Skype 5 for Mac Now Out of Beta

By Darrell Etherington Jan. 27, 2011, 7:37am PST on Gigaom

Skype 5 for Mac left beta today, bringing with it new group video chat features, improvements, and a new design. The development team behind Skype for Mac listened to user concerns and complaints, which were numerous, and made changes to the final version accordingly.

While Kevin found the beta version of Skype 5 released in November of 2010 to be a big improvement, I agreed with many others that Skype 5 brought in a lot of questionable design elements, including too much whitespace. The app felt ungainly and ugly, despite bearing many new elements that helped it look and feel much more like a native Mac app. The new version makes a number of small changes that add up to a better look overall, but it doesn’t go far enough. The app still feels like it’s taking up way too much space for what it needs to accomplish. The Twitter for Mac app is a perfect example of the exact opposite design philosophy, taking up as little space as possible while still doing what it’s supposed to, and doing it well.

Here are the other changes Skype made based on user feedback regarding the beta (all are welcome and much-needed improvements, in my opinion):

• Tweaked instant message display to reduce whitespace, allowing for more conversation to be visible at once
• Relocated contacts monitor to the Window menu to make it easier to find
• Brought back full-screen mode for video calls
• Introduced easier one-click access to show and hide chat while on a call

One change that might not be so welcome, as it moves a feature that was free in the beta to the Premium subscription package. The feature is Group Video calling, which will now cost you either $4.99 for one day, or $8.99 for the month as part of the Premium package, which also includes customer support calls. Skype had indicated that the feature wouldn’t be free forever, and you can still try it out for free for seven days if you’re a new user, so there’s little reason to complain.

What do you think of the new version? Better than the Beta? Better than Skype 2.8?

How to Manage Your Mac’s A/V Settings for Voice & Video Chat

By Jeff St. John Jan. 26, 2011, 6:05am PST on Gigaom

A few times every week, I’ll play World of Warcraft with some great friends. Rather than type, we’re much more comfortable using a VOIP solution like Skype. Nothing beats actually hearing the sarcastic abuse your friends heap on you.

VOIP and video chat solutions are becoming much more common and user-friendly. While I’m going to go over multiple programs (Skype, iChat, and FaceTime), my preferred app is Skype because it’s available for most platforms, allowing you to talk to people on almost any kind of hardware.

Managing Your Default Preferences

If you’re using the built-in microphone and iSight camera, you can skip over this part. Please, for the love of Steve Jobs, don’t use the built-in microphone. You will end up producing a sound not unlike yelling into a flushing toilet bowl, albeit one with great acoustics. Headsets with boom microphones are relatively inexpensive at around $30, so do your listeners a favor and buy one.

If you have an external headset, open up your System Preferences and choose Sound, then go to the Input tab. Make sure your microphone is plugged in to your Mac, and that OS X sees your microphone and you’ve set it as the default input device, and set the headset as the default output device.

Now, the dirty secret is, this isn’t really going to change much in many programs, except for iChat. Since it’s unlikely you’ll keep your headset plugged in all the time, when you unplug it, OS X will go back to the default setting of the built-in gear. Even so, it’s the perfect place to make sure OS X can detect and use your hardware.

Setting up iChat

Apple provides an A/V communications program on every Mac called iChat. It’s very easy to set up and use, but for video, the protocols it supports are limited. Google Video Chat accounts, for instance, are rumored to not work well with iChat video. MobileMe and AOL Instant Messenger accounts work well, however.

As with most Apple programs, setting up iChat is pretty easy. Open up the iChat Preferences, choose Audio/Video, and choose your camera from the drop down list. I’m using an Xbox 360 Camera as my test, so that’s why I have a “Camera #2″ showing. So long as you have a recent USB webcam (one that’s USB Video Class compliant and uses USB 2.0), it should be recognized under OS X 10.6.6 (the latest version).

Setting up FaceTime

FaceTime for the Mac lets you video chat with a supported iOS device or another Mac user. Currently, FaceTime only supports recent iPod touches, iPhone 4s, and Macs running 10.6.4 or higher, making the number of people you can reach fairly limited. Another limitation is that I couldn’t get FaceTime to detect my external video camera. This could be a major issue if you’re using a MacBook with the lid closed, or a Mac mini.

