macnn
01/06/2009, 2:45am, EST
Tuesday, January 6th
Skype 2.8 beta adds Boingo, screen sharing
Skype has announced the latest version of its communication software, Skype 2.8 beta for Mac. The update features Skype Access which integrates Boingo's Wi-Fi hotspot service that includes over 100,000 global locations. The program scans for available connections and prompts the user with a per-minute charge that can be deducted from Skype Credit. A new screen sharing function transfers the computer's desktop view in real-time to another user, while encrypting the data to ensure privacy.
The new features included in Skype 2.8 Beta are initially available only to Mac users, with support for other platforms coming sometime in 2009. Skype Access global rates are listed as $0.19 per minute to $0.22 per minute depending on applied taxes.
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Skype for iPhone?
Why don't we have a Skype for iPhone app yet? I've used Fring to access my Skype account through my iPhone and it just doesn't work as well as it could. I want a native Skype app for the iPhone.
No such Skype 2.8 Beta
The link in this post returns the OS X beta page with the following message: "While no beta version is available, you can always download the current official version of Skype."
Clicking on the "Get the official version" button takes one to the 2.7 download page.
Was the beta pulled, or this article posted prematurely?
skype for iPhone?
You don't understand why there is no Skype for iPhone? Is that a serious question? Apple and ATT have worked together to bring out the iPhone. ATT subsidizes the sale of the iPhone and makes money on monthly fees. If you could make calls via a wifi connection using Skype, you circumvent ATT for calls saving you minutes and reducing profit for ATT. While Apple may not care, I'm sure ATT wanted agreements from Apple to not allow an application like this.
An alternative might be a version of Skype that prevents calls to real phones so you could just do Skype to Skype (which may be want you wanted). Too bad the camera on the iPhone wasn't on top and could be rotated for video conferencing.
Not quite
Simdude, you're partially right. It may be AT&T behind the reason for Skype not being there. However, it isn't because of the loss of revenue on monthly plans. Clearly, AT&T has very little to use, since it is already getting $70 per month from people who never use up their minutes. What AT&T doesn't want is precisely what you think they actually might, and that is for iPhone users to pile onto their already strained data network with gobs of additional data traffic on Skype-to-Skype calls. They are already struggling to provide adequate capacity for all those iPhone users, not having expected such heavy demand for data.
Re: skyp for iphone
If you could make calls via a wifi connection using Skype, you circumvent ATT for calls saving you minutes and reducing profit for ATT.
Actually, this would reduce your minutes and save ATT bandwidth and money (they're getting your $70 already, unless you keep going over your allotment - but that's what rollover minutes help prevent).
An alternative might be a version of Skype that prevents calls to real phones so you could just do Skype to Skype (which may be want you wanted).
No, that's not an alternative, since it doesn't help at all (if you Skyped to a 'real' phone, someone is paying usage minutes.
A real alternative is to just disable the app on the data network. There, no affect on ATT at all. Apple can enforce this. They do it with other apps with large downloads and such.