Skype - SocialTimes.com

Skype Added its Own Group Messaging Service: GroupMe

Todd Ogasawara — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:48:54 +0000

One of the “big things” for major non-carrier players to do this year, it seems, is to have a group messaging product in their consumer tools checkbox. Google started things going with the Google+ Huddle group messaging feature (renamed to Messenger this week). Facebook launched Facebook Messenger soon after. And, now, Skype announced its GroupMe group messaging service.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Sony Confirms PS Vita has Social Media Apps and More Memory

Kenna McHugh — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:30:41 +0000

thenerdinsurance

When PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) hits the streets, it will expand its entertainment experience by introducing various applications for social networking services and communications.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Skype for Android 2.1 Adds Video Calling Support for 17 More Phones and Tablets

Todd Ogasawara — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:04:18 +0000

Skype’s developers certainly have been busy. They released Skype for iPad earlier this week and released an update to Skype for Android today.

Skype 2.1 for Android enables video on majority of Android devices

The version 2.1 update shows the progress Skype’s developers have made in dealing with Android’s increasingly worse platform fragmentation problem. This update adds video calling support to 17 more Android devcies includin gthe HTC Evo 3D,HTC Flyer (tablet), Samsung Galaxy S & S II as well as the Samsung Galaxy Tab (tablet).

Be aware, however, of Skype’s caution regarding hardware performance related issues and using Skype on phones running the older Android OS 2.2 (Froyo): Unfortunately, if you cannot see the video calling settings, it means your Android phone does not meet the minimum requirements needed to make Skype video calls. Please be aware that video call quality may not be as good as on a certified Android device and only the back camera of the device will work if your device is running on Android 2.2 (Froyo).

You can find Skype in the Android Market at:

Skype 2.1.0.46

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Skype for iPad Initial Impression: Space Wasting UI. But, Users Are Happy

Todd Ogasawara — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:51:31 +0000

After a false start last night, the free Skype for iPad app is now available in the iTunes App Store

Skype for iPad is Available. Oops! It Disappeared (Social Times)

Skype 1.0 for iPad (Skype Garage)

Skype for iPad (iTunes App Store)

I installed it on an iPad 2 and am unimpressed so far. Here’s why.

Skype for iPhone runs on an iPad. Granted, it does not scale to the iPad’s large display without pixelation. But, it runs fine on the iPad. The new iPad specific version of the app does not add any functionality and is actually missing a chat indicator. The worst aspect of the iPad app, however, is its poor use of the iPad’s display. The left sidebar is nearly devoid of useful information. And, do I really need huge thumbnails for each contact? It would have been much better to pack more of my contact list into the display while keeping the list touch friendly. This would reduce scrolling in the contact list. They could have even squeezed other information in like “last contact date.”

My complaints aside, iPad toting Skype users appear estatic about the app’s release. The app currently has a 4.5 star rating (out of 5) based on 543 ratings in the iTunes App Store.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Skype for iPad is Available. Oops! It Disappeared

Todd Ogasawara — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:06:50 +0000

This has been the week of having mobile services and apps appear and then disappear. I noted earlier that iCloud was accessible using non-developer accounts for a short time. And, the long awaited Skype for iPad also decided to play a game of peek-a-boo.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Skype for Android 2.0: Video Calling for 4 Phone & 0 Tablets

Todd Ogasawara — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:39:28 +0000

Skype 2.0 for Android finally adds video to voice calls. It can also send SMS text messages. But, the big deal is video calling, of course.

Skype 2.0 for Android: Say hello to video calling

Unfortunately, Skype for Android only supports video on four specific phones:

Google Nexus S
HTC Desire S
Sony Ericsson Xperia neo
Sony Ericsson Xperia pro

Note that no Android tablet is listed among the supported devices.

I do not have any of these phones. But, Frank McPherson does. So, he called me on my iPad 2. Skype does not have an iPad specific app. However, the iPhone app works for video calls on the iPad 2 with its front facing camera.

