As we reported yesterday Microsoft has acquired Skype and it seems to be a great addition for Microsoft. With this acquisition there has also been a lot of talk about video conferencing and video calling via the Kinect. Below we have embedded a video from last years E3 where Microsoft showcased the product they have been developing. With the Skype addition Im sure they will be able to use some of the technology to really improve Video Kinect and get it out to the consumers.
Soon we will be able to use video calling on Video Kinect, Live Messenger, Windows Phone 7, iOS, Android and more. Thus, there will be no reason to not stay in touch with your old friends and family.
It has now been confirmed that Microsoft have acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in cash. Microsoft and Skype are yet to confirm the deal themselves, but a press conference is expected later today.
This is a great result for all investors in Skype who were starting to get a little nervous about their anticipated IPO later this year.
Who were the big winners in this deal:
If the price is $8.5 billion. eBay received around $2.55 billion for 30%. Great result!
Founders – Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis made about $1.19 billion for their 14% stake.
Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) own 56 percent of the company and that stake is worth $4.76 billion.
It will now be very interesting to see what Microsoft can do with Skype. There is already a lot of talk about Skype on Kinect and we will post a little something about that within the next hour.
Why did Microsoft buy Skype:
Great enterprise tool that uses Skype voice call, video calling and sharing options
Relationship with carrier who are looking to partner with Skype
Mainly for Windows Phone 7. Skype will offer Microsoft a competitor to Google Voice and Apple Facetime
Skype has released Skype 2.2 beta for Linux. The Skype 2.2 beta offers improved call and video quality, mutiple calls and Skype Access. This update isn’t classed as a major update, but is have some great improvements.
Google has upgraded its Gmail voice calling feature with a great on click to phone ability. Users will no longer have to type out each number manually, they can just simply click on the number and it will call.
Phone numbers in Gmail will appear as links.
It seems like the gap between Gmail voice calling and Skype is getting smaller and smaller. Since Skype has an IPO soon, will upgrades to Gmail voice calling really affect them?
The major tech blogs have been quick to jump on the back of Skype who have been running test advertising on their service.
Skype are planning on rolling out advertising within their Windows client this week. Skype already has the advertisers lined up and they include Groupon, Universal and Visa.
It seems like Skype are looking for more revenue streams which will help them push for a strong IPO later this year. Advertising within the free Skype option will drive many millions of extra revenue, without upsetting their client base too much.
According to the companies blog, they have been testing out ads via Rdio for the last few month (Rdio and Skype happen to have the same founders!). All advertising at the moment isnt extremely targetted, thus not using private user data.
Do you think this type of adveritsing is really going to affect you as a Skype user?
Apple has just released FaceTime for Mac. The FaceTime application is available to download for $0.99 in the Mac App Store.
FaceTime was first launched on the iPhone 4 and since that time has become amazingly popular. Now users can FaceTime their friends on any Mac in the world. The FaceTime app provides full HD video calls as its main feature.
So why use FaceTime and not just Skype? Ease of use! FaceTime doesn’t have to be open for a user to receive a call, and making calls to iPhone or Mac users is incredibly simple.
Skype has long had a Linux version and this is a quick guide on how to install Skype on Ubuntu 11.04 Linux. Skype is by far the most popular voip client online and there are more and more users starting to install Ubuntu, so it was very important for Skype to have their Ubuntu and Linux client up to date.
The process is not complicated , and we will do everything using a terminal.
Its been reported that Skype’s IPO is being pushed back to the second half of 2011. It was thought that the IPO would take place early this year, but apparently the company’s newly appointed CEO Tony Bates is looking for more time to get Skype “in better shape.”
From the Wall Street Journal report: “Tony needs to get his feet underneath him and understand the business and the voice of the company,” another person familiar with the matter said. “The intention is to go when Tony is ready and when the macroeconomic climate allows the company to go.” The additional time may help Mr. Bates to get Skype in better shape and increase its value ahead of an offering. But there is also the risk the IPO market weakens, hurting Skype’s chance to go public or depressing the value of the company.
Make sure you read the title slowly and clearly…apps…as in more than one. If you were holding out for the official Google Voice app, keep waiting because that’s not what was officially approved by Apple. After a long dispute over Google releasing their Google Voice app in the iTunes store, it appears that perhaps Apple is loosening its tight grip. After having released then taken down from the iTunes store due to the app providing a service that already existed on the iPhone, many thought that there would never be a day that Google Voice would make its comeback.
AppleInsider reported that the two apps passing approval were GV Mobile + and GV Connect, both of which serve as a Google Voice app. According to the article, earlier in the month, the creator of GV Mobile + stated that he had gotten confirmation that Apple would be approving his app. Furthermore the article states that “the change in policy came after Apple published its App Store Review Guidelines for all to see.” If true, this is indeed a victory…for now.
With the release of apps that function as Google Voice apps, there is no doubt that Google will more than likely resubmit their official Google Voice app. In doing so, there does not seem to be a reason why this app would be rejected seeing how these other two have made it by. No word yet on when Google plans on resubmitting.
Does this change the way you would use your iPhone? With Skype already available and now Google Voice, could this effect the service plans we choose for our iPhones?
On Thursday Skype users experienced error messages when attempting to sign into their accounts. For many users it was initially thought that there must be a mishap with their password, and many of us were even double checking our screen names, but it was not long until many us took to Twitter and the Skype forums complaining that Skype was having issues. It’s been reported that users who were already logged in did not experience the problems, but those that attempted to sign on during the 3.5 hours it was down were being rejected.
The problems disrupted communications world wide, though it appears North America was the hardest hit. Users were forced to find alternative means to communicate, which was not so much the issue, but at the time Skype’s Twitter messages and website was offering up little more than what we already knew, that the service was experiencing problems.
If you go to both Skype’s blog and their Twitter page, there is never a definite answer as to what the issue was. There’s a lot of “standby” and “we’ll be up and running soon,” but no tangible explanation as to what happened. Kudos to Skype for keeping us informed and even redirecting people to follow their Twitter account due to the heavy load on their site, specifically in the forums, but what happened with sharing what caused down downtime in the beginning?
Google has upgraded its Gmail voice calling feature with a great on click to phone ability. Users will no longer have to type out each number manually, they can just simply click on the number and it will call.
