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skype-4.0-beta posts

Filed under: Internet, VoIP, Beta

Skype 4.0 beta take 2: Full screen mode now optional

Skype 4.0 beta 2
Skype has released a second beta version of Skype 4.0 for Windows. When Skype released version 4.0 beta 1 back in June, the software was widely panned for its new user interface. Sure, the audio and video quality were excellent. But Skype's insistence on using a full-screen interface by default left many users scratching their heads.

After all, Skype is a chat and telephony program, and if you're a multitasker, you might want to have several windows open simultaneously. Skype 4.0 beta 1 made it difficult to do that. While you could reduce the size of the default view, it still takes up a lot of screen real estate.

Skype 4.0 beta 2 addresses this by offering a new Compact View option. In this view, Skype 4.0 looks a lot like Skype 3, with a contact list in one window and your chat, audio, or voice wndow showing up in a second screen.

The new beta also reintroduces contact groups, allowing you to arrange your contacts by category. And it does a better job of notifying you when you've missed a call or message. Notifications are now hard to miss because Skype will show alerts in the Windows taskbar, system tray, and in the program itself.

CNet reports that Skype plans to release at least one more beta version of Skype 4.0 before the final release. That version will include call history, public chats, birthday notifications, and a few other features.

[via Laptop Magazine]

Filed under: Internet, Video, VoIP, P2P, Beta

Skype 4.0 beta puts video front and center, takes over your screen

Skype 4.0
Skype 4.0 beta for Windows is due out tomorrow. And this beta will represent a major shift for the VoIP client. While nearly a third of Skype calls are video, each version of Skype up until now has been designed with audio in mind. The client is small and easily resizeable and feels like an application for making phone calls. TechCrunch reports that Skype 4.0 beta will be a full screen application designed with video in mind.

The new version takes advantage of the larger window by spreading out the buttons a bit and adding support for new video features like picture in picture. There's also more room on the screen for text chat or for sharing files while conducting voice or video calls.

Skype 4.0 beta also features improved hardware deection and tools for testing your connection. But honestly, we're not convinced that this whole full-screen design is the way to go. There's no doubt that the updated Skype client looks like it will make video calls far more pleasant. But more than 70% of the calls placed on the Skype network are still audio-only. And we're guessing that a lot of the people placing those calls like to have a bit of space on their desktops to multitask while making phone calls.

Of course, if you're just using Skype for voice communication, you can always minimize the application while you're talking, web browsing, and playing World of WarCraft. Or whatever it is you do when you're on the phone.

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