The low resolution you see is most likely to the low bandwidth my so-called broadband provider was able to provide. Skype’s indicator told me I was quickly fluctuating between low, average and acceptably high bandwidth while standing in one spot.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Skype For iPad Coming Next Week

Frank McPherson — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:15:17 +0000

Given that the iPad 2 has a front facing camera, it has been only a matter of time before Skype would release a version of their video conferencing app for the iPad. According to CNET, that time is very soon as they report Skype expects Apple to approve the iPad version of Skype this coming Tuesday.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Messaging Apps Impact On Text Messaging

Frank McPherson — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:15:18 +0000

The Wall Street Journal has an article today in which it suggests that Internet-based messaging apps like the Blackberry Messenger and the newly announced Apple iMessage are threatening text messaging services provided by mobile carriers. I understand the appeal of applications that avoid the cost of text messaging and provide unique services, but my experience during my recent trip around Lake Michigan suggests to me that it will be a while before text messaging can be fully replaced.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Skype: A Coming of Age Story [INFOGRAPHIC]

Neil Vidyarthi — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:00:06 +0000

Like all of us, it began as a mere twinkle in the eye of its creators. In less than 10 years, Skype has matured to the pride of its Swedish, Danish and Estonian parents, and has just been sold for $8.5 billion to Microsoft. In this fantastic infographic by Online MBA, we take a look at the whole process.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Microsoft Buys Skype for $8.5b — Are Video Calls From Your Xbox Kinect Coming Soon?

Neil Vidyarthi — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:38:39 +0000

Microsoft has acquired Skype for $8.5 billion according to a statement by Microsoft Tuesday morning, and it will be for $8.5 billion in cash. This seems to be part of a larger strategy, as Microsoft mentions Skype will support devices like Xbox, Kinect and Windows Phone.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Users Can Breathe Easy: Skype Releases Update for Android App

Kelsey Blair — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:51:50 +0000

If you’re a Skype Android app user, you can breathe easy; Skype has released an Android update which addresses the flaw reported earlier this week.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Android Skype User Data Could Be Accessed By Malware

Frank McPherson — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:04:32 +0000

You may recall that back last month there was an issue of 21 apps containing malware in the Android Market that were eventually removed by Google. Google even executed their ability to remove the apps from phones of people who unwittingly installed the apps. If you had Skype installed on your Android phone, as well as one of those malware apps, there is a possibility that your personal information stored by Skype was accessed.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Warning: Skype Android App Security Flaw Revealed

Kelsey Blair — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:02:18 +0000

If you’re a Skype Android app user, take a deep breath; your security may be compromised. Skype has confirmed that a flaw in their Android app may allow hackers access to confidential information via third party applications.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Skype for Android with Video Call Support for HTC Thunderbolt is Unofficial

Todd Ogasawara — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:57:42 +0000

Skype is, by far, the dominant Voice over IP (or Voice over Network) player in the world. Perhaps because of their dominance, Skype has make some logic defying decisions in recent years. For example, Skype for Android was initially only available for Verizon Android phones in the U.S. Skype completely removed Skype for Windows Mobile which worked fine. Skype recently released an update for their Mac OS X client that is nearly universally reviled. Skype released a client for the iPhone but not for the iPad (although the iPhone app works reasonably well on the iPad if you ignore its pixelated look when used full-screen).

Neither my Droid nor my Nexus One has a front-facing camera. So, I did not notice Skype for Android’s inability to support video calls. So, I initially thought this announcement on Droid Life was reporting on a Skype announcemment. It does not.

Download: Skype With Video On Android

The Skype with Video for Android referred to is apparently a version hacked to provide video support. The download is available on a number of non-Skype servers. And, it only appears to work with the HTC Thunderbold phone (available for use on Verizon’s network) which features a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. Users of other Android devices with a front-facing camera will just have to wait to see if another hacked Skype appears or if Skype itself will choose to actually provide an official update with video support.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Paltalk CEO Jason Katz On The Future Of Online Video Chat

Megan O'Neill — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:15:33 +0000

In recent years, video chat has come a long way. Nearly everyone regularly chats with friends and family using video chat apps like Skype, social and random chat sites like the old Seesmic and Chatroulette have taken the Web by storm, and most recently a new social chat startup, SocialEyes, has entered the picture, tapping Facebook’s social graph to let users chat with their friends and meet new people. I had the opportunity to talk with Jason Katz, CEO of online video chat service Paltalk about the implications of platforms like SocialEyes and what the future holds in store for online video chat. Read on to find out what Jason had to say.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.