Mashable
Skype for Windows eight Is Total of Win [REVIEW]
Skype for Windows 8
Microsoft has given Skype a makeover for Windows 8. The fresh app has a beautiful full-screen interface that combines messaging, group talk and movie calls all into one.
Main Screen
The app shows latest activity on the left, followed by dearest contacts and your general contacts list ("people") on the right.
Dial Screen
Clicking on the phone icon opens up the dial pad along with a list of latest calls.
Calling Screen
When you call someone, here’s what the screen looks like.
Thrust Alerts
When a call comes in, Skype sends you an alert whatever app you’re in — even if the PC is locked. The app doesn’t need to be running to get the alert.
Movie Call
Here’s what a movie call looks like in the app. It’s utter screen by default.
Snap View
Skype supports Snap, which means you can lightly budge your call to the side of the screen while you open up a browser window or a document.
Account Management
Your options for managing your account within the app are limited. Anything more complicated than switching your profile picture requires a browser.
Contact History
Selecting a contact shows your communication history, including IMs.
Selecting Favorites
The app supports semantic zoom, meaning you can just pinch to switch from a scrolling list of contacts to an alphabetized menu.
Options
The Windows eight version of Skype has a simplified set of options.
When Microsoft bought Skype a year-and-a-half ago, the reasons were a little unclear. After all, the software giant already had similar communications software in its Windows Live Messenger network and enterprise-ready Lync service. Adding Skype to the mix seemed redundant.
With Skype for Windows 8, the fruits of that transaction are now coming into concentrate. With the fresh Skype, Microsoft has created a beautiful and intuitive general-consumer app that combines messaging, group talk and calls (movie and audio, of course) into a single screen in the Windows 8-style interface (or whatever they’re calling Metro these days).
The best part of the Skype practice on Windows 8, is that it’s always on. Even if you haven’t launched the app, even if your PC is locked and even if you’ve specifically stopped the app from running — you can still get calls. You control whether or not you’re visible on the Skype network, keeping the potential for intrusive calls (or worse, spam) to a minimum.
Skype Meets Windows 8
Even tho’ Skype has now merged with Windows eight at the root, you still download it like any other app. Once installed, it takes up a large-size live tile by default, albeit you can shrink it if that’s too much Skype real estate for you. Besides the Skype logo, you’ll see incoming messages and alerts emerge on the tile.
When you launch Skype, it’s instantly apparent this version was tailor-made for Windows 8. Functions are neatly separated into sections along a horizontal scroll, the icons are square with little or no white space inbetween them, and the "chrome" of the app is kept to an absolute minimum — it’s just a call button and your account icon.
Skype has pretty straightforward functionality, and that’s served well by Windows 8’s minimalist design. It’s the prettiest Skype app I’ve ever seen, and its tiles are utterly touchable. If you’ve never played with Skype or customized it with things like a profile pic, this app will make you want to.
The very first time you embark it, you’ll see a "Get More Out of Skype" prompt that takes you to your account page in Internet Explorer. In fact, if you tap "Account" on your icon, you’re sent to IE as well. That’s a little weird. I would expect at least some basic account management to be treated within the app; but as it stands, you can’t even add funds to your account. (Helloooo! I’m flapping money here, guys!)
The layout is well-thought out. Top priority, earning the leftmost position, is your most latest activity: active talks and latest calls. Like the Windows seven app, the fresh Skype lets you create a list of beloved contacts, displaying those ones before everyone else.
Of course, the apps supports Snap, Windows 8’s capability to shrink apps to a sidebar. This a fine feature, letting you keep a call open and visible while you multitask with, say, an Excel spreadsheet or a browser window. When you’re not on a call, the Snap window can also display an active talk, or just contact information.
The Call of Progress
You make and receive calls just like you always have with Skype, but with Windows 8, full-screen movie is the default, of course. Albeit the calls still use the same peer-to-peer technology Skype built its company on, it’s also backed by Microsoft’s Windows Live network, which should theoretically improve its reliability.
I’ve only been using Skype for Windows eight for a few days, so it’s hard to say for sure, but the calls themselves were very likely a bit more reliable than what I’m used to from Skype. Still, that’s not telling a lot: The service has given me everything from stuttering movie to robot voices to dropped calls in the past. Generally, I still find Apple’s FaceTime to have the best call quality of all the major video-calling services.
However, FaceTime isn’t a utter calling-and-chatting service, whereas Skype is. Sending talk messages and IMs over Skype is as instantaneous as you expect, finish with shove alerts. And, yes, you can turn those off, if you wish.
In summary, the fresh version is the best Skype app ever made. The interface is beyond intuitive and friendly — it’s downright alluring, and it made me regret not having more contacts with pretty avatars. Microsoft has made a real winner here.
If needed to, Skype, along with a handful of other apps, will serve as messengers for what Windows eight is capable of. In fact, with its mainstream audience that tends to peak during the rapidly approaching holiday season, Skype will most likely have more influence over how people react to the fresh OS than most other Windows eight apps, save for Office and Internet Explorer.
And It’s up for the job. The fresh Skype shines brightly as a beacon for how good Windows eight apps can be, and it’s a must-download for anyone buying a fresh PC.
