiatives are in response to the council’s Manchester – A Certain Future environment report, launched in 2009. More than 100 organisations helped develop the document, which shows how the city’s carbon dioxide levels can be reduced by 40pc in 10 years. Coun Nigel Murphy, executive member for the environment, said it was the local authority’s job to lead by example.

He said: "Reducing the amount of carbon emissions the council produces is a key part of our plan to tackle climate change across Manchester. "We’ve now become one of the first authorities to place this right at the heart of how we develop our services – and to monitor what each department is doing to cut carbon emissions. "Our commitments to become more environmentally friendly mean we will save money, and this new measure – meaning we know exactly what each department is doing to reduce emissions – is an important step towards achieving those ambitions."

Microsoft May Integrate Skype with Lync

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:54:31 GMT

Microsoft's tactical strategy to link Skype and Lync together vividly implies that the company wants to widen the Office platform. Lync facilitates both audio and video conferencing while Skype on the other hand can be technically defined as a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which is used by millions of users all over the world. Microsoft claims that the move is primarily aimed at providing Lync users with a platform whereupon they can easily and effectively communicate with consumers by utilising Skype's IM, video chat and internet telephony services.

"Enabling an enterprise to talk to a consumer via the Lync-Skype integration would be something you'd think we'd be looking at, for sure," said Bill Koefoed, Microsoft's general manager of investor relations, while addressing questions from audience and financial analysts, reports PC World.

Microsoft has introduced an on-premise version of Lync, which is facilitated with a server as well as a client component. Apart from that, there is also a cloud based version of Lync, available for the enterprise users.
The company executives have plans to widen the unification of Lync online and consumer IM networks. Microsoft also wants to make Lync interoperable with all other non-Microsoft IM networks.

Microsoft exec: Lync-Skype integration a 'compelling opportunity'

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:46:34 GMT

Microsoft is looking at creating a bridge between Lync, its enterprise IM, voice and video communications product, and Skype as part of its broader initiative to extend the Office platform, a company executive said on Wednesday.

Microsoft, which closed its US$8.5 billion acquisition of Skype in October of last year, views the massively popular IM, Internet telephony and video chat consumer service in part as a vehicle for connecting enterprise Lync users with consumers, according to Bill Koefoed, Microsoft's general manager of investor relations.

"We think [Lync] is a big opportunity. Part of the reason why we love the Skype acquisition is because when you think about the integration between Skype and Lync, between the enterprise and the consumer, it ends up being a pretty interesting opportunity as we go forward there," he said at the Stifel Nicolaus Technology & Telecom Conference.

Koefoed, whose appearance at the conference was webcast, acknowledged that Microsoft hasn't spent a lot of time yet talking about its road map for Skype, but made it clear that integrating it with Lync is in the works.

"Enabling an enterprise to talk to a consumer via the Lync-Skype integration would be something you'd think we'd be looking at, for sure," said Koefoed, who answered questions from a financial analyst and from audience members.

Microsoft offers an on-premise version of Lync that has both a server and a client component, as well as a cloud-based version called Lync Online that has a subset of the functionality and is available as part of the Office 365 cloud collaboration and communication suite.

Asked for comment about Lync and Skype, a Microsoft representative said via email: "Lync and Skype are not integrated today. So while we have nothing formal to announce today regarding Lync and Skype, we're incredibly excited about the opportunities to extend the value of Skype to other Microsoft products and services."

Another Microsoft official made a reference recently to plans to broaden the integration between Lync Online and consumer IM networks. At ITExpo in Miami last week, David Grider, a Microsoft Lync technology specialist, said that Microsoft plans to make Lync Online interoperable with non-Microsoft IM networks. Lync Online is currently integrated with Microsoft's consumer IM service Windows Live Messenger, but not with others like Yahoo Messenger.

Lync Server 2010, however, does feature IM and presence federation with XMPP-based networks like Jabber and Google Talk and with other consumer networks such as Yahoo Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).

