Skype on Wednesday released Skype for Mac 2.6 Beta, a new version of the internet telephony application that features better quality and stability as well as a new Mac-only call transfer feature and better feature parity with its Windows counterpart. The company said that the Mac version now boasts virtually all of the features offered on the Windows platform, including the ability to join public chats, a typing indicator, the ability to call any Skype Prime premium services provider and pay with Skype credit, an integrated software update function, and the availability of DTMF tones for automatic answering services during Skype-to-Skype calls. Skype requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and is a free download.

"Mac users have been asking for better quality and Skype has taken action. By ironing out the little bugs that users have pointed out, Skype for Mac 2.6 Beta boasts increased quality and stability," the company said. "And as Skype understands that even small things like handling birthday reminders or other notifications are important for Mac users too, we spent a lot of time streamlining the small stuff in this new release."