Setting it up is easy, though, if you’re content with your built-in iSight camera. You download the program from Apple’s site, and log in with your Apple ID. FaceTime will then prompt you for the email address you want to be identified by.

Below is a cropped screenshot of the settings panel, but all it has is an On/Off switch and a display of what email addresses you’re using. FaceTime uses your default audio input and output devices.

Setting up Skype

As I mentioned earlier, Skype is my favorite of the video conferencing apps. It’s easy to set up, and since everyone is using the same network (Skype doesn’t support multiple protocols like iChat), a lot of hassles are eliminated.

If you haven’t already set up a Skype account, the first time you open the app you’ll be prompted to create one. Then go to Preferences, Audio/Video and select your preferred Microphone, Speakers and Camera from the drop-down source lists. Skype lets you specify different devices for in-call audio and the ringer for incoming calls, which can be useful if you have your headset plugged in but you aren’t wearing it.

What I love is since Skype lets you call toll-free numbers free of charge, you can easily take notes or browse the web while on a conference call without having to awkwardly shoulder your phone.

Final Thoughts

If you’re video chatting for work, still make sure you’re in business attire when working from home. Also, if it’s a business call make sure your on-camera surroundings are neat, and your camera isn’t aimed at the pin-up calendar on your back wall. And make sure you’re wearing pants, just in case you need to stand up suddenly.

Now this is how FaceTime/Skype should be used…

I saw this and had a bit of a laugh. This could catch on and appeal to the bogans in all of us!

Skype Video Calling for iOS over Wi-Fi and 3G Now Available

posted by arn on Thursday December 30, 2010 12:36 AM on MacRumours

Skype unleashed version 3.0 of the Skype App for iOS this evening. The new version brings the long awaited video conferencing for iPhone and iPod Touch.

– Make Skype to Skype video calls on WiFi and 3G*
– Call Skype desktop users (Mac OS X or Windows) and other iPhone users.
– Two-way video calls supported on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 4th gen.
– Receive only video supported on iPad and iPod touch 3rd gen, with no camera.
– Make video calls in portrait and landscape.
– Skype video calling requires iOS 4.0 or above.

The new video conferencing feature works between capable iOS devices as well as desktop machines. Skype is a free download on the App Store. [App Store]

Skype Video Calling Coming to iPhone?

posted by Eric Slivka on Friday December 24, 2010 02:44 PM on MacRumours

Popular VoIP service Skype has had an iPhone application since early 2009, but the company has yet to roll out video calling for the iPhone or other mobile platforms.

But as noted by Engadget, a number of clues are lining up to suggest that the company will announce video calling support for the iPhone and iPod touch at CES 2011 early next month.

Skype has been telling everyone that it’ll be making a “series of video-related announcements” at CES next month… and it’s participating in a panel called “Video Calling Gets Ready for Primetime,” so yeah, needless to say, we’d have to guess that Skype’s finally getting ready to enter the mobile video calling game in a big way. Anyhow, the final piece in the puzzle filtered into our inbox this morning: a help document on Skype’s site detailing making video calls using Skype for iPhone.

The help document, available through the online help portion of the Skype iPhone application, curiously notes that users of a number of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad models can use video calling despite the fact that not all of these devices are camera-enabled.

To make video calls with your contacts, you will need an iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, 3rd generation iPod touch, 4th generation iPod touch or an iPad. Your contacts will only be able to see you if your device has a camera. Make sure your device is running iOS 4.0 or above and that you are using Skype for iPhone 3.0 or above.

While the help document notes that Skype for iPhone 3.0 is required for video calling, the current version of Skype for iPhone is only 2.1.2.

With Facetime Looming, Skype Outs a Better Mac Client

By Kevin C. Tofel Nov. 4, 2010, 8:54am PDT

Skype today released a new version of its voice and video calling client for Mac computers: the new Skype 5.0 Beta for Mac offers a redesigned native look and features that are closer to parity with its Windows counterpart, such as group video calls. Multiple users can participate in a videoconference, even across platforms; the group feature works on Mac and PC, provided all participants are using Skype 5.0. The new beta client for Mac isn’t all about feature parity with the Windows version; Skype is under pressure from Apple’s FaceTime application, which launched for the iPhone 4 and newest iPod touch, but became available on millions of Mac computers late last month.