When asked to name Microsoft products he is particularly bullish about, Koefoed mentioned at the top of his list Office 365, which Microsoft announced in late 2010 and began selling in June of last year as a competitor to Google Apps and other cloud-based communication and collaboration suites.

"I'm super excited about Office 365," he said, adding that the suite has more than 100,000 paying customer organizations and is enjoying very good momentum in the market. He said Microsoft will provide more details soon about Office 365 adoption and sales.

How to make video Skype calls on HDTV with AirPlay Mirroring

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:29:08 GMT

Sometimes you want to make video calls between two groups of people, not just individual person-to-person calls. For such occasions, here are a few little tips that will make the experience of placing video calls on your iPhone 4S a much better one. The goal: Live video calls over the internet to a large HDTV in the family room. The challenge is getting the best video quality possible, as well as making the call as convenient to manage as possible. And believe it or not, the trick is to use a smartphone car mount with a hand mirror. That’s right, a common household hand mirror.

What You Need to Get Started
To start, you will also need an HDTV with an Apple TV attached, an iPhone 4S and a free Skype account. Why Skype and not FaceTime? Well there are many more Skype users than FaceTime users. And quite frankly, it is much easier to get all members of the family up and running with a free Skype account than to initialize everyone’s iOS and Mac devices with FaceTime.

Prepare the Car Mount
Most iPhone docks are designed for someone sitting at a desk. What is needed is a better mount that can allow the iPhone to be better positioned for larger settings. Take any decent smartphone car mount with a suction cup, like this one from Arkon for $15 on Amazon. The suction cup needs a smooth surface to attach to, so try mounting it to any household hand mirror. This set up gives extra stability to the video and the added ability to pass the camera in the mount around easily. The great thing about the car mount from Arkon is that it is just about infinitely adjustable, so no matter how or where you need to place the hand mirror you can angle the iPhone the way you want. And if you happen not to have anywhere to place the hand mirror, just tack up a nail and hang the hand mirror upside down on the wall. Just don’t lock in the iPhone 4S before you make the video call. (The mount’s quick release allows one to attach and detach the iPhone quickly and easily.) Wait until after the call has been established before you put the iPhone into the car mount attached to the hand mirror.

Initiate the Video Call
Placing a video call on Skype with an iPhone is just as easy as chatting or placing a voice call. To increase the quality of the video once the call is established, be sure to use the back camera of the iPhone. Then double click the phone’s Home button and swipe left twice to reveal the volume and Airplay buttons. To display the call on the big screen, just click on the Apple TV you want to use and turn on Mirroring. Once you’ve done that, mount the iPhone in the car mount and experience video calls on the big screen. As a side note, I have found that when placing Mac-to-iPhone Skype video calls, it is easier to establish a video connection when the call originates from the Mac.

If this solution works great for you, you can always shop around for a more attractive mounting solution. You could even invest in a mountable surface that permanently affixes itself to the wall just above your HDTV. For instance, the top shelf of my main entertainment system is made of glass, so I don’t really need a mirror in that room of the house. There are just as many car mounts on the market as there are solutions on how to mount them on or near an HDTV.

Skype Connects Celentano, Kenyan Kids

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:36:29 GMT

Fourteen eighth-grade students from Celentano Museum Academy explored the other side of the world in a Skype conversation with students from Kenya on Tuesday morning. “It was a great experience for all of us,” said Juan Santiago, 14.

Students shared information about what life is like in their own countries, why school is important to them, and what they like to do in their free time. Celentano students were surprised to find out how much they have in common with one another.

“I was surprised to find that a wide majority of them have the same favorite food as I do – chicken,” said Jahazeil Barr, 13. “We like to play the same games as them for our enjoyment,” said Caprice Lewis, 14. After sharing information about the weather conditions in their respective countries, Santiago described what snow is like to a classroom of Kenyans who’d never seen it before: it’s white and cold like ice, he said.

Students from Kenya are not much different than us here, Celentano students realized. “At the end of the day, we’re not that different in our lifestyles,” said Orlando Algarin, 13.