Skype for Windows eight Is Utter of Win REVIEW
Mashable
Skype for Windows eight Is Utter of Win [REVIEW]
Skype for Windows 8
Microsoft has given Skype a makeover for Windows 8. The fresh app has a beautiful full-screen interface that combines messaging, group talk and movie calls all into one.
Main Screen
The app shows latest activity on the left, followed by beloved contacts and your general contacts list ("people") on the right.
Dial Screen
Clicking on the phone icon opens up the dial pad along with a list of latest calls.
Calling Screen
When you call someone, here’s what the screen looks like.
Thrust Alerts
When a call comes in, Skype sends you an alert whatever app you’re in — even if the PC is locked. The app doesn’t need to be running to get the alert.
Movie Call
Here’s what a movie call looks like in the app. It’s total screen by default.
Snap View
Skype supports Snap, which means you can lightly stir your call to the side of the screen while you open up a browser window or a document.
Account Management
Your options for managing your account within the app are limited. Anything more complicated than switching your profile picture requires a browser.
Contact History
Selecting a contact shows your communication history, including IMs.
Selecting Favorites
The app supports semantic zoom, meaning you can just pinch to switch from a scrolling list of contacts to an alphabetized menu.
Options
The Windows eight version of Skype has a simplified set of options.
When Microsoft bought Skype a year-and-a-half ago, the reasons were a little unclear. After all, the software giant already had similar communications software in its Windows Live Messenger network and enterprise-ready Lync service. Adding Skype to the mix seemed redundant.
With Skype for Windows 8, the fruits of that transaction are now coming into concentrate. With the fresh Skype, Microsoft has created a beautiful and intuitive general-consumer app that combines messaging, group talk and calls (movie and audio, of course) into a single screen in the Windows 8-style interface (or whatever they’re calling Metro these days).
The best part of the Skype practice on Windows 8, is that it’s always on. Even if you haven’t launched the app, even if your PC is locked and even if you’ve specifically stopped the app from running — you can still get calls. You control whether or not you’re visible on the Skype network, keeping the potential for intrusive calls (or worse, spam) to a minimum.
Skype Meets Windows 8
Even tho’ Skype has now merged with Windows eight at the root, you still download it like any other app. Once installed, it takes up a large-size live tile by default, albeit you can shrink it if that’s too much Skype real estate for you. Besides the Skype logo, you’ll see incoming messages and alerts show up on the tile.
When you launch Skype, it’s instantly apparent this version was tailor-made for Windows 8. Functions are neatly separated into sections along a horizontal scroll, the icons are square with little or no white space inbetween them, and the "chrome" of the app is kept to an absolute minimum — it’s just a call button and your account icon.
Skype has pretty straightforward functionality, and that’s served well by Windows 8’s minimalist design. It’s the prettiest Skype app I’ve ever seen, and its tiles are utterly touchable. If you’ve never played with Skype or customized it with things like a profile pic, this app will make you want to.
The very first time you begin it, you’ll see a "Get More Out of Skype" prompt that takes you to your account page in Internet Explorer. In fact, if you tap "Account" on your icon, you’re sent to IE as well. That’s a little weird. I would expect at least some basic account management to be treated within the app; but as it stands, you can’t even add funds to your account. (Helloooo! I’m swinging money here, guys!)
The layout is well-thought out. Top priority, earning the leftmost position, is your most latest activity: active talks and latest calls. Like the Windows seven app, the fresh Skype lets you create a list of beloved contacts, displaying those ones before everyone else.
Of course, the apps supports Snap, Windows 8’s capability to shrink apps to a sidebar. This a excellent feature, letting you keep a call open and visible while you multitask with, say, an Excel spreadsheet or a browser window. When you’re not on a call, the Snap window can also display an active talk, or just contact information.
The Call of Progress
You make and receive calls just like you always have with Skype, but with Windows 8, full-screen movie is the default, of course. Albeit the calls still use the same peer-to-peer technology Skype built its company on, it’s also backed by Microsoft’s Windows Live network, which should theoretically improve its reliability.
I’ve only been using Skype for Windows eight for a few days, so it’s hard to say for sure, but the calls themselves were very likely a bit more reliable than what I’m used to from Skype. Still, that’s not telling a lot: The service has given me everything from stuttering movie to robot voices to dropped calls in the past. Generally, I still find Apple’s FaceTime to have the best call quality of all the major video-calling services.
However, FaceTime isn’t a utter calling-and-chatting service, whereas Skype is. Sending talk messages and IMs over Skype is as instantaneous as you expect, finish with shove alerts. And, yes, you can turn those off, if you wish.
In summary, the fresh version is the best Skype app ever made. The interface is beyond intuitive and friendly — it’s downright alluring, and it made me regret not having more contacts with pretty avatars. Microsoft has made a real winner here.
If needed to, Skype, along with a handful of other apps, will serve as messengers for what Windows eight is capable of. In fact, with its mainstream audience that tends to peak during the rapidly approaching holiday season, Skype will most likely have more influence over how people react to the fresh OS than most other Windows eight apps, save for Office and Internet Explorer.
And It’s up for the job. The fresh Skype shines brightly as a beacon for how good Windows eight apps can be, and it’s a must-download for anyone buying a fresh PC.