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.
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.
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.
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.
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If you’re a Skype Android app user, take a deep breath; your security may be compromised. Skype has confirmed that a flaw in the Android app may allow hackers access to confidential information via third party applications.
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.
I had the opportunity to talk with Jason Katz, CEO of online video chat service Paltalk about the implications of new platforms like SocialEyes and what the future holds in store for online video chat.
The on-demand social music service Rdio has raised $17.5 million from Mangrove Capital Partners and existing investors Rdio co-founder, Janus Friis, through his investment entities, as well as Atomico and Skype.
Rdio has been on our radar since they worked with the Recording Academy on a mobile app for the GRAMMY Awards. To strengthen its ties to the music industry, the company has now added to its board Warner Bros. Records chairman Rob Cavallo, a Grammy-nominated producer who has worked with artists like Green Day, Dave Matthews Band and Alanis Morissette. Existing board members include Europlay Capital Advisors CEO Mark Dyne, Atomico co-founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, and Rdio CEO Drew Larner.
With this recent round of funding, Rdio plans to take the service to new platforms and new regions throughout the year. Most recently, the company partnered with Sonos to bring music to home speakers. “The convergence of many factors, including the pervasiveness of smartphones, network robustness, and consumers accustomed to on-demand content make it an exciting time to lead a company like Rdio,” said Drew Larner, Rdio CEO in a statement. “It says a lot that notable investors share our vision.”
Skype CEO Tony Bates announced Friday that the video communications company had made its first startup acquisition with the purchase of Qik, a California-based mobile video service that allows users to stream and record video in real time.
In a video announcement on the company’s blog, Bates described the technology behind Qik as complementary, and said Skype would be using Qik’s technology to add recording, storage, and sharing capabilities to its own service. Skype would also be capitalizing on Qik’s existing relationships with mobile phone providers, he said.
Qik launched its first product in 2008 that allowed users to stream live video over the Internet with a mobile phone. They eventually expanded their service to allow two-way mobile video chat, and video email. The service currently works on more than 200 different mobile devices, and even comes pre-installed on some devices. Qik maintains about 60 staff at its two offices in Redwood City, Calif., and Moscow.
At the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, Skype also announced it would be adding group video chat services starting at $8.99 a month, and an expanded API called SkypeKit that will let programmers build Skype services into other devices besides computers and mobile phones. Bates demoed Skype services running on an OnStar automotive system.
The terms of the Qik buyout were not disclosed, but the deal is expected to close before the end of the month.
If you love talking to friends and family anywhere in the world with Skype on your computer, it just became easier. The live video voice calling program, Skype announced today via their company blog, The Big Blog, that Sony and VIZIO will be shipping Skype enabled HDTVs later this year. The news is being announced at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES).