To be sure, the new Skype beta for Mac is vastly improved, and if you’re a Skype user, it’s a must to download for your Mac. The client looks much more like a native Mac application, integrates with the Mac OS X Address Book, and supports the sending of instant messages to offline contacts and the ability to search text chat history.

All features are grouped in a well-designed single form, making it easy to perform any function without having to look around for it. Yet, you can still float a dial pad or listing of online contacts separately and these small windows can sit atop any other running apps. All in all, the new Skype beta client is well designed for simplicity, making it easy to use the existing and new functions. Here’s an overview video from the Skype folks, if you’re not convinced the beta upgrade is worth a try:

http://player.ooyala.com/player.swf?embedCode=wzMXhzMTpZo7WKrjpkWBUYxJYeHj5pz5&version=2

With Skype previously focused more on its client for Windows, it’s great to see the Mac version get some major love with features PC owners have been enjoying. I think you can thank Apple, and to a lesser extent, Google, for this Skype beta. Apple’s release of its FaceTime mobile video client earlier this year sent a shot across the bow of the S.S. Skype, which has generally dominated the video calling space for several years boasting 560 million registered users at the end of 2009.

The real cannon shot, however, was the recent introduction of Apple’s FaceTime for Mac OS X, which connects both Mac and iPhone 4 / iPod touch owners through video calling. Clearly, Skype didn’t just whip this new client together after Apple’s FaceTime introduction, but the Skype team surely has more motivation to improve their software due to the sudden competition.

Case in point: I have a daily video chat with my son, which used to be on Skype or Google Talk, but not any more. We’ve used FaceTime exclusively since it arrived. Perhaps we’re the exception, and Skype users are simply ignoring video call offerings from Apple, Google and other third party developers. But I don’t believe Skype is counting on that as consumers could be looking for simpler solutions that are well integrated to computing platforms. FaceTime for iOS might just move Skype along a little faster when it comes to mobile video clients too.

The fact that I don’t even need FaceTime open on my Mac to accept a call is a huge plus. For example, when my son calls me from his iPhone 4, FaceTime automatically opens and even pauses the iTunes music I’m listening to. Skype is going to battle against such native clients, and by adding features and a more native look-and-feel, it’s starting to do just that with Skype 5.0 for Mac. This is just one skirmish, but as Yoda might say: “Begun the video calling wars, have.”

FaceTime For Mac is here!

That’s right you can use FaceTime from your Mac to call any FaceTime user on an iPhone 4 or iPod Touch who also use FaceTime.

I’ve tried it and it’s great!

http://www.apple.com/mac/facetime/

Here is some of the text from Apple’s PR:

Now your smile goes even further.

FaceTime for Mac makes it possible to talk, smile, wave, and laugh with anyone on an iPhone 4, iPod touch, or Mac from your Mac over Wi-Fi. So you can catch up, hang out, joke around, and stay in touch with just a click. Sure, it’s great to hear a voice. But it’s even better to see the face that goes with it.

A phone call now comes with a friendly face.

From the tiny camera on your Mac comes a huge video-calling experience. The window frame and controls fade away so you can enjoy your conversation without distractions. With picture-in-picture view, you can see how you look to the person you’re calling. And everyone can gather around the big Mac screen and get in on the fun. When you call someone on an iPhone 4 or iPod touch, you see everything on the other end without a hitch. Whether they use the front or rear camera or rotate from portrait to landscape, FaceTime for Mac smoothly adjusts the view.

Video calling with one click.

FaceTime is easy to set up on your Mac. All you need is an Apple ID and an email address and you’re ready to roll. To start a video call with your best friend, just find her entry in the Contacts list. FaceTime works perfectly with Address Book so you don’t have to enter your contacts from scratch. Click her phone number if you want to call her iPhone 4. To call her iPod touch or Mac, use her email address. An invitation pops up on her screen. When she accepts, the video call begins. And there you are, face to face. Mac to iPhone, iPod touch, or Mac.

Your Mac is ringing.

Whenever someone tries to reach you, the call rings through on every Mac you own even if FaceTime isn’t running. So you never have to worry about making yourself available. If you don’t want to receive calls, just turn FaceTime off in Preferences.

FaceTime here, there, and everywhere.

With FaceTime on iPhone, iPod touch, and the Mac, you can see what everyone’s up to no matter where they are — with a click or a tap, a smile and a laugh.