Love it or hate it, Skype keeps coming out swinging to prove that VoiP (voice over IP) is indeed not yet dead. This time they have treated Mac owners to a few extra features in their newest release, Skype 2.8 for Mac. Their inclusion of some of the more popular iChat style features combines with their cross platform compatibility to create a one-two punch for the Skype user.

By far the most popular feature Skype added to this release for Macs is screen sharing. Many Mac users know that you can already screen share in iChat, but that only works from Mac to Mac. Skype is offering a more limited version of screen sharing that doesn’t have remote desktop control or other interactive features like iChat does, but it does have the ability to work on Windows, Mac and Linux. For those of you looking for cross platform conferencing solutions, Skype just added their name to the mix.

Skype also integrated Boingo WiFi capability via the addition of Skype Access. This means you can connect on a per minute basis, as needed, any time you are traveling. All you have to do is find a Boingo hot spot. This is big news for people who are on the go but who don’t necessarily have a wireless card from a cell carrier. It means they have more ways to access the Internet and handle conference calls, video chats and company or customer needs on the road using Skype Credits instead of a credit card or other pricey plan.

One of the new features of Skype is one I’ve wanted Adium to add for ages: prioritized users and chats. This enables you to put your favorite or most used friends and chats at the top of your list, eliminating the need to find them in a crowded contact or chat window. If they’d just add the ability to set a different status for each of my contacts I’d make the switch completely, but as it stands I still plan to use Adium and its link to my other instant message and chat clients as my primary service. Whoever adds the ability to set certain people to see me as “invisible” or “away” while others see me as available without having to log out will get my enthusiastic and noisy endorsement, though.

Skype also added moods, another ichat feature, but there is little use to this one as far as I can see, unless you use Skype for purely social pursuits. One person, Dan York, does claim to have found a way to send your mood from Skype to Twitter, for the Twitter addicts out there. Too much cross posting can be too much of a good thing for those of us on the receiving end, but if you mainly update from Skype without all of the added noise from Twitter it could be useful.

Overall, Skype added a slew of new features that are useful, as well as some that are silly. The ability to offer Web conferencing features like screen sharing over different platforms trumps all other new features for usability though. Combined with Skype’s free use between Skype users and low cost phone calls and they have a strong foundation for continued success over other similar companies.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 11:15 pm under Uncategorized.  Print This Post

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