Big Blog

Skype conversations have had visual flavor ever since video was introduced in Skype 2.0 for Windows. Now, video makes a somewhat different appearance in version 3.5 which went public today. It lets you download videos from top independent video-sharing sites Dailymotion and Metacafe and add them to your Skype ‘mood’.

Skype moods are a simple and personal way to share all sorts of things with other Skype users. Since we believe that sharing is good, and that video is good, the conclusion is simple: video sharing is also good. User-generated and licensed video is incredibly popular these days and video moods on Skype should be a great conversation starter.

But new visual features in the latest version of Skype go beyond video mood messages. People can now also include video content in Skype text chats. Skype also lets you take still photos during a video call.

Last but not least, there are a couple of other things in the goodie bag:

Skype 3.5 for Windows lets users transfer their incoming calls to another person or a group of people on Skype (or, for Skype Pro subscribers, to a landline or mobile phone number).

We’ve also introduced auto redial. If the number being called is busy, Skype can automatically redial it every two minutes, until the call is answered.

Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling.