Facebook Integration in Latest Beta Version of Skype for Windows
As you may already know, and if you don’t we have an article that covers the topic here, the now Microsoft-owned Skype and incredibly popular social networking site Facebook have taken their partnership to the next level and Skype has been integrated into Facebook, thus allowing Facebook users to Skype with one another without having to leave Facebook.
“This is an exciting step for us as it represents Skype's first big step on the Web, and because we know this has the potential to unlock even more conversations and make the experience on the Web even more social,” commented at the time Vice President and General Manager for Consumer with Skype, Neil Stevens.
What you may not know is that the latest Beta version of Skype for Windows, Skype 5.5 Beta for Windows, features Facebook chat and contacts integration. So if you visit Facebook, you can Skype with your friends without leaving Facebook. But if you’re on Skype 5.5 Beta for Windows, you can see your Facebook friends and IM them without leaving Skype. The Beta version also allows you to see your Facebook news feed via Skype Home and update your Facebook status and Skype Mood Message together.
Skype 5.5 Beta for Windows comes with a few other chances that deserve mentioning:
- The Skype team has been working on improving call controls, and has done several design modifications to reduce the amount of buttons on the call view and thus offer the user a simpler experience. The team also added a plus menu that is made up of all the extra call features the user may want to try.
- Numerous under the hood improvements have been made to address video calling reliability. The amount of graphic card resources needed for video calls have been reduced, and support for older graphics cards has been added.
- Several bugs have been addressed.
Skype 5.5 Beta is the latest Windows version of Skype. What about the stable one? The latest stable version is Skype 5.3 for Windows. The 5.3 update was rolled out to the masses mid-June. The update addressed some stability problems, and removed the Extras Manager, which provided access to a number of third party applications (like games, fax and call recorders). Skype explained that it removed the Extras Manager because only a small number of people were using 3rd party applications available through the Extras Manager.
“This is an exciting step for us as it represents Skype's first big step on the Web, and because we know this has the potential to unlock even more conversations and make the experience on the Web even more social,” commented at the time Vice President and General Manager for Consumer with Skype, Neil Stevens.
What you may not know is that the latest Beta version of Skype for Windows, Skype 5.5 Beta for Windows, features Facebook chat and contacts integration. So if you visit Facebook, you can Skype with your friends without leaving Facebook. But if you’re on Skype 5.5 Beta for Windows, you can see your Facebook friends and IM them without leaving Skype. The Beta version also allows you to see your Facebook news feed via Skype Home and update your Facebook status and Skype Mood Message together.
Skype 5.5 Beta for Windows comes with a few other chances that deserve mentioning:
- The Skype team has been working on improving call controls, and has done several design modifications to reduce the amount of buttons on the call view and thus offer the user a simpler experience. The team also added a plus menu that is made up of all the extra call features the user may want to try.
- Numerous under the hood improvements have been made to address video calling reliability. The amount of graphic card resources needed for video calls have been reduced, and support for older graphics cards has been added.
- Several bugs have been addressed.
Skype 5.5 Beta is the latest Windows version of Skype. What about the stable one? The latest stable version is Skype 5.3 for Windows. The 5.3 update was rolled out to the masses mid-June. The update addressed some stability problems, and removed the Extras Manager, which provided access to a number of third party applications (like games, fax and call recorders). Skype explained that it removed the Extras Manager because only a small number of people were using 3rd party applications available through the Extras Manager.
