Quick

Skype 3.0 for Windows now officially launched

December 13th, 2006

Skype 3.0 for Windows is now the official version and out of beta. Thanks to all the testers who helped us with feedback and bug reports. Download here.

One cool bit of info that we’ve found out from our user research that’s good to mention in connection with this release is that over half the people using Skype use it to meet someone new. This is very much in line with what we’ve always thought and what we’re trying to bring more and more into the very product itself — that you use Skype not only to talk with those you know, but might also use it for find new friends.

For a quick overview of what are the most important improvements in Skype 3.0 for Windows, see this post about the beta. Here are some things that have changed or added since. See what it looks like if you’re not on Windows or are considering an upgrade but want to see the actual interface to decide.

Public chat directories

For now, we don’t have a directory of public chats in Skype. You can only join a public chat if you know its exact link or address or someone invites you there. It’s great to see that there is a big community interest in public chat directories, so much so that some Skypers have set up some of theirs on their own. See here and here.

Quality

A theme that is present in whatever we do is quality. So we’re happy to report that the final release contains many quality improvements than the initial version as a direct result of community participation and feedback. Thanks, guys one specific example is video that was really bad in some of the beta versions, but with the help of you guys, we worked it out and it’s good now.

Emoticons

So here’s one of my personal favourite differences in the beta and gold. For the first time in … umm.. I think at least a year or more, SKYPE NOW HAS NEW ADDITIONAL EMOTICONS. Yep. Great success. You can see the public ones in the emoticons dropdown, plus there are some hidden ones too. I won’t list the hidden ones here, because that would ruin all the fun of searching for them. So look for the hidden ones and tell others too if you find them

My Picture for Skype 3.0

Help us celebrate the launch of Skype 3.0 by using this My Picture in Skype. Just right-click on it, select “Save Picture as…”, save it to your computer and then set as My Picture in Skype.

Help us improve

Skype for Windows keeps developing. For info on how you can report bugs and give us other feedback on Skype, see this page.

Original post by Share Skype

Entry Filed under: software