Skype releases stunning new beta 3.0

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 08 November 2006 19:21

Your IT - Entertainment

According to Skype, world-renowned mystery author Michael Connelly participated in a Skypecast this September to promote his newest book, Echo Park. The U.K. is one of Connelly's biggest markets, but no book tour stop was planned.

Skypecasts allowed Connelly to hold a virtual book tour where he read an excerpt of his new book and answered questions from his fans about the book, as well as questions about the future of his popular character Detective Hieronymus Bosch, potential movies made from his books and his writing style.

The Skypecast lasted an hour with 35 people joining in from all over the world from England to the States to Malaysia to Italy. The participants, as well as Connelly and his publisher, were very pleased with the end result.

Skype is also introducing an exciting new community feature: public chats. These are open, ongoing text conversations based on instant messaging where users can meet new people and chat about anything they fancy. A Skype user can start or join a public chat directly from Skype.

Public chat hosts can moderate the flow and content of conversation. Hosts can also reject or ban users from public chats and set rules on who can participate and observe the conversation in progress.

Public chats can be promoted using simple online links and web banners in email signatures, blogs, forums, websites or even Skype mood messages.

The Click-to-Calls feature in Skype 3.0 makes it easier for consumers to call ordinary phone numbers with just one click when surfing the internet. Click-to-Call is an automatic online phone number recognition feature that works with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Click-to-Call allows Skype users to call directly from any website using SkypeOut.

As for Skype's new and enhanced user interface, its updated look and feel makes Skype simple to use and gives users instant access to the features they need, when they need them.

Personalization has been improved through clickable mood messages and new wallpapers allowing users to customise Skype to suit their personality.

Skype has just laid down the gauntlet to all its competitors, including the instant messaging programs from Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, AOL and others, which will no doubt prompt them all to follow the Skype leader in introducing similar features of their own.

And as you read this... the whole world will be talking about, with millions quite possibly through, Skype latest 3.0 beta. Download it now and try it out for yourself!